Two Tomsk International Science Program (TISP) students were awarded TSU bachelor’s diplomas. Yana Baitserova and Cameroon-born Martin-Romariс Angono Ngambi excelled in several research fields, including mathematics, physics, neuroscience, ecology, and biology. Their graduation theses addressed the processing of chemistry-related data and production of functional nature-based biomaterials.
The TISP international bachelor’s program was launched in 2019 in the Innovation Studies area. Implemented at the TSU Institute of Smart Materials and Technologies, the English-language program was aimed at providing students the skills and competencies that will stay relevant in the coming 10–20 years. The primary research fields of TISP students include the relevant molecular engineering production trends.
Initially TISP studies were strictly fee-based. However, Yana Baitserova received a TSU Endowment Fund scholarship enabling her free studies during TISP’s entire duration. Additionally, she has been working at TSU Laboratory of Laser Molecular Imaging and Machine Learning headed by Yury Kistenev for two years and participating in various research projects. In her thesis, Yana Baitserova studied the photooxidation effect on edible oils with visible and infrared spectroscopy and chemometric analysis. She plans to continue her studies as a TSU master’s student.
Martin-Romaric Angono Ngambi wrote his thesis to explore how functional biological substances are obtained from triterpenic acids obtained from fir. The research was part of executing an order placed by company Solagift, TSU partner and manufacturer of plant raw material-based extracts, substances, and biological supplements. As part of a research team, Martin studied triterpenic acids found in fir that are used in the products and developed the extraction technology for substances that can be used in them. Martin Ngambi has already enrolled in PSL Research University (Paris) as a master’s student and received the Eiffel scholarship, which covers all student-related expenses: tuition, accommodation, and transportation.
Currently, 38 students are enrolled in TISP. Since 2020, the program started offering federal budget-based studies, and the number of quotas is growing each year. 14 quotas are available as of 2023.
“The program is gaining nationwide traction due to the availability of federal quotas. Apart from Russian students, we have students from China, Pakistan, Sri-Lanka, and Indonesia. In past years, we also had students from Columbia, Italy, and some African countries. We received an application from Egypt during this admission campaign. Moreover, we are seeing more and more students transferring to our program from other Russian universities, including the Tomsk ones,” shares Gulnara Voronova, the deputy director at the Institute of Smart Materials and Technologies.
To learn more about the program, visit its official website.