YAKUTSK, February 25. /TASS/. Specialists of the Herzen State Pedagogical University work on a reference atlas of the Russian Federation's Arctic Zone. The atlas will have elements of career guidance, which will be aimed primarily at school students, Geography Department's Dean Dmitry Subetto told TASS.
"Geographers and cartographers, ecologists and biologists, specialists of the Institute of the Peoples of the North have been working on the atlas," he said. "The atlas will be used in the educational process, scientific and research work at the Arctic cluster of the Herzen State Pedagogical University."
The work on the reference atlas will continue for two years, he added.
The atlas will give a comprehensive view of the Russian Arctic: its borders, nature, weather, wildlife and vegetation. The socio-economic geography section will focus on cities and towns, population and the North's indigenous peoples, minerals and enterprises.
Wider knowledge about the Arctic
A special section will be on the Arctic region's historical, cultural and natural heritage, the university's representative said.
"The atlas will contain explanatory texts, pictures and the information content's methods. The main tool, of course, is maps, which are always interesting to study. In order to make maps, we need to structure a large amount of relevant statistical data," he continued.
From the atlas, the university experts say, school students will learn complete information "about the Arctic's enormous potential, about current challenges and promising economic development areas." "The correct choice of occupation is not an easy task, where the knowledge about science and culture, industry and the social sphere, ecology and tourism in the Arctic will be helpful," the expert said.
For several years now, the university offers the Arctic Studies direction, and experts have been working on educational and methodology publications. The Facing North annual competition among school students is organized jointly with the Russian Geographical Society and the Committee for Arctic Affairs. The university's scientists conduct research together with the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, the Kola Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Ammosov Northeastern Federal University, and other scientific and educational organizations.
Science and education cluster
The university has been working on the Arctic science and education cluster to develop scientific research and training programs for the Arctic region. The cluster will combine efforts of the government, educational and scientific institutions to solve urgent problems related to development and preservation of unique Arctic territories.
This work features the university's several educational and scientific departments - the Geography Department, the Institute of the Peoples of the North, the Biology Department, and the Institute of Physics. One of the key goals the cluster is facing is to create an integrated education system to train specialists who can work effectively in the Far North. The cluster will update programs in line with the region's specifics, its climatic conditions and economic opportunities. Training will be structured in integrated geographical analysis, ecology, geology, biology and information technology programs.
The cluster will involve local communities and indigenous peoples in scientific research and training to use their knowledge and traditions for a harmonious development of the region.