INRTU Opens The Chinese-Russian Center for Earth Sciences "Baikal - Silk Road" jointly with the Institute of the Earth's Crust SB RAS, and China University of Geosciences, Beijing
The participants of the opening ceremony included representatives from Irkutsk National Research Technical University: Rector Mikhail Korniakov, Vice-Rector for Research Aleksandr Kononov, Vice-Rector for International Affairs Stepan Bykov, Director of the Institute of the Earth's Crust Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Dmitry Gladkochub, as well as the Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Irkutsk, Li Hai and Vice President of China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Wu Huaichun.
The opening of the center was preceded by training for employees of China University of Geosciences in the additional educational program “Geological Fieldwork at ‘Chernorud’ and Pre-Olkhon: Methodology and International Collaboration”. Chinese scientists paid a visit to the Limnological Museum of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, attended the "Chernorud" field base, and examined geodynamic sites on the Baikal island of Olkhon.
As part of the educational program INRTU staff presented the "Virtual Atlas of the Pre-Olkhon Region" project to the Chinese colleagues.
Rector Mikhail Korniakov noted that INRTU and China University of Geosciences share a long-standing friendship:
"I am confident that the opening of the Chinese-Russian Center for Earth Sciences 'Baikal-Silk Road' will contribute to our further joint participation in scientific grant competitions and the launch of new projects."Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Irkutsk, Li Hai, congratulated the scientists and emphasized that China and Russia are close neighbors and good friends:
"Recently, Russian-Chinese relations have been experiencing a particularly high upswing. The years 2024-2025 have been declared the Years of Culture for our countries. In connection with this, many interesting events are taking place. The opening of the Chinese-Russian Center for Earth Sciences is of particular significance. China and Russia pay great attention to the development of science, technology, and innovation, as well as personnel training. We hope that the universities will be able to leverage the advantages of the created center and make their contribution to strengthening the friendship between our peoples."At an international conference at INRTU, scientific collaboration for conducting interdisciplinary research in the field of sustainable development was discussed. The moderator was Vice-Rector for Research Aleksandr Kononov.
Vice-President of China University of Geosciences, Wu Huaichun, thanked the INRTU management for their warm welcome. He noted that within the Chinese higher education system, CUG is a leading university in the field of resources and the environment:
"Our university has a 36-year history of cooperation with INRTU. Through joint efforts, the universities intend to implement a bachelor's program in the field of jewelry design and manufacturing. In recent years, China University of Geosciences has also been actively interacting with academic institutes of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The conference participants will discuss sustainable development issues related to the preservation of Lake Baikal, which is important for the strategic partnership."Zhang Jing, Deputy Dean of the Institute of Earth Sciences and Natural Resources of the CUG, spoke on the development and implementation of a multi-level practical training system for Earth science specialists at the university. According to her, the training bases and equipment for fieldwork are located in the Qinhuangdao area, 300 km from Beijing. Annually, 1100 people are trained in eight CUG schools in various fields (School of Water Resources and Technology, School of Oceanography, School of Gemmology, School of Energy Resources, etc.).
Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Director of the Institute of the Earth's Crust SB RAS, Dmitry Gladkochub, reported that the institute was established in 1949 to study the geology, mineral resources, and engineering-geological conditions of Eastern Siberia. The speaker presented the institute's structure to the Chinese colleagues, spoke about the main scientific directions and results obtained. Currently, the Earth's Crust comprises three departments and 13 research laboratories, employing 28 Doctors of Science. The staff conducts fundamental research - studies the geological environment and seismic processes, groundwater dynamics and geoecology, as well as the structure, paleo-geodynamics, and endogenous processes of the continental lithosphere. Speaking about significant research, Dmitry Gladkochub cited the assessment of inorganic substances in Lake Baikal using direct (isotopic) analysis, etc.
Alexander Parshin, Head of the Siberian School of Geosciences Institute, joined the reporters via video conferencing. The SSG's research program is aimed at optimizing the methodology for developing the mineral resource base for a number of in-demand minerals in complex geological, environmental, and infrastructure conditions. Staff and students conduct scientific and industrial expeditions in territories ranging from Karelia and the Kola Peninsula to Kamchatka, from the Arctic to Southeast Asia. In his speech, Alexander Parshin paid special attention to the capabilities of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) developed by SSG staff, in studying the Earth's surface and underground structures.
Konstantin Konstantinov, Head of the Geophysics Department of the SSG, presented a report on "Multi-scale dynamic physical-geological models as the basis for quantitative interpretation of geophysical data for Eastern Siberia."
Larisa Auzina, Head of the Hydrogeology Laboratory at INRTU, spoke on modern problems in hydrogeology and related scientific and practical research directions.
Professor Fang Qiang of the CUG Institute of Marine Science chose the topic on orbital climatic impact on lacustrine sediments for his presentation.
Igor Buddo, Head of the Laboratory of Integrated Geophysics at the Institute of the Earth's Crust SB RAS, reported on how modern geological exploration technologies are applied in Arctic research.
Photos made by Arseniy Chekmarev.
