Nadezda Kravchenko is currently an assistant in the Centre of Regional Sociological Research, Saratov State University. Her research interests include Models and Mechanism of Winning Political Image, Qualitative Research in Political Sociology, Global Trends and other fields.

Nadezda Kravchenko graduated from the Department of Germanic Philology from Saratov State University in 1995. She has a Candidate of Science Degree in Political Sociology from Saratov State University. In 1998 she worked in London, Great Britain under Britain Council program "Chancellor Scheme" in the Financial Research Association.

Sergei Kukharenko teaches at the Amur State University (AmSU), located in Blagoveschensk. He works at the department of English Philology and Translation, and at the department of World History. Kukharenko received his degree from the faculty of foreign languages at the Blagoveschensk State Pedagogical University in 2002, department of English and Chinese. From 2002 to 2003 he successfully completed IDL 101, 103 and 104 courses, and in 2004 he started teaching IDL 102 and 103. Presently, he is a post-graduate student at the faculty of social sciences, specializing in religion studies with a focus on oriental religions. His thesis investigates Chinese migration to Western Europe and cross-cultural interaction between the immigrants and the host community.

Alexander Larichev is the Manager of the International Center of the Faculty of Law of Petrozavodsk State University, responsible for international projects and programs, fundraising activities of the Faculty. In 1998, Mr. Larichev participated in the Freedom Support Act (FSA/FLEX) exchange student program and later received an award from the Council on International Educational Exchange and the United States Information Agency (USIA) for successful completion of the Ambassador Project program. He was also awarded Arkansas Traveler (Ambassador) Diploma and Government diploma on capital citation to the State of Arkansas, USA.

In 1999, Mr. Larichev enrolled in the undergraduate program of the Faculty of Law of PetrSU. During his student years in PetrSU, Mr.Larichev actively participated in various activities and international projects of the university. He was twice the Captain (in 2005- trainer) of the Petrozavodsk State University Team participating in the Jessup Moot Court Competition (Russian National Round); participated in International Environmental Law schools offered by Vermont School of Law (USA) and worked in the project team of the 2002-2005 NISCUPP Grant of PetrSU- Vermont Law School (USA) Partnership. He also completed 2 Stanford IDL courses- 101 and 104. In 2004, Mr. Larichev received a Diploma with Honors in Jurisprudence from Petrozavodsk State University.

In 2003, Mr. Larichev served as a secretary in the Arbitrazh (Business) Court of the Republic of Karelia. Later, he completed the course “Project management and fundraising”, offered by the School of Project Managers, Northern European Open University. Upon his graduation from the university, he was appointed the head of the International Center of the Faculty of Law of PetrSU where he works up till date. Presently, he also serves as the coordinator of the Russian-American center for federalism and comparative law studies.

Mr. Larichev is enrolled in the postgraduate course of the Faculty of Law and teaches the courses “Maritime law” and “International treaties of Russia” at the Faculty, as well as “International law”, “Administrative law” and “Municipal law” at the Faculty branches. His scientific interests lie in the area of international law, comparative constitutional and administrative law of the US and Russia.

Eduard Meilakh, SUSU

Eduard Meilakh has worked as a voluntary activist of the environmental non-government organization ‘Movement for Nuclear Safety’ (http://www.nuclearpolicy.ru) since 1998. At the present he teaches at the Southern Urals State University, PhD in biology (ecology), and is currently the instructor of IDL 102 ‘International Environmental Policy’. He received his PhD in biology/ecology in 2003 (Moscow State Forestry University), and has the highest education in ecology and biology (2000, Chelyabinsk State Pedagogical University). In addition, he successfully completed the course ‘International Environmental Policy’ from the Stanford Institute for International Studies (23 May, 2002), and completed a course of journalism (Institute of Additional Creative Profession, Chelyabinsk State Pedagogical University, 2000).

