About 400 high school students gathered at the site of the Mining University to present their works on the development of the country's mineral complex. The event was organised in cooperation with the International Competence Centre in Mining Engineering Education under the auspices of UNESCO.
On Monday, April 3, the St. Petersburg Mining University kicked off a large-scale competition of youth research projects called the School Premier League. It brought together kids who in the future plan to become engineers or scientists and solve problems related to improving the efficiency of subsoil use. Introduce new methods of prospecting and exploration of mineral deposits, build modern metallurgical and petrochemical enterprises, accelerate digital transformation of the industry, reduce the anthropogenic load on ecosystems.
Today, energy, oil and gas, and mining companies are experiencing an enormous shortage of qualified personnel. To a large extent, this is a consequence of Russia's adherence to the Bologna process, the essence of which was to simplify and shorten educational programs. Bachelors, who, unlike their predecessors, did not receive the set of knowledge and skills that would suit their potential employers, began to enter the labor market instead of graduates.
As a result, the mineral resource complex and many other spheres of the national economy have broken the continuity of generations, which is a cornerstone factor for sustainable socio-economic development of any country. And now, after the proposal to return to the traditional Russian system of higher education, voiced by President Vladimir Putin, the main mission of universities is to find solutions to eliminate this problem.
One of them is to increase the prestige of engineering professions through more active work with schoolchildren. It is clear that not all high school students have already decided on their future. This means that in order for them to choose physics or chemistry as the subject of their choice for the Unified State Exam, which is necessary for entering most specialties in technical universities, they should at least be told about career prospects in specialized companies or research organizations.
"The mineral complex is the skeleton of the economy. Any technological chain, no matter how progressive, begins with the extraction of minerals. It's not just the energy resources needed to keep our homes warm and our lights on. In Russia's depths lies practically the entire Mendeleev Table, including rare earth elements, the need for which, like many other strategic metals, will increase even more in the future. But in order to turn this God-given wealth into human, social and natural capital we need the appropriate technologies and human resources, whose competence level determines the welfare of our state and all its citizens", - addressed the rector of St. Petersburg Mining University Vladimir Litvinenko.
He called it pleasant that the city on Neva for participation in the contest brought together representatives of a huge number of regions. Including the newly joined territories. This once again proves that "we are united and understand perfectly well what goals and tasks we are facing.
"Energy is the basis of any economy. If it costs too much, the prospects for the development of the state will a priori be reduced to zero. That is why the West is trying by hook or by crook to build a neocolonial system of energy control on a global scale. The basis of this strategy is the dollarization of world trade, as well as the consolidation of the world's scientific, technological and financial potential on its territory. This occurs including by artificial reduction of the level of science and higher education in countries whose subsoil is rich in raw materials, or a direct escalation of military and political tensions there. This practice allows the U.S. and its allies to exploit the subsoil of developing countries through transnational corporations. They work mainly under concession contracts that give them the right to dispose of most of the extracted raw materials at their discretion. At the same time, debts to Western financial structures are imposed on the states, having no opportunity to engage in subsoil use independently due to weak engineering and scientific school. And almost all profits from realization of the resources left to their real owners are spent on repayment of credits and interests on them," stressed Vladimir Litvinenko.
He assured those present that any sovereign power is able to ensure sustainability of its economic development and decent living standards of its population. But for that it is necessary to form a pool of scientists and engineers who are able to work effectively with natural resources and monetize natural capital.
"In science, as in life, there are many uncertainties. For example, what is the origin of oil? How is it formed: by the decomposition of organic matter on the Earth's surface or by complex processes involving the release of hydrogen and carbon from the depths of the planet? There is no exact answer to this question, as well as to many others. But you, I am sure, can find it. The main thing is to study hard, to be strong enough to overcome barriers, which will be present in your life path, remember that science is an experiment, and not be afraid to generate new knowledge and apply it in practice for the development of the Russian economy," summarized Litvinenko.
The chairman of St. Petersburg Committee for science and higher school Andrei Maksimov sent greetings to the contest participants on behalf of the Governor of St. Petersburg. He said that he is himself a graduate of the Mining University and personally knows many members of the expert committee who will evaluate the schoolchildren's presentations, and assured those present that he does not doubt their objectivity and impartiality.
During their week-long visit to the northern capital, the students will not only make presentations on one of the 17 announced topics, but will also take part in a case study tour and a foresight session. This is an increasingly popular format of communication, which is a "brainstorming session" aimed at assessing various future scenarios in the process of discourse.
Note that the role of organizers of the competition of youth research projects "School Premier League" was performed by the St. Petersburg Mining University and the International Competence Centre for Mining Education under the auspices of UNESCO. This is the first such event, since this year it will be an integral part of the international forum-competition "Current Problems of Subsoil Use", which is also held in St. Petersburg. Its platform brings together students, young scientists and engineers, who are ready to offer solutions aimed at increasing the efficiency of mineral resources complex.
