One of the conference events on April 9 was the session "Geology, Geophysics, and Geoecology", gathering over 50 attendants, including schoolchildren, doctoral students, young scientists, teachers, and professors. Fifteen presentations were made by students from Petrozavodsk State University (PetrSU), postgraduates and young scientists from the Institute of Geology KarRC RAS and PetrSU, as well as researchers-to-be from schools of the city.
The conference was opened by one of its organizers, Dr. Svetlana Egorova, Senior Researcher at the Laboratory of Precambrian Geology and Geodynamics of the Institute of Geology KarRC RAS, who wished the participants to have interesting presentations. Then, the floor was given to Alexander Vihko, Chief Geologist at the event's sponsor company, Industry LLC (Polymetal JSC). The specialist’s own career path started with participating in this conference, and now he spoke to the schoolchildren and students about the development prospects for geology-related professions in Russia.
- The government is currently pursuing an active policy in this sphere, which means more funding will be invested in education, and more opportunities will be created. The trend, in my opinion, is positive. The key is to recruit people, and for that, we need to popularize geology starting from school, – emphasized Alexander Vihko.
The specialist believes this conference is a stepping stone for such popularization, conveying the prospects for professional advancement to young people.
Alexander Vihko
An interesting presentation on the Earth's formation history and the geological features of Karelia was delivered by Dr. Sergey Svetov, Director of the Institute of Geology KarRC RAS.
The scientist also remarked that the conference is a kind of a test for professionals-to-be, aspiring a career in geological sciences. For schoolchildren, the conference is a career guidance platform. Students can decide on the vector for their further training – applied or fundamental aspects of the mining sector. Finally, postgraduates have the opportunity to verify their presentations, listen to specifying and critical comments from colleagues, and thus prepare their future dissertation topics.
- This is another permanent event in the personnel training cycle. Our task is to do it starting from school and all the way to postdocs. Here, we’re working at an early stage. We are preparing students-to-be, our future postgraduates and candidates of sciences. That is why it is annual, – explained Sergey Svetov. – The conference is held under the auspices of PetrSU, and we see it as a reliable personnel provider, which is why we treat it with utmost attention.
Sergey Svetov, Director of the Institute of Geology KarRC RAS
The presentations made at the conference covered a range of topics, from Precambrian rocks to young Quaternary deposits and paleoseismic dislocations, as well as the identification and study of minerals.