Author: Vladimir
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Laws of the Whole. An Essay about life and scientific activity of Eugenia Hanfmann
The sixteenth essay in the series “Creators” is dedicated to Evgenia Maksimovna Hanfmann, an outstanding psychologist, professor at Brandeis University. She was born in St. Petersburg, studied in Germany, worked in the USA, where she made a career in research and psychotherapy. Together with RASA (Russian-American Science Association) T-invariant continues publishing the series of biographical…
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The Joyous Science. An Essay on the Biography and Scientific Activity of George Gamow
The fifteenth essay in the series “Creators” is dedicated to Georgy Gamov, an outstanding physicist and cosmologist, professor at George Washington University and the University of Colorado at Boulder, who made a huge contribution to nuclear physics, cosmology and theoretical biology. Together with RASA (Russian-American Science Association) T-invariant continues publishing the series of biographical essays…
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Cultural Layer. An Essay on the Biography and Scientific Activity of Mikhail Rostovtsev
The fourteenth essay from the series “Creators” is dedicated to Mikhail Ivanovich Rostovtsev, an outstanding archaeologist and historian of Antiquity, professor at St. Petersburg University and professor at Yale University, who made a huge contribution to historical science. Together with RASA (Russian-American Science Association), T-invariant continues publishing the series of biographical essays “Creators”
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Late Flight. An Essay on the Biography and Scientific Activity of Michael Stroukoff
The thirteenth essay from the series “Creators” is dedicated to Michael Stroukoff , an engineer, architect and aircraft designer who built both the famous knowledge in Washington and one of the most famous planes of the Vietnam War. Together with RASA (Russian-American Science Association) T-invariant continues publishing the series of biographical essays “Creators”.
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Microscope and shell. An essay on the biography and scientific work of Pavel Galtsov
The twelfth essay in the series “Creators” is dedicated to Pavel Semyonovich Galtsov, an outstanding marine biologist who changed the entire oyster industry in America and became the founder of mollusc biology. Together with RASA (Russian-American Science Association) T-invariant continues publishing a series of biographical essays “Creators” about people from the Russian Empire who made…
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Attraction of the goal. Essay on the biography and scientific work of Maria Rickers-Ovsiankina
The eleventh essay in the series “Creators” is dedicated to the outstanding psychologist Maria Rickers-Ovsiankina. She was born in Chita, studied with one of the founders of Gestalt psychology Kurt Lewin in the 1920s, and worked for many years in American universities.
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Concrete “Phantom”. Essay on the biography and activities of Vladimir Yurkevich
The tenth essay in the “Creators” series is dedicated to Vladimir Yurkevich (also spelled as ‘Yourkevitch’), an outstanding shipbuilder who built ships in Russia, France, and America. He improved the ship hull and developed radio-controlled ships without a crew. T-invariant continues the “Creators” project together with RASA (Russian-American Science Association).
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Sever the Sky. Essay on the biography and activities of Alexander Prokofiev-Seversky
The ninth essay in the “Creators” series is dedicated to Alexander Prokofiev-Seversky, pilot, aircraft designer, military analyst, one of the developers of modern military aviation doctrine. The “Creators” project was created jointly with RASA (Russian-American Science Association).
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Personal resistance. Essay on the biography and scientific activity of Stepan Timoshenko
The eighth essay in the “Creators” series is dedicated to Stepan Timoshenko, one of the founders of modern applied mechanics. In the “Creators” project T-invariant in collaboration with RASA (Russian-American Science Association) continues to publish a series of biographical essays about people from the Russian Empire who made significant contributions to world science and technology.
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The Air Routes. The Essay on the biography and scientific activity of Igor Sikorsky
The seventh essay in the “Creators” series is dedicated to Igor Sikorsky, one of the founders of modern aviation. In the “Creators” project, T-invariant together with RASA (Russian-American Science Association) continues to publish a series of biographical essays about people from the Russian Empire who made significant contributions to world science and technology.
