Students of the Lebanese International University came to Saint-Petersburg to participate in the summer school program of the Mining University, called "Geodetic Engineering: Theory and Practice". On the completion of the education, they shared their impressions and explained why they decided to be trained here for a second year in a row.
During the practice, students were given the opportunity to use total and robotic stations, GNSS navigation systems, GIS, as well as they learnt how to do the remote Earth sensing. Young students were specifically impressed by the classes dedicated to Ground Laser Scanning and Photogrammetry, since they were given an opportunity to control the drone by themselves on open ground.
According to the Summer School Coordinator, Ekaterina Grishchenkova, "In Lebanon, in particular at the Lebanese International University, educational programs mainly consist of the lectures. Therefore, students who come here, as well to other universities, they mostly look forward to the workshops and master classes. Of course, the participants of this summer school program had some general knowledge of the equipment, they also knew some surveying methods, but they definitely wanted more than that. Here, in the Mining University, we have advanced laboratory facilities, and our students know how to deal with modern equipment. Indeed, we wanted to provide participants of Summer Schools with the same opportunities".
Workplace visits is a mandatory part of the program. Lebanese students had a chance to visit leading geodetic companies, including "Geopribori" Ltd. and "Promgeo".
As Master’s Degree student Harb Fouad Anwar noted, "I think that the most interesting part of the program is an opportunity to visit real companies. Though, the most amazing excursion was the trip down the mine tunnels of the underground system, No. 842 of the Krasnoselsko-Kalininskaya line of the St. Petersburg metro. We could see with our own eyes how mining surveyors work!".
The summer school program in geodetic engineering traditionally includes several lectures and practical studies in surveying. These specialties are close to each other. Knowledge of the basic methods of spatial measurements may eventually help the surveyors to solve the problems they are facing in their own field more effectively.
Foreign students from Beirut were able to demonstrate their skills and understanding of the course material within the case competition framework. The task for them was to design a training site for geodetic engineers.
Another student, Zaidan Rebal Ghanem, also shared his impressions on the program "Most of all, I liked the classes we had on Ground Laser Scanning. All over the world, this technology is actively used to preserve the original appearance of cultural heritage objects. Besides, it can be used for monitoring deformation of buildings, various facilities and other objects, which is undoubtedly important for those involved in underground mining. Hopefully, this summer school trip will become our tradition".
For more information on summer school programmes, such as requirements, duration, fees etc., please follow the link.
