Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Peoples’Friendship University of Russia –

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At a meeting of the new RUDN University Dissertation Council in the specialties of 2.1.12 “Architecture of Buildings and Structures. Creative Concepts of Architectural Activity” and 2.1.11 “Theory and History of Architecture, Restoration and Reconstruction of Historical and Architectural Heritage”, three postgraduate students — Natalia Kalinina, Evgeny Ogienko, and Yulia Loginova — were awarded PhD degrees in Architecture for the first time in the university’s history.

Their research, conducted under the supervision of experienced academic mentors, received high praise for its novelty, theoretical significance, and practical value.

“These are not just three successful defenses. This marks the official launch of our own Dissertation Council, which confirms the high level of academic research at the department and provides a powerful impetus for the development of young scholars. We are creating a comprehensive environment for the growth of academic talent in the field of architecture,” said Professor Linar Sabitov, Chair of the Council.

Micropolis for human comfort

According to Natalia Kalinina, her dissertation is dedicated to studying the principles of forming multifunctional complexes with adjustable autonomy properties. Behind the complex terminology lies a simple goal: to restore the human scale to the big city and create a safe environment where human sensations and comfort are at the center of attention.

As part of her work, Natalia developed the concept of an autonomous multifunctional complex — a micropolis — as a qualitatively new morphotype of urban development. The idea gained significant momentum after her academic trip to Osaka, funded by RUDN University in 2019. While presenting a report on new morphotypes in conditions of ultra-high density, she witnessed Japanese urban experience firsthand.

“Japanese architecture amazed me with how, in conditions of extreme density, they manage to separate flows and preserve the human dimension. This complemented my idea: the new morphotype should not resemble the typical residential district. That’s how the concept achieved its final form,” said Natalia Kalinina.

Natalia analyzed the evolution of architectural complexes and identified key principles of planning solutions aimed at achieving multi-layeredness and compactness. The developed approach, according to her, allows for maximizing the potential of a territory, and the micropolis becomes an integrated design method capable of transforming existing development and delivering significant economic benefits.

The most challenging aspect, the candidate admits, was applying the concept to the realities of Russian urban planning: considering regulatory legal acts, analyzing climatic features, and finding free time while raising two children. She also noted her work experience at the Unified Institute for Spatial Planning of the Russian Federation, where some provisions of the concept were successfully implemented locally.

“I was lucky to defend within my home university walls, surrounded by people who genuinely care about the outcome. It seems I’ve fulfilled the promise I once made to the Rector during an open dialogue!” said Natalia Kalinina.

Residential complex for young people

Another PhD candidate, Evgeny Ogienko, shared that his dissertation focuses on shaping the architecture of youth social housing in contemporary socio-economic conditions. According to him, the essence of the work lies in finding an answer to the question of what social housing for young people should look like today so that it corresponds to their actual lifestyle, needs, and capabilities.

He explains the topic’s relevance by noting that the problem of affordable housing for young people remains acute, while young people themselves have changed: they have become more mobile and organize their communication and daily life differently. The old standard solutions inherited from the past often no longer work, creating a demand for new housing — flexible, adaptable, with developed public spaces.

Within his research, Evgeny, for the first time, comprehensively linked contemporary socio-economic realities in Russia with specific architectural solutions for young people, described design methodologies, identified the typology of social housing both globally and in Russia, and developed principles for social housing. He studied Western experience and adapted models to Russian urban planning conditions, regulations, and mentality.

“The main results can essentially be summarized as creating a variable model of a youth residential complex that can be adapted to different urban situations — whether in the city center or on the periphery. Importantly, the work has not only theoretical but also applied value: specific recommendations are proposed for architects and developers, and prospects for updating regulations that hinder the implementation of such projects are outlined,” said Evgeny Ogienko.

According to Evgeny, the most difficult part of the work was synthesis — the need to maintain focus on several professional levels simultaneously. It required delving into sociology, conducting several iterations of surveys, understanding economic models of social housing, and translating this multidimensional information into the language of architecture.

