They particularly expressed how the host university managed to find the optimal combination of lectures, laboratory work, practical visits to production facilities and excursion programs.
On Thursday, July 18, a short-term educational course created specifically for students and postgraduates of Shiraz University ended at the Saint Petersburg Mining University of Empress Catherine II. It was dedicated to modern trends in the oil and gas industry and included classes on topics such as "Innovations in Well Drilling", including in deposits with abnormal reservoir pressure, "Minimizing the Carbon Footprint", and "Development of Offshore Fields".
"Forpost" decided to find out from the guests before their return home how useful this two-week intensive course was for them, during which they immersed themselves in a new academic environment. According to Rafat Parsai, associate professor of the faculty of oil engineering at the Iranian university, who is accompanying a group of her compatriots, "exceptional hospitality, kindness and dedication to the cause" of the Russian teachers and curators helped them quickly adapt to it.
«As for the lectures, their special feature was the emphasis on the practical application of the acquired knowledge. Our students especially liked that they were actively involved in the learning process: they participated in discussions, could ask questions or, conversely, share their vision of certain problems. This is extremely useful for developing their critical thinking, improving communication skills and interest in professional development. In addition, almost every teacher of the Mining University have extensive personal experience in production, they know firsthand about the difficulties faced by oil and gas enterprises and ways to overcome them», - Rafat Parsai said.
She also focused on practical trips, during which students from Shiraz could get acquainted with the work of existing companies and organizations engaged in creating innovations for the mineral resources sector. For example, to the head scientific center of the flagship of the domestic gas industry Gazprom VNIIGAZ. According to the Iranians, "he could turn into an excellent partner for the Research Institute of the Oil Industry (RIPI)," which is under the jurisdiction of the relevant ministry of the Islamic Republic.
«We also visited the Alfa Horizon plant for the production of strategic tools for the oil and gas industry. In particular, we were shown filters that allow us to solve the problem of sand particles entering wells that negatively affect production productivity. Given the prevalence of this problem in our fields, these products have every chance of becoming popular in the Iranian market», - Rafat Parsai said.
Student Amirhossein Kamankesh drew attention to the practical significance of the classes, especially those related to the use of machine learning to improve the efficiency of hydrocarbon production and processing, achievements in the field of sustainable energy sources, chemical engineering. The only thing he regrets is the lack of time to make the curricula even more intense.
«Of course, it would be great to stay in St. Petersburg a little longer and gain additional competencies in such areas as reactor design or distillation columns, for example. To study the experience of using such devices in various production chains. I hope we will have such an opportunity in the future. In the meantime, I want to thank all the organizers of the program, it turned out to be memorable and useful experience», - said Amirhossein Kamankesh..
Graduate student Zahra Soleimani called the summer school, in which she participated, an important step in the development of cooperation between Russian and Iranian universities, as well as the integration of scientific and educational communities of the two countries as a whole. She described St. Petersburg as "a very beautiful city located in one of the coldest regions of the world." And the Mining University is described as "a leading educational institution with advanced laboratories and the most modern equipment."
«I was particularly impressed by the educational and scientific drilling site of your university in Sablino, this is something incredible. Previously, I simply could not imagine that any educational institution, even a flagship one, could afford to build such a grandiose base. I was surprised to learn that there are two operating drilling rigs on its territory, designed exclusively for educational purposes. After completing this kind of practical training, students can confidently go to real fields, they will be ready to work in the industry», - Zahra Soleimani shared her impressions.
Yusef Samii, as it turned out, has long known that "Gorny is among the best universities in the whole planet" (6th place in the world in the QS subject ranking). The young man assured that the university's infrastructure and the qualifications of its teaching staff "leave no doubt about the objectivity of this assessment."
«During our summer school, I was able to personally verify that the level of the university is really very high. Not only in terms of training personnel, but also scientific research. We studied in the laboratories of oil and chemical engineering, materials science and some others. The equipment installed there opens up vast opportunities for scientists to conduct a variety of experiments. In addition, there is an incredibly beautiful museum here, its halls are so aesthetically pleasing that you can spend hours in them», - says Yusef Samii.
Postgraduate student Sonia Sepahi, among other things, liked living in a comfortable dormitory, as well as the excursion program. She especially remembered "the Egyptian room and the Italian art galleries in the Hermitage, as well as a visit to Peterhof."
«Thank you for organizing the summer school in your beautiful city. For me and the other guys it was a valuable experience. We were able to not only improve our competencies in such areas as chemical engineering and well drilling technology, but also broaden our cultural horizons by getting to know Russian traditions and history, as well as the architectural landmarks of the northern capital», - Sonia Sepahi summed it up.
