Research Supervisor of KFU Astronomical Observatory Yury Nefedyev named Science Popularizer of the Year
He was awarded during the Scientific Breakthrough ceremony in Kazan today.
The event brought together scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, and all those committed to advancing science and technology. Among the guests were government representatives, members of the academic community, and business leaders. Kazan Federal University was represented by a group of scientists headed by Rector Lenar Safin.
The key event of the celebration was the awards ceremony for winners of the Scientific Breakthrough competition. Rais (Head) of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov took the stage to congratulate the scientists on their professional holiday, celebrated February 8. In his welcoming speech, he noted that 2025 was another step toward achieving the national goals set by the President of Russia in higher education, science, and technology.
“Scientific and educational organizations of the region have actively engaged in implementing national technological leadership projects, including Means of Production and Automation, New Materials and Chemistry, Unmanned Aerial Systems, and other critically important scientific and technical areas for the domestic economy,” reported the Rais.
The competition featured 8 nominations. In the Scientist-Communicator category, the winner was Yury Nefedyev, scientific director of the Engelhardt Astronomical Observatory. The honorary award to the Kazan University representative was presented by Olga Vasilyeva, President of the Russian Academy of Education.
The scientist thanked the state official for returning astronomy to schools during her tenure and expanding the course “to approximately the volume” that existed when he himself was in school. “This was a very important step for preserving and developing young people’s interest in space science. I believe we must first and foremost support young scientists and create conditions so they can comfortably engage in scientific work,” Nefedyev shared.
He also admitted that he has been engaged in educational work for a long time and consistently. “I always tell students that the vocation of an astronomer is primarily educational activity. It is absolutely necessary to tell people about space, about its exploration, about the celestial objects and phenomena that exist and occur. It’s also important to consider that our country is a space power, the first space flights were made in the Soviet Union, and this is part of our history and pride,” the laureate emphasized.
Overall, Nefedyev acknowledged that one cannot approach young people formally, leaving them to cope with problems in their professional activities alone. One must always help, support them at the start, and motivate them toward results.
The main prize, victory in the Best Scientist nomination, went to Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, scientific director of the Zavoisky Physical-Technical Institute of Kazan Scientific Center, honorary citizen of the capital of Tatarstan, and Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Kev Salikhov.
An exhibition of local scientific developments was organized at the venue. Projects from various fields were presented – from culture and sports to innovations in medicine and petrochemistry.
A group of KFU experts presented a unique biomedical project to Rustam Minnikhanov. In particular, Dr Albert Rizvanov spoke about the development of domestic biotechnological drugs.
“The external contour of the biomedical cluster includes 46 biomedical student startups, an mRNA technology consortium, and production facilities, including the Izvarino-Pharma company. Together we are working on the creation and implementation of advanced gene-cell technologies, including the production and clinical application of CAR-T and other individualized biomedical cell products,” explained Lenar Safin.
