A regular meeting of the Academic Council took place at Mining University. On the agenda was a report on the research work of students in 2020, as well as preparations for educational and industrial practices.
Traditionally, the meeting began with an award ceremony. Various awards and prizes were presented to students and staff of the educational institution. So, this season was extremely successful for athletes. Associate Professor of the Department of Automation of Technological Processes and Production Natalia Romanova became a champion of the All-Russian tournament “Kremlin Bench Press” (Moscow) in the category up to 48 kg. With the result of 52.2 kg, she fulfilled the standard of the master of sports in the classical bench-press. Angelina Ganyukova student won 1st place in St. Petersburg University Boxing Championship and Yves Bertrand, Kofi Kablan postgraduate student, took 1st place in Powerlifting Championship of the city, having set a new championship record in weight category to 83 kg, squatting with 245 kg barbell.
Then the floor was given to Alena Martemyanova, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Doctoral Studies for Student Research. One of the goals of the unit is to form a personnel reserve for admission to graduate school, as well as to complete the composition of students with knowledge of a foreign language to participate in International and All-Russian conferences, exhibitions, and forums.
In 2020, several major students scientific and educational events were held at Mining University. Among them was the 28th All-Russian conference-contest "Topical problems of subsoil use" organized jointly with the International Center of Competences in Mining Engineering Education under the auspices of UNESCO. More than 300 participants from 66 universities of Russia made their reports at the conference.
Besides, Mining University together with PAO Gazprom and Saint Petersburg State Electrotechnical University LETI organized the Gazprom Student Olympiad in Applied Geology. More than 380 participants from 57 Russian institutes took part in it. The country’s largest energy company annually holds an intellectual competition in ten profiles with the support of leading engineering universities. Its winners can not only test their professional knowledge but also get an opportunity to undergo an internship and find a job at PAO Gazprom.
“In 2020, more than 1,300 students participated in research and development, including 533 as assistant professors. The Mining University's Assistant Student Researcher program has proven to be an effective tool in building the skills of independent research and creating scientific and publication outputs among students of all courses. The results of the research work of students for the past year are reflected in 663 publications, including the journals indexed in the databases SCOPUS and WoS. I would like to note that of the 117 graduate students processed by assistant professors in the 2019/2020 academic year, 47 were recommended by the departments for admission to graduate school in 2020/2021. And that's almost half of the total enrollment,” said Alena Martemianova.
Head of the Department of Educational Services, Practical Training and Employment of Graduates Irina Polonskaya in her report emphasized that one of the most important requirements for universities in the preparation of specialists is the systematic adaptation of graduates to subsequent work at industrial sites and corporate offices. In the current academic year, the graduating departments did a lot of work on adjusting and updating the internship programs, aimed at increasing their relevance to the modern requirements of the mineral complex.
Internship sites are traditionally selected from among specialized organizations of St. Petersburg, Leningrad Region, Northwestern Region, as well as other subjects of the Russian Federation, taking into account their location in the mining, metallurgical, and oil and gas regions.
In accordance with the schedule, over 1700 first- and second-year students are expected to complete their practical training at the training grounds and educational centers of the University. More than 2500 1st and 2nd-year students will go to the core industrial enterprises. These include Apatite, Zeppelin Rusland, Kola Gas Treatment Plant, Kostomuksha Mining and Processing Division, Vorkutaugol, and others. Senior students (more than 2,500 thousand people) will be sent for industrial practice to structural divisions and subsidiaries of large holdings and companies such as Fosagro, Gazprom, Rosneft, Lukoil, Polymetal, Russian Copper Company, Alrosa, and others.
