This year, the XXIV International Scientific Conference of Young Scientists and Specialists of JINR (AYSS-2020) took place in the online format from 9 to 13 November. The number of participants reached 138, including 108 JINR employees and 30 colleagues from 23 universities and scientific centres of Germany, India, Kazakhstan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Vietnam.

The first plenary lecture at the Conference was given by JINR First Vice-Director Grigory Vladimirovich Trubnikov. He devoted the lecture to the JINR long-term development plan. Moreover, the programme of the Conference included 4 lectures on the topical issues of modern science. Professor of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute MSU S. B. Popov spoke about the life of neutron stars with an evolving magnetic field. Professor R. K. Ospanov reported on the discovery of the Higgs boson and some results of the LHC operation on behalf of the ATLAS collaboration. Candidate of Physics and Mathematics of the Russian Institute of Radiology and Agroecology P. Yu. Volkova spoke about the importance of omic technologies in radiation biology. FLNP Director V. N. Shvetsov closed the plenary part of the Conference with a report on the JINR neutron programme. Records of plenary lectures are available on the website of the Conference and on the YouTube channel jinrtv.

Participants of the event in their turn presented 115 15-minute oral reports in 9 sections. The topics of reports covered theoretical physics, mathematical modelling and computational physics, high energy physics, accelerators and nuclear reactors, experimental nuclear physics, applied research, information technologies, condensed matter physics, life sciences. JINR researchers who supervised the sections evaluated and selected the best reports and their authors received honorary diplomas.

Despite the online format, the Conference was held in a friendly atmosphere, allowed its participants to meet colleagues from different countries and to discuss the results of their research.

The AYSS Conference is the main event organized by the Association of Young Scientists and Specialists of JINR. The Conference allows young scientists and specialists of JINR not only to gain experience in presenting their results, to expand scientific contacts but also to take part in the organization of a large-scale scientific event.

The AYSS Council expresses its deep gratitude to the programme committee, lecturers, and A. Bednyakov, I. Bobrikov, K. Hertenberger, I. Zinkovskaya, A. Maksimchuk, S. Merz, D. Oleinik, S. Shmatov, V. Semin, T. Tropin, S. Turchikhin, and V. Chudoba for a responsible attitude and help in the selection of the best reports. We also express special thanks to the JINR Directorate, the University Centre, and the Institute’s offices for assistance and support of AYSS projects.

Based on AYSS information