The modernized virtual environment Altterra, created by Denis Mayorov and Vyacheslav Pridchin, students at Don State Technical University, was recognized as Best International Youth IT Project. This project is somewhat similar to the metaverse. However, it gives users the opportunity for real-time creation of virtual environments and structures, and its building system allows to make sufficiently accurate replicas of real objects. Also, one can fill three-dimensional spaces with various functional objects providing user experience with new opportunities. In addition to that, the project makes it possible to set object behavior and animation depending on avatars’ interaction. For example, you can incorporate all kinds of interactive demonstration of the class material into the classroom you’re creating, which can improve students’ understanding and increase their engagement.
To directly interact with other avatars, one can use a menu or a voice chat that imitates one’s presence in the virtual reality. All the tools listed provide an alternative to such areas of social life as communication and education. By now, virtual campuses of Don State Technical University, the students’ alma mater, have already been re-created based upon the real-life institution’s architecture. Professors are already reading lectures there, and thematic festivals are being held as well.
The main prize for Contribution to Global IT-Cooperation was won by Arevik Martirosyan, a PhD student at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Arevik’s biggest achievement, the one that played a decisive role, was promoting the International Information Security School—a youth-led science and education platform established at the Institute of Contemporary International Studies of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Young Scientists Council in order to provide in-depth discussion, exchange opinions, positions and points of view, develop strategy for comprehensive solution of international information security challenges, and, with the help of Russian and foreign young scientists, international experts and practitioners, as well as Russian and international academic and research institutions, develop track-two youth diplomacy focusing on international information security challenges. The International Information Security School has been implementing various measures to prompt a broad discussion on addressing contemporary challenges to ensuring international information security.
Best Educational IT Project special category, created in partnership with Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, was won by one of its students Maxim Uryvaev, who had come up with the idea to develop the CommunityFinderapplication. It will allow users to find people with similar professional interests and exchange information. According to the app’s creator, its primary goal is to help people improve their knowledge through communication. The mobile app aims to provide users with necessary feedback, give them the opportunity to ask questions, process information better and seek out the truth by holding discussions, make friends, get updates on upcoming events for improving professional skills, and find new spots to spend time in more productive ways.
All winners received valuable prizes. The Altterra team received a money prize to further develop their project; Arevik Martirosyan, the winner in Contribution to Global IT-Cooperation category, got a brand-new laptop; Maxim Uryvaev was given a study gift voucher by the Forum’s partner Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.