Universities Against the Pandemic

Higher education centres help the country in the time of trial.

Moscow in- and outpatient clinics have 4,500 volunteers including medical students from MSMU, RUDN University and other universities. International students joined relief efforts selflessly helping COVID-19 patients and doing chores even in the red zones of specialised hospitals.

MISIS FabLab engineers (Moscow) used 3D printers to launch the production of reusable transparent plastic face shields for infection disease doctors, aiming to turn out 1,000 pieces a week. It is part of the volunteer project “Makers against COVID” which already has followers such as ITMO University (St Petersburg). Doctors and engineers use a Telegram channel to coordinate their teamwork.

The Engineering Centre of Lobachevsky University in Nizhny Novogorod contributes to the production of much-needed mechanical ventilators. It modifies the digital unit of anaesthesia-respiratory apparatus to enable lung ventilation.

Tomsk State University’s dining hall supplies 100 free meals to city hospitals medics and volunteers every day. The university’s trade union gave 353 food kits to students who found themselves in dire straits because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kazan Federal University volunteers delivered 68 food kits to KFU elderly staff and international foundation programme student. MEPhI (Moscow) volunteers delivered 165 medication and food orders to university personnel and students.