On December 19, the medals of the Russian Geographical Society were awarded at the Headquarters of the RGS in St. Petersburg.
The Small Silver Medal of the RGS was awarded to Valentin Smirnov, Director of the Russian State Archive of the Navy, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Captain 1st Rank of the reserve, and Aleksandr Semenov Tyan-Shansky, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, the great-great-grandson of Pyotr Semenov-Tyan-Shansky.
Andrei Golovnev, director of the Pyotr the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), Doctor of Historical Sciences, professor, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was awarded the Small Bronze Medal.
«At the Russian Geographical Society, we carefully honor our traditions. Awards established back in the 19th century, having gone through a difficult path of cancellations and restorations, today, according to the current Charter of the Society, are presented for outstanding achievements in the field of geography and related sciences, for a great contribution to the popularization of the natural, historical, and cultural heritage of Russia. We thank each of you and wish you continued success!» Roman Ryabintsev, Director of the RGS Headquarters in St. Petersburg, said at the award ceremony.
A temporary photo exhibition «Nomads of the Arctic: The Art of Movement» is currently operating in the Grand Hall of the Russian Geographical Society Headquarters in St. Petersburg, where the award ceremony took place. It was created as part of the «Arctic: Atlas of Nomadic Technologies» project, led by Andrei Golovnev.