Employees of the Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University from the 68th Russian Antarctic Expedition at the invitation of the famous ocean scientist Arthur Chilingarov took part in the educational project "Meeting of Generations", which took place in Moscow. The purpose of this event, timed to coincide with the 110th anniversary of the discovery of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago, was to popularise work in the Arctic Circle among middle school students, including those from new regions.
Representatives of the first technical university of our country told the children about the complicated logistics of Antarctic expeditions, the importance of relict ice, formed hundreds of thousands of years ago, for research in the field of climate change, the peculiarities of the geological structure of the White Continent.
As explained by Danil Serbin, Leading Engineer of the Arctic Science Centre, the delegates of the Mining University participated in the events organised by the Association of Polar Explorers for the second time this year. The most important conclusion that can be drawn from these meetings is that the new generation of Russians is obviously interested in becoming miners, sailors, geologists, meteorologists, ensuring a generational change in these professions.
"We are happy to share with young explorers our invaluable experience we have gained in the Arctic and Antarctic. In my lecture I told in detail about who is a "Research Engineer", showed the path from the idea to the real implementation of technologies and technical means of glacier drilling. I am sure that such meetings will become fundamental for many children in terms of choosing their future profession. It is important, because the earlier you understand what you want and what life path you are ready to follow, the better specialist you will become in the future," emphasised Danil Serbin.
His colleague, postgraduate student Dmitry Vasiliev said that he was pleasantly surprised by sincere interest of schoolchildren in the subject of Antarctic research. At the end of the lecture they asked him a lot of questions about how to get to the Sixth Continent, what fields of training one should enter to become a polar explorer, what living conditions scientists and engineers live in at the Russian research station "Vostok", which is located in the coldest place on Earth.
Nikita Krikun, Assistant of the Department of Historical and Dynamic Geology of the Mining University, noted that the schoolchildren who took part in the meeting of generations will soon face "a very difficult choice of their future profession". And he expressed hope that many of them will enrol in St. Petersburg university and after graduation will also go to work in the Arctic or Antarctica, which still keeps a huge number of secrets.
"Such events allow students to learn about a wide range of specialities related to work in the polar regions - from shipboard positions to professions in demand in the mining industry. And decide for themselves whether they are ready to connect their lives with interesting, but at the same time very hard labour at the "edge of the Earth". In turn, for the lecturers, it is an opportunity to communicate with representatives of the younger generation, to find out what they dream about and want, as well as to expand the circle of business contacts, meet colleagues, many of whom are unique specialists," Nikita Krikun shared his impressions.
One of such one-of-a-kind professionals is Diana Kijiji. She is the first girl in the world to serve as a senior assistant captain of a nuclear-powered icebreaker, i.e. the second person on a nuclear-powered ship.
