The Most Scientific Day of All
The first HSE Research Day was held on the 20th of April, when students from different educational programs presented their research works and exchanged experience.
I’ve talked to three students of our BA program to learn their opinion of the event. These students are Vladislav Kostin (4th year), Maria Nedosekova (3rd year) and Maria Bespalova (1st year).
Why have you decided to participate in HSE Research Day?
Vladislav: I have been taking part in different conferences and student event since my second year at the university. I saw the announcement of the Research Day and thought I definitely needed to take part in it.
Masha N.: I have noticed HSE Research Day poster with information that it will be held in April and decided to send my second year’s coursework.
Masha B.: The idea of participating at the Research Day was cultivated by my previous experience of taking part in school conferences. When I noticed the first announcement of the Research Day, I instantly decided no to miss this chance to realize my potential in the university.
Were there any difficulties during the preparation?
Vladislav: The only difficulty was to make a nice and attractive poster for my section. Unfortunately, during our study we do not practice such unusual formats. That is why I don’t have enough skills to make a spectacular scientific performance.
Masha N.: Basically, allthe preparation was to make a poster, and I really liked it. Moreover, it was necessary to recall the essence of my previous research at short notice and to present it to the public.
Masha B.: The process of data collection was really hard. Overall, it was around 300 media publications: I spent approximately 12 hours to collect them. All the rest: theory studying, data analysis, creation of the presentation, – was very exciting and useful. If it was not for my supervisor, Natalia Smirnova, all the process would have been much more challenging. It is crucial to find someone, who would be involved into the project as much as you, who would be ready to advise and support.
How did it go?
Vladislav: We presented our projects before the jury and also before other participants in a free format. The presentation in front of the students was like a usual discussion, but the speech before the jury went not as expected. They did not show much interest in my research and they just left after a minute and a half, without asking any questions.
Masha N: We also spoke before the jury. They approached at different times, so I had to tell them about my work eight times. In general, I am glad that I have participated in this event, because I was able to overcome my fear of speaking in public to some extent. It was interesting to watch how people from other educational programs tell about their research, and even more interesting when they tried to understand what I was telling about.
Masha B.: I consider this presentation to be the best of all performed before, that was magical. Sure, there is always a room to grow, for instance, to calm the speech tempo. However, the first experience of performing to such a big audience became a vigorous push for the further development.
What was useful in participation in the Research Day?
Vladislav: The benefits for students are obvious: the development of public speaking skills and also expanding contacts and outlook.
Masha B.: The key benefit for a student is a possibility to make the first steps in academic realm, to identify the sphere of your research interests and to learn how to do formal research and to present it informally.
What was the most striking moment?
Vladislav: Something that I remember the most is the work of a graduate student of Economy. His research was inspired by the book of the Nobel laureate, which I recently read. This person conducted a deep empirical study to test the author's hypotheses (E. Reinert's book "How the rich countries became rich, and why poor countries remain poor")
Masha N: Most of all I remember the criticism. Not in a bad way, but a good one. I'm very glad to receive the feedback, especially from teachers, whom I would not otherwise meet.
Masha B.: What was the most striking moment? It is hard to say. Probably, all the words of delights and acknowledgements that I have received from unfamiliar people. During these moments you realize that your research has its sphere of influence, that you are doing something useful and socially significant.
We congratulate Maria Bespalova with the second place in the competition for the best research project!