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Dear editors!

Many important events took place last week, including in the scientific community. The main thing in this sense, of course, was the General Meeting of the Russian Academy of Sciences, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the laser. But I would like to focus on something else. Early last week, the Triumph Award ceremony in the field of science took place. This prize was awarded to six academicians, including Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Valery Vasilyevich Kozlov. As noted in the information message about the award on the RAS website, “the works of each of the laureates made a huge contribution to domestic and world science.”

A little earlier, in November, a ceremony was held to present the laureates of another prestigious prize, the Demidov Prize. The prize was received by three members of the Academy, including Valery Vasilyevich’s boss and his predecessor as director of the Mathematical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, academician Yuri Sergeevich Osipov. And even earlier - in June - the seventh ceremony of presenting perhaps the most prestigious and monetary of Russian non-state awards - the Global Energy Prize - took place. Its laureates were two people: Russian academician Alexander Leontyev and, according to established tradition, a foreign scientist - academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Boris Paton.

Why am I remembering this now, dear editor? Because there are always giggling people who comment on such events in the style of “again, academicians are handing out prizes to each other” and begin to remember the times of stagnation, when, while talking about successes and achievements, members of the Soviet leadership falling into insanity were constantly broadcasting various orders and awards on each other’s chests. medals. And here’s what I want to clearly say in this regard: this is extremely illiterate, irresponsible and incompetent chatter! These grinning subjects, they would think for a start: if they are so smart, then why are they giggling in the smoking rooms, and not sitting on the podium, like the people they laugh at? That’s just the way it is, that some can move science forward, and lead institutes, and sit on presidiums, and receive bonuses, because talented people are talented in everything, while others can only borrow money from each other until payday and giggle.

Think about it, dear colleagues, what does it mean to become a member of the RAS, and even more so - a full member of the RAS, an academician? This means going through a rigorous multi-stage examination. It is necessary not only to defend a candidate’s and doctoral dissertation, but also to go through an assessment of the most powerful Russian specialists in their field of science when first becoming a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and then becoming an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. With such multi-level filtration, mistakes are impossible: if a person has passed, then his approbation couldn’t be more complete!

Let me remind you, colleagues, that scientists who have enriched science with outstanding scientific works are elected corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and academicians are scientists who have enriched science with works of paramount scientific importance. Naturally, if a person has enriched science with works of primary scientific importance, then he is worthy of both judging the scientific merits of others and receiving prizes. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that prizes are awarded by academicians to academicians. In the press release announcing the presentation of the Demidov Prize laureates, everything is clearly written. “The Demidov Prize today is a very prestigious prize in the field of science, since the decision on the award is made by scientists who are able to competently evaluate scientific merit” - this is the case. And two: “For the recipient, the Demidov Prize is always a big surprise. He must not submit any applications, must not present his work. The expert commission simply deliberates and selects a worthy member of the Academy of Sciences.” It's logical!

That is why our bonus system is the most reasonable in the world. No, I don’t want to belittle the authority of international awards - there are also many outstanding scientists there who receive what they deserve. But let's take the Nobel Prize. Among its laureates will be some postdoc, or even, excuse me, a graduate student. You can't do that! Some immature subordinate, not far removed from those among whom Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev recently called for popularizing the ideas of modernization with the help of comics, is given a premium of the highest standard, put on the same level as a master who has proven his worth throughout his scientific life! What then is the point of working, striving to join the elite cohort? As one movie rightly said, “a society in which there is no color differentiation of pants is devoid of purpose.”

Yours Ivan Ekonomov