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Congratulations to associate professor of the Higher School of Information Technology and Engineering Barlybaev Alibek Baktybaevich on winning the competition «The best university lecturer -2023»!

In the competition "The best university lecturer -2023" 150 teachers from 43 Kazakhstani universities of higher educational institutions of the country became winners. Such indicators of applicants as the quality of teaching, the development of educational resources, publication activity and the availability of patents for inventions were evaluated.

The competition "The Best University lecturer - 2023" was organized using the information system of MSHE, which provided participants with full transparency at all stages of the event. Applications and necessary documents for participation were accepted in electronic format, which guaranteed the openness and accessibility of the competition process.

Lecturers of AIU have once again confirmed the high quality of the university's educational and scientific programs and projects.

Congratulations to Candidate of Economic Sciences, Professor of the Higher School of Economics of Astana International University Rakhimova Saule Abaibekovna on winning the Competition of annual state scientific scholarships of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan 2023. We wish you creative success and new projects!

The visit of Professor Simon Redfern, the Dean of the College of Science at Nanyang Technological University, to Astana International University as part of the academic mobility program initiated by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, has drawn to a close. Throughout his stay, the professor delivered lectures to students, hosted a master class and training sessions for budding scientists and doctoral candidates, and conducted scientific seminars for the university's teaching staff. Additionally, Professor Redfern held discussions with Arman Ashkin, the Deputy Chairman of the Board of JSC Center for International Programs (Bolashak), as well as met with the British Embassy in Kazakhstan.. These meetings delved into the potential for fostering bilateral connections in the realms of science and education among Singapore, Great Britain, and Kazakhstan.

Professor Redfern has held several competitive UK research grants (total funding of more than £25m). He has also supervised over 30 PhD students in Cambridge and NTU, and acted as postdoctoral mentor and advisor to more than 20 postdoctoral researchers.He has published more than 270 peer-reviewed papers in the scientific literature (H-index 56 [ISI], 58 (Scopus), 65 [Google Scholar]), in internationally leading journals including Nature, Science, Physical Review Letters, Advanced Materials, Earth and Planetary Sciences Letters, JACS, Applied Physics Letters, and GRL. Professor Redfern is the recipient of the European Mineralogical Society’s Medal for Research Excellence and is the only individual to have been awarded both the Max Hey and Schlumberger Medals of the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland, of which he is a Fellow. Simon Redfern is also Fellow of the Mineralogical Society of America and of the Geological Society of London. He was also a member of the UK ministerially-appointed Committee on Radioactive Waste Management charged with providing independent scrutiny of the development of a geological radioactive waste repository in the UK.

Professor Simon Redfern of Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) conducted a master class and training on the topic “Writing and Publishing Academic Paper” for teaching staff, doctoral students and master’s students of Astana International University.

During the master class, Professor Simon Redfern spoke about the style and features of writing an academic article, research methods, gave examples from his own experience as an editor of a scientific journal, and shared his insights on top-rated journals for publishing the main results of doctoral students' dissertations.

During the training, the professor gave specific tasks for young scientists in order to improve their skills in meeting the standards of writing and formatting scientific papers. He answered questions regarding the choice of topic and structure of scientific papers.

  It is worth noting that Professor Simon Redfern is actively engaged in scientific research aimed at studying the properties of minerals under conditions of high temperature and pressure. He has more than 260 scientific articles, his H-index is 58 (Scopus), 56 (WoS), 65 (Google scholar).

A teacher from Nanyang Technological University, Dr. Xiaolei Feng, conducted research and methodological seminars for teaching staff and students of the Higher School of Natural Sciences and the Pedagogical Institute of Astana International University.

Xiaolei Feng is trained as a condensed matter physicist, having graduated with a bachelor’s degree and PhD from the department of Physics of Jilin University, China. Towards the end of her studies at Jilin, she realised the need to broaden her understanding of the physics of materials to encompass naturally-occurring materials’ behaviour in the environment. She therefore took the opportunity to undertake a 2nd PhD at the department of Earth sciences at University of Cambridge. She worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the research institute “High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (HPSTAR)” in Shanghai and Beijing, China. She also worked as associate professor at the Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction, Sichuan University, China before she joined the NTU in 2022. 

Dr. Xiaolei Feng spoke on the Sustainable Development Goals and how they can be implemented in the educational process, as well as advanced/innovative teaching methods used at the School of Materials Engineering NTU. Students and teaching staff thanked the speaker and organizers (teachers of the Pedagogical institute G.S. Sagimbayeva and A.B. Kazhigalieva) for the opportunity.

On December 11, 2023, Professor Simon Redfern of Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) conducted a seminar for the teaching staff of Astana International University. The professor proposed for discussion the current topic of the 21st century “Communication, education, and research in the age of AI.” From the question “Should we be afraid of artificial intelligence, since technological innovations such as a calculator, a mobile phone, the Internet, etc. have long been part of our lives?” - the professor began the seminar. Using real examples, he showed the capabilities of AI used by different groups of people. The professor emphasized that based on the results of students’ work using Chat GPT, it is difficult to unambiguously assess the skills and competence of students and specialists. Therefore, in modern times there is concern for the quality of knowledge of the younger generation. “With the help of intelligent programs, a student can write an excellent essay, draw a beautiful picture, prepare a good project, but to what extent can this student be an expert in his field?” “How can teachers and employers recognize a student’s true knowledge and skills?” These and other questions were raised in the lecture by Professor Simon Redfern.