“The main challenge was finding a balance between social utopia (the desire to create an ideal environment), strict economic feasibility, and existing regulations, which, as practice shows, often simply cannot keep up with new housing typologies,” said Evgeny Ogienko.

The first defenses in the new Dissertation Council have become an important milestone in the development of architectural science at RUDN University, unveiling new names and setting a high standard for future research.

Please note; this information is raw content received directly from the information source. It is an accurate account of what the source claims, and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Source: Peoples’Friendship University of Russia –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

The writing round of the final stage of The Moscow School Olympiad in the Arabic language took place at RUDN University. The competition was organized by the Center of Pedagogical Excellence.

The Moscow School Olympiad in the Arabic language is being held for the first time and aims to identify and support students studying a foreign language that is rarely taught in the school curriculum. RUDN University, a university with a strong reputation in the fields of language and international education, has been selected as the venue for the final round.

In the academic year of 2025/26, 278 applications were submitted for participation in the Olympiad. At the end of the qualifying round, 87 participants advanced to the final round. The writing round tested students’ proficiency in grammar, vocabulary, and the specifics of the Arabic script.

“I’ve been studying Arabic since I was six. This is my first time at RUDN University — it’s a very large university; there is a distinct international atmosphere in the air. I’ve already met new students, and I’ve worked with some of them before in additional classes. I plan to build a career in languages — I want to become a translator or a diplomat, and Arabic will definitely help me on that path,” says Yaromir Luchshev, 9th grade, School No. 1259, Moscow.

The qualifying round of the Olympiad was organized online via the Sirius platform; the assignments were available on the Olympiad’s official website.

The final round of the competition will take place on March 14th: participants will face a speaking round, which includes working in pairs, describing images, and completing communicative tasks in Arabic.

Providing platform for the Olympiad at RUDN University is a part of the university’s systematic efforts to develop language education and support talented youth.

“RUDN University has been collaborating with the Center of Pedagogical Excellence for several years now. When the offer to host the first Moscow Arabic Language Olympiad for school students at the university came, we agreed without hesitation. At RUDN University, Arabic is studied not only within programs such as Linguistics, Foreign Regional Studies, and International Relations, but also within the optional Translator program in almost all departments. A high level of proficiency in foreign languages, particularly Arabic, is a good advantage for applicants and students seeking international prestige,” says Marzhanat Abduragimova, Head of the Department of Talented Youth and Applicant Support at RUDN University.

Please note; this information is raw content received directly from the information source. It is an accurate account of what the source claims, and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Source: Peoples’Friendship University of Russia –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Training qualified foreign specialists, educational strategies, collaborations, digital technologies and much more were discussed during the II International Educational Forum at RUDN University. The event brought together more than 1,000 participants and 300 speakers from 40 countries, including representatives of government, scientific organizations and businesses, as well as rectors of leading universities. This time, the focus was on cooperation with partners from the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific region and Africa.

“RUDN University and other forum participants exchanged experience on equal accessibility of education, culture and science. We shared our experience in completely different fields of activity. That implies the library, work with key employers, work for the financial sector, and demographic issues. We tried to make the forum a real platform for discussion, for developing new solutions,” said Yulia Ebzeeva, Vice Rector for Educational Activities at RUDN University.

Andrey Omelchuk, Deputy Head of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, was among the speakers of the forum. In his speech, he noted that the Russian education market is attractive and interesting for foreigners. There is an increase in the number of students from other countries in Russian universities.

“Over the past 5 years, the number of foreign students has increased by 87,000 and reached almost 415,000. Today, the realization of the potential of every person is attributed by the President of Russia to the national development goals. Our focus is not only on ensuring access to education. We are actively working on modernisation of educational infrastructure and on development of new approaches to train highly qualified personnel. To this end, our country has launched a number of significant initiatives, including a project to create a constellation of modern campuses. Thanks to the national Youth and Children Project, 40 such campuses will be built by 2036. They will become a key component for a new way of life and points of attraction for students from all over the country and from abroad,” said Andrey Omelchuk.

