Between 13 and 15 December, Voronezh State University housed the first national youth conference “Precision diagnostics of functional materials: laboratory and synchrotron techniques”. The event had a mixed format (online and in person). Among the participants were young researchers from Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow), Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod), Udmurt Federal Research Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Izhevsk), Komi Science Centre of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (Syktyvkar), and Voronezh State University (Voronezh).
The baseline of the conference were reports by young researchers in areas related to synchrotron and laboratory diagnostics of functional materials for the benefit of promising technologies and technical systems, including fundamentally new nature-like components. Leading scientists also took part in the conference and presented their reports and lectures during the plenary meeting. Among such scientists were Evelina Domashevskaya (VSU, Voronezh), Alexander Soldatov (Southern Federal University, Rostov-on-Don), Viktor Sivkov (Komi Science Centre of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Syktyvkar), Rishat Valeyev (Udmurt Federal Research Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Izhevsk), and Ratibor Chumakov (Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute”).
The conference was held within the framework of the project of Voronezh State University “Distributed infrastructure of precision diagnostic methods in ultra-soft X-ray spectrum of synchrotron radiation for functional materials and nanoscale structures, including nano-, bio-, and hybrid materials, for the benefit of promising technologies and technical systems: from education technologies and fundamental research to practical application” within the federal scientific and technical programme of development of synchrotron and neutron techniques and research infrastructure for 2019–2027.
Sergey Turistchev, the chair of the organising committee, mentioned in his report examples of investigations in the area of comprehensive precise diagnostics of functional materials conducted at VSU with the application of laboratory and synchrotron technologies and told the audience about the VSU project.
Dr. Vladimir Sivakov (Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena), a leading researcher from Germany and the head of the team “Silicone-based nanostructures”, who has been involved in a long-standing cooperation with Voronezh State University, presented his plenary lecture for young researchers “Nanostructured silicon: Quo vadis?” Vladimir Sivakov has been taking a very active part in the VSU project in many ways: holding joint workshops with young researchers and students, conducting research (remotely) using laboratory equipment in the synchrotron centre “Kurchatov Institute” (co-executor of the project).
