From March 24 to 29, the Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University will host the All-Russian Competition of Research Projects among high school students, "School Premier League," organized under the auspices of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO Affairs.
More than 400 participants will gather within the university to present their own inventions to the scientific community, focusing on the development of the country’s mineral resource sector. Participants will have 17 thematic directions to choose from, including "Engineering Ecology," "Intelligent Mining Production," "Computer Modeling, Information and Computational Technologies," "Mechanical Engineering," and "Arctic and Antarctic Exploration."
The competition aims to enhance the prestige of engineering professions among young people and attract talented students to technical universities in the country. It is clear that not all high school students have definitively decided on their future careers. Therefore, in order to encourage them to choose physics or chemistry as elective subjects for the Unified State Exam (ЕГЭ), it is essential to at least demonstrate what studying at a modern engineering university entails and inform them about career prospects in industry-specific companies or research organizations.
The event program includes not only the defense of research projects before an expert commission but also keynote lectures by leading scientists, participation in case tournaments, foresight sessions, and masterclasses, as well as excursions around Saint Petersburg and the Mining Museum.
Winners and prize holders of the final stage will receive diplomas and the opportunity to sign an agreement of intent to participate in the "School Leader" competition, earning additional points for individual achievements when applying to Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University.
How to participate in the competition:
- Develop a research project.
- Prepare a presentation-application based on the research project.
- Register and upload the project presentation in PDF format to the following form: https://forms.yandex.ru/u/678fa15ff47e730d0880ada4/ by February 28, 2025.
- Await an invitation email by March 11, 2025.
This year, the School Premier League will be held for the second time. The first event, in 2023, became a true brainstorming battle among future engineers and scientists. Representatives from dozens of regions across the country, including newly integrated territories, traveled to Saint Petersburg to showcase their inventions.
Projects such as an automated steam engine, a household wind generator, a smart parking zone, and a device for measuring the volume of complex geometric objects were highly praised by the jury. In addition to traditional awards, the winners received an educational grant of 100,000 rubles, which they could use upon successful completion of their first semester at Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University.
For several years now, university admission campaigns across the country have shown a disproportionate interest among applicants toward humanities universities and faculties. It is absolutely clear that the government must reconsider this trend. Poets cannot survive without physicists. Moreover, the demand for engineers, given the shortage of specialists, is evident.
The competition will take place alongside the All-Russian Methodological Seminar on New Approaches to School Education in the Interests of National Technological Leadership.
The seminar will bring together 200 directors of general and specialized schools, lyceums, and gymnasiums from various regions of Russia and neighboring countries. Most of them are already academic partners of the Mining University, participants in the School Leader of Russia project, and members of UNESCO-associated schools.
The main goal of the seminar is to discuss upcoming amendments to the Education Law of the Russian Federation.
Key topics on the agenda will include:
- Critical issues in secondary and higher education and potential solutions.
- The concept of a seamless education system.
- The introduction of a unified program for standard and advanced-level school subjects.
- The readiness of universities to adapt to changes in the education model.
Currently, a targeted survey is being conducted among seminar participants, which will help compile real-world examples, opinions, initiatives, and proposals for further discussion.
