Award winners of Vladimir Potanin Scholarship Program were chosen on March 15. Among them are SSU representatives. Master students competition winners are Elena Dol (Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanincs), Marina Eliseeva (Faculty of Philosophy), Tatiana Medvedeva (Faculty of Nano- and Biomedical Technologies), Olga Neznaeva and Zarema Seidametova (Institute of Philology and Journalism). Among teachers who will receive funding from Vladimir Potanin Foundation is D.V. Ivanov, an Associate Professor of the Department of Mathematic Theory of Elasticity and Biomechanics.
The first round of the competition evaluated applicants’ scientific ambitions and chances. Students had to fill in an application, write a motivation letter where they talked about the scholarship’s advantages, an essay about their research interests, and send documents proving their degree and involvement in Master Studies. 14 Saratov University Master students went to the final stage of the competition.
The final round took place in the end of January – beginning of February. It took the shape of a business game where the contestants should demonstrate their leadership, communication and organization skills and creativity. In the final game on February 3, Saratov Master Students met their fellow students from all across Russia in Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
Applicants completed individual and group tasks. The competition included a number of locations where semi-finalists had to show their intelligence, logic, creativity, teambuilding skills as well as skills to adapt to new and stressful situations.
Scholarship winners will receive 15,000 rub monthly till the end of their studies. According to SSU students, all candidates they competed with had a chance to win. “It is very difficult to say what criteria the jury used to choose the best. Every one was not only a professional in their area but a good psychologist, no one showed where their sympathies lie”, shared Marina Eliseeva. “I think candidates’ evaluation starts very early, maybe even when a person chooses a T-shirt; Potanin Foundation looks for leader, and color preferences could tell a lot about one’s character”.
There was only one round in teachers’ competition. Applicants had fill in an online CV and write a motivation letter and a description of their innovations: a Master program, a course of study, a distant learning course or teaching methods and skills. They also had to estimate and present a project’s budget. The jury evaluated candidates’ innovative approach, projects’ viability and their replicability. The most effective projects were presented by teachers from 61 universities. Maximum grant is 500,000 rub.
The Foundation General Director Oksana Oracheva commented on the competition results: “This year the Foundation has significantly increased the number of grants and scholarships. A new format of the program enables us to support more students and teachers”. According to her, all applicants have equal opportunities and the result depends solely on their performance.
Scholarship and grant winners could participate in the Foundation school where they could present a socially important project and win funding for it. a preparatory stage starts next week on March 21.
