The main goal of the Open Lecture Hall initiative is to help the visitors of New Holland look at the latest advancements in science and technology through the lens of the current social, political and economic climate. How can computer technologies forecast epidemic spreading, why do economists scan the human brain, and why most people don’t care about climate change — these and other questions will be discussed by the university’s leading researchers and invited experts. The project will be coordinated by Dmitry Malkov, the Head of ITMO’s Science Communication and Outreach Office.
“New Holland is a truly unique public space,” shares Dmitry Malkov. “It hosts a whole range of activities, including various educational programs. We are very pleased that it’s ITMO University that New Holland placed in charge of science and technology in their Open Lecture Hall project. We are convinced that we’ll be able to meet their expectations and enlighten the island’s visitors about the role of science and technology in our lives.”
The lecture season on the island will be open from April to October, with ITMO University’s specialists giving lectures twice a month on various topics, from photonics and nanotechnologies to astrophysics and climate science.
It’s not only ITMO University staff who’ll be among the speakers, but also science communicators from Russia and other countries, as well as partners of ITMO’s Science Communication and Outreach Office. The first lecture will be given by Sergey Stafeev, a professor at the Faculty of Physics and Engineering, on April 9. In his lecture “Optical Science and Visual Arts”, Prof. Stafeev will talk about the connection between art and optics, as well as modern photonics and its influence on aesthetic perception.
The next lecture will be held on April 23. Aleksey Semikhatov, a renowned science communicator, laboratory head at the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and scientific curator of the Polytechnic Museum, will talk about “Prediction of the Unknown: From Quarks to Planets and Parallel Universes”. Lecture Hall’s schedule will be updated every month. Follow its news on New Holland’s website.
