Published on: 2026-09-14
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
On September 12, celebrations were held in Saint Petersburg dedicated to the Day of the Transfer of the Relics of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, the heavenly patron of the Northern capital. A large-scale procession took place in the city center: several tens of thousands of people marched from the Kazan Cathedral to Alexander Nevsky Square. Orthodox believers and representatives of the clergy traditionally carried the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God along Nevsky Prospect, and for the first time — a reliquary with the newly discovered relics of the blessed Prince Dmitry Donskoy.
Part of the festive events was the awarding of the Alexander Nevsky Prize “For Merit in Strengthening National Unity, Preserving Cultural and Historical Heritage.” The prize is awarded in six categories on behalf of the Governor of Saint Petersburg to citizens who have particularly distinguished themselves in strengthening national unity and preserving cultural and historical heritage. This year, 12 people became laureates of the prize, among them — Svetlana Ulyanova, Professor at the Higher School of Social Sciences of the Humanities Institute of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Doctor of Historical Sciences.
A professor at SPbPU was awarded the prize in the category “Service.” This very word reflects her many years of scientific work studying the history of industrial Petersburg. One of the first steps on this path was her candidate dissertation on the topic “The Petersburg Society of Plant Owners and Manufacturers and the Problems of Industrial Modernization in Russia (1906–1914).” Svetlana Ulyanova’s doctoral dissertation “Mass Economic and Political Campaigns of Petrograd/Leningrad Industry in 1921–1928” focused on the specifics of the industrial community of Leningrad in the 1920s.
In Dahl’s dictionary, the word “служение” is defined as “duty, life for others, useful work.” I like this definition. Service gives a sense of necessity, a connection to the life of the university, the city, and the scientific community, Svetlana Ulyanova believes.
Svetlana Ulyanova has been teaching at the Polytechnic University for 30 years. In the master’s course “Industrial Heritage,” Svetlana Borisovna reveals to students the role and significance of St. Petersburg as a leading global industrial center. In the graduate program, she is a scientific advisor in the field of “History of Science and Technology.” Under Svetlana Ulyanova’s supervision, seven candidates and one doctor of historical sciences have defended their dissertations.
S. B. Ulyanova shares knowledge with a wide range of listeners beyond academic auditoriums: she leads an open lecture series “Polytech in the history of domestic and world science,” an online course “History of Russia” on the national platform “Open Education,” and her own courses “Industrial Heritage” and “Anthropology of Engineering Activity.”
Professor Ulyanova is the author of more than 300 scientific works published in leading journals in Russia and abroad, including 10 monographs (including collective ones), over 30 textbooks and teaching aids, and seven documentary collections.
The high scientific level of Svetlana Ulyanova’s work and its significance for the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage have been confirmed by a grant from the President of the Russian Federation for young doctors of science, as well as grants from the Russian Humanitarian Science Foundation (RHNF), the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), and the Russian Science Foundation (RSF).
A special place in the activities of S. B. Ulyanova is occupied by the study of the history of Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University. The projects “Polytechnics of the Military Generation,” “Oral History of the Polytechnic University,” “Digital History of SPbPU,” and the relational database “Professors of Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University, 20th Century” restore the names of scientists and engineers to the cultural memory of Petersburg.
“In scientific work, the main thing is a genuine interest in your topic, the ability not to skim the surface, but to ‘dig deep.’ And it is very important to see the prospects of your work, its connections with the present, — says Svetlana Ulyanova. — No matter what the format of studying history is, its effectiveness depends on the direct interaction between the teacher and the student, their dialogue. It is important to awaken the student’s interest in the past, to show its complexity and ambiguity, to allow the student to hear the “voices of the past,” and not to turn living history into a set of historical anecdotes and a dead scheme.
As a member of the Federal Register of Experts in the Field of Scientific and Scientific-Technical Activity and an expert of the Russian Science Foundation, S. B. Ulyanova participates in shaping the state agenda in the field of historical science and education, including in the working groups of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Russian Historical Society.
S.B. Ulyanova also represents the St. Petersburg scientific school at international and all-Russian conferences and major forums. Within the framework of the Decade of Science and Technology, Professor Ulyanova spoke at the two main venues of the country: the Congress of Young Scientists in Sirius (2023) and the international exhibition-forum Russia (2024).
Svetlana Ulyanova is not only a university lecturer but also a popularizer of historical science. She has participated in educational programs on four federal and city TV channels: “Histories from the Future” with Mikhail Kovalchuk on the “Culture” channel, “Addresses of the Revolution” and “Morning of Petersburg” on the “Saint Petersburg” channel, and the series “Engineers” and “Pioneers” on the Federation Council TV channel “Vmeste-RF”.
Many years of dedicated service to her work, focused simultaneously on both the past and the future, has become Svetlana Ulyanova’s life credo.
Starting your journey in science, you should not be afraid of difficulties and always remain grateful to those who support you on this path, and respectful to your predecessors, she is convinced.
Photo: https://www.gov.spb.ru/press/governor/
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of information. It is an accurate account of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.