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Tamer of Anger. Essay on the biography and scientific activities of Tamara Dembo
The sixth essay in the “Creators” series is dedicated to Tamara Dembo, an outstanding psychologist whose work on the study of “anger as a dynamic problem” and the rehabilitation of people with disabilities remains scientifically relevant to this day. The “Creators” project, created by T-invariant together with RASA (Russian-American Science Association), talks about people from…
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How a scientist from Odessa saved the 20th century from plague and cholera. Essay on the biography and scientific activities of Vladimir Haffkine
The fifth essay in the “Creators” series is dedicated to Vladimir (Waldemar) Haffkine, the creator of the first effective vaccines against cholera and plague. At the end of the 19th century, Haffkine carried out the first mass vaccination in India. His laboratories have developed and produced tens of millions of doses of cholera and plague…
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Condemning the Hamas Attack on Israel and Rejecting Hate Speech: A Public Response to a Colleague
T-invariant publish open letter by Alexander Kabanov, Mescal S. Ferguson Distinguished Professor, Director, Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery Chapel Hill, UNC. He writes: “The terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, shocked me deeply. I was also disappointed by the statement issued by the UNC Chapel Hill Faculty, Graduate Students, and Staff Regarding…
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T-invariant and CISRUS launched a chronicle of violations of the rights and freedoms of scientists and teachers
Updates: Andrey Boyarshinov, Dmitry Ivanov, Valery Golubkin, Boris Kagarlitsky, Svetlana Drugoveyko-Dolzhanskaya. Additions: Alexander Lukanin, Alexey Vorobyov. Dismissals, fines, stigmatization, criminal cases, torture — all this awaits in Russia those who are trying to tell the truth, oppose war, protect peace, criticize the authorities or simply honestly do their academic and teaching work . T-invariant and the CISRUS…
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Gleb Verdian
Date of the incident: September 7, 2023 Type of violation: conviction for treason Institution: Astrakhan State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering Summary: The Moscow City Court has sentenced 21-year-old student of the Astrakhan State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Gleb Verdiyan, to six years’ imprisonment in a strict penal colony for treason against…
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Valery Garbuzov
Date of the incident: September 1, 2023 Type of violation: Dismissal Institution: Georgy Arbatov Institute for U.S. and Canada Studies Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN) Summary: Russian historian and political scientist Valery Garbuzov confirmed to TASS on September 2 that he was dismissed from his post as director of the Institute for U.S. and Canada…
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“Putin has done so many bad things that it would be very helpful to simply reverse these decisions.” Sergei Guriev — on future reforms
What is the extent of ideologization of education in Russia? Why will it be impossible to carry out lustration in the field of education? What awaits researchers in Russia and Ukraine after the war? What are the prospects for economic reforms in Ukraine? T-invariant spoke with Sergei Guriev, Provost of Sciences Po University in Paris.
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Yulia Galyamina
Date: August 25, 2023 The court declared the dismissal illegal Institution: RANEPA Summary: The Koptevsky District Court of Moscow partially satisfied the claim of former municipal deputy, associate professor Yulia Galyamina, who challenged her dismissal from the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA). This is stated on the court’s website. In Galyamina’s…
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«Brother» and «Mouse». The founders of the MSU Z-organization turned out to be the children of Yuri Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
At Moscow State University, a student organization of Z-activists is raising money for ammunition and equipment for ultranationalists fighting Ukraine, using the official support of the university’s law faculty. T-invariant has found out that the founders of the association are the son and daughter of Yuri Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.
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Man of the Earth. Essay on the biography and scientific activity of Selman Waksman
T-invariant, in collaboration with RASA, is launching the “Creators” project. The project will publish a series of essays on immigrants from the Russian Empire who have made significant contributions to global science and technology. The first essay is dedicated to Selman Waksman, Nobel Prize winner and discoverer of streptomycin.
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Alina Olekhnovich, Ivan Trofimov
Date of incident: July 26, 2023 Type of violation: house arrest Institution: Higher School of Economics Summary: The Basmanny District Court of Moscow placed 22-year-old Ivan Trofimov and 21-year-old Alina Olekhnovich under house arrest until September 24 in the case of participation in the activities of an extremist organization. Trofimova and Olekhnovich are students of…
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Mikhail Lobanov
Date of incident: July 7, 2023 Type of violation: dismissal Institution: Moscow State University Summary: On June 23, the Ministry of Justice recognized candidate of physical and mathematical sciences Mikhail Lobanov as a foreign agent, which technically prohibits him from teaching. Lobanov writes: “I saw a photo of the order dismissing me from the position…
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Center of Historical Memory
Date of incident: July 4, 2023 Type of violation: violation of autonomy Institution: Center of Historical Memory, Perm Summary: On July 4, the Center for Historical Memory (successor to the Perm department of the human rights research organization Memorial) was fined 300 thousand rubles in the case of “discrediting” the Russian army (Article 20.3.3 Part…
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«Are there now enough Curies, Bohrs, and Rutherfords to help scientists from these three countries?» Natalia Berloff on the new symbolism of the Gamow Prize
In 2023, the Georgy Gamow Prize will again be awarded to two scientists. The organizer, the Russian-American Association of Scientists (RASA), announced the start of the collection of nominations. This year, the Gamov Prize committee was chaired by Cambridge (UK) professor Natalia Berloff.
