National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute)

National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute)

Former names	Moscow Mechanical Institute of Munitions (1942-1953), Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (1953-2009)
Type	Public
Established	1942
Rector	Mikhail Nikolaevich Strikhanov
Location	Moscow, Russia 55°38′59″N 37°39′52″E / 55.64972°N 37.66444°E / 55.64972; 37.66444Coordinates: 55°38′59″N 37°39′52″E / 55.64972°N 37.66444°E / 55.64972; 37.66444
Website	http://eng.mephi.ru

12.12.12

Old logo

National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute) (Russian: Национальный исследовательский ядерный университет "МИФИ" / НИЯУ МИФИ or МИФИ) is one of the most recognized technical universities in Russia. MEPhI was founded in 1942 as the Moscow Mechanical Institute of Munitions (Russian: Московский механический институт боеприпасов, ММИБ), but it was soon renamed the Moscow Mechanical Institute. Its original mission was to train skilled personnel for the Soviet military and atomic programs. It was renamed the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (Russian: Московский инженерно-физический институт) in 1953, which was its name until 2009.

By the Order of the Government of Russia, issued by the Russian Government on April 8, 2009 (#480-r) on behalf of Russian President's Decree of October 7, 2008 (#1448) "On the pilot project launching on creating National Research Universities" the university MEPhI was granted this new status. The university was reorganized. The aim of the university existence is now preparing the specialists by giving them higher professional, post-graduation professional, secondary professional and additional professional education, as well as educational and scientific activities.^[1]

Academics

Today, MEPhI has nine main departments (faculties or institutes):

• Institute of Nuclear Physics and Engineering
• Institute for Laser and Plasma Technologies
• Institute of Engineering Physics for Biomedicine
• Institute of Nanoengineering in Electronics, Spintronics and Photonics
• Institute of Cyber Intelligence Systems
• Institute of financial and economic security
• Institute of international relations
• Faculty of Physics and Technology
• Faculty of business informatics and complex systems management

The university offers bachelor, masters (and similar degree ‘Specialist’), and post-graduate degrees in physics, mathematics, computer science and other areas. MEPhI facilities include a 2.5 MW (thermal) pool-type research reactor and Neutrino Water Detector NEVOD. The university has about 35,000 students at branches in Moscow and other towns. In Moscow are around 7,500 students (including over 1300 foreigners). It normally takes 4 - 5.5 (some sub-departments take six) years for a student to graduate from MEPhI. The curriculum of the first two years consists exclusively of required courses (core), with emphasis on mathematics, physics, experimental work and English. After the two first years of studying students on a competition basis enroll to the sub-departments which specialize in different branches of physics, computer science, information security, mathematics, etc.

Starting with the fourth year, some students have a choice to make their diploma thesis, working at base science institutes. Most of them are research institutes, usually belonging to the Russian Academy of Sciences. For instance, Lebedev Physical Institute, Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Kurchatov Institute etc.

The MEPhI curriculum is, indeed, considerably more extensive compared to an average American or European college. In addition, MEPhI programs usually focus more on research and less on classroom education.

Among MEPhI graduates are Nobel Prize winners, members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and winners of national prizes. Its professors and alumni have made major contributions to various fields of theoretical and experimental physics, mathematics, cybernetics, and computer sciences.

Traditional university rankings are based on the universities' research output and prizes won by faculty. In contrast, many distinguished professors teaching at MEPhI are officially on staff at the base institutes like Kurchatov Institute. Student research work is typically carried out outside of MEPhI, and published research results do not mention MEPhI. In effect, many MEPhI professors are not considered as such for the rankings, and student research is not earning any ranking points for MEPhI. This effectively hides MEPhI from the academic radar, an effect welcome during the Cold War era when leading scientists and engineers of the Soviet arms and space programs studied there.

In recent years, the institute has been working to improve its curricula in the humanities, economic sciences, and foreign languages.

MEPhI in leading international and national university rankings

Student population

The student population, especially on natural science departments, is predominantly male. During the first years from MEPhI's foundation there was a ban against accepting women. In recent years this situation has changed and in 2010 more than 30% of first year students were females.

Location

It is a fifteen-minute walk (or a five-minute bus ride) from the university to the Kashirskaya station on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line of the Moscow Metro. Its campus is one kilometre from the famous Kolomenskoe park and museum.

MOOC and other online resources

During 2016 MEPhI increased its presence in online educational platforms, namely Coursera(Rus), edX (Eng), Universarium (Rus) and CLP4NET (Eng). By the end of 2016, MEPhI had provided 26 courses via those platforms, including 18 on Coursera and 5 on edX. In 2016, the number of students that joined MEPhI’s online courses on the leading online platforms reached approximately 80,000 persons from 146 countries.

Famous alumni and faculty

• Nicolay Gennadiyevich Basov (Николай Геннадиевич Басов) - Nobel Prize
• Alexander Mikhajlovich Baldin (Александр Михайлович Балдин)
• Anatoly Ivanovich Larkin (Анатолий Иванович Ларкин)
• Alexander Balankin (Александр Сергеевич Баланкин)
• Igor Tamm (Игорь Евгеньевич Тамм) - Nobel Prize
• Igor Kurchatov (Игорь Васильевич Курчатов)
• Lev Gor'kov (Горьков Лев Петрович)
• Evgenii Feinberg (Фейнберг Евгений Львович)
• Yuri Oganessian (Юрий Цолакович Оганесян) - element 118 in Periodic Table be named oganesson to honor Oganessian
• Isaak Pomeranchuk (Исаак Яковлевич Померанчук)
• Pavel Cherenkov (Павел Алексеевич Черенков) - Nobel Prize
• Ilya Mikhailovich Frank (Илья Михайлович Франк) - Nobel Prize
• Andrey Dmitrievich Sakharov (Андрей Дмитриевич Сахаров) - Nobel Prize
• Nikolay Nikolayevich Semyonov (Николай Николаевич Семёнов) - Nobel Prize
• Lev Okun (Лев Борисович Окунь)
• Sergei Avdeyev (Сергей Васильевич Авдеев), record for time spent in space: 747.59 days
• Vyacheslav Starshinov (Вячеслав Иванович Старшинов) - Olympic champion, world champion

References

External links

• (in Russian) and (in English) English language and Russian language official website of National Research Nuclear University MEPhI
• (in Russian) and (in English) Profile on the official website StudyInRussia

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