Doing the research

Level Intermediate

Aims language Asking and answering questions; translating.

Other Researching using a variety of resources; cooperative learning; note-taking.

Demo subject Physics

topic science terms

Alternative History

subjects Vocabulary for any subject

Time 30 minutes

Extras 2 sets of scrambled names of institutes;7 slips of paper with  the name and web-site address of an institute

Starter

Get 1 word on the topic to spell it to the group (nuclear, automation, laser, theoretical, thermal physics, hydrodynamics, semiconductor). The students write it down and guess the name of the research institute containing this word. They can use their mother tongue.

Work in 2 groups. Get a set of mixed up words. Combine the words to make the names of institutes engaged in research on physics.

In pairs or in groups of three get a slip of paper with the name, web-site address of an institute and 4 aims for your research.

1. What is the main research field of the institute?

2. What is the most significant achievement at the institute?

3. Name 2 well-known scientists working at the institute.

4. Make up  one question and answer for a  follow-up quiz and give it to the teacher.

Take notes for your brief presentation of the institute.

Make 1 minute presentation for the whole class.

The teacher (a volunteer) reads your questions to find out who has been the most attentive student.

http://www.nsc.ru/en/cmn/general.html

The Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences was established in 1957. The initiative originated from Mikhail Lavrentyev, Sergei Sobolev and Sergei Khristianovich. Mikhail Lavrentyev became its founding chairman. The Siberian Branch incorporates the organizations of the Russian Academy of Science located in Siberia.

The Siberian branch includes fundamental and applied research institutions, production facilities and service departments all over the territory of Siberia.

Research centers are established in Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Yakutsk, Ulan-Ude, Kemerovo, Tyumen, and Omsk, individual research institutions are located in Barnaul, Chita, and Kyzyl.

The research institutions and design bureaus work in different areas of physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, Earth sciences, humanities and economics. The central location of the Siberian Branch is Novosibirsk.

Several world known institutions undertaking research on physics are based in Akademgorodok.

Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics. http://www.inp.nsk.su

The main research fields are high-energy physics (particularly plasma physics) and particle physics. Various types of powerful and compact electron accelerators were developed in the institute with the use of fundamental investigations results.

Institute of Automation and Electrometry. http://www.iae.nsk.su

Fundamental and applied research  in optics and laser physics, mathematical models and software for data processing and computing systems of recognition is undertaken at the Institute.

Institute of Laser Physics. http://www.laser.nsc.ru/

The main developments of the Institute are in the field of laser spectroscopy of superhigh resolution, generation of femtosecond pulses, solid-state and semiconductor laser systems and materials of quantum electronics.

Khristianovich Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. http://www.itam.nsc.ru

Mechanics of rigid body, deformations and destructions, mathematical modeling in mechanics, aerogasdynamics are studied  by the scientists of the Institute.

Kutateladze Institute of Thermal Physics. http://www.itp.nsc.ru

Thermophysical properties of substances, creation of power and power-saving technologies, theory of heat transfer and physical hydraulic gas dynamics are the main research areas.

Lavrentyev Institute of Hydrodynamics. http://www.hydro.nsc.ru

The focus of research has been on the  mathematical problems of continuum mechanics, physics and mechanics of high-energy processes, liquid and gas mechanics,  and the mechanics of deformable body.

Rzhanov Institute of Semiconductor Physics. http://www.isp.nsc.ru/

Physical phenomena in semiconductor thin-film structures is the research priority at the Institute.

Move-on activities

In two teams students prepare review questions (at least 8) on the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian Nobel Prize winners, etc. on the topic of the lesson.

Using Power Point Presentation “Wheel of Fortune” play the game. APPENDIX can help you with useful words and expressions.

The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS)

1. Founded in St Petersburg in 1724 by Peter the Great, the academy was opened in 1725 by his widow, Catherine I, under the name of the St Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

2. The Academy offered scientists from any country the opportunity to do their research in complete freedom.

3. From its earliest days, the Academy carried out mathematical research, which added greatly to the development of calculus, hydrodynamics, mechanics, optics, astronomy, and made discoveries in various fields, such as chemistry, physics and geology.

4. The 19th century was a period of numerous significant developments and discoveries; the members of the Academy played a leading role in developing science in Russia.

5. Among notable achievements were the invention of the radio, the creation of the periodic table of chemical elements, the discovery of viruses and the cell mechanisms of immunity.

6. Today, the Russian Academy of Sciences supervises the research of a large group of institutions within Russia which focus on different research areas.

7. The Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences has set up a network, called the Russian Space Science Internet, which links over 3000 members.

Russian Nobel Prize winners in Physics and Chemistry

1. Nikolay Semyonov was the first Russian to receive a Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1956 for his research into the mechanism of chemical reactions.

2. In 1958 Pavel Cherenkov, Igor Tamm and Ilya Frank won the Nobel Prize for Physics for discovering and describing the phenomenon known as the Cherenkov-Vavilov effect, a phenomenon which is very important in nuclear physics.

3. Lev Landau was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1962 for his theory of superfluidity in helium.

4. Nikolay Basov and Alexandr Prokhorov won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1964 for their pioneering work in quantum electronics that led to the development of the laser.

5. For his fundamental inventions and discoveries in the area of low-temperature physics Pyotr Kapitsa was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1978.

6. Zhores Alferov received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2000 for the development of the semiconductor heterostructures used in high­speed electronics and optoelectronics.

7. .Vitaly Ginsburg and Alexei Abrikosov shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2003, which they received for pioneering contributions to the theory of superconductors and superfluids.

8. The Nobel Prize in Physics 2010 was awarded jointly to Konstantin Novoselov and Andre Geim (Netherlands) "for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene".

phenomenon ( plural-phenomena)

aim at - to try to achieve something

trial and error - test many different methods of doing something in order to find the best

ground in - a training in the basic parts of a subject or skill

take part • be involved • participate • play a part/role • be active in • contribute • appear on • be engaged in • hands-on