Category: Университетская жизнь /

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Official website of the State –

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On October 24, the laboratory's grand opening brought together those who pioneered the launch of the RosGeoTech Advanced Engineering School: Andrey Luzhetsky, head of the RosGeoTech Advanced Engineering School at GGNTU and GUU; Vladimir Stroyev, Maria Karelina, and Vitaly Lapshenkov, rector and vice-rectors of GUU; and young scientists from our university. The opening took place ahead of the strategic session "Advanced Engineering Schools: From Launch to Reboot," held by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science and the Sociocenter Federal State Budgetary Institution from October 23–25 in Grozny.

This isn't just a new classroom; it's a modern platform where technological solutions for industry will be developed within the framework of the RosGeoTech Advanced Engineering School (AES). Vladimir Stroyev emphasized the significance of this event: "Our universities have been implementing the AES program for two years now, launching several projects each year, and creating our own specialized laboratory is a logical and natural step. I'm confident that the work will proceed even more rapidly now. I'd like to emphasize that we don't intend to limit ourselves to the AES itself, but will continue to develop projects for the benefit of businesses and the country as a whole."

Andrey Luzhetskiy, head of the PIS, thanked our university for its support: "We face global tasks and challenges that we must respond to promptly. And this is easier and more effective when we have partners like these. All our projects are interconnected and formed into a unified system: identifying wells, including those already shut down, analyzing the possibility of reviving and restarting them, constantly monitoring the situation, monetizing processes, and so on. For example, as part of our joint work with the State University of Management on the ABRIS project, we are developing software systems that will enable us to obtain information on a completely new level. It's gratifying to see your ideas come to life."

The Digital Innovation Lab's primary focus is the promising projects "ABRIS" and "GeoMap." The former is developing mobile and stationary robotic platforms with drones for the automatic monitoring of industrial facilities—from pipelines to complex infrastructure. The latter is dedicated to analyzing economic and environmental efficiency: specialists are assessing the benefits of mothballing old wells or converting them to geothermal power.

ABRIS and GeoMap not only train new-level specialists but also serve as the foundation for the implementation of innovative monitoring technologies in the oil and gas, energy, transportation, and agro-industrial sectors.

Subscribe to the "Our GUU" Telegram channel. Publication date: October 24, 2025.

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 –

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Today's featured subject is Mikhail Simchuk, Director of the Department of Transport and Mechanization at Polytechnic University. He recently received the Polytechnic University's honorary award "For Merit." For over 10 years, Mikhail Viktorovich has worked at Polytechnic University, heading the Department of Transport. Under his leadership, several departments and the Polytechnic University's auto center operate smoothly and efficiently.

Mikhail Simchuk was born in Volgograd, lived for several years on Sakhalin, and after graduating from military academy, served in Leningrad. In 1997, he was awarded the Order of Courage for his service in Chechnya. Mikhail's son also became a defender of the Motherland. In 2024, Viktor Simchuk, a participant in the special military operation, was awarded the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland," 2nd Class.

Read about how his childhood dream of the sky led him to the North Caucasus, why honesty is a practical skill, and how combat experience helps him lead a civilian team.interview on the website of the newspaper "Polytechnic".

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 –

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The Belarusian-Russian University hosted a scientific and practical conference with international participation, "II BRU-SPbPU Ecological Week." Representing St. Petersburg Polytechnic University were Marina Petrochenko, Director of the Institute of Civil Engineering; Associate Professor Mikhail Romanov, responsible for the institute's international activities; and three graduate students and one master's student from the Institute of Civil Engineering.

The conference opening was addressed by Viktor Pashkevich, Vice-Rector for Research at BRU, and Marina Petrochenko, Director of the Institute of Social Studies at SPbPU.

"Cooperation between Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and the Belarusian-Russian University extends beyond this international conference. It encompasses joint research, academic mobility for students and faculty, and the development of educational programs," noted Viktor Pashkevich.

Marina Petrochenko welcomed all conference participants and emphasized the importance of the event for developing environmental awareness and promoting sustainable solutions in environmental engineering: "The development of engineering technologies must be closely linked to ensuring the environmental safety of cities and populations. Trends such as green design and construction, the circular economy, intelligent environmental technologies, and social and environmental entrepreneurship must become a central part of our professional and educational agenda. We are especially pleased that young people—the specialists who will implement innovative solutions—are actively participating in this process."

The opening ceremony also featured welcoming remarks from BRU Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Natalia Vologina, Dean of the BRU Faculty of Civil Engineering Olga Golushkova, Head of the BRU Department of Technosphere Safety Alexander Shchur, International Affairs Director Mikhail Romanov, and Rossotrudnichestvo Representative in the Republic of Belarus Yuri Makushin.

The conference featured plenary and breakout sessions, where participants presented over 40 papers across six thematic areas, both online and offline. The conference brought together over 150 specialists, representatives of universities, research institutes, and undergraduate and graduate students from six countries.

Under the leadership of Rossotrudnichestvo, a Rosatom State Corporation exhibition was organized, showcasing cutting-edge technologies and environmentally responsible solutions in the nuclear industry. Guests were also treated to a tour of the BRU laboratories, the University Museum, and a sightseeing tour of Mogilev. A collection of papers will be published based on the conference results, indexed by the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI).

