Meeting of our MA students with students of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA

As the students of the Caspian Higher School of Interpreting and Translation yet again seized the chance to chat with native speakers. This time they met the USA students of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Our guests Sean and Patrick were happy to answer MA students’ questions as well as to share their professional experience. The participants of the meeting communicated both in English and in Russian, so as our second-year MA students yet again could practise simultaneous interpretation in a real multilingual situation.
The US students came to Astrakhan to develop joint research projects with ASU students. Sean’s project is dedicated to the issue of energy systems improvement, and its objective is to find out whether they are sufficient for the campus. Patrick’s project is related to robotization of many processes of our life.
It was very interesting to learn about our guests’ impressions of Astrakhan. It turned out they liked the city because it is very different from the place where they live in the USA. For them, Astrakhan is a silent less-crowded city better suited for a quiet life than for entertainment.
Sean, by virtue of his specialty, also mentioned that the Astrakhan climate is very hot and dry, and for our city the best solution of this “climate” problem would be so-called vertical gardens – a kind of garden art on the walls – that block the heat, and thanks to them it will be cool in summer and warm in winter. Another interesting device, described by the young researchers, is called “energy-floor”: people can generate electricity themselves just walking about the apartment; the energy generated will be sufficient to illuminate the room, for example.
Unfortunately, Sean and Patrick will have a short stay with us as they are expected to go to Moscow soon, where the final presentation of the projects will be held at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
Therefore, we wish our guests good success in their research. In general, the meeting was very informative. Sean and Patrick exchanged contacts with our students that emphasizes the fact that they are willing to continue cooperation with our university.