Irkutsk State University Faculty of Geology has conducted a large-scale international educational field trip. Instructors from ISU organized and led a week-long field school for a delegation of 25 students and lecturers from Peking University (China). This event marks a significant step in the development of academic collaboration between the two universities.

The route, developed by Dr. Sergey Rasskazov (Professor, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences), Sergey Kovalenko (Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences) and Sergey Snopkov (Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences), covered key geological sites on the coast of Lake Baikal and in the Tunka Valley. To reach remote locations, the participants travelled a part of the way by car and the other part by boat, which allowed them to fully see the unique natural features.

The field school programme included workshops on the study of Precambrian and Lower Paleozoic magmatic and metamorphic rocks on the shore of Baikal, Cenozoic volcanic and sedimentary rocks in the Tunka Rift Valley, as well as Riphean carbonates at the Bolshoy Kadilny and Maly Kadilny capes.

Sergey Rasskazov, organizer:

The main feature of this field trip is the integration of science into a live educational process. The students and lecturers from Peking University were deeply interested and well-prepared participants, with a high level of knowledge on the subject and an ability to easily grasp the key concepts. This ensured a high level of comprehension, despite the double translation from Russian to English and from English to Chinese.

On the final day of the visit, the delegation from Beijing was welcomed by ISU Vice-Rector for Research and International Cooperation, Candidate of Biological Sciences Denis Axenov-Gribanov and the Dean of the Faculty of Geology, Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Svetlana Primina. During the friendly meeting the Vice-Rector told the guests about the university and its key research areas. Svetlana Primina shared her experience of working with schoolchildren, particularly in organizing an international Olympiad for young geologists with participation of high school students from Russia and Mongolia.

The representatives from Peking University extended their gratitude to Irkutsk colleagues and shared their vivid impressions of the trip, especially noting the unforgettable views during their journey across Lake Baikal.

An important outcome of the meeting was the discussion of prospects for further cooperation. The parties outlined specific options for interaction, including organizing academic exchanges for geology students, developing joint research topics and the possibility of establishing a Russian-Chinese research centre.