Irina
Sleptova

Irina Sleptsova is a Year 11 student at the International Arctic school, based in Yakutsk, Russia. When she was 9 years old, she was working on her first science project, and went to the trilobite fossils with her parents, where she discovered trilobites in Yakutia. She found some fossils of prehistoric creatures and determined the type of trilobites found. She was very excited to have her own research about nature, and she continued project activity in environmental protection since. 

In fact, her passion in this area is what helped me break out of my shell. When I was in fifth grade, the transition to another school was a difficult test, after which she became stronger. She was not sociable, but after going to a big school, she socialized and got close with her peers and grew a strong common connection through shared passion for the environment. 

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In high school, she has received national and regional awards for her academic studies. Over five years, she has completed four eco-projects. With her research about water characteristics of lakes in Yakutsk, she got 1st place in the Republic science fair. In 2018, she won a silver medal at International Science Games. That project is about the state of anthills in Yakutsk city park. 

In addition, outside of school she took part in the Youth Ecological forum in 2019, joining professional climate scientists discussing protecting the environment in Arctic regions. She created a website about paleontology as well as one about prehistoric animals founded in Yakutia - Prehistoric Yakutia Project. 

At university, she would like to study, through biology engineering and social sciences, how climate change has influenced the prehistoric ecosystem to continue her work. She also wants to gain real world experience in studying environmental problems and solve them. In the long run, she aspires to become a biologist or humanities professor in order for her to advance better health and well-being for the world.