"Our students are competitive not only in science and education, but elsewhere."

"Our students are competitive not only in science and education, but elsewhere."

A. Harutyunyan

International Scientific Educational Center (ISEC) is one of the structural units of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia. The goal of the Center is to train high-quality scientific and academic staff on the basis of the material and technical resources of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia through master’s degree and PhD programmes, doctoral and external doctoral studies (PhD associates).

The interviewee of Varkanish Newspaper is Arusyak Harutyunyan, ISEC Foreign Affairs Department Head:

- Ms. Harutyunyan, the International Scientific Educational Center of National Academy of Sciences of RA is involved in multidisciplinary educational activities. What is the mission of the Center and what are the goals?

- The Center is the first prototype of a research university in Armenia. It does not offer bachelor's degree. The center implements the second and third level higher education through master's degree and postgraduate studies. The academic chairs of the center are located in the relevant scientific organizations, where state of the art scientists teach. The training of master’s students in such an environment helps them integrate as quickly as possible into the current scientific environment, to acquire working skills and scientific thinking.

The main mission of the Center is to provide high-quality and competitive education with an emphasis on the research, to promote individual research skills by creating and transferring knowledge in the field of science and education, providing the smooth transition from education to science.

-In the modern world, the slogan "Education without borders" is an indicator of development. What programs does the Center implement towards the internationalization of education?

- Alongside with international partners, the Center implements both programmes aimed at the capacity building and international mobility of students and academic staff. The number of participants and programmes is increasing year by year, as internationalization arises from the Center's vision and strategic plan. Internationalization activities help to improve and update educational programmes; professional trainings have a positive impact on improving the quality of the educational process.

- Student exchange programs are the stepping-stones to the new thinking and educating highly qualified specialists in the field. Do the students of the academy have the opportunity to participate in the exchange programs?

- Since 2016 international mobility processes have been launched in ISEC, providing students with the opportunity to study at partner universities for one semester, and academic staff to get trained and give lectures, as well as ISEC hosts professors from its partner universities. Apart from this, as a result of the collaboration, Master’s and PhD students have jointly published research papers with foreign supervisors and professors. We cooperate with French, Italian and Polish universities in our mobility programs, but we are keeping on expanding the geography of cooperation.

-For years the International Scientific Educational Center of NAS RA has been adopting new educational approaches and methods. What are your latest achievements in recent years?

- In fact, there are a lot of innovative achievements in different fields. Among them is the the first intergovernmental joint master's degree program in distance learning with the RA Academy of Public Administration; a double degree diploma program with the WSB Academy (Poland); a double degree diploma program with the University of Tusha (Italy); a network cooperation with the Higher School of Economics of the Russian National Research University. Within the framework of the Erasmus + Capacity Building Program, a unique interuniversity educational and research laboratory is being established in the department of “Environmental Protection and Nature Management” which is located in the EcoCenter of NAS RA.

- Modern universities have different quality standards. How is the International Scientific Educational Center of NAS RA different from other professional institutions?

- Students choose our center because they want to have a scientific intellection, to integrate into the scientific community, to participate in international seminars and lectures and to be involved in educational and research programmes. The Center is one of the few universities the research component of which has been positively evaluated by the National Center for Quality Assurance in Vocational Education.

- ISEC student is…

- ISEC student is an active and seeking person, who is keen on education and has a clear idea of what he/she can do in the field of science. Our scientific organizations hire promising students from the very first year of their studies. However, I would like to note that our students are competitive not only in science and education, but elsewhere...

Our interviewee is ISEC graduate Levon Gharibyan.

- When you were admitted to the International Scientific Educational Center of NAS RA, what were your expectations?

- I graduated from the Higher School of Economics of the Russian National Research University in 2017 and was admitted to the International Scientific Educational Center of the National Academy of Sciences, department of "Economics and Management". My expectations were really high, because I had planned to continue my studies in a postgraduate programme. I am currently a PhD student in the Institute of Economics of the National Academy of Sciences. Master's degree program is the main stage during which you get necessary skills in doing research work and learn how to write a master's thesis. Studying in a master’s degree programme before stepping into a PhD studies was a great experience for me. Here are all the prerequisites for students to do research. I can say that actually I have got more than I expected, as ISEC academic staff provided opportunities to work together on different projects and get results.

- What opportunities does ISEC provide you with?

- Talking about opportunities, I would like first to emphasize the library facilities. Being a leader in the number of digitized books, the Fundamental Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of RA is one of the best, if not the very best in Armenia. The classrooms in ISEC are equipped with modern equipment and students have access to use them at any time. The academic staff is always available and helpful and even if a professor does not teach you, you can always refer to him/her with a professional question and you will never be left without support.

I would also like to note that the Academy, as a vision, lays special emphasis and imortance for young researchers to be involved in the academic system. Every effort is made to encourage the participation of the youth in the field of science by preparing competitive staff for the labor market.

Our interviewee is ISEC graduate Stella Stepanyan.

- Have you participated in exchange programs? If so, what did it give you?

- I study in the department of "Environmental Protection and Nature Management" of ISEC NAS RA. In 2019 I participated in a joint exchange program with the University of Tuscia. My expectations were fully met. During that time, we not only got professional education in various interdisciplinary fields, but also had a chance to write joint articles and publish them in high impact international journals, which played an important role in my career as a researcher and student. In addition, I was able to attend a number of conferences and meetings, such as the Risk Assessment Conference in Berlin. As a result, I was admitted to Yale University, department of "Forestry and Environmental Sciences", and got a scholarship.

- Why did you choose the International Scientific Educational Center of NAS RA?

- Before studying in ISEC, I already worked in the National Academy of Sciences, though I lacked professional knowledge. I wanted to deepen my knowledge, I was admitted to ISEC and during my studies I met specialists who played a key role in my career.