Category: Университетская жизнь /

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

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The closing ceremony of the All-Russian Student Forum "Your Move – 2025" was held in Moscow. It is being implemented by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. The "Your Move" project is an event of the presidential platform "Russia – Land of Opportunity" as part of the National Project "Youth and Children."

In the fifth season of the "Your Move" project, Polytechnic students became winners in the tracks "I Do," "I Determine," and "I Inspire."

In the "I Do" track, 100 winners from across Russia were selected from 12,000 applications, 17 of whom are studying at universities in St. Petersburg.

Three polytechnic students became the winners of the track and received cash prizes of 1,000,000 rubles each.

Ekaterina Makarova, Institute of Biological Sciences and Biology. Project: "EuroFoods Awards Culinary Championship." Tatyana Sedegova, Institute of Mathematics and Information Technology. Project: "Formation of Halide Perovskite Crystals in Radiation-Resistant Glass." Danil Dyuryagin, Institute of Geology. Project: "Laboratory for Creating Effective Methods for Parental Support of Graduates 'USE Family'" (*Tatar: "Family").

Over the course of eight months, participants in the "I Do" track launched and implemented socially significant projects on various topics. The leaders completed a series of challenges—from developing a project specification to solving case studies and filming video presentations—and then presented their findings to experts during an online and in-person defense, which was held for students from the Northwestern Federal District in Roshchino, Leningrad Oblast.

Ekaterina Makarova shared her impressions of participating: "This was my third time participating in the 'I Do' track. Every year, I refine and scale my project. The path to victory was challenging: completing eight months of competition tasks, meeting strict deadlines, and investing maximum effort and time into my own project—"EuroFoods Awards Culinary ChampionshipThis year, I believed in myself and felt I would achieve my long-awaited victory in the fifth season. And so it happened! I want to thank everyone who cheered for me and supported me: my family, my team, my mentors, and my friends. Your support was incredibly important to me!

Polytechnic University students also made it into the top 200 winners of the "I Determine" track—a project in which participants complete surveys on the platform and influence real changes in the educational environment.

The winners of the “I define” track were: Ekaterina Makarova (IBBSiB), Ekaterina Kushner (IBBSiB), Mikhail Alekseev (IKNK), Diana Zaydullina (IPMET).

The "Inspire" track focused on developing regional teams, assessing their performance, rewarding achievements, and encouraging active participation in the project. Third place in the track went to a regional team from St. Petersburg, coordinated by Polytechnic University student Ivan Barsukov (IMMiT). The team received 150,000 rubles for development in 2026.

Participating in competitions like these helps develop the skills needed for life in the modern world. I've been involved in this project for several years now, and every year I improve both myself and my projects. Here, I learned how to assemble a team, effectively use resources, collaborate with partners, and share responsibility. I'd like to express my gratitude to all the organizers of the presidential platform's "Russia – Land of Opportunity" project for the knowledge that helps me now and will definitely be useful in the future! — shared Danil Dyuryagin.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Russian scientists have achieved the first-ever precise determination of the origin of special waves in plasma—Alfvén oscillations. This discovery provides the key to solving one of the key problems in the safety and efficiency of controlled thermonuclear fusion, which is particularly relevant in the development of future energy sources. The measurement technique was developed at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. The experiment was conducted on the unique Globus-M2 spherical tokamak at the A.F. Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute.

Alfvén oscillations are a special type of wave that occurs in plasma (an ionized gas) in the presence of a magnetic field. With a slight perturbation, the particles and the magnetic field itself begin to oscillate together, like a string carrying a wave. These oscillations propagate along magnetic fields and are observed both in laboratory setups and in space. For his theoretical description of these oscillations, Swedish physicist Hannes Alfvén received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1970.

In laboratory settings, Alfvén oscillations are studied using toroidal (doughnut-shaped) magnetic plasma confinement devices, such as tokamaks. This design allows hot plasma, with temperatures up to 100 million degrees Celsius, to be confined using magnetic fields, preventing it from coming into contact with the walls. Tokamaks create conditions similar to those found inside the Sun, allowing energy to be generated through thermonuclear fusion. Alfvén oscillations inside tokamaks have a dual effect. While they facilitate energy and particle transfer, they can also lead to heat loss or instabilities, which can lead to plasma escaping the magnetic field and subsequent melting of the structure's walls. Therefore, studying the physical processes inside such devices is particularly important. Existing theoretical models and computer calculations have described how these oscillations should behave, but experimentally testing the theory under the challenging conditions of a real toroidal device has previously been elusive.

