By Tass
ARKHANGELSK, July 1. /TASS/. Students from Kazan, Tomsk and Vladivostok will join the Arctic Floating University expedition for the first time, the expedition’s leader Alexander Saburov told TASS.
The Professor Molchanov scientific research vessel will depart from Arkhangelsk on July 9, and 56 people will take part in the voyage, he added.
“This year, the Arctic Floating University will feature for the first time participants from the Far Eastern Federal University, the Kazan Federal University and the Tomsk State University. Those universities, and consequently cities, have not been represented earlier. A representative of the ITMO (Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics) University in St. Petersburg will take part in the expedition also for the first time,” he said.
A student from the Tomsk State University will join a group to study marine litter and microplastics pollution. A student from the Kazan Federal University will join a group of hydro chemists to analyze nutrients dynamics in the Barents Sea. A Soil Science student from the Far Eastern Federal University will work on radioecology research of the Barents Sea ecosystems. An ITMO representative will study seabirds.
The competition for participation has grown significantly in 2025, reaching more than 20 people per one place, and even more than 30 people for certain tracks. “The selection was not easy,” the expedition leader continued. “Our task was to choose the best, those who most likely will complete scientific tasks and will continue careers in science.”
After the expedition, every student must publish at least one scientific article and speak at minimum two conferences in collaboration with the mentor. “We welcome these small, though changes for higher requirements, because here get the best of the best from all over Russia. Being here must be 100% justified,” he added.
The voyage will feature representatives of 16 scientific and educational organizations from across the country. The due dates are from July 9 to August 1. The project’s sponsors and partners are: the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, VTB Bank (the general sponsor), the Russian Geographical Society, Norilsk Nickel, the Floating University Coordination Center at MIPT.