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Mikhail Sokolov: «The prism through which people now look at Russia is war»
Sociologist of Science Mikhail Sokolov gives a prediction for T-invariant. What kind of historical experiment is being conducted on scientists left behind in Russia, and why a scandal will erupt when GPT-chat starts re-checking textbooks in Russian.
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Fear and trembling: Why do AI leaders frighten humanity?
Artificial Intelligence development leaders compare AI to a pandemic and nuclear war. Are they genuinely wrong, or do they benefit?
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Donation to «extremists» or «state treason»: FSB long «led» a major academic leader to arrest
Sergey Abramov, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, has been under house arrest for two months now. He is accused of “financing an extremist organization.” Details of the criminal case remain unpublished, but T-Invariant found out that Abramov had previously been investigated under the article of law on “state treason,” and the scientist…
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Mikhail Belousov
Date of incident: 06/02/2023 Type of violation: dismissal Institution: St. Petersburg State University Summary: The management of St. Petersburg State University (SPbSU) dismissed Mikhail Belousov, associate professor at the Institute of History, for distributing materials “discrediting the conduct of a special military operation by the armed forces of the Russian Federation and insulting the memory…
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Hypersound silence. How scientists become the prey of the FSB
Three physicists were arrested in so called “Novosibirsk case”. It wasn’t the first time. Previously, four scientists were also accused of treason in different years. All of the scientists accused in all these cases participated in the projects of the seventh framework program of the European Union “TransHyBerian” (coordinator — Von Karman Institute of Hydrodynamics,…
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Sergey Chernyshov
Date of incident: May 26, 2023 Type of violation: recognition by a foreign agent, dismissal Institution: Novosibirsk Novocollege Summary: On May 26, college director Sergey Chernyshov was recognized as a foreign agent. The main reason is the refusal to hold “Conversations about the Important” in the college. For some time he remained the director. As…
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«In matters of climate, Russia cannot be removed from the globe»
The military-industrial complex is one of the dirtiest industries in terms of its impact on climate and the environment, even in peacetime. It is especially harmful to the planet during active combat operations. Why was Russia not excluded from the global climate process after February 24, 2022? Climate policy experts Marianna Poberezhskaya and Olga Dobrovidova…
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Mordovian State University
Date of incident: May 22, 2023 Type of violation: forced voting Institution: Mordovia State University Synopsis: Rector Dmitry Glushko forced students of Mordovian State University to vote for him in the United Russia primaries. The demands were distributed through the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law, Irina Ginzburg. Glushko plans to become a member…
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War as a crisis of rationality
How science helps resist the archaic, explains Eugene Koonin, Senior Investigator at the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
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Natalia Podolyak
Date of incident: May 11, 2023 Type of violation: dismissal Institution: Siberian Institute of Business, Management and Psychology Brief: Teacher and activist Natalia Podolyak was fired from the Siberian Institute of Business, Management and Psychology, where she ran a sports club. The motivational part of the order states that the dismissal was caused by violations…
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Irina Savelieva: «You should have seen the world outside your hut»
Irina Savelieva, former director and one of the founders of the A.V. Poletaev Institute for Humanitarian History and Theory Research at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, talks about the rise, heyday and end of the famous institute, the impact factor, the «5-100» program and the academic kitchen of the Higher School of…
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Global Warming and Political Cold
The past year brought a series of weather anomalies: extreme heat and drought, high precipitation and flooding. This spring began with a heat wave in Spain. We asked climate experts Alexander Chernokulsky and Olga Dobrovidova about weather anomalies and asked them to assess the development of global warming as well as how Russia’s position on…
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Where will cultural evolution lead us?
How do random variability, heredity, and selection work in cultural evolution? Wars as fluctuations in cultural evolution, lessons from Franklin’s missing expedition, hierarchy of prestige, copying of skills, level of trust and natural selection of ideas, competitive environments without wars — Alexander Markov talks about all this in episode 4 of the podcast «Invasion».
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Alexander Markov on War in terms of Cultural Evolution
Is modern war in terms of cultural evolution the norm or the terrible exception? Was Steven Pinker wrong when he wrote his book «The Best in Us: Why There’s Less Violence in the World»? Aleksandr Markov, doctor of biological sciences, argues in episode 3 of Olga Orlova’s podcast «Invasion. Science in a Time of War.»
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Elena Bunina: «I was saved by mathematics»
«I will not go back: I cannot work in a country that is at war with its neighbors,» Yelena Bunina, CEO of Russia’s Yandex, wrote to colleagues in early March 2022 and did not return to Russia from vacation. Today, Elena Bunina, a professor at Bar Ilan University talks about the losses and gains of…