This is the second of two articles on Siberia. By George Morris NOVOSIBIRSK, SIBERIA 4 SS years ago Academgorodok was founded. in Siberia. The name means ‘“‘Sci- ence City.”’ It was.cut out of a pine and birch forest less than an hour’s bus ride from here. It’s more like a resort than a city of 56,000. There are spacious two-story cottages, newly-built highrise apartment complexes, and all of it is surrounded by magnificent forest. There are no industries in these resi- dential areas and no air pollution. The heart of Academgorodok, of course, is its concentration of 22 science institutes, the greatest such concentration in the world. One obvious advantage is an institute’s abil- ity to coordinate its work with work in other fields. All the instruments of science, includ- ing a cyclotron, are available in this giant complex which has become the main “brain’’ for development of Siberia. Some 25,000 persons in Academgorodok are employed in the various fields of science. There are 52 academicians, the highest category in the sciences, 250 doctors of sci- ence and 2,500 candidates for doctors of sci- ence. Thirty percent of the scientific workers are women. A.P. Okladnikov, first secretary of the district’s Communist Party, says the party: has 6,700 members and that the Young Communist League (Komsomol) has 15,000. Each institute has a party branch. The Ryon (district) committee of the C.P., with 83 members, has among them five academi- cians, six corresponding academicians, 12 doctors of science and 14 candidates of sci- ence. The rest are workers on construction of various plants and services. The scientists work closely with hundreds of enterprises and projects in Siberia. Academgorodok’s economics, history, philology, philosophy and other institutes play an important role in the planning of the communities rising along the BAM railroad line now under construction. Okladnikov stressed that nowhere are - scientists more free and independent in pur- suing their theoretical experiments and re- seach than in the USSR. The Communist Party doesn’t tell them how to do their work. The party’s role here is to keep before the scientists the Rage, plan of the Soviet Union in all fields of economy and social life, to stress priorities. As an example, Oklad- nikov called attention to the recent disclo- sure of immense deposits of a high-grade coal in the Siberian Kansk-Achinsk district. The coal is needed, but transportation costs make its use prohibitive. The party, there- fore, placed before the scientists the problem: of converting the coal to gas. The high degree of productivity in Academgorodok can be measured by the fact that in 1976, Siberian science institutes, of which those in Academgorodok are promi- ‘nent, contributed more than 120 solutions to scientific problems throughout the USSR that saved many millions of rubles. The party secretary noted that the close relation between scientists, industry and the Com- munist Party result in such direct benefits. Novosibirsk University is closely con- nected with the Academy of Sciences. The PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JULY 29, 1977—Page 4 = i Scientific institute at Novosibirsk. _ culture palace, a library with 120,000 vol Apartment houses in the new cly. majority of its 4,000 students are trained !! stay with one of the institutes, or affiliate elsewhere in Siberia. In the fourth year | their studies, students are usually invol in laboratory work. During the fifth and las year, they mostly serve as assistants to s¢t entists, or do research. The university invites applicants to spent a’ month of their vacation in Academ gorodok, all expenses paid, during whit! time they attend a few classes. Their it terests and aptitudes are studied, providilt a: basis for selection to the university. every applicant can be accepted in Scien City; space is limited. But there are mal) institutes in Siberia. Only 20% of the studens in Academgorodok are from Novosibirsh and about 10% are from European USSR: The rest are from other areas of Siberia. Dr. S. T. Belyaev, rector of Novosibir University, stressed the importance of? good social life for the students to insure g academic results. Thus in Academgorod0 there are cultural clubs, a beach along the artificial ‘‘sea” washing the town’s short and Novosibirsk proper has one of the fine opera houses in the Soviet Union. Anatoli G. Trofimovich, leader of th trade unions of Academgorodok, told © there are 30,000 members in the 75 loc union units in the area — one in each of the institutes. To our surprise, the 4,000 studen! are also in the union. All scientists, includill academicians, are in unions, and even ho positions in leading union bodies. Students who are union members, receiv! a number of benefits adniinistered by tl union, such as vacation discounts, cleaniné costs, housing allotments, etc. Trofimovi said that one aim of union membership fo students is'to bring them closer to the wo ing class. . He said that union protection is needed! Science City because of dangers in labor#’) tory work. As is true with unions generally !! the Soviet Union, Trofimovich’s organiz# tion has wide authority on safety. There is also the question of conformity to the colle¢ tive labor contract. He listed many of th social-cultural institutions of the town whic! are under union supervision. The unio have: 34 persons working in the sportint club’s divisions, plus a water section and? yacht club for children. They also operate? umes, art, ballet, music and other schools Six children’s clubs have 14,000 member® There are 4,500 places in pre-school cente?®: but there is a need for more. The unions als! Pioneer camps for children over the a8 of 10. Wages, said Trofimovich, run 15% abov the base rates in European USSR, in line wi the general rule for Siberians. : We visited the Young Technicians Clu) where director Vadim Sholokhov showed ® around. Each room is equipped with rate equipment for experimentation i mechanics, electronics, chemistry, geolog) and astronomy (seven telescopes on t 1 roof). One thousand youngsters aged 10 to,! are members of the club without cost: The} do what they like, and conduct all sorts ® experiments. Sholokhov took us to a larg display hall full of magnificent things the young people made — artistic and scientific’ | copper reliefs, electronic devices, woodé products, motors, etc. In the center was h small, single-seat, motor-driven car whit Sholokhov said a youngster made all by hil self — engine and all! He said there are such cars in running order made by tee” agers. On our way out of the club, I saw a yout! outside tinkering with the car he made, 4 parently to make sure it would be in runn order later in the week when all 50 cars wel” to be in line during the May Day parade.