On December 8, Astana International University hosted an official meeting with a delegation from China, in particular, the Beijing Education Committee and representatives of key universities. The parties discussed issues related to attracting foreign students to master's and doctoral programs, as well as the prospects for the participation of scholars in joint projects.

The meeting brought together high-level representatives from the Chinese side, including the Level II Bureau Official, the Director of Development and Planning Division, and the Deputy Director. The participation of the program manager of the international relations department, the coordinator of international programs, and other key figures emphasized the importance of the issues discussed.

The main topics of the meeting included strategies to increase the number of international students, ways to increase the participation of scientific personnel in joint projects and experience exchange in the field of education. During the discussions, common interests and prospects for further cooperation were identified.

The Vice President of Astana International University – Abdrakhmanov K. expressed confidence that this meeting will mark the beginning of an important stage of cooperation between universities, promoting the exchange of knowledge and cultural enrichment of both countries.

Also, the parties discussed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, which will be a key step in strengthening ties and developing mutually beneficial cooperation between Astana International University and Beijing universities.

On November 21, 2023, 2nd year students studying in the specialty “Design” took part in the opening of the exhibition “Focus of Attention” by a contemporary artist from Astana, Evgenia Grekina. The space of the capital's art gallery "HAS SANAT" was intended for an immersive art project. In it, E. Grekina combined modern art practices (minimal art, video art, music, performance) with her own subjective understanding of stress, burnout and information noise. One of the speakers at the vernissage was art critic G.N. Povalyashko, associate professor at VShID MUA.

The experimental therapeutic exhibition was a revelation for students in the Finance and Marketing groups. They visited her a few days after the opening day and thus expressed their impressions:

- “One of the melodies really felt like childhood, teenage memories (a feeling of warmth), and the other melody already conveys the transience of time, meditation, relaxation. In fact, a very interesting topic, we would go to one more of these exhibitions”;

- “A very interesting idea with an education room, with writing feelings from music on a piece of paper or in the form of a drawing. The feeling is simply unreal, we really enjoyed it.”

Povalyashko G. N.

Professor Simon Redfern from Nanyang Technological University has been teaching the course "Sustainability and environmental change" for master's and doctoral students in the natural sciences at Astana International University. On December 8, an open lecture took place, where master's students of all specialties were also invited, as well as master's students of ENU undergoing scientific internship at AIU.

During the lecture, Professor Redfern touched on the role of humanity and the detrimental impact of anthropogenic activities on the extinction of species. The lecture was held in an interactive format, master's and doctoral students reflected and discussed about the future of our planet, independently assessed the global scale of humanity's impact on the environment.

The listeners highly appreciated the professionalism of the lecturer and thanked the organizers for this opportunity. We remind you that the professor was invited to the university under the academic mobility program and everyone can attend lectures by the eminent scientist at Astana International University.

In today's world, successful leaders strive for a deep understanding of economic challenges and development prospects. The student strategic session dedicated to the New Economic Policy of Kazakhstan was held from December 8-9, 2023 at the EXPO. This event has become an important event for students of the Higher School of Economics in the development of analytical and strategic skills.

During the session, students actively discussed key aspects of Kazakhstan's economic policy, analyzed current trends and prospective prospects. Issues related to investment, innovation, and the development of key industries have become central topics of discussion.

Special attention was paid to strategic planning and the impact of global factors on the economy of Kazakhstan. Students actively developed development scenarios and offered specific recommendations to support national economic interests.

This strategic session not only provided a unique opportunity to delve into the essence of Kazakhstan's New Economic Policy, but also emphasized the importance of collective discussion and exchange of ideas. The participants expressed their deep gratitude for the opportunity to take part in such a significant event. The most active students were awarded certificates of completion of the facilitation session from the partner of the Center for Trade and Economic Strategies.

СПИСОК ЛИЦ, ПОСТУПИВШИХ НА ОБУЧЕНИЕ В ДОКТОРАНТУРУ НА ОСНОВАНИИ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОГО ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНОГО ЗАКАЗА 2023 г. ( зимний прием)

Master's and doctoral students of Astana International University will be given lectures by the earth scientist and academic leader at Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) Professor Simon Redfern! According to the QS World University Ranking 2024, NTU is ranked 26th in the world.

Professor Simon Redfern is currently a Dean of the College. The professor is known for his work at the University of Cambridge, where he headed the Department of  Earth Sciences, as well as supervised the doctoral development program.

He published more than 260 peer-reviewed scientific papers, his H-index is 58 (Scopus), 56 (WoS), 65 (Google scholar. The scientist’s research is aimed at studying the behaviour of minerals under high temperature and pressure conditions.

On December 7, a meeting was held between the president of the university, Serik Aztaevich Irsaliev, and Professor Simon Redfern, where they discussed the directions and possibilities for developing bilateral cooperation between universities. Professor Redfern spoke about the development of educational system in Singapore, the history of the young university and the university's successful experience in establishing connections with academic and industrial partners across the globe.Astana International University thanks the Ministry of Science and Higher Education for providing the opportunity to invite world-famous scientists from the top foreign universities.