Society

”Nizhny Novgorod Archimedes”, as contemporaries called Ivan Kulibin, did not graduate from any university, which, however, did not prevent him from becoming a member and head of the mechanical workshop of the Imperial Academy of Sciences of Russia. At a young age, the famous inventor, born in 1735, was trained in locksmithing, turning and watchmaking, but the main baggage of knowledge still received thanks to his curiosity, persistence and feverish desire to create. But how did he feel about the idea of the need for a classical education?

Alexander Fersman’s boisterous scientific activity, assertiveness and even his appearance were reflected in the nicknames he received from his colleagues. He was called ”ball lightning” and ”uncle elephant”. Students and admirers, wishing to demonstrate their involvement in his research, called themselves no other than ”Fersmanides” and ”Fersmanoids”.

In May 2023, Vladimir Putin signed a decree on improving the higher education system. This document initiated a reform designed to bring the training process to a qualitatively higher level and increase the number of competent engineers in the country, which is essential for the sustainable development of the national economy. The Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University became one of the six participants of the pilot project, which have already started to implement the initiative of the Russian President.

Among the most promising areas include cooperation in science and technology, as well as increasing academic mobility. On Friday, July 7, it became known that President of Imam Hussein University Mohammad Reza Hasani paid a working visit to the Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. During the meeting with Rector Vladimir Litvinenko, he told about the current research conducted by the scientists of the Iranian university and presented his vision of the prospects of cooperation between the two institutions of higher education.

The Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University under the International Triple Diploma Program hosted the defence of graduate qualification works by master’s degree students of domestic higher education institutions, members of the Nedra Consortium. This is a joint project of St. Petersburg University, Freiberg Mining Academy (Germany) and the University of Leoben (Austria).

The year 2023 marks the 130th anniversary of the birth of the legendary geologist Nikolai Urvantsev. For Siberians, this is a truly iconic figure, like Peter the Great for St. Petersburgers. Arctic explorer, founder of Norilsk and its first resident, ”official friend of the Norwegian government”, discoverer and pioneer, the results of whose expeditions formed the basis for the creation of the Norilsk Mining and Metallurgical Combine.

A young mining engineer at a meeting in the presence of Stalin, arguing the need to restructure the entire armor industry of the country, in a fervor went into a raised tone and repeatedly banged his fist on the table. How did his career develop after the epoch-making speech?

The Rector of St. Petersburg Mining University called the availability of quality education the main goal of the UN sustainable development. On Thursday, July 27, the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum kicked off in the city on the Neva River. One of its sections was devoted to the prospects of integration of the parties in the field of education and science. As the participants of the discussion noted, this is one of the most pressing issues, since it is higher education that today represents the foundation underlying the socio-economic development of any country.

The Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University is known for receiving high-profile guests from all around the world, which constantly enlighten and diversify the atmosphere in the halls of the University. This week, Mining University received a delegation of diverse representatives from different countries from Africa.

Its task will include the growth of academic mobility and the organization of joint research centers with Russian scientists, and the mission will be the formation of a multipolar world based on the equality of cultures and peoples. The event was organised in cooperation with the International Competence Centre in Mining Engineering Education under the auspices of UNESCO.