The Future at HSE: STUDENT NIGHT 2025
Thousands of participants, top-tier speakers, reunions with friends, and a dance party—all of this came together to make the traditional HSE festival hosted by the university's oldest and largest student organisation, Ingroup CtC. STUDENT NIGHT took place on January 24–25, 2025 at the Pokrovka campus, where thrilling contests were followed by extracurricular lectures, and master classes alternated with stand-up performances and dance battles. Special guests included stand-up comedian Nurlan Saburov, indie rock band Sirotkin, and Olympic champions.
Neon Vibe and Cryo Ice Cream
The main theme of STUDENT NIGHT 2025 was the future. A futuristic atmosphere filled the atrium with fog machines, neon light beams, and flying foil confetti. The motto was ‘A Bright Future Awaits Us,’ a sentiment supported by HSE’s partners represented at their booths. At Sberbank’s stand, attendees could try cryo ice cream and leave a commemorative note on a wall using luminescent ink. At VK’s area, students could fully immerse themselves in the energy of a real student party by joining DIY workshops, trying their hand at DJing at a VK Music photo zone, and enjoying refreshing bubble tea. VK also offered students a chance to ‘spin the wheel of opportunities’ to win prizes like free IT courses through VK Education, career consultations with company experts, promo codes for VK products and services, books, and more.
‘I envy you so much; when I was in university, nothing like this existed. We celebrated Student’s Day, but no university in Russia, then or now, has anything like this,’ emphasised Dmitry Zemtsov, HSE Vice Rector, adding that the best students deserve the best celebrations.
At the VTB Bank booth, students were treated to coffee with ice cream, temporary tattoos, and a quiz. T-Bank opened a cosmic bar that could only be entered by winning a neon tic-tac-toe game.
At the Alfa-Bank stand, students could get custom-designed Alfa Students badges, enjoy cotton candy, and enhance their look with face painting. Yandex Education organised a cosy lounge area with bean bags and a sim racing setup, inviting students to participate in virtual races.
Headliners and Musicians
The special guest invited by VK and headliner of STUDENT NIGHT was renowned stand-up comedian Nurlan Saburov. At a meeting with HSE students in the Cultural Centre, he recalled his college years, shared his journey into stand-up comedy, and encouraged students to always focus on what they love.
Musicians and dancers performed all night on the stages of the atrium and the Cultural Centre. Performers included the indie band More Important Things, the Art Force Crew dance team, songwriter Andrey Kotik, the band TSATSA, singer-songwriter KRYUKOV with HSE DANCE, cover artist Arivelle, acoustic band Fresh, rock musician Kopyonkin, and the VK headliner of STUDENT NIGHT—indie rock band Sirotkin. The band’s lead singer, Sergey Sirotkin, is a 2010 graduate of HSE University.
Graphic Novels and Artificial Intelligence
As part of STUDENT NIGHT, a series of short, engaging, intellectual, and unusual lectures were held centred around the theme of the future and emerging technologies reshaping reality.
Andrey Drozdov, a comic book enthusiast and populariser, discussed how society reacts to new forms of art. According to him, society often rejects the unfamiliar: people were once sceptical of photography, disdainful of cinema, and now treat graphic novels with similar suspicion. Yet there are many noteworthy graphic novels dedicated to the biographies of Silver Age figures such as Sergei Yesenin, Nikolai Gumilev, Anna Akhmatova, and Vladimir Mayakovsky.
Memes and Mathematics
Streamer and blogger Alexey Pchyolkin, along with Roman Gorb, a lecturer from the School of Data Analysis, delivered a lecture that invited attendees to laugh at old memes while uncovering the physical laws and theorems they represented. For example, a video of a brick spinning inside a washing machine drum illustrates centrifugal force, while a meme about a train bouncing due to an onboard disco party actually highlights Fourier transformation principles.
Later in the evening, an open talk was held in the Cultural Centre with Oleg Titov, a creative producer at Medium Quality. Together with attendees, he discussed the differences between creative and line producers, where to find inspiration for ideas, and how to get a job at Medium Quality.
The Room of Predictions and Club Activities
The future is not just about technology but also the twists and turns of destiny. At STUDENT NIGHT, attendees could explore their personal fates through ancient fortune-telling techniques presented by the HSE Chinese Club. More pragmatic students tried their hand at calligraphy, writing the Chinese character for ‘happiness.’
Other thematic HSE clubs organised activities, workshops, and presentations. A special edition of the HSE Science Battles project focused on the future of various professional fields. Representatives from four student organisations participated, including Dialogues on the East, the Alliance of Social Sciences, 20 Percent, and Scientific Curators of the Faculty of Computer Science.
Guide Dogs and the Power of Touch
At the Kind Points workshop organised by the Centre for Leadership and Volunteer Work, students explored the experiences of visually impaired people and the role of guide dogs. Immersed in darkness with their eyes closed, they attempted to identify small objects by touch. The workshop also introduced technologies designed for the visually impaired.
According to volunteers, however, guide dogs remain the most effective mobility aid for visually impaired individuals. Training these dogs is a lengthy process, with a waiting period of about a year and a half. There are only two training centres for guide dogs in Russia.
Olympic Champions, Sports, and Discipline
As part of a growing tradition, Olympic athletes Angelina Melnikova, Maya Gurbanberdieva, Vlada Chigireva, Daria Trubnikova, and BRICS Games champion Maxim Oseledko joined HSE students at STUDENT NIGHT. They discussed the state of student sports and the challenges of balancing sports with university studies.
Everybody agreed that many in Russia are forced to choose between education and a sports career, and those attempting to juggle lectures with training and competitions often face significant challenges. When asked the timeless question of whether talent or discipline matters more in professional sports, the athletes were unanimous: discipline. Professional sports, they emphasised, do not tolerate laziness.
The festival also featured numerous quizzes and workshops hosted by student sports organisations. Attendees could participate in a sports quiz by the GSB Sport Team, dance with Just Dance, and learn hip-hop and dancehall with HSE DANCE (student club). Others tested their knowledge on sexual health and safety at the ‘Your Future Night’ quiz by HSX, which also highlighted scientific advancements in the field.
Until 4 am, HSE’s Go Club offered lessons in the basics of the ancient board game. Experienced players supported the organisers by explaining the rules to beginners.
‘I have wanted to learn Go for a long time,’ shared one participant. ‘This was the perfect opportunity. The game itself is simple, but the strategies are captivating and thought-provoking. It is no wonder it was a crucial game for Chinese military strategists!’
The disco, socialising, lectures, and meet-ups at STUDENT NIGHT continued until dawn.
Festival Partners: VK, T-Bank, Alfa-Bank, VTB Bank, Sberbank, and Yandex Education.
Text by Artemy Gusak, Ekaterina Ivanova, Ksenia Klink, Nikita Litvinov, Tatyana Tishaninova, research interns at the HSE Laboratory for Economic Journalism