HEADING TO SIBERIA: UH SIGNS AGREEMENT
WITH RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Partnership Opens Door to Shared Research Interests,
Provides Forum for Talent Exchange
HOUSTON, June 6, 2007 – Ruling out the weather, Houston
and Siberia have a lot in common. Sharing interests in medical research,
the energy industry and space exploration, the University of Houston
recently signed an agreement with two prestigious Russian institutions
– the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and
Novosibirsk State University.
As part of a visit to the United States that included stops in
Washington, D.C., and Houston, leading Russian scientists, including
the vice president of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the rector
of Novosibirsk State University, commemorated the 50th anniversary
of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The visit
culminated in penning a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at UH
to collaborate on academic themes of joint interest and to exchange
students and faculty.
“There are so many developments in science and technology
that increasingly need the benefit of collaborative efforts,”
said Donald L. Birx, vice chancellor for research for the UH System
and vice president for research for UH. “More and more, we’re
seeing talented individuals and groups worldwide pooling resources
and working better together than ever before. This partnership
will facilitate this sharing of talent – both on the faculty
and student levels – that is so crucial in today’s
expanded research endeavors, creating scholarly communities across
traditional lines.”
Past and current collaborations between faculty at UH and researchers
at the Russian Academy of Sciences have bolstered this new formal
agreement, giving the opportunity for many areas of the university
to be involved in research with the Russian Academy. Already partnering
with several groups on campus, the Russian Academy is interested,
jointly with Novosibirsk State University, in expanding collaborations
over a larger spectrum at UH. The MOU will facilitate more direct
alliances in the future.
Previously, the two institutions partnered in the geosciences and
mathematics. More recently, they are involved in a project that
extends the unique thin film science and technology developments
of the Wake Shield Facility – flown on three Space Shuttle
flights – to the International Space Station with a plan to
develop new thin film materials in the vacuum of space. Heading
up this present effort are Alex Ignatiev, professor of physics,
chemistry and electrical and computer engineering, with his team
at UH’s Center for Advanced Materials, and Oleg Pchelyakov
of the Russian Academy’s Department of Growth and Structure
of Semiconductor Materials.
“The opportunity presented by the signing of this agreement
will allow enhanced research collaboration in fields beyond the
current geosciences and materials sciences efforts,” Ignatiev
said. “This arrangement opens up further opportunities for
UH of not only research collaboration with the highly regarded Russian
Academy of Sciences, but also the exchange of students and faculty.”
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