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Medvedev visits Altai State University

It was a lesson for third-year students of the physics-technical department

BRANAUL, November 1 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has visited Altai State University, where he attended a computer security fundamentals lesson. It was a lesson for third-year students of the physics-technical department. The teacher told the students about protection of personal data and showed slides on a screen. The president asked the students whether they liked to study and what they were engaged in during spare time.

He recalled how he learned fundamentals of informatics 20 years ago. At that time, in the theoretical aspect it was explained on a board what to do. "Do you have another way?" he asked, as he saw no computers in the classroom. The teacher said there were other rooms with special equipment for laboratory classes. "They [students] know more than we do. We can hardly keep up with students," the teacher admitted. Then, Medvedev offered students to ask him questions.The young people asked the head of state about preferential housing providing programmes, air and railway transport travel and also asked about his personal hobbies.

Altai State University, which was founded in 1973, has 16 departments, 74 sub-departments, six branches, three scientific research institutes and 18 research laboratories. Its students have 58 computer classrooms, special laboratories and study classrooms in five buildings. There is Wi-Fi in all the buildings and the dormitories. The university in 2011 has been included in the list of 17 Russian universities among the world's best universities (World University Ranking 2011/12). There are about 18,000 students at the university. Every year, its scientists receive about 100 grants of the Russian president, the Russian government and the Education and Science Ministry. More than 100 doctors of sciences and 570 candidates of science work there.