St. Petersburg scientists have achieved two important results for the first time in the world while studying Alfvén oscillations in the plasma of the Globus-M2 spherical tokamak at the Ioffe Institute.

"First, we experimentally determined where exactly Alfvén oscillations originate and exist within the toroidal setup. Measurements were conducted using microwave Doppler backscatter (DBS) diagnostics, developed by scientists at the Polytechnic University. This diagnostics allowed us to measure the electric field amplitude of Alfvén oscillations directly in the region of their development. Second, we discovered that different types of Alfvén oscillations and their harmonics can have different localizations," explained Alexander Yashin, PhD in Physics and Mathematics and head of the "High-Temperature Plasma Diagnostics" research laboratory at the Institute of Physics and Mechanics at St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

Since the plasma temperature inside the tokamak is too high, the use of standard contact sensors for measurements is limited.

The Doppler backscatter method uses microwave radiation scattered by inhomogeneities in the plasma. This allows for remote and local measurement of key parameters. To ensure reliability, the Doppler backscatter data were compared with data from magnetic probes, which are traditionally used to study the dynamics of Alfvén oscillations but cannot provide information on their location or the local value of their amplitude. The comparison showed that the different methods yield consistent results, noted Arseny Tokarev, a research assistant at the Scientific Laboratory of Advanced Methods for Studying Spherical Tokamak Plasma at the Institute of Physics and Mechanics of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

Alfvén oscillations lead to significant losses of fast particles in the plasma. Their role in thermonuclear fusion is difficult to overestimate. Firstly, only they have sufficient energy to approach and interact, resulting in a thermonuclear fusion reaction. Secondly, they transfer part of their energy to slower particles, thereby increasing the plasma temperature. To achieve efficient and safe thermonuclear fusion, it is important to minimize the loss of high-energy particles. For example, according to calculations, the ITER experimental thermonuclear reactor, being built by an international research team in France, will withstand no more than a two percent loss of fast particles. Alfvén oscillations can cause much more significant losses. Therefore, the experimental data on the localization of Alfvén oscillations in plasma obtained by St. Petersburg scientists is a valuable contribution to the development of global thermonuclear energy.

The research was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation under the state assignment in the field of science, project No. FSEG 2024 0005, using the Federal Center for Shared Use "Materials Science and Diagnostics in Advanced Technologies" of the A.F. Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, which includes the unique scientific facility "Spherical Tokamak Globus-M."

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

A project by students from the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials, and Transport at SPbPU won a grant competition from the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh). The initiative, "Creating an Advanced Educational Course: Robotics and Chemistry—At the Crossroads of Two Sciences," received support in the second season of the Rosmolodezh.Grants competition. 978,000 rubles were allocated for the project.

The project will be developed and implemented at the IMMiT, in the Department of Applied Chemistry, and at the Scientific and Educational Center "Nanotechnology and Coatings."

The project was led by Mikhail Udovichenko, a first-year master's student at the Higher School of Physics and Technology. The project team included Tatyana Sedegova (first-year master's student at the Higher School of Physics and Technology), Nikita Dybin (fourth-year at the Higher School of Physics and Technology), Artem Tereshkov (third-year at the Higher School of Architecture and Radioelectronics), and Polina Sorokina (third-year at the Institute of Biological, Social, and Biological Sciences). The entire team is a member of the ChemTeam student chemistry association. The project mentors were Alexander Semencha, Head of the Department of Applied Chemistry and Director of the Nanotechnology and Coatings Research Center, and Viktor Klinkov, a research fellow at the Nanotechnology and Coatings Research Center.

The project's main goal is to develop professional competencies in the development of robotic systems for the chemical industry among students from SPbPU and other relevant universities, as well as schoolchildren from St. Petersburg. The training program includes mastering new technologies, from the use of artificial intelligence and programming in the chemical industry to practical work in the REC laboratory.

The project will result in the creation of a unique curriculum and teaching materials, as well as a course pilot, during which participants, together with experienced mentors, will present innovative solutions for the chemical industry.

The implementation of this initiative will engage talented young people in the research activities of the Nanotechnology and Coatings Research and Education Center and train specialists in priority areas of scientific and technological development.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.