Nizhny Novgorod, the leading center of Russia’s nuclear industry, will host the second International Science for Peace and Development Dialogue Forum sponsored by the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO with support from the Rosatom Corporation. The event will take place on November 10 at the Mayak Academy as part of the Decade of Science and Technology in the Russian Federation. Russian and foreign speakers will discuss the relevancy of scientific knowledge and discoveries; they will also try to determine the role of scientists in the modern world. The Russian Knowledge Society is the forum’s partner.
Prominent international scientists will attend the forum: Alexey Frolov, head of the joint R&D group of the Russian Quantum Center and the National University of Science and Technology MISIS; Adriana Marais, theoretical physicist and Director at the Foundation for Space Development Africa; Gabriela Bailas, PhD in Physics and a scientific communicator on social media; Dong Liang, Deputy Secretary-General of the Chinese National Committee of the International Society for Digital Earth; Ancha Baranova, PhD in Molecular Biology, professor at the School of Systems Biology, George Mason University (USA); Anatoly Krasilnikov, Director of the ITER Project Center Private Institution of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom. Journalist and TV anchor Marina Kim will be the moderator. Among the invited guests will be Alexey Likhachev, General Director of Rosatom and Maksim Dreval, General Director of the Russian Knowledge Society.
The program will consist of two tracks. In the first one, scientists and experts will discuss the global challenges we are facing today, including shortage of natural resources and competition for them, migration issues, growing global inequality, climate crisis and declining biodiversity.
Scientists are special: on the one hand, they have access to sacred knowledge, while on the other, they are but ordinary citizens who carry the burden of making tough decisions treading a fine line between progress and moral standards. The participants will have to answer the essential question: how can science contribute to solving the complex challenges of the changing world.
The second track will be dedicated to talent circulation as a global trend. Participants will discuss scenarios of science development against the backdrop of funding and talent shortages using Asia and Africa as an example. They will touch upon the need to share the fruits of the scientific progress with everybody as opposed to keeping them available only to those who provided capital and platforms for research. Experts will try to find ways to stimulate talent circulation and make it beneficial to the society.
November 10 was chosen as the date for the International Science for Peace and Development Dialogue Forum, because it is World Science Day for Peace and Development, and it reminds us about the importance of new knowledge and discoveries in today’s world, as well as the necessity to have an open discussion with society, uncovering the challenges facing science right now.
The forum will kick off at 10:11 a.m. Moscow time on November 10, 2022 in the central studio of the Sakharov Mayak Academy in Nizhny Novgorod. The online broadcast (https://scienceday.rosatom.ru/) is available in Russian and English from anywhere in the world.
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The Mayak Academy is a unique project by State Corporation Rosatom with the support of the Government of Nizhny Novgorod Region. The Academy is located at 11 Nizhnevolzhskaya Embankment in the trading house of the pre-revolutionary Rukavishnikov Bank, built in 1913 according to the design of the famous architect Fyodor Shekhtel.
Restoration works began in 2020, and in 2021, on World Science Day, the Academy was officially named after Academician Sakharov. Today, the Academy offers an environment where modernity and historical heritage are on display in a respectful and complementary manner. The venue hosts lectures, master classes, exhibitions, seminars, conferences and other events for Nizhny Novgorod’s residents and guests.
The State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom is a diversified holding company with assets in the energy, engineering and construction sectors. Seeking to promote low-carbon generation, including wind power, Rosatom is the national leader in power generation (over 20% of total generation) and ranks first in the world in terms of its pipeline of nuclear power plants, boasting 34 power units various implementation stages.