Hannah Kanu, from Sierra Leone, is a student of the Master’s in Law of International Trade and Dispute Resolution at HSE University. With 2024 coming to an end, the HSE News Service has asked students to reflect on the year gone by and their time at the university in general. In this instalment, Hannah talks about discovering Russia and the rewards and challenges of studying in Moscow—including the Russian word she finds the most difficult.

Russian scientists at Zhirmunsky National Scientific Centre of Marine Biology, HSE University, and MSU have studied Phoronis embryolabi, a rare species of marine invertebrate found in the waters of the Sea of Japan. The study's findings contribute to our understanding of the evolutionary adaptations of marine organisms to extreme conditions. The study has been published in Zoologischer Anzeiger.

The Möbius Contest, established in 1997, aims to identify the best student research works in mathematics and provide financial support to their authors for continuing their scientific work in Russia. It offers students the opportunity to receive feedback on their initial research results from leading mathematicians.

In the run-up to the New Year, HSE University is participating in the Wish Tree charitable initiative for the third time. The project brings together people eager to do good deeds. Students, professors, and staff can pick a bauble from the tree in the atrium of the Pokrovka campus and fulfil a child’s dream.

A delegation from HSE University-St Petersburg headed by Director Anna Tyshetskaya has paid a working visit to Oman. One of the main items on the itinerary was negotiations with Rahma bint Ibrahim Al Mahrouqi, the Minister of Higher Education of Oman, on key areas of cooperation and the organisation of exchange programmes for HSE students and faculty.

Dr Gerwin Schalk is a professor at Fudan University in Shanghai and a partner of the HSE Centre for Language and Brain. Dr Schalk is known as the creator of BCI2000, a brain-computer interface system. In this interview, he discusses modern neural interfaces, methods for post-stroke rehabilitation, a novel approach to neurosurgery, and shares his vision for the future of neurotechnology.

In support of World AIDS Day 2024, the HSE Spanish Club and the HSX Student Club organised a lecture in English dedicated to the fight against the disease in Russia and Spain. The event was attended by students from Spain, Bolivia, El Salvador, and Colombia.

Polina Makarova initially planned to pursue a career in programming but soon shifted her focus to theoretical linguistics. In this interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, she discusses her research on grammatical agreement in the names of professions, the importance of emotional intelligence, and the benefits of keeping an eublepharid, or leopard gecko, as a pet.

Men are three times more likely than women to commit traffic violations while driving and to be involved in accidents. Perhaps it comes down to cultural norms and the different attitudes men and women have toward driving. These are the conclusions reached by Anton Kazun, Assistant Professor at the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences, and Research Assistant Mikhail Belov.