From 19 to 21 July, the 28th Summer Scientific School of Young Scientists and Specialists titled “Lipnya-2024” is taking place at the Lipnya Tourist Resort named after the island in the Ivankovo Reservoir where the event is held. It brought together the youth of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Tensor Plant, and the Sarov Branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University. The Association of Young Scientists and Specialists (AYSS) of JINR organized the scientific event.

The first day of the Lipnya-2024 School began with the Science Speed Dating teambuilding exercise, during which participants engaged in brief conversations designed to foster communication. The young scientists, who were going to spend several days together, were given limited time to exchange scientific ideas and get to know each other.

Right after the participants introduced themselves to each other, the leading experts shared their knowledge and experience through a series of informative lectures. Head of the JINR UC Social Communications Group Anastasia Sushchevich discussed the work of her department, emphasising how important it is for the scientific community to actively interact with schoolchildren and students. A MLIT JINR researcher Igor Pelevanyuk presented useful web services available at the Institute, which facilitate employees’ daily work and expand their capabilities. For example, young people learned about the MLIT JINR computing services and the features of the Institute’s Digital Ecosystem. Deputy Head of a DLNP JINR Department Alexey Zhemchugov captured the young listeners’ attention with a historical overview of the establishment of the Institute, full of little-known details about JINR’s path from a secret nuclear laboratory to an international organization. Associate Professor at the Faculty of Humanities at the Higher School of Economics Galina Orlova finished the series of lectures with a talk about ten theses and controversial issues of the Soviet atomic project, which aroused great interest and lively discussions that continued during the subsequent coffee break. An excellent conclusion to the first eventful day was a quiz covering a wide range of topics: from the sights of Dubna and its surroundings to the nuances of research conducted at JINR. An experiment of this year’s school was the last round of the intellectual competition, which was held in the Jeopardy! format. By this time, the young researchers who chose to reside in tents decorated them to participate in the competition for the most cosy and inviting tent, illuminating Lipnya with fairy lights and travel lanterns.

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One of the goals of the AYSS School at the JINR Lipnya Tourist Resort is to give young people the opportunity to communicate in a less formal setting, make new acquaintances outside the laboratory, and network with colleagues from other organizations. One of the participants, an FLNP JINR senior researcher Pavel Prusachenko, noted: “I like the idea of a school for young researchers. It may seem surprising, but, in fact, this is quite a rare thing for Russian scientific institutions. Such schools exist in large organizations, but I feel they are increasingly uncommon these days. And the AYSS JINR successfully holds lots of them. I will be happy to come here next year!”

The school participants started the next morning with group trainings on stand-up paddleboarding, yachting, and kayaking. Young scientists had a chance to enjoy active recreation on water and get ready for a productive day.

An LRB JINR researcher Ivan Gordeev started the lecture part of the second day of the school. His talk was devoted to the application of Monte Carlo methods and radiation transfer modelling programs to solve problems of dosimetry and radiation safety.

“Thanks again to all the organizers! I was extremely pleased to be a lecturer. I wish for the scale of this prominent event to grow, with more and more people participating each year,” Ivan Gordeev noted.

Head of an FLNP Sector Grigory Arzumanyan reported on the Institute’s cutting-edge research using highly sensitive Raman spectroscopy. The importance of photodetectors in modern research was explained by Head of a DLNP Sector Nikolay Anfimov.

Head of the JINR Development of Digital Services Department Mikhail Vasiliev read the final lecture. He gave a detailed overview about the key projects of his department and status of the implementation of a marketplace project for the Institute.

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The Saturday afternoon marked one of the key events of the annual School, a round table with representatives of the JINR Directorate, departments, and the Medical Unit No. 9. They answered the participants’ questions and discussed plans for the development of the Institute and the city.

JINR Assistant Director for the Development of Biomedical Projects, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) Grigory Shirkov gave an introductory speech, noting the importance of the annual AYSS Round Table and the opportunities that this meeting provides for the participants.

Head of the Medical Unit No. 9 of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia Irina Larionova shared plans for the improvement of medical infrastructure in Dubna and cooperation with JINR. She took part in a Q&A session with the young researchers, providing an update on the progress of the Family Health and Reproduction Centre and the creation of an Endoscopy Centre at the Medical Unit, the Unit’s community health events, and the work carried out to attract medical specialists to Dubna.

Activities of the Unit’s Vascular Centre were discussed by its Head Vitaly Andreev. The Centre provides emergency and planned medical care to patients with cardiovascular diseases, actively improves high-tech surgical treatment methods, and plans to develop scientific areas together with JINR. Vitaly Andreev highlighted the large number of young doctors working at the centre and spoke about the creation of a Youth Council at the Medical Unit No. 9, which he chairs. The Council was formed in 2024. It consists of about 35 employees under 35. The AYSS JINR Council supported the proposal to establish cooperation with the Unit’s Youth Council.

Director of the JINR Property Complex Development Department Sergey Sokolov spoke in detail about the results of the Unit’s work and answered a number of questions related to the development of infrastructure and improvement of the sites of DLNP and VBLHEP at JINR. The participants noted that the Lipnya Tourist Resort has seen continuous progress in recent years. The employees’ dedication is evident in visible improvements in the beach area, the newly built houses, and the many works that are underway right now. One of the topics for discussion was the activities of the Committee on Infrastructure Development at the JINR sites. AYSS Council Chair Vladislav Rozhkov highlighted that the AYSS members are interested in participating in the Commitee’s work, making proposals on behalf of the JINR youth.

“At the AYSS meeting at the Alushta-2024 conference, which took place a month earlier, the members of the Association already discussed proposals to improve the JINR sites. The active young people are willing to advance not only science, but also the conditions in which they do it. Given the opportunity to voice their opinions and realise their potential, in several decades, they will become the Institute’s cornerstone!” Vladislav Rozhkov commented.

At the end of the round table, JINR Scientific Leader, RAS Academician Victor Matveev answered the question about the creation of the Institute’s new scientific journal. He informed the participants of the decision to make the new journal exclusively digital and completely free for both authors and readers. Its first issue is planned to be published this year.

The day finished with a celebratory dinner, prepared by the school participants together with employees of the JINR Hotel and Restaurant Complex Management. The outdoor picnic provided an opportunity for the young researchers to talk to the participants of the round table and the guests of the island in an informal setting. In the evening, the School’s participants spent time competing in board games, playing guitar, and singing campfire songs. This created the warm inviting atmosphere that the AYSS events are known and appreciated for.