Dreams come true: Why is Primorsky Aquarium so attractive to young scientists
Two important for Russian science dates, the Postgraduate Day and the International Day of Women and Girls in Science are celebrated in late January and early February. Being the largest scientific and educational complex in the Russian Far East, the Primorsky Aquarium has always been attracting young people who dream of a career in science. Alyona Nabokina, Specialist of the Animal Food Supply Department, is also an Ecology Postgraduate Student at the Institute of the World Ocean, Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU). She has been studying marine communities since her second year at the FEFU.
“Biology encompasses a wide array of sub-disciplines: genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, and others,” explains Alyona. “Ecology, to my mind, is at the pinnacle of biological sciences, because it explores relationships between all types of living organisms and the environment. This vast field of research was the most important thing that helped me to choose my path in life.”
Alyona Nabokina has been working at the Primorsky Aquarium almost since its opening. Her first job here was a tour guide, and she showed Ecology students from the FEFU around the exhibits many times. Alyona is sure that the Primorsky Aqurium provides very rich and extensive material, which can be successfully introduced into the university curriculum. For instance, students gain theoretical knowledge about organisms through lectures, then observe live animals and plants during a tour of the Aquarium, reviewing the information to be memorized, and thus become better prepared for the subsequent tests and exams.
As for her own research, Alyona emphasizes that, apart from offering information and education opportunities, the Aquarium helps young scientists by placing state-of-the-art equipment, laboratory spaces at their disposal and creating the necessary conditions for their research work.
“The Aquarium is a place where many specialists collaborate to tackle the tasks of biodiversity preservation, which is the most important goal for ecologists,” the young postgraduate stated. “The Aquarium is also one of the centers for international cooperation. Modern environmental problems are considered and handled by both Russian scientists and researchers from abroad.”