"Holding such events is an important area of our joint work, contributing to the strengthening of scientific and educational ties within the Union State, the development of international academic cooperation, and practice-oriented collaboration in the ESG and environmental fields. We are convinced that the Ecological Week events have made a significant contribution to the development of scientific dialogue, strengthened mutual understanding and friendship between our countries, and inspired participants to pursue new achievements and projects," noted Yuri Makushin, representative of Rossotrudnichestvo in the Republic of Belarus.

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: Official website of the State –

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On October 24, 1935, the first five-pointed star was installed on the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin, replacing the double-headed eagle. Why was this decision made, and what are the stars made of?

Symbol of the new power

The question of replacing the imperial eagles on the Kremlin towers with figures symbolizing a new period in the country's life has arisen repeatedly since 1917. Several proposals were made regarding what exactly to replace the heraldic eagles with: the USSR coat of arms, gilded emblems, etc. The "star of Mars with a plow and hammer" symbol was approved by order of the People's Commissar of War and the Navy, Leon Trotsky, on May 7, 1918.

Initially, the star was a military attribute, the wearing of which threatened civilians with court martial. After the Civil War, it was incorporated into the flags and coats of arms of the USSR and the Union republics.

Thus, the five-pointed red star became a symbol of the state and the dominant ideology, complementing the complex official coat of arms. During these same years, its new symbolic meaning emerged: the five rays represent the five continents that would soon unite under the banner of communism.

The stars aligned

In the first years after the Revolution, the authorities lacked both the financial and technical capacity to replace the eagles. In 1930, at the request of the NKVD, art historian and restorer Igor Grabar conducted an expert assessment of them. He determined that "none of the eagles currently on the Kremlin towers constitutes a historical monument and cannot be protected as such." In late 1931, the cost of installing a new symbol of power was approved—over 95,000 rubles, a colossal sum for the time. Work began in August 1935.

Incidentally, the last documentary reminder of the Tsar's eagles over the Kremlin was Grigory Alexandrov's 1936 film "Circus": the imperial decorations can be seen in the final scene of the athletes' parade on Red Square.

Star matter

Initially, the artist Yevgeny Lanceray was tasked with preparing sketches of the stars, but Stalin twice returned his drawings, demanding the removal of first the "center circles," then the "fastening sticks." After this, Yevgeny Lanceray was removed from the project and assigned to theatrical designer and academician Fyodor Fyodorovsky.

The stars were welded from high-alloy stainless steel and covered with gilded copper sheets. The new symbols became true works of art—68 kg of gold were used for their manufacture, each adorned with a hammer and sickle weighing a total of 240 kg, as well as over 7,000 gemstone inlays, including aquamarines, amethysts, topazes, rock crystal, and alexandrites.

Each star differed in its artistic design. For example, the star on the Spasskaya Tower was decorated with rays radiating from the center to the top. The star on the Trinity Tower had rays shaped like ears of grain, the Borovitskaya Tower had a pattern that followed the outline of the five-pointed star itself, and the Nikolskaya Tower star had no design at all.

To ensure the Kremlin walls could support the weight of the new symbols, the brickwork of the towers' upper floors was reinforced and additional metal bracing was installed around the perimeter. The Nikolskaya Tower's tent was completely dismantled and rebuilt.

Little star, shine!

However, the first stars quickly lost their beauty and luster: in just two years, the stones had become dull and the coating had become smoky. Furthermore, they were disproportionately large and did not fit well with the architectural ensemble.

In May 1937, it was decided to install a replacement made of ruby glass and replace the amber ones with internal lighting. This was intended to prevent the figures from rusting and make it easier to remove soot and dirt. Another innovation was the creation of a fifth star for the Vodovzvodnaya Tower.

People's artist Fyodor Fyodorovsky redefined the shape and design of the stars, proposing a ruby-colored glass and different sizes so that they would look identical from the ground.

The recipe for ruby glass was developed by glassmaker Nikanor Kurochkin, who later supervised the melting and processing of the material. It was he who proposed creating stars with double glazing: the inner surface was made of milky glass, without which the ruby glass would appear black during the day, and the air gap between the layers diffused the light sources within the star. For his outstanding achievements in glassmaking, Kurochkin was awarded the Stalin Prize.

During the Great Patriotic War, the stars suffered significant damage and were reconstructed from 1945 to 1946. The internal lighting and cooling mechanisms were improved, and the glass was laminated using a special technology.

The everlasting light

The Moscow Kremlin's star illumination operates around the clock, with the lamps burning more intensely during the day than at night to maintain their ruby glow. They have an independent power supply, so the Kremlin symbol won't fade even during a power outage, and the new-generation energy-saving bulbs don't produce carbon deposits, maintaining the star's constant brightness.

Apart from wartime and post-war renovations, the stars were turned off only once: in the mid-1990s during the filming of The Barber of Siberia, at the personal request of director Nikita Mikhalkov to President B.N. Yeltsin.

Subscribe to the "Our GUU" Telegram channel. Publication date: October 24, 2025.

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.