📰 Welcome to ITMO’s weekly news digest. Let’s get acquainted with the diverse activities that shape the present and the future at ITMO and beyond!

🧫 BIOCON is just 3 days away! Malaysian researcher Meisam Tabatabaei spoke to us about his biofuel research and prep for the international conference.

🔭 There’s so much happening in the science realm at ITMO. Check out all the updates in one go.

🎓 ITMO student Diego Arbildo Prieto shares his experience as a speaker at the Congress Globalistics-2023, held at the Lomonosov Moscow State University.

💒 Explore an unknown side of St. Petersburg – sometimes, one step off Nevsky Prospect is all it takes to escape the city’s bustle.

#newsdigest

Northern Eurasia Finals of ICPC – done & dusted ✅

ITMO’s team finished 3rd (equivalent to a gold medal as per ICPC rules) and secured a place in the final round of ICPC, set to be held in September 2024 in Astana (Kazakhstan).

Our students (team SPb ITMO: pengzoo) managed to solve 9 out of 12 tasks. The team is trained by Andrey Stankevich, an associate professor at ITMO’s Information Technologies and Programming Faculty and coach to several generations of ICPC champions.

👉 Read more.
#itmoinfo

Where’s all the festive content? It’s in our very special advent calendar 🎅

Starting today and until the final day of studies of 2023, we’ll get you into the New Year mood with all things festive: from fun Russian traditions to a secret guide to free winter activities in St. Petersburg.

Keep your eyes peeled! In each window, there’s a hidden letter. Collect them all to unlock a secret codeword! The first person to DM us the codeword will receive a special prize on December 28th! 🕵️‍♂️

✨ Open the link to the calendar to start your journey ✨

We had the pleasure of chatting with Mahmoud Hikal, a 38-year-old dynamo who has made a resolute comeback to student life at ITMO and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in robotics and AI.

⭐️ Mahmoud says:

I feel ITMO is like my family, my home. Everyone at ITMO is so professional. They don’t treat me like a student but as their own family member.

👉 Read more about his exciting life filled with many vibrant experiences.

#itmofaces

The New Year miracles with ITMO LIbrary ☃️❄️

For those who want to finish the year on a victorious note, ITMO Library has prepared a Binary New Year quiz. Test your knowledge and you might win some cool ITMO merch!

How to take part:

🎄 Start the bot. There’s English version available, too!
🎄 Follow the instructions
🎄 Answer questions, solve riddles, and luck will lead you to a magical prize!

Spice up your exam season with magic 🪄

💥The Big Style Theory is a project about 12 science heroes, their values, and their discoveries. What do fashion and spiders have in common? What’s the connection between quants and volleyball? Why observe fields from space if you’re not an alien?

Find all the answers in our interactive calendar – now, everyone can find their own inspiration for the coming year!

Check it out via the link and don’t forget to grab our super cool wallpaper for your phone or desktop 👈

SPECIAL EVENT FOR SPANISH SPEAKING MEMBERS! 🇪🇸

We know that unfortunately Spanish Speaking clubs are over this year, but… we have something special to offer you!

This Thursday you have an opportunity to meet foreign students from Latin America! Together with them in an informal environment you can practice your Spanish speaking skills, find out more about their country, listen to good music and enjoy tasty pizza 🍕

❓When: December, 21st, 17:15
📍Where: Lomonosova bld., 9, room 3220

Get into the holiday spirit in the city with our weekly roundup of the top events!

🍽 Military Parades: Porcelain and Watercolour
• Dec 21 | 1-9 pm | 300 rubles for students

View a collection of decorative porcelain depicting military parades and imperial army uniforms produced at St. Petersburg’s Imperial Porcelain Factory.

🍿 A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
• Dec 22 | 4:30 pm | 320-430 rubles

Watch the brilliant duo of Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando in this 12-time Oscar-nominated movie and learn your Stella! references.

🌊 Winter Fairytale by the Sea
• Dec 23 | 9 am - 9 pm | Free

Head to Kronstadt for a short ride and indulge in wonderful winter adventures, from a joyous holiday market to interactive performances.

🧦 St. Petersburg Fair
• Dec 24 | 12-8 pm | Free

Pay tribute to Soviet holiday classic Carnival Night (1956) at this Lenfilm event, the perfect place to do your holiday shopping.

Check out even more holiday events in our guide!
#weekends

Experience a magical New Year’s celebration in Yagodnoe! ✨

Come and witness a fairytale brought to life, with characters, games, music, and workshops from the Father Frost gang and the best of ITMO.Family.

📅 January 5-6
📍 Yagodnoe Sports and Leisure Camp
📎 Register here: https://vk.cc/csYtiu

Find out the details via the link (in Russian).
#studentlife

Only 10 more days until the New Year! How are you holding up?🎄🫂

What’s been happening at ITMO this week? Fascinating news only in our Friday digest:

🛢 ITMO and Rosneft have announced the launch of a new joint laboratory that’ll develop IT solutions for geological exploration.

🏆 ITMO University retains its top spot among Priority 2030 participants and will receive an additional grant of 529 million rubles in 2024.

🚀 The winners of ITMO Accelerator’s Demo Day have been announced! From AI beauty advisor to text encryptor, check out the winning projects in this article.

🤝 ITMO researcher and lecturer Natalia Iakovchenko was appointed as the Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN) Ambassador for Russia.

#newsdigest