Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
At the end of January, Novosibirsk State University hosted the YADRO Laboratory's Winter Systems Bootcamp—an intensive educational program for students interested in systems development, low-level programming, and formal verification of software systems. The final stage of the bootcamp included project defenses.
Over the course of a week, participants worked on engineering projects under the guidance of lab curators, attended general educational lectures on the latest technologies, and mastered modern approaches to systems development. According to the organizers, the key goal of the bootcamp was not only to acquire practical skills but also to develop a holistic, systemic view of the IT engineering profession.
According to the Deputy Dean for Graduate Studies Faculty of Information Technology According to NSU's (FIT) Director of the YADRO Laboratory, Alexander Vlasov, the bootcamp was initially designed as an intensive program with a high degree of student engagement.
"Today is our last day of the project. Tomorrow, the teams will present their final presentations to company experts and project mentors. The team is currently actively preparing: refining the code, compiling, fixing errors, and finishing assembling the IoT devices," Alexander Vlasov noted, addressing the participants.
Each project was supported by a mentor/curator, who was constantly involved in the team's work. Midway through the week, the participants also presented interim results, identified key challenges, and formulated goals for the final stage.
A key part of the bootcamp was a series of general educational lectures that complemented the project work and helped participants better understand their colleagues' tasks:
"We selected the lectures to be useful for both those just beginning their exploration of systems development and those already in their senior years of specialized programs. For some, this was an introduction to a new field, while for others, it was a way to systematize and expand on their existing knowledge," noted Alexander Vlasov.
The bootcamp consisted of four lectures. The opening lecture, delivered remotely by YADRO representative Ilya Mamaev, focused on the use of hardware breakpoints in the Linux operating system.
Nikolai Repin presented the CDM educational architecture to students. The lecture covered the architecture's goals, its current applications, and future development prospects.
"There were essentially two key ideas in the lecture: first, if a modern developer wants to call themselves a qualified specialist, they need to have a basic understanding of systems development and how their platform operates at a low level. The second important idea was the need to develop educational materials for one of the core undergraduate disciplines, something we are actively pursuing."
Particular attention was paid to fundamental issues of computing device architecture. Dmitry Irtegov delivered a lecture on this topic. According to the organizers, it was useful for both students in non-core programs and those studying at the Faculty of Information Technologies (FIT), due to its systemic perspective and in-depth coverage of the core curriculum.
"Understanding what's happening at the low level and how the various system components are interconnected is especially important for IT specialists today. IT is a very broad field today, and many people are under the illusion that they can develop in a narrow specialization without a general understanding of how the system as a whole works. In my opinion, this is a misguided and even dangerous approach. The market is changing rapidly, and retraining is much easier for those with a systemic perspective: an understanding of how things are connected, what is possible and what isn't, and where the industry's global challenges lie. This perspective inevitably includes knowledge of low-level processes," noted Dmitry Irtegov.
The final lecture was by Dmitry Kondratiev (Institute of Informatics Systems SB RAS), dedicated to deductive program verification—one of the most knowledge-intensive and promising areas of the modern IT industry.
"Deductive verification allows us to guarantee the correctness of programs, unlike conventional testing. Today, we are at the intersection of science and practice, where complex theoretical methods are beginning to be applied to real-world projects," emphasized Dmitry Kondratiev.
According to him, the development of artificial intelligence and automatic code generation makes the role of humans as specialists responsible for verifying and ensuring the correctness of software solutions particularly important. The potential applicability of such methods is exceptionally broad, especially in areas of systems development where reliability is critical: in the space industry, banking, robotics, and artificial intelligence systems.
The lecturer also noted that NSU students demonstrate a high level of preparation and are able to master even complex theoretical areas thanks to their strong mathematical foundation.
All projects presented at the YADRO Lab's Winter Systems Bootcamp were successfully defended. Students received certificates of participation. There were no winners determined at the bootcamp, as the emphasis was on educational outcomes and teamwork.
Students who continue their project work at the YADRO lab may be eligible for special company scholarships. All bootcamp participants demonstrated good performance and were invited to participate in the selection process. summer internship "Impulse", which potentially provides the opportunity for an internship in a product team.
The winter bootcamp provided participants with an opportunity not only to gain practical experience in systems development but also to immerse themselves in the modern IT industry through engineering challenges, teamwork, and dialogue with representatives of science and industry.
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