Regulations Of the All-Russian Conference of Junior Research in memory of V. I. Vernadsky
(2003/2004)

1. Basic regulations

The All-Russian Conference of junior scientific research in memory of V. I. Vernadsky (to be referred as �the Conference� further) is an educational program, both extra-mural and internal, being a form of inter-regional organizing research activities of the young

The aim of the Conference is to educate the young of Russia in the sense of moral qualities, to enrich their cultural wealth, to make them understand how serious the problem of ecology is, by studying the territory of Russia, its unique nature, rich culture and history, traditions and customs of numerous peoples living in it, by learning more and more about those people, who influenced so much upon the Russian history, its cultural and material wealth. Foreign participants are also welcomed.

The Conference is directed at accustoming the young to great traditions of Russian scientists, that gave the world famous discoveries and examples of high public spirit. V. I. Vernadsky is a special person in Russian and world culture because of his scientific and philosophical doctrine about the noosphere — the sphere of human intellect and its great creativeness. This doctrine unites people, living on Earth and the Earth itself, the nature, studying their relations and interdependence.

The main ideas of V. I. Vernadsky are assumed as the basis for the international conception of stable development.

The tasks of the Conference are:

• to provide available and effective education for the young on the foundation of developing productive and effective educational technologies during the period of modernization of the system of education in the Russia Federation,
• to develop creative interests of the young in the field of the sciences studying the Earth, the Earth biosphere, the mankind, its history and culture, to stimulate school pupils to participate in research work in those scientific fields that were of interest to V. I. Vernadsky,
• to establish a wide range of successive educational programs in the primary , secondary and higher school as well in supplementary forms of education, making pupils from higher school forms take part in the research,
• to develop the interest to fundamental sciences among school pupils,
• to familiarize the young and their teachers and tutors with the scientific heritage of V. I. Vernadsky, an outstanding Russian scientist,
• to develop different systems of teaching and the infrastructure of applied junior research works in Russia,
• to attract pupils and students from different parts of Russia to Moscow colleges and universities.

Junior research works are subject to consideration at the Conference. Such works are bound to show good familiarity with modern status of a chosen field of scientific activity, usage of the experimental method, data obtained by the pupil himself, their analysis, generalization and conclusions drawn.

2. Heads of the Conference

Founders of the Conference are:

• Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation,
• The commission of the Russian Academy of Sciences, dealing with developing V. I. Vernadsky�s scientific heritage,
• Nongovermental ecological fund in memory of V. I. Vernadsky,
• The Scientific and Educational Preparatory Center Of the Moscow State University (the Lomonosoff MGU),
• The Moscow Committee of Education,
• South District Department of the Moscow Committee of Education,
• The Obuhoff Institution of Atmospheric Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
• Center of Creative Scientific and Technical Development of the Young affiliated to Moscow State Center of Creative Development of the Youth,
• Lyceum # 1553 

The Commission of the Russian Academy of Sciences, developing the scientific heritage of V. I. Vernadsky, is to provide guidance over the Conference.

Lyceum #1553, Center of Creative Scientific and Technical Development of the Young affiliated to Moscow State Center of Creative Development of the Youth are to organize and to hold the Conference.

Supervisory activities are held by the Organizational Committee, that includes representatives of founders. To provide examination of research works sent to the Conference, the Organizing Committee forms the Commission of experts, where specialists in different scientific trends are recruited.

3. The Conference Procedures

There are 2 rounds in the Conference:

The 1st round is extra-mural taking place 1. 09. 2003 — 15. 01  2004. Research works sent to the Conference Organizing Committee are under expertise.

The 2d round is internal. April 2004. XI All-Russian Junior Research Conference in memory of V. I. Vernadsky. Participation according to the results of the 1st round.

Junior works of problem character, including a stage of experimental work, data obtaining, processing, analyzing, then drawing conclusions and interpretation of the results are admitted to the Conference. Every work should contain a bibliography and a bibliographic review of previous research in the chosen field of activity. Subjects of research works participants of the Conference are not limited, but a subject should be local (a certain village, valley, reservoir, mount, site of ancient settlement, architectural ensemble, a community, a psychological problem etc.)There should be a stage of practical field investigations or archive investigations, or polls etc.

