"Clean Shore" Campaign
The first month of the academic year at the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Municipal Services (FEE&MS) of SPbGASU was truly action-packed. Students took part in an environmental campaign, celebrated Programmers' Day, and engaged with the cultural heritage of Russia's peoples.
"Clean Shore". Environmentalism begins with action
September kicked off with the "Clean Shore" campaign, organized jointly with the St Petersburg Committee for Nature Use. Second-year students majoring Environmental Engineering (within the "Environmental management and water use" program) not only cleared the shoreline of litter but also took part in a multi-station quest designed by leading environmental educators.
The faculty team's eco-leader also represented the university at a hackathon, where participants developed practical solutions for the sustainable development of the urban environment.
Programmer's Day. The 256th day of the year brought first-year students together
In mid-September, the focus of the Faculty of EE&MS shifted toward digital technologies. Academic group supervisors met with students enrolled in the "Information Systems and Technologies" (IST), "Applied Informatics" (AI), and "Applied Mathematics and Informatics" (AMI) programs. The occasion was Programmer's Day—a professional holiday celebrated in Russia on the 256th day of the year.
The date was not chosen at random: 256 is the number of distinct values that can be represented by a single eight-bit byte, as well as the highest power of 2 that does not exceed the 365 days in a year. The holiday was established by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 1034, dated September 11, 2009, at the initiative of the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media.
The academic advisors from the Department of Information and Mathematical Modeling Technologies—Lyudmila Moskalenko, Marianna Shimanskaya, Aleksandr Elsakov, and Irshat Mukharryamov—congratulated the first-year students and announced a series of professional events for the upcoming academic year. Students can look forward to IT and coding competitions, hackathons, and other activities designed to develop practical skills.
"We want students to feel like part of the professional community from their very first year," the academic advisors emphasized. "Participating in competitions and hackathons is the best way to test their skills and find like-minded people."
Year of the Unity of the Peoples of Russia. Excursion to the Museum of Ethnography
September concluded with a cultural event. On 30 September, first-year students, accompanied by their academic advisor, visited the Russian Museum of Ethnography. The event was held as part of the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia—proclaimed by Presidential Decree No. 962 of December 25, 2025—and the adaptation program for first-year students.
A guided tour titled "Peoples of Russia" was organized for the students. The guide introduced them to the history of the museum building's construction, the development of its collections, and the main exhibitions dedicated to the traditional cultures of Russia's peoples from the 18th to the 21st centuries. The first-year students learned about the distinctive economic activities and crafts of various peoples, as well as the unique characteristics of their dwellings, clothing, cuisine, rituals, and festivals.
For the students, the museum visit was not only an introduction to the rich cultural heritage of a multi-ethnic country but also an opportunity to get to know one another better in an informal setting.
September set a fast pace for student life at FEE&MS: environmental initiatives, professional celebrations, and cultural enrichment activities seamlessly complemented the academic curriculum and helped first-year students adapt more quickly to the university community.