International collaborations and startup support

Another section of the forum was dedicated to the international educational community, and representatives from all continents took part, including countries such as Iran, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Gandouras and Peru.

“The main theme of all the reports is the desire to improve the effectiveness of higher education, the search for proven approaches to the use of artificial intelligence, and the opportunities offered by AI. All the speakers, without exception, emphasized the importance of international collaborations and international cooperation. Almost all the universities represented here are internationally oriented, they are interested in cooperation with Russian universities and, in particular, with RUDN University. We also appreciate that a representative of the Embassy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was able to attend the forum, who emphasized the importance of promoting the Russian language abroad and the role of our university in this area,” said Marina Reketz, Vice-rector for International Affairs at RUDN University.

As the Vice-rector noted, the participants of the section shared interesting practices, for example, how to support various student startups through reliance on business and with the help of the state.

“The President of the University of Jordan said that they have a triple agreement between the student team, the university and the partner company. The second example was shared by an expert from Sri Lanka. Their country has a government program to support student startups, and these startups receive funding from the state budget as part of the program due to universities’ recommendation. There are different approaches, but the goal is the same — to stimulate the activity of students, involve them in professional activities, and create a business,” said Marina Rekets.

Following the forum, RUDN University signed several cooperation agreements, including with the Firdowsi Mashhad University (Iran), Razi University (Iran) and the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan. According to the Dean of the Law Faculty of the Academy, Safarzoda Nekruz Faizi, the university is interested in student exchange, staff development, joint writing of textbooks and monographs.

“In addition, we want to work with RUDN University specialists to develop legal solutions for the issues facing our country,” said Safarzoda Nekruz Faizi.

Please note; this information is raw content received directly from the information source. It is an accurate account of what the source claims, and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Source: Peoples’Friendship University of Russia –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

A delegation from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, led by Patrice Lumumba’s daughter Juliana, paid another visit to RUDN University. This time, Patrice’s grandson, Kahi Lumumba, was among the honored guests of our university.

Juliana’s Russian relatives

First, the guests were given a tour of the university campus and taken to the RUDN Museum. Aleksander Gladush, director of the museum and exhibition complex, told the delegation that Nikita Khrushchev was the initiator of the foundation of our university, and Charles Didier Kitenge, secretary and assistant to Patrice Lumumba, was among the university’s first students. He studied at the General Medicine program. Several decades later, his son, Chibvila Kitenge, also graduated from the RUDN Institute of Medicine.

Aleksander Gladush also told the delegation that in various cities across Russia there are streets named after the first Prime Minister of the independent Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the past, in Siberia, a two-deck river ship, the “Patrice Lumumba,” used to sail along the Ob’ River.

For her part, Juliana shared that her uncle turned out to have studied in Moscow, has Russian relatives and a Russian wife, and speaks Russian. He is over 90 years old and currently lives in London.

To the “temple of knowledge” for a dissertation

After visiting the museum, the delegation went to a meeting with RUDN University Rector, Oleg Yastrebov. Kahi Lumumba made an entry in the Visitor’s Book. The parties discussed the development of their cooperation. According to Juliana Lumumba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is interested not only in joint work in the educational sphere, but also in collaborative scientific research. Moreover, it turned out that Patrice Lumumba’s daughter has decided to enroll in the postgraduate program at RUDN.

“I call your university nothing but a temple of knowledge. And after my first visit here, I thought it over and realized that at the age of 70 I want to become a postgraduate student and defend a PhD dissertation at RUDN on the topic ’Russian-Congolese Relations from the 1960s to the Present Day: Prospects and Opportunities’,” said Juliana Lumumba.

Oleg Yastrebov replied that Madam Juliana can consider herself already accepted to our university. As for cooperation with the DRC in scientific publications, the Rector of RUDN proposed to focus on research in the field of artificial intelligence.

“This is a promising area which, I believe, we need to grow in,” said Oleg Yastrebov.

