Program Director Vera Rybko, an assistant professor and the deputy director for development at the Bio Center, pointed out some advantages of the project-based format: “We organized a Journal Club, where students analyzed publications. Among the advantages of this format are building communication with each other and mentors, mastering academic and spoken English. I would like to say thank you to the whole team, especially our PhD students who were brilliant mentors for our participants.”

Nine students out of 30 came from different parts of Russia: Saint-Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kazan, and Rostov-on-Don. Skoltech’s PhD students from the Life Sciences program joined the school as mentors.

“I really liked the school. I found this time really productive and intense. I am very glad that I realized what the real scientific atmosphere could be. It inspired me to bring the same energy to my university. I’m sure that after school I have become another person. No more worries during the presentation, only confidence and great speech. Thank you very much for organizing this great event and I’m grateful to all professors and PhD students who took part in the school,” shared Bulat Rakhimov, who would like to visit more events like this.

Alexandra Poliakova revealed that she had been surprised with the number of opportunities for students at Skoltech: “I liked lab tours, communication with colleagues, PhD students, professors, and the lecture with Professor Gelfand. A tour to FabLab, definitely. I was impressed with the opportunities the center can offer to its students. It’s great luck to visit such a cool modern university.”

The participants also thanked the organizers for an opportunity to improve public presentation skills in English, get feedback from professors, and communicate with PhD students.