2026 Volume 9 Issue 1 (Published 25 March 2026)

 

Dear colleagues,

As usual, after a strong finish of the year, there is a slight pause in our scientific life, connected with the exams and holidays of graduate students, detailed elaboration of state assignment, and, finally, weather cataclysms. Such a wonderful snowy winter hasn't been seen in our latitudes for a long time. Thus, 2026 will be remembered for its good start. A scientific awakening began at our sister institute—Arbuzov Institute of Organic and Physical Chemistry in Kazan. The entire scientific elite of the Department of Chemistry and Materials Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences gathered for the February conference "Dynamic Processes in the Chemistry of Organoelement Compounds." The popularity of the conference was further enhanced by its dedication to one of the leaders of the modern Kazan scientific school—O. G. Sinyashin, the full member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the director of the Kazan Scientific Center and our great friend and colleague. The anniversary events in no way diminished the scientific level of the conference; on the contrary, the distinguished guests shone with a flurry of compelling scientific presentations, which were met with great interest by the participants.

There were several memorable reports: V. P. Ananikov presented a work on modern photocatalysis—a truly academic and fundamental report that fully lived up to the conference's title and was traditionally presented in a dynamic, fact-rich manner; E. V. Antipov talked about the materials science in the field of modern power sources—the "mitochondria" of modern technology; Yu. G. Gorbunova tried to grasp the immensity and explain all this new, incomprehensible, interdisciplinary knowledge to a diverse audience without excessive details. Something flash-like, file-based and benchmark resonated particularly deeply with the younger audience. The report of A. A. Trifonov was met with special attention. "Rehearsed" at the recent Nesmeyanov Seminar, it seemed exquisitely academic, making a significant contribution to the fundamental bases of the field. We are looking forward to the summary of these results and future prospects as a highlight in our Journal. Nevertheless, the talk of the hero of the anniversary about his scientific career earned the hottest applause and brought tears to the eyes of those present at conference. Every word was imbued with love and gratitude for his parents and teachers, care and pride for his students and followers, and grateful admiration for the love and support of his brilliant wife always and in everything! It was so beautiful and touching.

And there was much more, as is usually the case in Kazan: the presentation of the award to the anniversary hero by the Rais—R. N. Minnikhanov, a meeting with members of the Republic government, gifts, many beautiful flowers, and happy smiles—in other words, everything that, in addition to the vibrant reports, makes a well-organized conference memorable. And now is the time to express gratitude to the team who organized this wonderful scientific event—Anzhelika and Andrey Karasik and their friendly team.

I can't help but say a few words about the latest meeting of the Nesmeyanov Seminar. This time it was devoted to the presentation of a book about the founder of our Institute A. N. Nesmeyanov: "The Unknown Nesmeyanov, or Ten Years That Changed the Academy of Sciences of the USSR." I gave a brief presentation on the book accomplishments and shortcomings. A press release regarding the seminar is available on the Institute's website. Here, I would like to highlight several points from the report. First, studying the legacy of the Presidents of the Academy of Sciences is not simply interesting, it is highly important and should become the subject of professional study and reflection within the framework of the fundamental research program. Second, the Academy of Sciences is not only the headquarters and conductor of the state scientific complex, but also an educational institution where highly qualified researchers are trained and learn from one another. The main achievement of A. N. Nesmeyanov in reforming the Academy is that the reforms did not affect the main organizational principles of science in Russia, such as the science of leading scientific schools (not to be confused with the competition for "leading scientific schools"—a remark from the report).

All seminar participants who wished to receive a printed copy of the book were provided with it. The Institute purchased a significant part of the book for its own use. An electronic version of the book is available on the Litres website (info@nsl.litres.ru).

At the working group meeting, it was decided to dedicate the next (May) meeting to the phenomenon of "scientific schools in chemistry" and, in coordination with the Scientific Council for the History of Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences (chaired by the full member of the RAS Yu. A. Zolotov), discuss the idea of creating a serial publication under the following title: Russian Scientific Schools in Chemistry.

With these events, we introduce the first issue of this year, which, while not directly related to the scientific discussions described here, nevertheless deserves study and constructive criticism.