Expedition to Sakhalin Island
The expedition, led by Laboratory staff Ksenia Romanenko and Ekaterina Maslova, included students from the Institute of Education, as well as from the faculties of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Urban and Regional Development. Joining the team as tutors were research interns from the Laboratory, Tatiana Akuneeva and Vladimir Krestinin.
Erika Pastukhova, third-year undergraduate student, program "Applied Mathematics and Computer Science"
This was my first expedition, and it was such a large-scale one. During the research, I had the opportunity to talk with many fascinating people and see Sakhalin through the lens of their life experiences. The Far East was my dream, and I am glad that I was able to visit it, especially in the company of wonderful people and professionals in their fields!
During the expedition, we conducted over 90 in-depth and express interviews with students, faculty, and administrative staff at Sakhalin State University. We also had the opportunity to speak with representatives from cultural and creative institutions in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, as well as with 11th graders from one of the city's top schools, and students and faculty from vocational education institutions.
We kicked off our working week in the expedition with a meeting with the rector of Sakhalin State University, Alexander Samardak, and part of the team went on the first working day to recruit high school students presenting their projects at the energy forum for interviews. The initial results of our work indicate academic heterogeneity among the students and highlight the significance of the campus as a symbol of revival and development.
One of the goals of the expedition was to immerse ourselves in the historical and cultural context of the region. To achieve this, we took a tour of the historical sites in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, explored the exhibits at the Local History Museum, visited the port city of Korsakov, participated in events at the Korean Cultural Center, and had a conversation with Japanese photographer Kengo Kiyama. We also took a trip along the coast of the Okhotsk Sea, stopping at the most picturesque locations.
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk impressed us with its cleanliness and tidiness, its abundance of greenery, colorful murals on the facades of buildings, and, of course, the seafood that we indulged in. Throughout our stay in the city, we experienced various weather conditions: the bright sun of the Far East, fog enveloping the nearby mountains, and light autumn rain. Each participant in the expedition walked over 10,000 steps daily between the buildings of Sakhalin State University, drifting through the city in search of informants.
Tatiana Akuneeva, research intern at the Project Educational Laboratory "University Development"
"With only one university and facing the pressure of 'Western drift,' Sakhalin Region is focusing on the development of tertiary education in engineering and natural sciences. We managed to collect unique field data on the career expectations and trajectories of students in vocational and higher education, as well as on the perceptions of students and staff regarding the future of a world-class campus, the management team, and the specifics of the university's internal life, straight from the source. Our team eagerly looks forward to observing the ongoing changes in the region."
Sofia Spiridonova, fourth-year undergraduate student, program "History of Art"
Did I think just a couple of months ago that I would start each day by reviewing interview guides, wandering the streets of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in search of student informants, constantly being in a state of "active observation," and conducting an interview with a photographer from Japan? The expedition has been a breath of fresh air. The sunset in the mountains at an altitude of 601 meters, searching for seashells and pieces of Japanese ceramics, and the trip to the poetically industrial Korsakov have definitely become some of the best memories of my youth.