At the present Ed Meilakh teaches environmental law at the Russian Academy of Justice, Urals Department (as an assistant professor) and various environmental courses at the Southern Urals State University (as a senior lecturer). He has worked as an instructor at the Southern Urals State University since 2001. Ed Meilakh has experience working in the environmental sphere as a freelance member of state ecological expertise commissions and as a freelance journalist (including publications in the national journal ‘Ecology and Rights’, and the daily newspaper ‘Urals Courier’).

In 1999, Mr. Larichev enrolled in the undergraduate program of the Faculty of Law of PetrSU. During his student years in PetrSU, Mr.Larichev actively participated in various activities and international projects of the university. He was twice the Captain (in 2005- trainer) of the Petrozavodsk State University Team participating in the Jessup Moot Court Competition (Russian National Round); participated in International Environmental Law schools offered by Vermont School of Law (USA) and worked in the project team of the 2002-2005 NISCUPP Grant of PetrSU- Vermont Law School (USA) Partnership. He also completed 2 Stanford IDL courses- 101 and 104. In 2004, Mr. Larichev received a Diploma with Honors in Jurisprudence from Petrozavodsk State University.

Anna Smirnova is Assistant Professor at the Chair of Social and Political Psychology, Department of Psychology, Yaroslavl State University. She has a Candidate of Science Degree in Political Science from Moscow State University (Russia). Awards include a Medal from the Russian Academy of Sciences for the competition among young scholars for accomplishment in research (2004), and a nomination for the “World Economy and International Relations”. She has published articles in the journals “Polis (Political Studies)” (Russia), and Psicologia Politica (Spain). Research interests include the psychological aspects of international relations, political cognition, and decision-making.

Mikhail graduated from Sociology Department of Saratov State University in 2001, and entered postgraduate studies program in the field of Sociology. In 2002 he became a participant of the exchange program between Saratov State University and the University of Wyoming and spent the academic year of 2002-2003 at Survey Research Center of the University of Wyoming.

Mikhail became an instructor of IDL 103 and IDL 104 courses at Saratov State University in the Fall semester of 2003. Currently he is an instructor of IDL 103 and IDL 104 at Moscow Higher School of Economics. His researchinterests include Methods of Sociological Research, Sociology of Organizations, Political Sociology and other fields.

Nadezhda Vasyutina is an instructor at the Urals State
University for Stanford University’s Initiative on
Distance Learning Program. In addition, she is a
teacher of English and lecturer at the department of
International Relations. She is a graduate of the
department of Germanic Philology, USU (2003). In 1998
Vasyutina received a FSA/FLEX fellowship to study in
the United States. Her fields of scholarly interest include poststructuralist British fiction, colonial writing, medieval gender studies, and environmental studies.

Tamerlan Zaseyev was born on January 20, 1978. In 1994 he graduated of Lunacharski Secondary School No. 5 with advanced learning of English (Vladikavkaz, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Russia). He then became a Freedom Support Act / FLEX exchange student in 1994-1995, graduating from Hueneme High School (CA, USA). From 1995–2000 he was a student of Faculty of International Relations of North Ossetia State University, and received his diploma with honors in teaching and translating of English and Spanish languages.

From 2000-2002 he worked as a teacher of English free course at the Faculties of Journalism and History of NOSU (teaching foreign press, countries study, idioms in English language, listening, “news/movies watching”, creative writing). 2001-to present he has worked as a staff member of the International Office of NOSU (development of projects proposals, projects coordination, students exchange, correspondence). In 2004 he successfully completed the IDL 104 course, and in 2004 began working as instructor of IDL 101 and IDL 104 at NOSU. 2005–to present, he has worked as a consultant in the Office of Vice Chairman of the Government of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (international projects, staff member of State Institution Special Fund “Revival of Beslan”). Other activities: 2000 to present – assistant to North-Ossetian Republican Drug Rehabilitation Center (fund-raising and foreign partner search).