All of them promised to return and implement the results of their research activities at Russian enterprises.
On Friday, December 17, St. Petersburg Mining University hosted a grant-giving ceremony for twenty graduate students and young employees of domestic institutions of higher education who will go to Germany for further work on research projects. They earned this right in the course of a competitive selection, carried out a month ago by experts of the German academic exchange service DAAD and the Nedra Consortium of Higher Education Institutions.
The initiator of the joint Russian-German program “Natural Resources - Energy – Sustainability” is the rector of Mining University Vladimir Litvinenko. He noted that the experts, despite the difficulties associated with sanitary and epidemiological restrictions, managed to make a quality selection. And they have given scholarships to really promising scientists whose research is very important for the sustainable development of the mineral sector, both in Russia and around the world. Now the ball is on their side. After all, the answer to the question of whether young people will be able to fulfil themselves in an increasingly competitive environment largely depends on them. Or, more precisely, on their diligence, their desire to progress, and their desire to constantly improve their level of competence.
“Science is laboratories, it is experiments that result in new knowledge and the publication of original articles in reputable journals. To achieve this result it is necessary to participate in academic exchange programs, build communication with foreign colleagues, and integrate into the international scientific and educational community. It is very important that you immerse yourself in an unfamiliar environment, that you are able to see and appreciate it with your own eyes. This will give you a serious advantage over your peers, allowing you to bring your research to a new qualitative level,” Vladimir Litvinenko addressed the audience.
Andreas Hoeschen, head of the Moscow branch of DAAD, emphasized that in the conference hall of Mining University gathered “the first fellows of the new program, created jointly with the Nedra consortium of universities. But they are “far from being the last,” as its popularity is sure to grow. Even this year, the number of applicants to participate in the project was very high. So much so, that many of the applicants, who for various reasons did not pass the selection sieve, were also worthy to continue their work on their research in the FRG.
“Our program will not only allow the fellows to improve their skills and adapt their brains to modern realities but will also strengthen scientific ties between German and Russian universities that are working on innovations for the extractive and processing sectors of the economy. This is very important for both sides,” Mr. Hoeschen said (in Russian).
His compatriot, Freiberg’s Oberbűrgermeister Sven Krueger, spoke in German. He noted that Freiberg Mining Academy, where most of the competition winners go, and St. Petersburg Mining University are the oldest specialized universities in the world. Their cooperation is extremely positive both for increasing the sustainability of the global raw materials sector and for the development of bilateral relations between Russia and Germany.
“You become ambassadors for your culture and your homeland. Whether you like it or not, attitudes toward your country will be shaped in us, outsiders, by your words and actions. So by taking part in this program, you are making a small but very important contribution to the development of good neighborly relations between our countries,” said Mr. Krueger, addressing the Russian young scientists.
What are their scientific interests? For example, the Head of the Laboratory of Sedimentology and Paleobiosphere Evolution at Tyumen State University, Pavel Smirnov, who is going to the Technical University of Clausthal, deals with such a topical today issue as reducing the carbon footprint. He says that three years ago at the meetings with the management of many enterprises they had to start from the basics and tell them what the carbon dioxide capture systems were and why they were needed. Now almost no one asks such questions.
“A great many Russian vertically integrated companies, including their subsidiaries, have already developed carbon neutrality strategies and have even begun to implement them. These programs, of course, differ in the degree of intensity and timing of implementation. Nevertheless, big business is already looking for partners in the scientific community, cooperation with which would make it possible to implement all these projects. Therefore, the direction of research related to capturing CO2, its pumping into reservoirs, and long-term storage will be very much in demand in the foreseeable future,” says Pavel Smirnov with confidence.
This is the third time he has gone abroad to get additional material for his research. He believes that this is not a whim, but an urgent need. After all, advanced technologies that will be in demand in the future can be created only in conditions of integration into international scientific or scientific-production teams. Collaboration with scientists working on similar topics allows not only to intensify research but also to increase its efficiency.
Alexandra Buldysko, a graduate student at St. Petersburg Mining University, holds the same opinion. She goes to the Technical University in Dresden for six months, where there is a group of researchers working on the improvement of digital twins. However, their findings are primarily related to the chemical industry, not to the oil and gas industry, as the ones of the representative of the Russian higher school. Nevertheless, the experience of participation in joint experiments can be a serious help for future scientific achievements.
“Digital twins are becoming an increasingly interesting area for Russian oil and gas companies because they make it possible to simulate the production process and look for new hidden dependencies that can affect the growth of profitability. This includes improving the energy efficiency of equipment or increasing the time between overhauls. Since this takes place in a virtual space, the business does not incur expenses related to a negative impact on technological lines,” explained Alexandra Buldysko.
Maxim Glazyev is also a graduate student at Mining University. He is working on improving the technology of using silicon dust, a by-product of smelting metals, in cement and refractory mixtures. The young scientist is convinced that the huge amount of industrial waste accumulated in the world is a global environmental problem that requires an urgent solution no less than the notorious climate change.
“Modern technologies make it possible to involve industrial waste, including silica dust, in recycling. And, most importantly, such projects can be profitable, i.e., interesting for business. There are many ideas, and a business trip to Germany will help me better understand which of them are the most feasible and realistic. I am going to Freiberg Mining Academy, they have different equipment from ours. It will be interesting to conduct a series of experiments together with German colleagues and compare the readings of their instruments with the data I obtained here in St. Petersburg. This will certainly contribute to my research,” said Maxim Glazyev.
Another undoubted advantage of studying abroad, he considers immersion in an unfamiliar scientific and educational environment, which allows, among other things, to improve the skills of technical English, which differs significantly from our usual spoken English. This will come in handy in the future because with the development of online communications the opportunity to discuss one or another area of research with colleagues from abroad has become much more accessible.
All Russians who have been awarded grants for a trip to Germany will subsequently receive the right to defend their dissertations for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). This is the Western equivalent of our candidate dissertation. This practice has become a tradition. The best representatives of St. Petersburg Mining University and other universities, members of the Nedra Consortium, can simultaneously become holders of both Russian and European documents confirming their qualifications. At the same time, all of them return to Russia and continue to do science here, but already at a higher quality level. The notion of “brain drain”, typical for the nineties of the last century, is perceived by today’s youth as an archaism rather than a guideline to follow.
Let us recall that the “Natural Resources - Energy – Sustainability” program is implemented on a parity basis. From the German side, it is financed by the DAAD academic exchange service, and from the Russian side, by St. Petersburg Mining University and the International Competence Center for Mining Engineering Education under the auspices of UNESCO.
