Participants studied in humanitarian and technical fields, familiarized themselves with the university's educational and scientific infrastructure, and visited laboratories, institutes, and creative spaces. One of the key events was the "HackAtom" hackathon, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the nuclear industry. In just 24 hours, students developed over 40 interdisciplinary projects, with the winning teams being Tech Pioneers (Russian-speaking track) and Matrix (English-speaking track). Six participants were selected to attend World Atomic Week, which will take place in Moscow in September.
"I sincerely hope that during these two weeks you were able to immerse yourselves in the cultures and languages of different countries around the world, and, of course, in the hospitality and culture of the Urals. You gained knowledge and skills that will help you in the future," said Yana Vysotskaya, Director of the International Educational Programs Department, addressing the participants. "The main trend this year was team building: you formed teams in different formats and at various events, and this is truly an important skill that will be useful to you in the future."
The academic partner for the humanitarian-legal track was the Ural State Law University. Foreign participants learned about the research conducted by Ural scientists, visited the research and educational center for chemical-pharmaceutical technologies, and the laboratory of archeography at the Ural Humanitarian Institute, as well as the Chemical Technology and Radio Engineering Institutes.
"What did the 'Summer University' give me? The most obvious thing is teamwork skills, the ability to avoid conflicts, find common ground, and draw the right conclusions. I participated in the 'Digital Transformation of Business' program, which reminded me that artificial intelligence is not evil, but a tool that must be used correctly by asking the right questions. It is important to remember that it will not replace humans. This inspires development and learning," said project participant Yelizaveta Savitskaya from the Belarusian State Economic University. "I am considering the possibility of entering a master's program, including at UrFU. For example, we learned about the 'Business Informatics' program. In the future, I want to become a competitive specialist in the niche I choose. My qualification is as an economist-manager, but I am more inclined towards a managerial role. I would like to work with people and maybe engage in something related to design, such as graphic design or national themes."
The cultural program included excursions around Yekaterinburg, industrial tours, master classes, sports events, films, and quizzes. UrFU, as part of the "Summer University" project, became a platform for intercultural dialogue and academic interaction.