Published on: 2026-05-08
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
In April 2026, the team of studentsFaculty of Natural Sciences (FEN)Represented by Novosibirsk State University (NSU) at the 15th International Ecological Olympiad of CIS countries’ universities, which in recent years has been held by the International State Institute named after A. D. Sakharov of the Belarusian State University. The team included biology students.Mikhail Bardukov, Anna Skotareva(captain), Artem Surguchev, Anna ShishkinaиMaria Scherbatova.
In 2026, 44 teams from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia competed in the Olympics. The NGU team participated in this event for the first time last year. Their successes were recognized with 2nd and 3rd degree Diplomas in individual nominations.
In 2026, the NGO team became the absolute winner in the overall standings, noticeably ahead of one of the traditional winners of recent years — the team of Tyumen Industrial University, with which it shared first place. In addition, the NGU team was notedFirst-degree diplomas in three out of four nominations(theoretical round, creative contest, and practical round), and in such nominations as the creative contest and theoretical round, in which the results of the individual competition were also summed up, all its participants were awarded Diplomas of various degrees.
—Ecology today is not only a global agenda but also concrete challenges for Siberia. NGU is traditionally strong in interdisciplinary projects: biologists, chemists, geologists — we are already used to working at the intersection of sciences. The CIS countries’ Olympiad provided a chance to check how competitive our teams are in the post-Soviet space. Plus, as a captain, I always look for challenges for the team: participation in such a tournament is the best way to improve crisis management skills., — sharesAnna Skotareva.
In recent years, the Olympiad has been held remotely and includes four rounds: “Best Business Card,” Theoretical Round, Creative Contest, and Practical Round. According to the voting results of the team leaders in 2026, the creative contest was devoted to the topic “Electric Transport: ecological solution or new problem?”, and the topic of the practical round was as follows: “Develop the project ‘Housing of the Future,’ integrating ecological solutions into residential development.”
—Intensive, without “fluff.” First, a remote tour analyzing real environmental cases (we had a project on improving the energy efficiency of residential buildings). Then this stage — writing a theoretical tour, tasks of which covered various directions: from “biological” to industrial ecology,— Anna says.
According to her, the most difficult thing was the inability to quickly switch between tasks and questions from jury members during the practical round of the Olympiad. Also, a drawback was fatigue during the period of intensive work on the tasks.
—The brightest moment — our defense of the case on improving the energy efficiency of residential buildings. We proposed an unexpected but very practical solution: to use “return flow” in the water supply system. That is, not just to drain used technical water, but to return it to the circuit in order to offload the thermal load and reduce the building’s energy consumption. The jury was initially skeptical — they said it was too simple. But when we broke down the calculations of heat and water savings by 30–40%, they became seriously interested. They even asked us to send a detailed methodology after the defense., — says Anna.
Victory was a big surprise for the team.
—At first — a cold inner shock. The results were announced from the end, and when they named the 5th and 4th places, and we were not on the list at all — my heart sank. I thought: we missed it. And then — euphoria: we turned out to be the absolute winners, — adds Anna.
On behalf of NGU, we congratulate the guys on the victory and wish new bright achievements!
Please note; this information is raw content obtained directly from the source of information. It represents an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.