On May 15, the first Youth Scientific Forum “I YRA Science: Science is My Choice” was held at Nazarbayev University. The Forum marked the first year of work of the Alliance of Young Scientists public association.
The distinguished guests Anar Uteshova, Managing Director of the Social Development Fund, Colin McCullough, Advisor to the OSCE Program Office in Nur-Sultan, Akylbek Zhainazarov, Advisor to the Nazarbayev University Research and Innovation System, opened the Forum with their welcoming speeches.
The event was divided into three sections; the speakers were young scientists, researchers, representatives of state bodies, Kazakhstani universities, research institutes, and international organizations.
So, participation in the section “Science – Management of Science” by Fatima Zhakypova, the Vice Minister of Education and Science , and Olzhas Abishev, the Vice Minister of Health, allowed young scientists to obtain statistics on science in the country as a whole, including public funding. A lively conversation with the speakers turned into a discussion of issues that could be solved with the help of young scientists of Nazarbayev University and other Kazakhstani universities. The Alliance of Young Scientists is aimed to unite all scientists at the start of their careers.
In the section “Science is Our Choice,” successful young scientists shared their personal experience in science, shared their motivational stories, and talked about current trends and challenges of the scientific community. Kaisar Tabynov, a holder of the A / H5N1 bird flu vaccine patent, Aymymgul Kerimrai, a national environmental expert, Laura Karabasova, trilingual education policy expert, Maksat Zhabagin, a genetic scientist and the head of a laboratory of the National Center for Biotechnology, and Gauhar Nursha, a deputy director of the Civil Alliance Kazakhstan, participated in this section.
In the last section “Science and Business,” Zhandos Kerimkulov, Egistic project startup manager, Damel Mektepbaeva, a senior manager of the Innovation Ecosystem Department, Rustam Abdusalamov, a business coach, discussed the importance of entrepreneurship in science.
The Forum ended with informal networking, in which participants from different cities of Kazakhstan had a chance to exchange contacts and discuss the possibilities for further cooperation.
