On 1 – 3 December, directors of already existing and planned for opening JINR Information Centres in Vladikavkaz, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Vladivostok, Irkutsk, Rostov-on-Don, Saratov gathered in the Joint Institute for experience exchange. The meeting was designed as a shortened JEMS programme and was concluded with a round table “JINR Information Centres: experience and prospects”. It took place in a hybrid format with the participation of interested representatives from Belarus, Bulgaria, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Moldavia, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia. Head of the JINR International Cooperation Department Dmitry Kamanin moderated the event.

Participants of the round table discussed current and long-term tasks JINR Information Centres want to solve and exchanged experience.

Director of the first JINR IC in the North Ossetian State University (NOSU) Nelli Pukhaeva (Vladikavkaz) made a detailed report on the experience of the first Information Centre in the South of Russia and asked numerous questions. Director of the JINR IC in Kamchatka State University Daniyal Israpilov, Director of the JINR IC in the Far-Eastern Federal University (FEFU) Alexandra Reguzova (Vladivostok), Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Physics of the Southern Federal University (SFU), Doctor of Physics and Mathematics Professor Leon Avakyan (Rostov-on-Don), Director of the Scientific and Research Institute of Applied Physics of Irkutsk State University (IST) Andrey Tanaev, Director of the JINR IC based on the Faculty of Physics of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski Dimitar Mladenov (Bulgaria) shared in detail their plans and ideas.

Head of the national group of Kazakhstan in JINR Aidos Issadykov and Deputy Director for Science at the Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP) Daniyar Janseitov presented rich working experience of the Scientific and Educational Centre “Dubna” in Kazakhstan and plans for opening a JINR Information Centre in Almaty basing on this expertise. Thus, the Centre “Dubna” based on the INP in Almaty has been operating for more than 10 years. It has established the interaction of six scientific and research institutes of Kazakhstan with JINR, and the Institute has become the internship platform for numerous young specialists. It is planned to attract scientific organizations of neighbouring states to cooperate in the future. The Information Centre under creation will be a significant element of this work.

Speaking about functions of Information Centres, participants of the round table noted an important enlightening role of them. They may serve as a platform for working with school children, students, school teachers of Physics and other natural sciences for wider involvement of young personnel in science. In general, there were two key questions discussed at the round table: what functions JINR and hosting organizations want from Information Centres to perform and how exactly work with the relevant audience should be carried out.

Deputy JINR Chief Scientific Secretary Otilia Culicov summed up the results of the round table. In particular, she noted measures to support the IC activities planned at JINR. To ensure the methodical basis for new JINR Information Centres, as well as to accelerate experience exchange between already operating ICs, participants proposed to create a web platform for JINR Information Centres.

Despite the fact that the round table left many open questions, participants of the discussion noted the benefit of the event and their wish to continue the series of such meetings in the future.

Photos by Igor Lapenko