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Samara University traditionally hosts international events during the summer holidays in the format of summer educational schools for foreign guests. From July 20 to August 2, 2024, three International Summer Schools were held: "Fundamentals of professional communication: Russian Language and Culture," "Production and Testing of Aircraft Engines," "Aviation Technology – from design theory to operation practice." 56 students of the partner university — Northwestern Polytechnic University of China (Xi'an) became participants of the International Summer Schools.
The International Summer Schools were organized by the Center for International Short-Term Educational Programs. Educational programs were prepared by the Institute of Engines and Power Plant Engineering (the IEPPE) under the guidance of Professor of the Department of Thermal Engineering and Heat Engines Dmitry Uglanov, the Institute of Aerospace Engineering (the IAE) under the guidance of Head of the Department of Aviation Technology Operation Georgy Makaryants, as well as the Department of Russian Language and Mass Communication in collaboration with Associate Professor Inna Shumkina.
Short-term educational programs for foreign students are conducted in full-time and distance formats at the University on a regular basis. The head of International Schools Ekaterina Blinova notes: "For 10 years, we have been successfully implementing various summer and winter schools, and sometimes autumn schools, both in full-time and online formats. This highlights the high demand of international students for short-term educational programs at Samara University. It is nice to hear the participants’ admiration of the summer school program, the beauty of Samara and the hospitality of the city residents!"
The summer school program consisted of two parts: an educational block, including lectures, seminars and laboratory work, and a cultural program consisting of excursions, tours and master classes.
As part of the educational block of technical schools, students studied the design and application of aircraft engines, their production, technical diagnostics of aviation engines; aircraft control systems and other disciplines.
Russian language education included classes on the history of Russia, Russian traditions, the development of Russian technologies and learning Russian from scratch. As part of the educational program, the participants worked on research projects, the results of which will be published later in the format of scientific articles. Also, a trip to the training airfield of Samara University was organized for all participants, where students could not only get acquainted with the heritage of Soviet and Russian aviation, but also sit at the aircraft control panel, go out on the wing of the Tu-154M and visit the cockpit of helicopters.
Lada Uvarova, Director of the Center, emphasizes: "It's nice to see the burning eyes of the participants and their real delight! This year's educational program turned out to be rich, as it included lectures, practical and laboratory classes, homework, and work on a research project. I would also like to mention the help of our team of volunteers, who were ready 24/7 to paint the days of the guests in bright colors!"
As part of the cultural program, the participants learnt the traditions and culture of Russia, the sights of Samara and the hospitality of the city's residents. For the guests, a sightseeing tour of Samara, a master class on making ritual marten dolls and painting nesting dolls, excursions to the Volga Region Museum of Railway Equipment, an intellectual game, a sports tournament and other activities were held.
"This season, the cultural program turned out to be informative, the organizers and volunteers tried to make the participants feel like real residents of Samara: they swam in the Volga, tasted Russian cuisine, and enjoyed the Volga sunsets. The guys managed to get into the atmosphere of football Samara and support Krylia Sovetov at the home match. Holidays in Russia are now definitely one of the most vivid and memorable memories for our guests!" Maria Klevina, a specialist in the department of interaction with employers, draws attention.
A real gift for the guests from China was the day of Volga hedonism, where the participants, together with volunteers and organizers, visited the city beach. Like real Volga residents, the participants swam and splashed in the Volga, played volleyball on the beach, tasted watermelon and even celebrated their birthday on the sandy shores of the Volga!
Comments:
Zhang Bosi, student:
- The educational program was interesting and diverse, as there were classes not only in aviation technology, but also classes on Russian culture and the Russian language. I really liked the comfortable environment of Samara University: the campus is very beautiful; there is a lot of space, greenery and flowers. And I would also like to highlight the help of volunteers, as the guys were very friendly, they helped us a lot when moving around the city, and I can say that I made some very good friends here. In general, the organizers, teachers, volunteers and residents of the city were open and happy to help us, told stories about the city and the country, easily got in touch, and it's very cool!
Li Fuying, a student:
- Thanks to my participation in the summer school, I learned a lot about Russia, for example, about traditional cuisine, climate, transport infrastructure and, of course, the Russian language. Russian classes taught us useful words and phrases in Russian that can be used in conversation. I would also like to mention the rich cultural program that filled my stay in another country with bright colors and emotions! It was my first time abroad, and I am extremely glad that my first trip allowed me to broaden my horizons and fill my days with unforgettable events!
Li Boyan, student:
- I learned a lot of new and useful information about the production of aircraft engines in classes that took place in the format of lectures, seminars, laboratory work. A distinctive feature of the summer school was immersion in Russian culture, traditions and customs, it was fascinating and informative! I would also like to mention the volunteers — students of Samara University, who were with us every day and helped us, solve any issues! I will always remember my magical trip to Russia!
For reference:
In the summer of 2024, the 10th anniversary season of International Summer Schools for foreign students was held by the Center for International Short-term Educational Programs. The first High Technology Management summer school was held in 2015, the organizer and leader of the educational program was the Institute of Economics and Management and Associate Professor of the Department of Economics Olga Esipova. Over ten years of fruitful and successful work, under the guidance and mentoring of Olga Esipova, 44 international summer schools were held in 11 educational programs of technical and socio-humanitarian profile, a Center for International Short-term Educational Programs was established at the Institute of Economics and Management, short-term programs were implemented in a remote format, dozens of excursions and master classes about Russian culture were developed.
The Center for International Short-Term Educational Programs was established in 2019 on the basis of Samara University’s Institute of Economics and Management. The Center has been implementing its programs in offline format since 2015. Over the past nine years, more than 673 international students from 45 countries and 74 leading world universities, as well as 49 teachers of Samara University and 13 foreign lecturers have participated in the Centre’s programs. Since 2020, the Center has also been organizing educational programs in online format.
Author of the text — Gleb Uvarov, student of Group 6304-090301D; Lada Uvarova, officer of the Center for International Short-Term Educational Programs
Photo: Kristina Moiseeva, Mikhail Fedulov, Darina Sinitsyna, Elena Afanasyeva, Zhang Jiahao, Illuminator Photo Club
