To feel like a brave expeditioner, a pioneer, an explorer, to realize a childhood dream of traveling to distant and unknown lands – all this is possible even in our time, when, it seems, there are no unexplored corners of the planet left. The participants of the round table "Expedition to Leadership: How Travel Expands Career Horizons", which the RGS held on March 2 as part of the World Youth Festival, spoke about the prospects that open up to members of the expeditions of the Russian Geographical Society.
The discussion was attended by Sergey Fokin, Executive Director of the Underwater Research Center of the RGS; Dmitry Polikanov, Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo; Vladan Grbović, employee at the RGS Center in Serbia: Mohamed Abumubarka, Assistant Secretary General of the Egyptian Health Council; Igor Bondar, Deputy Chairman of the youth public organization “Priority” (Republic of Moldova).
The experts discussed what advantages participation in RGS projects gives to young researchers from different countries of the world, how they can join expeditions in order to realize their potential and, possibly, make the most real scientific discovery.
Sergey Fokin presented a fascinating story about underwater research, explained how they differ from land-based ones. First of all, it is a limited resource in terms of the supply of compressed air or breathing mixture, in terms of time, and in terms of equipment. It is this "limitation" that determines the specifics of underwater work.
Sergey Fokin, Executive Director of the Russian Geographical Society's Underwater Research Center. Photo: Vladimir Neskoromny / RGS press service
Before diving, you need to think carefully about everything, because at depth it will not be possible to replace a tool, wait for a delayed colleague, think about the task. As a result, the importance of the qualitative component of the result increases, rather than the quantitative one. And the quality is determined by high-end equipment.
“An ordinary archaeologist, even with a shovel in their hands, is already able to get a good result, while a highly qualified specialist can do nothing without the right tool,” joked Sergey Fokin.
Specialists from the URC RGS discover and raise sunken objects, recreate events. For example, in April 2020, the ship "Armenia" was identified at the bottom of the Black Sea, which sank in 1941 as a result of bombing by German aircraft. Through multimedia tools, the last minutes of the life of hospital transport were reconstructed.
In conclusion, Sergey Fokin noted the importance of underwater research on a global scale:
“Two thirds of the surface of our planet is occupied by the World Ocean, it affects all aspects of human life, and we need to study it in order to confidently move into the future.”
Dmitry Polikanov introduced foreign listeners to the work of Rossotrudnichestvo. The organization is represented in 62 countries by 73 representative offices, which have the informal name "Russian House".
“Both volunteers and specialists can join the projects of the Russian Geographical Society regardless of the level of education, citizenship, and financial capabilities,” said the first speaker. “Based on the submitted applications, a competitive selection is conducted which takes into account the skills of candidates, the level of expertise, etc. An RGS expedition lasts about two weeks and does not require any financial investments from its members.”
Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo Dmitry Polikanov. Photo: Vladimir Neskoromny / RGS press service
The RGS centers in Transnistria, France, India, and Serbia are also focused on working with residents of foreign countries.
When the RGS Center was established in Serbia in 2015, it was initially planned to implement student exchange programs between our countries. However, over time, bilateral cooperation has expanded. At the moment, about 350 people from Russia and Serbia have participated in the programs of the RGS Center in Serbia. Summer camps, three scientific expeditions in the Gulf of Finland and two in the Krasnoyarsk Territory were held.
Vladan Grbović, an employee at the RGS Center in Serbia. Photo: Vladimir Neskoromny / RGS press service
Mohamed Abumubarka joined the expedition of the Russian Geographical Society "Kamchatka: Northwestern Ring of Fire" in 2022. It was attended by more than 20 young scientists from Armenia, Belarus, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Mohamed Abumubarka collected valuable materials for scientific research in the field of climate change, met with experts from other countries. The experience gained helped him get a job promotion.
Mohamed Abumubarka, Assistant Secretary General of the Egyptian Health Council. Photo: Vladimir Neskoromny / RGS press service
Igor Bondar participated in the “Arctic Floating University” in 2023 and made his tenth scientific discovery on the island of Vaygach based on the results of research on ancient man-made attributes, in particular petroglyphs.
Deputy Chairman of the youth public organization “Priority” (Republic of Moldova) Igor Bondar. Photo: Vladimir Neskoromny / RGS press service
Specially for the participants of the World Youth Festival, the Russian Geographical Society has developed a special Career Compass that will determine which expedition format is right for you. Test yourself and get a chance to travel with the RGS team this summer to explore the most remote corners of our country!
Vladimir Neskoromny