Three research projects by Irkutsk State University scientists have received funding from the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) based on results of the 2024 competition “Conducting fundamental scientific research and basic research by small separate research teams”.
Yana Ermolaeva, master’s degree student at ISU Faculty of Biology and Soil Studies and junior researcher at the ISU Research Institute of Biology, “Light as an Abiotic and Anthropogenic Factor and its Influence on Organisms in Small Water Bodies and Waterways.” Light pollution disrupts biorhythms and ecosystems, particularly in small water bodies often containing unique species. The research will involve determining diurnal light patterns, identifying trigger light levels for organism migrations, and studying the effects of different wavelengths and light intensities on the amphipod Gammarus lacustris. The results will assess the resilience limits of small water bodies to light pollution, particularly relevant given infrastructure development near Lake Baikal.
Evgeny Kremnev, Candidate of Sociological Sciences, Associate Professor, and Head of the Sinology Department at ISU Institute of Philology, Foreign Languages and Media Communication, “Study of Regional Specifics of Chinese Social Governance: New Methodological Approaches and Strategies”. This project will address the lack of research on regional differences in Chinese social governance (continental/non-continental, central/peripheral, etc.) and develop a methodology for analyzing Chinese scientific works. The result of the research – creation of a theoretical basis for new research approaches, contributing to the development of domestic sociology and strengthening Russia’s position in the area of social governance and regional development.
Dmitry Zolotarev, a postgraduate student at ISU Faculty of History and researcher at the Scientific Research Center “Baikal Region”, “Dynamics of Stone Industries at the Cusp of the Pleistocene-Early Holocene in Southern Priangarye”. Using modern analytical methods (3D scanning and modeling, 3D model analysis, scar-pattern analysis and others), researchers will investigate the features of stone processing technologies. The result of the research – creation of a database, age determination of complexes requiring chronological specification, identification of technological traditions in stone splitting, identification of main trends in the dynamics of stone industries at the turn of the Pleistocene-Early Holocene in Southern Priangarye, and identification of the nature of the transition from the Upper Paleolithic to the Mesolithic.
The full list of winners is available here.
Konstantin Grigorichev, ISU Vice Rector for Research and International Cooperation:
In 2024, ISU received more grants under this RSF competition than other research and educational organizations in the Irkutsk Oblast and Buryatia. Employees of various ISU departments took a very active part in this competition, while the activity of representatives of social sciences and humanities departments increased noticeably. The results demonstrate the importance of this funding for the development of research at the university: two of the three supported projects are in the social sciences and humanities. The increased effectiveness of social sciences and humanities research, both in terms of high-impact publications and attracting competitive research and development funding, allows ISU to consolidate its leadership in these fields within the Baikal region.
