Despite of difficult political relationships of Russia and UK, they will run a Year of Education and Science of the UK and Russia in 2017. It will be a continuation of the Year of Language and Literature of Great Britain and Russia, held last year, and the Year of Culture of UK and Russia in 2014. Major activities scheduled by the states and scientists, were announced at a press conference in TASS on January 27, 2017.
The program of the Year of education and science of UK and Russia was jointly designed by the British Council, the British Embassy in Russia and Russian Ministry of education and science. British Petroleum (BP) is the general sponsor of the program.
The British Council is an organization that promotes cultural cooperation of Great Britain with other countries, promotes it actively and conducts educational events.
Many participants of press conference noted that residents of both countries had a great interest in previous Years of mutual exchange. They also talked that special attention will be paid to young people during the Year. Probably due to that reason British art will get the most contemporary representation with the usage of modern technology.
In response to E-Vesti’s question about the purpose of the presence of a variety of modern features in the program, the Head of the British Council Sir Ciarán Devane explained: “I think that our job is to reflect the UK as it is. And that means that is the complexity of the UK.
My role is to help people to form this basis of knowledge of understanding the UK. So, for example, we did a digital project as a part of our language and literature which was in the form of comics. So we explore Shakespeare but with some kind mixing technology what kids would use. It’s funny mix of the classics, and how would people do it today, without penetrating heritage and be trivial. But equally not necessarily thinking that all young people will have a copy of complete Shakespeare on the shelves in the same way as it was in my childhood.
How to represent Great Britain in a contemporary way without losing our authenticity and so still not trying shifting image? We need to consider how people perceive it. As an example, it was one project here, which in Russian and in English is Emoji Shakespeare. Here you have to guess the missing word; you have to select emoji which represent word again. So it is very good poetry represented in a some fun language which is used by modern teenager. What we are trying to do.”
In total, according to Deputy Minister of Education and science Ludmila M. Ogorodova, 115 of 300 events will be held by Universities in the UK. “Universities are very actively replied, as soon as the Year of education and science was announced,” she said.
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The events of the Year are divided into two types: scientific-educational and scientific-cultural (associated with art). They will be held in both countries and will create conditions for actual interaction between scientists and those interested in science and culture. In the process of conducting, the program will be expanded.
The events of the Year of science and education in Russia:
- Launched Russian online project “British scientists” (https://postnauka.ru/specials/british-scientists), which contains an illustrated up-to-date information about the major achievements of British scientists.
- “British literature today” seminar about modern English literature at Yasnaya Polyana, Museum-estate of Leo Tolstoy.
- “Popularizing science: how to make a big Bang?” – a series of trainings for journalists on promoting scientific knowledge
- “Science train” will be launched in Moscow Underground
- “New British cinema” festival and the film “the Sky robots” (theRobotSkies, shot entirely by drones) will be broadcasted on Russian television
- Other exhibition projects, including “Nobel prize” posters exhibition in Domodedovo airport
The events of the Year of education and science in UK:
- At the Science Museum of London (Science Museum) an exhibition with the capsule of the Soyuz spacecraft. In it a British astronaut and military pilot Timothy Nigel Peake (Timothy Nigel Peake) after 186 days in space with American and Russian colleagues returned to Earth in June 2016.
- Seminar on the Arctic will take place in Cambridge.
- At the science Museum in London will open the exhibition “Valentina Tereshkova: first woman in space”.
- King’s College London – the anniversary of the creation of “Crime and punishment” will be held on Dostoyevsky Day.
- Other exhibition projects
Joint research and forums of the Year of science and education in both countries:
- InstitutionalLinks – 450’000 GBP grants for the establishment of regional research centers and joint research
- Researcherlinks – seminars for young scientists
- Science Week – classes for scholars
- In the framework of “Total dictation” event celebrities will invite new members
Source: British Council
