On Board an Icebreaker of Knowledge

27.08.2024

On Board an Icebreaker of Knowledge

To find yourself at the North Pole during the hot summer - isn't that a miracle!

Inessa A. Gracheva, candidate of technical sciences, acting head of the Research & Development Department, associate professor of the Information Security Department of the Institute of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science of Tula State University, visited the other side of the globe. She became a participant in the 5th International Scientific and Educational Expedition "Icebreaker of Knowledge", organized by the State Atomic Energy Corporation "Rosatom".

The young scientist successfully passed all four stages (a motivation letter, a quiz on the nuclear industry, a self-presentation and a presentation of how a person can be useful during the expedition) of the competitive selection, held as part of the World Youth Festival in Sochi in March of this year. Representatives of the management of the State Atomic Energy Corporation "Rosatom", headed by General Director Alexey Evgenievich Likhachev, acted as experts.

— I think the secret of my victory lies in my achievements, in the experience I have accumulated from participating in various projects, — Inessa A. Gracheva said. — And the expedition was worth all the effort!

The participants sailed on board a nuclear icebreaker "50 Years of Victory". Their route ran from the city of Murmansk to the North Pole with a stop on the way back to the Franz Josef Land archipelago.

The winners of the competition, including a young scientist from Tula State University, shared their knowledge with the gifted schoolchildren from all over Russia, as well as from countries where there are representative offices of the Rosatom State Corporation — Armenia, India, China, Uzbekistan and others.

Inessa A. Gracheva organized a hackathon to generate ideas for popularizing the "Icebreaker of Knowledge" expedition.

— To say that I have a lot of impressions is to say nothing! This only happens once in a lifetime! And I am very happy that it happened to me! - she admitted. - I remember the trip because of the communication with very smart, creative guys and girls and, of course, incredibly cool experts. On bourd the icebreaker, we met with the theoretical crystallographer, mineralogist, chemist, teacher, professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences Artem Romaevich Oganov, met with the paleoanthropologist, popularizer of the scientific worldview, associate professor of the anthropology department of the Lomonosov Moscow State University Stanislav Vladimirovich Drobyshevsky, general director of the Russian society "Knowledge" Maxim Alekseevich Dreval, popularizer of science, senior lecturer of the department of engineering radioecology and radiochemical technology of the St. Petersburg State Technological Institute (Technical University) Andrey Andreevich Akatov, winner of the competition "Teacher of the Year of Russia - 2023" Oleg Igorevich Yankovsky and many other interesting people. The program of events was very rich, and the number of highly qualified experts was as impressive as the views overboard!

Inessa A. Gracheva saw the Arctic Ocean, icebergs, huge glaciers and a bird colony for the first time in her life. If this spectacle is amazing on TV, then what can we say about a person who was able to contemplate all this with her own eyes!..

— The nature of the North Pole is cold and harsh. But beautiful in its own way! — Inessa A. Gracheva said. — I was especially delighted by the ice and its incredible shade. Not the part of it that is on the surface, but the part that is hidden under water and is shown only when the icebreaker breaks the ice and turns it over. It is difficult to convey in words! And, of course, I was totally amazed by the encounters in the wild with whales, walruses and birds. Yes, such a trip, exciting and educational, will stay in my memory forever!

Tatyana Krikunkova