News

The history of the invention of telephony reads like a captivating detective novel, but even more intriguing are the events that contributed to the worldwide adoption of this technology. In this series of columns on IQ.HSE, Anton Basov, HSE Faculty of Computer Science editor, discusses how telephones have become an integral part of our everyday life. The final episode of the series recounts how men were unable to cope with telephone operator jobs and were replaced by tall and polite young women. However, as telephone networks expanded, the role of the intermediary became unproductive, eventually rendering the switchboard operator profession obsolete due to automation—not the first nor the last time such a thing has happened. As for Alexander Graham Bell, he used the earnings from inventing the telephone to promote science, educate people about the world around us, and pursue new inventions.

Theoretical physicists from Russia and Brazil are working together on a theory that describes novel superconducting materials with potentially high critical temperatures. The theory can explain many properties of superconductors with non-trivial topological properties, as well as of those with multiple condensates. In this interview, Prof. Mauro Doria from the Institute of Physics at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Prof. Alexei Vagov from the Centre for Quantum Metamaterials, MIEM HSE, talk about their cooperation.

On February 26–29, 2024, HSE University’s Faculty of Computer Science will hold a winter school on software engineering for the third time. It will focus on modern software development tools and methods. From February 26 to 28, the school will be held online, and on February 29, it will take place at the HSE University building on Pokrovsky Bulvar in Moscow. Those interested can register to participate until February 22.

Applications for the fourth HSE University Competition of the Best Russian-language Scientific and Popular Science Papers will be accepted from February 1 to March 15. The authors that receive the highest scores from the expert jury will be awarded on June 6—Russian Language Day. The main goal of the competition is to support and promote Russian language as a language of science, as well as to popularise works affiliated with HSE University among the global Russian-speaking audience.

Student NIGHT is a traditional HSE festival organised by Ingroup StS. On January 24–25, 2024, the Pokrovka campus turned into a huge party area, with lectures taking place alongside fitness sessions, a dance floor, quests, and themed clubs. Designer Artemy Lebedev, hip hop singer Antoha MC, and Olympic champions were the headliners of the party.

Dean of HSE University’s Faculty of Computer Science Ivan Arzhantsev, head of the faculty’s Big Data and Information Retrieval School Evgeny Sokolov, and junior researcher at the faculty Gleb Bazhenov took part in the China–Russia Seminar on AI Talent Education and Technology Development in Beijing (PRC). The meeting organised by Yandex was aimed at discussing cooperation between leading Russian universities and China’s Tsinghua University. The university is among the world’s best, ranking first in Asia and 12^th in the world in the international Times Higher Education rating.

Maria Maslennikova, a graduate of HSE FES, chose two paths at once as a specialist: she succeeded in both consulting and investment banking and gained the trust of the international market to such a degree that she now works as an independent consultant. In this interview with Success Builder, she talked about how the HSE community contributes to career success, why working in a boutique company is more interesting than working in a global bank, and how to conduct multibillion-dollar transactions for state corporations.

HSE, the Pirogov National Medical and Surgical Centre, and the Centre for Speech Pathology and Neurorehabilitation of the Moscow Healthcare Department have signed an agreement on cooperation and the creation of a ‘neuro-consortium’ under the name ‘Transfer of Neurocognitive Technologies’. The new body will boost the development and implementation of advanced solutions in neurotechnology aimed at maintaining and improving people's health. The agreement was signed for five years, and the consortium is open to new participants.