The Primorsky Aquarium – Branch of the National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (NSCMB FEB RAS) hosted the VIII All-Russian Conference of Young Scientists entitled “Complex Investigation of the World Ocean” (CIWO) from 13 to 17 May 2024. It is one of the largest conferences connecting young natural scientists across Russia.
The Primorsky Aquarium has become an organizer of such a grand event for the first time. The conference brought together delegates from all over Russia, from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok and from Saint-Petersburg to Sevastopol. Several leading Russian scientific organizations were represented at the event, including the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, the Saint Petersburg State University and the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology. A speaker from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa took part online. Totally, 150 oral and 80 poster presentations have been made in five days.
About 250 participants spoke about their investigations, discussed joint projects and ideas for future cooperation. The conference welcomed both young established researchers and talented university students.
“First of all, the CIWO conference is an opportunity to show young researchers from all over the country the scientific achievements of the Russian Far East, the state-of-the-art equipment available at the Primorsky Aquarium for conducting a range of research projects in fundamental and applied sciences,” said the Director of the Primorsky Aquarium Olga Shevchenko.
Igor Dolmatov, Director of the NSCMB FEB RAS, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, added that it has been a great chance for Vladivostok to have such a significant event here.
“We can show our unique natural landscapes, marvelous opportunities for scientific research and modern instruments we use to explore ocean depths,” said Igor Dolmatov. “Holding the CIWA conference in Vladivostok has one more important goal: to attract young scientists to our region. It is very possible that some gifted attendees would like it here and would decide to move or at least to participate in collaborative expeditions or research.”
Top specialists of major scientific institutions became speakers at the plenary session. The audience was impressed with the presentation “Spring phenology of the Bering Sea” given by Kirill Kivva, Head of the Department of Aquatic Biological Resources and Habitats, Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO). Aleksandr Osadchiev, Dr. of Physics and Mathematics, Lead Researcher of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, winner of the Presidential Prize, was one of the guests of honor. He chaired the Physics of the Ocean session of the conference. There were six more sessions: Biology of the Ocean, Marine Geology and Geophysics, Ecology and Sustainable Use of the Ocean, Physical and Biological Studies of the Ocean, Marine Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Marine Equipment and Instruments.
The chairs of the sessions were to choose winners among the speakers, and it was really hard. They had to evaluate the rationale and significance of each research project, the importance of the data collected and the depth of analysis, as well as the presentation skills of the participants. There were four categories of the contest: Best Oral Presentation Among Young Scientists, Best Oral Presentation Among Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students, Best Poster Presentation, and Best Online Presentation.
A total of 12 authors of oral presentations and 8 authors of poster presentations were awarded at the conference. Valeriia Muravia, Junior Researcher of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, won in the Marine Equipment and Instruments session. Her presentation focused on the use of remotely operated underwater vehicles to explore the marine bottom and to study potentially hazardous objects.
“I enjoyed being at the Primorsky Aquarium, with its perfect venues for the conference. I felt like I was in a sci-fi movie about the future, where we could discuss what had been done by young explorers. Our expedition is being conducted in collaboration with the Institute of Marine Technology Problems, FEB RAS, and I was glad to know that the Director of this Institute chaired our Marine Equipment session. It was also nice to meet so many colleagues from Primorsky Krai at the event,” shared Valeriia.
Primorsky Krai shone at the conference, too. Denis Kurnosov, Junior Researcher of the Laboratory of Pelagic Zone from the Pacific Branch of the VNIRO (TINRO) gave an excellent presentation about salmon sharks Lamna ditropis, their distribution and migrations. Andrei Grinchenko, Senior Researcher of the NSCMB FEB RAS and Specialist of the Primorsky Aquarium Shared Equipment Facility (Primorsky Aquarium SEF), Cand. Sci. (Biol.), captured attention of the audience by describing methods of health assessment in commercially exploited mollusk populations of Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan/East Sea. His presentation was awarded one of the prizes at the conference. Andrei said that CIWO-2024 was an important gathering, where he could establish solid relationships with a lot of colleagues.
“Every conference is a wonderful opportunity to exchange opinions and ideas. We were able to speak in person to our peers from Sevastopol, to clarify the direction of our research and to discuss our cooperation in detail,” added Andrei.
Presentations were also given by several members of the Primorsky Aquarium. Viktoriia Iagodina, Senior Specialist of the Environmental Education Division, Primorsky Aquarium, and researcher of the Laboratory of Genetics, NSCMB FEB RAS, Cand.Sci.(Biol.), talked about a new non-invasive method of genetic sampling from sea cucumbers for carrying out the monitoring of their populations. Miroslava Sabutskaya, Lead Speacialist of the Ornithology Department, Primorsky Aquarium, introduced methods and techniques of raising Humboldt penguins Spheniscus humboldti from an egg to an adult used at the Aquarium.
The program of CIWO-2024 also included professional trainings, workshops, and tours of the Aquarium exhibits.
As was mentioned above, the Primorsky Aquarium has for the first time become a host for such a major conference of young Russian scientists. Mariia Shulgina, Head of the Primorsky Aquarium SEF who had come up with the idea of holding the conference at the Aquarium, recognized that it was not easy to plan and arrange such a big event.
“It was a new experience to us. Sometimes we came across obstacles or serious challenges, but our colleagues always lent us a hand, and we are so grateful to them! I’m happy that several members of the Aquarium participated as speakers, that’s just great!
General information
The All-Russian Conference of Young Scientists “Complex Investigation of the World Ocean” (CIWO) has been held in various cities of Russia (Sevastopol, Moscow, Kaliningrad, Saint-Petersburg) since 2016. It brings together young explorers interested in networking, creating multi-disciplinary projects as well as in promoting science to the public. The conference features a contest for the best research project and special contests run in cooperation with CIWO partners.
Major sponsors:
Joint Stock Company «Vostochny Port» is a backbone enterprise of the Vrangel district of Nakhodka, a city in Primorsky Krai. It is the largest coal handling company in Russian Federation.
Fertoing Ltd is a modern marine engineering company, one of the acknowledged leaders in providing integrated engineering and information services for the development of continental shelf and construction of marine infrastructure facilities.