The festival of scientific discoveries and inventions “Arctic Fest” was held in Norilsk and Dudinka (video)
In the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the festival of scientific discoveries and inventions “Arctic Fest” brought together more than 3.5 thousand participants.
The grand opening of the festival on April 10 brought together almost a thousand schoolchildren and students to the Ayka complex. The large-scale engineering performance began with a laser show and a motivational video “We are the future.” The participants were greeted by Larisa Zelkova, Senior Vice President, Head of HR, Social Policy and Public Relations at Norilsk Nickel.
“The festival is a good way to test yourself. That is why today we see such a large number of our children who gladly respond to the call to see with their own eyes that science is always exciting, and not boring and as it is written in the textbook. Today's movement is the best indicator that the festival is a popular format. “He explains, points fingers and turns boring scientific laws into interesting life,” she said.
“Arctic Fest” brings together events initiated by local schools, clubs, creative houses and other associations. In total, 40 such organizations gathered in Norilsk. In 2 days they conducted 260 different master classes, games, competitions and quick training programs.
For example, the Young Technicians Station organized several open workshops for all ages. Students assembled brush bots, paper puzzles, and motorized mini-robots. Engineers from the Norilskproekt Institute helped schoolchildren with the design of buildings using graphic programs. Students from the Norilsk College of Industrial Technologies and Services were taught an express method for controlling unmanned vehicles. The Oganer children's art school held master classes on sand animation, where children and adults created paintings for Cosmonautics Day. At the “Melting Plastic” workshop, festival guests made wax seals from plastic. Interactive master classes were also presented from the Art-Podval creativity studio, the Stupeni center for personal development and initiatives, the Green Patrol, Medical Volunteers, the Snowboard Federation, the 3D Printing Kitchen and many other organizations in the city of Norilsk.
Also, over three days, 13 lectures were held on such topics as: “Artificial intelligence in the animal world” from Skolkovo Institute employee Ilya Gomyranov, “Financial literacy for schoolchildren” from Maxim Trofimov, general director of Digital Assets, “What is embodied artificial intelligence” from the head of the MIPT laboratory Alexey Kovalev, what secrets can be revealed by the high-tech electronic microscope on which it works metallurgist-researcher Yulia Savinova at Gipronickel LLC, and what modern technologies are now top in the mining industry in the construction of deep mines, which Andrey Davydov, Deputy Head of the Directorate for Development of the Skalisty Mine of the Polar Branch of Nornickel Company, knows firsthand.
During the festival, on April 10, the final of the IMAKE Young Inventors Competition took place. 13 finalists presented their projects to the jury. The competition helps support the student’s first creative engineering ideas and discoveries, and his inventive activity. Over the 7 years of the project’s existence, more than 10 thousand people became its participants.
The guest of the festival in Norilsk was blogger and musician Maxim Lutchak, who became famous thanks to his ironic videos about the zoomer generation and everyday life. He took part in the battle of generations “Era to Era” and was touched by the warm welcome of the Norilsk people.
The three-day festival ended with a special program in Dudinka, where on Cosmonautics Day, astrophysicist, candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, junior researcher at the laboratory of digital controlled drugs and theranostics of the Krasnoyarsk Scientific Center SB RAS, founder of the association of astronomy enthusiasts “KrasAstro” Roman Moryachkov gave an open popular science lecture for students of Taimyr College. They also had areas with neuro-experiments, scientific experiments, and even mini-training using the methods of the International Power Tech competitions held in Taiwan.
“In order to build an environment in which schoolchildren will be interested, first of all, adults themselves need to change their approach. Because you can easily captivate a child if you show science and technology at your fingertips. So that the guys are not listeners, but participants, they themselves try to solder, assemble, so that they get a working model that they can present to the world, says Irina Zhuikova, Director of the Social Policy Department of Norilsk Nickel. — Yes, investing in children is a long-term investment, but we are already seeing their return when our schoolchildren-makers return to our project as mentors for new inventors. We now have about 25 active mentors – current students who help the guys make prototypes, bring ideas to fruition, give advice and inspire by their example. This is a real family of inventors that can do a lot.”
The next festival will be held in Chita on April 19 on the basis of the Trans-Baikal Regional Philharmonic, and on April 24-15 the last festival site will open its doors in Monchegorsk.
