On April 4, the final round of the 9th Eurasian Student Olympiad in Analytical Economics and Forecasting took place at the Faculty of Economics of the Belarusian State University (BSU) in Minsk. This year, the event returned to an offline format, and BSU warmly welcomed teams from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus.
Traditionally, the Olympiad is held to identify and support talented youth, develop students’ creative abilities, promote scientific knowledge, and strengthen inter-academic ties of the Faculty of Economics of BSU in Belarus and abroad. It is an intellectual competition aimed at stimulating students’ interest in studying economic sciences and tools for the mathematical analysis of economic phenomena, along with fundamental economic and mathematical disciplines that form the basis of economic education, along with macro- and microeconomics.
Teams of senior undergraduate students majoring in economics were invited to participate in the Olympiad. From December 2022 to April of this year, a team of students from the Faculty of Economics at Kuban State University took part in the competitions proposed by the Belarusian State University.
The team representing our university was called «Kubik of Covariance» («Kubik» is a nickname commonly used by students to refer to Kuban State University). The team consisted of the following 3rd and 4th year students:
- Khalis Botashev (majoring in «System Analysis and Management»)
- Igor Slepnyov (majoring in «System Analysis and Management»)
- Alina Udovichenko (majoring in «System Analysis and Management»)
- Vlada Petrenko (majoring in «Innovatics»)
The team was supervised by Natalya Naryzhnaya, an Associate Professor of the Department of Economics and Management of Innovative Systems, and a Candidate of technology.
The competition comprised two rounds. In the first (remote) round, teams had to conduct research, analysis, and calculations to build an econometric model for assessing Belarus’s trade potential with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries. The use of the traditional gravity econometric model and its modifications, as well as the utilization of automated calculations in various software products and programming elements, were encouraged for this task.
The second round (final in-person) consisted of two parts. The first part involved a team decision-making process for three applied economic cases, which required students to apply their knowledge in the field of probability theory, game theory, and econometric modeling. The second part involved a presentation of the research results conducted by the students in the remote stage of the competition.
In a tough competition, our university’s team secured 3rd place, competing in the final against representatives from the following universities: ESIL University (Kazakh University of Economics, Finance, and International Trade), Belarusian State Economic University, State Institute of Economics, Finance, Law and Technology, Higher School of Economics, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Obninsk Institute of Nuclear Power Engineering (a branch of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI), Moscow State Institute of Radio Engineering, Electronics and Automation (Technical University), Russian University of Friendship of Peoples, Saint Petersburg State Economic University, and the Faculty of Economics of BSU.
The «Kubik of Covariance» team and their mentor N. Naryzhnaya express their gratitude to 2nd year students from the Faculty of Economics of BSU majoring in «Economic Theory,» Natalya Fedorova and Ivan Vishnyak, for providing an interesting and informative tour of the city of Minsk. During the tour, our team visited iconic landmarks such as Independence Square, the buildings of the Belarusian State University and the Belarusian State Pedagogical University, the Red Church, the monument to Archangel Michael, the Government House, the underground shopping center «Stolitsa,» which primarily features Belarusian brands, the Upper Town (Freedom Square and neighboring streets), and an observation deck with a magnificent view of the central part of the city and the Svisloch River.
Additionally, the students had the opportunity to visit the National Library of the Republic of Belarus and the Writers’ Park. The National Library is the main scientific library of the country and the largest book depository in Belarus. The library building is a pride of modern Belarusian architecture, shaped like a diamond (rhombicuboctahedron), with a height of a 23-story building and an observation deck on the roof offering a stunning view of the capital city.