There are the following trends in the Conference:

Natural sciences:

1. Geology. Geography. Landscapes
2. Physiology. Human Ecology. Applied medicine
3. Natural Parks and Reserves
4. Animal Biology and Ecology
5. Hydrobiology. Water Ecology
6. Geobotanics. Plants Ecology
7. Astronomy. Atmospheric Physics. Meteorology
8. Urban Biotope.

Humanities:

1. Social Sciences (subsections are: �Russian History and Its Problems�, "World Philosophy and Its Problems,� �Study of Regional Lore and Its Problems�, �Ecclesiastical Regional Lore and Its Problems�, �Personalities in Russian History�, �Economics, Law and Sociology�, �Archaeology�.)
2. Folklore (subsections are: �Folklore and Ethnography�, �History and Culture of Russian Villages�, �Dialectology and Onomastics�.)
3. Personalities in Modern Society (subsections are: �Modern Human Biotope�, �Problems of the Young in the Contemporary Society�, �Psychophysiology and Human Health�, "Human Consciousness�)
4. Art and Literature (subsections are: �Literary Criticism�, �Linguistics�, �Languages In the Modern Society�, �Art study�).
5. Philosophy and Culturology

We welcome individual young researchers as well as groups consisting of several authors to take part in the Conference. If there is a group of several authors that presents their work at the Conference, they should specify the role of each of them in their common work through all its stages — collecting data and material, processing data, drawing conclusions etc. Junior research works can be presented by state schools, lyceums, preparatory schools, high schools, other educational establishments as well as personally by their authors. We welcome authors from foreign countries.

Every organization can present no more than 5 research works.

Descriptive works and compilations as well as works having been presented to other all-Russian contests and Conferences are not allowed to the Conference.

Criteria of assessment are the following:

• if the contents of a work conforms to its topic, to its aim and its tasks as they are formulated;
• the structure of a work;
• if there is a bibliography and a bibliographic review of previous research, their quality;
• if methods of research are correct, if the authors understand what assumptions are possible when using this particular method;
• if the work arises problems;
• if conclusions conform to the results obtained in a work;
• the design of a work.

There are special nominations at the Conference:

• for the best research work made on the territory of a national park or a forest reserve;
• for the best interdisciplinary research;
• for the best problem-arising research;
• for the best research presented by a village school;
• for the best foreign project.

If you want to take part in the Conference you are to send by e-mail an application for the Conference (the form in included in this booklet), the text of the article (no more than 5 pages, 14  point type, 1.5 interval (which is about 10 000 typographic symbols), illustrative material (artwork) ( no more than 3 A-4 pages). The deadline is January the 15th, 2004. Research works coming from localities that have no e-mail can also be sent by a registered letter (a diskette containing all the needed material in MSWord must also be included). Only if there are no possibility of presenting the work in the electron form it can be presented in typing. Works are to be sent to the following address: dg@dnttm.ru.

The working languages are Russian and English.

All the works received after January the 15th, 2004, can be considered as participating in the 2004/2005 Conference.

There is being organized an Internet Conference to discuss research works coming to the Conference.

Research works sent to the Conference are not sent back.

4. Reckoning up

During the 1st round of the Conference expert groups reckon up research works. The deadline is March the 20th, 2004. Every research work gets an expert report, that is sent to its author.

Authors of works, that got positive expert reports, as well as their tutors, are invited to take part in the 2nd round of the Conference  — in the XI All-Russian Conference of junior scientific research in memory of V. I. Vernadsky, that takes place in April 2004. The letter of invitation is sent to the organization that supervised the research ( a school, a lyceum etc). The deadline is April the 1st, 2004.

Authors of prize-winning works are given award diplomas and gifts.

The most interesting research works are published in the book of collected articles. The results of the Conference are published in the press, too. The best research works will be sent to the National Conference of Research Works of Russia.