A Postgraduate Student at Samara University Became a Finalist in the Scientific and Educational Project “Scientific Universe”

Olga Zhaldybina, a postgraduate student from Samara National Research University, is among 36 schoolchildren, students, and young scientists from across Russia competing for a trip to the Vostochny Cosmodrome. This is a gift for the winners of the all-Russian “Scientific Universe” competition, the results of which will be announced on October 24 in Moscow at the Atom Museum at VDNKh.

The project is implemented with the grant support of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation within the framework of the “Science to Win” initiative of the Decade of Science and Technology and is aimed at forming an interest in science among the younger generation and attracting talented youth to research and development.

“I learned about the competition from social media: I saw it and decided to try it out of curiosity. Until the very end, I didn't believe I'd make it to the semifinals or finals, because there are so many talented people participating in the competition,” shared Olga Zhaldybina, a finalist from the Samara region and a university postgraduate student.

An expert jury, comprised of young scientist mentors for the project and members of the Coordinating Council for Youth Affairs in Science and Education of the Presidential Council for Science and Education, selected 36 finalists with whom it will continue to work on the industrial case and help prepare for the finals. Students from Lomonosov Moscow State University, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Samara National Research University, Don State Technical University, as well as students from specialized schools and lyceums, reached the finals.

To advance to the finals, participants had to propose a solution to an industry case within the chosen track, formulated by the competition's strategic partners.

Thus, in the “Space Exploration” track, the state corporation Roscosmos proposed the task of disassembling the launcher of a small high-precision descent vehicle. A participant from the Samara region addressed an issue related to the development of the Northern Sea Route. She had to use space-based Earth observation equipment, spacecraft, and, when developing the project, she had to comply with the safety conditions for cargo transportation. “Since the topic of my final qualifying work, and subsequently my dissertation, is the development of a small radar spacecraft, I took it as an idea to use a radar spacecraft as a means of monitoring ships on the routes of the Northern Sea Route. Proposed a solution to this case problem in a presentation format and as a result became a finalist,” Olga Zhaldybina said.

“The guys delighted us with their ingenuity and systematic approach. I would especially like to note that, looking to the future, they see themselves not only as successful professionals, but also as those who benefit the country and humanity. Just as the apple gave Newton inspiration, and the wicker basket gave Shukhov inspiration, I hope that participating in the competition will inspire the students to new ideas and discoveries,” Alexey Agafonov, Deputy Director General for Design Support and Development at JSC Atomenergoproekt and Head of the Engineering Design Competence Center at Rosatom State Corporation noted.

As a result, the semi-finalists proposed a variety of promising projects and strategies, such as the development of agriculture through the implementation of “green” technologies with the prospect of reducing methane emissions by 30–40% in the “Bioeconomics” track, a program for the development of the transport industry through the introduction of innovative tires for unmanned transport systems in the “New Materials and Chemistry” track, preventive methods for combating the problem of childhood obesity in the “Genetics and Personalized Medicine” track, predicted the amount of CO2 emissions up to 2030 in the “Information Technology and Big Data” track, and worked with technologies anticipated by science fiction writers within the “Science Fiction” track.

In the next stage, the finalists will refine their projects under the guidance of mentors and prepare to present their solutions to a panel of experts. 18 winners will have the opportunity to visit the Vostochny cosmodrome.