by Evgeniy Golovin and Oleg Stukach

We report that during March 19-20, 2002 in Tomsk, Russia the IEEE-Siberian Conference of Students, Post-graduate Students and Young Scientists on Electron Devices and Materials SIBEDEM-2002 have been successfully held. The Tomsk Chapter & Student Branch organized SIBEDEM with support and assistance of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, and with IEEE ED-S technical co-sponsorship. Conference was also organized by the Novosibirsk IEEE Chapter, the IEEE Student Branch of Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU), YP Affinity Group of the Russian Section with support and assistance of Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics (TUSUR). It should be noted that holding the conference was possible in many respects due to sponsorship of the ED-S.

The event continues the best traditions of International Symposium "Application of the Conversion Research Results for International Cooperation" (SIBCONVERS) holding since 1995 - the best meeting of scientists, working in various fields of radiophysics and radioelectronics. Different levels and characters of presentations were accepted: presentation of research and scientific results, new ideas, valuable conclusions from experience, state of the art and instructive survey communications.

Tomsk, where the event has taken place, is an education and research center of Siberia, where many high level universities and research institutions are located. So our event allows a further increase of academic exchanges and cooperation between the Siberian radioengineers and their colleagues in other countries.

In the conference the scientists and specialists from Russia and several foreign countries took part. The symposium was hold in English and Russian. Foreign guests were assistance by the simultaneous Russian-English interpreter.

On March 19 the first plenary meeting was hold in lecture-hall of Electron Devices (ED) department. Professor, Doctor of the Engineering Science, Head of Electron Devices department Stanislav M. Shandarov, opened the meeting. His workshop on the modern advances in the field of photorefractive properties of crystals, development and creation the devices for medical researches, electron devices for receiving and emitting powerful UHF impulses etc. has been very successfully delivered. In his opening speech he said about importance of problems concerned at the conference and wished luck to participants.

It is necessary to note that large number of the specialists are engaged in ED problems, but in our country they are not enough professionally joined and do not use a great experience of foreign colleagues accumulated. On conference sections the fundamental problems of sensor electronics, nanoelectronics and micromechanics, methods of computing and applied mathematics for studying of the physical phenomena in electronic devices and materials were listened and discussed. There were many participants from Russia with reports on their developments, in particular, electronic devices for medical and biological studies. Discussing time of each report was much more than reporting time. In the framework of the conference there was a short workshop where the post-graduate students of ED department gave reports on the conference subject.

There was a great conference banquet "Communist Party" in the nice bar "Limonka". A huge table "IEEE-Limonka" was covered with firm dishes, and also miscellaneous sweets etc. Environment was performed in the old communist style. All IEEE-students were invited there, and for new IEEE-student members it was for free. The dinner menu includes rissole, smokehouse fish, communist fry bread, dessert, frozen margaritas, beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages. The cheerful fun with music, dances etc. was carried out all the evening.

Next day the excurse on Tomsk with its famous attractions and neighborhoods was carried out for the conference participants. At present, there are 500 thousand inhabitants in Tomsk. Modern Tomsk is a large, generally acknowledged Russian educational and research center. There are six State Universities, more than 20 Research Institutes of the Academies of Sciences and Industrial Branches' Institutes of the Russian Federation. For each ten thousands of Tomsk inhabitants there are eight Professors, 15 assistant professors (Ph. D's), and more than 750 students.

The foreign visitors were very much liked the wood architecture of city. You see, Tomsk, one of the oldest Siberian towns, was founded in 1604 on the high right bank of the Tom River. Two buildings of our University stands directly on a bank of the river near precipice and an indescribable view through the river on boundless expanse of Siberia you can see. Then we visit the Voskresenskaya Mountain, where the stone in memory of the city foundation is stand up. There you can see whole city, as on a palm, with its modern part with high-rise buildings and aged wood part of city.

As a result of SIBEDEM Workshop we have the Proceedings in a kind of full reports collection in English. We receive the most valuable experience obtained in contact with the colleagues from other countries. Conference participants made a note of high scientific and organizational level of past international meeting and its great benefit. Common opinion of participants that is similar international events should be repeated. Probably, it is necessary to think about an extension of circle of invited experts at the expense of business firms, which are carrying on active international cooperation.

In conclusion we wish many thanks to new members of our Student Branch, and also to leadership of Electron Devices department of University for active taking part in the SIBEDEM 2002 organizing, and certainly thanks to all participants. Strengthening and expansion of international cooperation by joint conferences is very important for us. In this connection great thanks to our sponsor ED-S once again.