Dmitry Ivanov opening the Olympiad. On the left are Aleksey Kopanev, Associate Professor at the Department of Forensics, and Oksana Karnaukhova, Deputy Dean for Educational Work.
On 23 April, the inter-university Olympiad "Themis of the 21st Century" was held at the Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. It was organized by the Department of Forensics of the Faculty of Forensics and Law in Construction and Transport (FFLCT).
The Olympiad aims to improve the quality of students' professional training, develop practical skills and interest in their future profession, and enhance their competencies in criminal law, criminal procedure, and forensic science.
Dmitry Ivanov, Dean of the Faculty of Forensics and Law in Construction and Transport, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. He thanked the teams for their participation and noted the importance of such events: "Guys, thank you for taking the time and effort to prepare and come here. Today, we are following the Olympic principle: the most important thing is not winning, but participating."
The teams that competed were "Vector of Expertise" (SPbGASU), "First Department" (Saint Petersburg State University of Economics), "Expert Element" (Saint Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia), and "Gatchina Gendarmes" (Gatchina State University).
The Olympiad program included four stages, combining creative, practical, and theoretical tasks:
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team presentation;
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virtual inspection of the crime scene;
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packaging of material evidence and assignment of examinations;
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brain-ring in specialized disciplines.
The practice stages involved working with simulated situations that closely approximated real-life professional activities. Students noted that the assignments allowed them to experience the roles of real professionals—from forensic experts to investigators—and also to test their knowledge under time constraints and high competition.
The final brain-ring braught a lively response: the teams actively engaged in the discussion, demonstrating not only theoretical preparation but also quick reactions, team cohesion, and the ability to argue their position.
The performances were evaluated by a jury consisting of the Deputy Dean of the FFLCT for Academic Affairs, PhD of Juridical Sciences Elena Ivanova, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Forensic Expertise and Research of the St Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Police Lieutenant Colonel Anna Varlacheva, PhD of Juridical Sciences, Associate Professor at the Department of Public Law Disciplines of the Gatchina State University Albina Bachieva and Technical Support Manager of Target Technologies LLC Maria Gerasimova.
The team from the St Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs won the Olympiad. Participants from SPbGASU took second place. Our team included fourth-year students from the Faculty of Forensics and Law in Construction and Transport, "Forensics" field of study: Igor Stepanov, Maksim Semenov, Renata Khadzhieva, Karina Liu-Liang-Min, and Anastasia Savintseva. The team from Gatchina State University took third place.