The Rector of RUDN also informed the guests that on the day of the delegation’s visit, a themed train decorated with a portrait of Patrice Lumumba was launched in honor of the 65th anniversary of RUDN.

Advice for Students

Immediately after the conversation with the Rector, the guests met with students from the DRC who are studying at our university. The students expressed their gratitude to Juliana for the opportunity to meet her in person and asked the most important question: “What can they do for their country in this challenging situation in the world and the republic?”

“My father fought for the independence of our country, for its resources to belong to us only. Your main task is to get a good education, because it will be up to you to take decisions and build the future of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” said Juliana Lumumba.

At the end of the delegation’s visit, we managed to speak to Patrice Lumumba’s grandson, and he shared his impressions of RUDN.

“To visit the university that bears my grandfather’s name is an honor for me. I am filled with a sense of pride, gratitude and happiness. I was very impressed by the size of RUDN and the fact that you can meet young people from all over the world here. And, of course, I was touched by the statue of my grandfather — it’s nice to know that every day thousands of students of different nationalities walk past it, absorbing his values within the university’s walls,” said Kahi Lumumba.

Patrice Lumumba’s grandson noted that he really enjoyed the tour of the RUDN Museum, where he and Juliana were told about the university’s history and were given, as souvenirs, an old RUDN pennant and rare badges issued in honor of the university’s past anniversaries. He also wished the students studying here to be wise, discover their talents and apply them in the future for the benefit of their countries.

Please note; this information is raw content received directly from the information source. It is an accurate account of what the source claims, and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Source: Peoples’Friendship University of Russia –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

A delegation of specialists from Ghana came to RUDN University to study waste management and the circular economy, urban ecosystem services, public utilities, and digital municipal management. The classes were held at the Center for Continuing Professional Education of the RUDN Institute of Ecology.

The Sustainable Urban Development program, which the guests completed, is aimed at improving practical competencies in the field of sustainable urban development, infrastructure modernization, and the implementation of modern management and digital solutions.

The specialists from Ghana not only attended lectures by university experts and thematic seminars but also participated in practical sessions analyzing real-world cases from their professional fields. The program also included workshops and excursions to urban infrastructure facilities. For example, they visited the company “EcoLine,” which is involved in waste collection, sorting, processing, and disposal.

Eager to return

According to the guests, studying at RUDN was an important professional experience for them: the specialists noted the balance of theory and practice, the quality of the class organization, and the lecturers’ openness to dialogue. The program participants specifically emphasized the value of networking and the opportunity to establish contacts with representatives of companies, organizations, and the academic community working in the field of sustainable urban development.

“I could write a book about RUDN, Moscow, and Russia after this trip. My perception of your country has completely changed; all stereotypes have vanished. As for the educational program, it was informative and interesting throughout. I learned a lot about Moscow, and I especially liked the transport system. I would like to continue my education in this field, maybe even return and enroll at RUDN. Someday, I would like to be part of a team that implements similar smart solutions in our country’s transport system. Your security systems are top-notch,” says Gideon Ofosu-Mensah, representative of the Ayawaso Central Municipal Assembly.

“The program modules touched on many issues relevant back home. It’s sad that we were limited in time; I would return to study QGIS, spatial data, and aspects of cybersecurity in more depth, to gain more knowledge and implement this in my municipality. I especially enjoyed the excursions to various facilities, where they showed us how everything works there. It was very useful. And RUDN lived up to its name as the ’Peoples’ Friendship University’; I saw this friendship with my own eyes. Russia is a great country with beautiful people, and I would gladly return here again to study, explore your country, and learn the language,” — Arthur Nana Akua Afriyie, representative of the Korle-Klottey Municipal Assembly.

Upon completion of the program, the participants gained practical knowledge in the field of public utilities management, waste management, green infrastructure development, and digital urban governance. They learned more about an integrated approach to sustainable urban development and acquired tools for applying the studied solutions in the context of Ghanaian cities.

Please note; this information is raw content received directly from the information source. It is an accurate account of what the source claims, and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.