LETI: Current Technologies and Social Projects in the Northern Capital- International Summer University Ended at LETI
A closing ceremony of the international project “Summer University” took place at LETI. Fifty students from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Syria participated in the project.
Anastasia Minina, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at LETI, addressed the students with a speech.
“Feel that you are lucky. During these two weeks, you got a unique opportunity to dive into technical details, look at beautiful views of St. Petersburg and feel the life of the first electrotechnical university in Europe. I hope this program helped you look at many things from a new angle, gain knowledge, open opportunities, and, perhaps, decide to continue your studies at LETI.”
Anastasia Minina, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at LETI
For two weeks, participants studied cutting-edge technologies in autonomous transportation, biomedicine, automation and mechatronics, and the Russian language for engineering. The students also developed a social project and visited major attractions of St. Petersburg.
In classes devoted to smart city technology and autonomous vehicles, students learned the basic ideas of creating driverless cars. The participants tried out the necessary libraries to develop programs that will control such transportation and were introduced to the Python programming language and computer vision technologies. They tested and refined their algorithms at the Robotarium on the Duckietown platform.
“Students in our program gained a spectrum of skills in programming, learned how to work with hardware, and how to configure and manage the infrastructure of a smart city. If you look at where the technological reality is heading, these are the competencies that they will need in real life.”
Kirill Krinkin, Vice-Rector for Digital Transformation at LETI
Participants in the Biomedical Systems and Technology program delved into the world of healthcare equipment development. They studied the main stages of medical device development, beginning with the idea, continuing with the development of the hardware and software parts, and ending with the creation of a general device layout using 3D modeling.
As part of the Mechatronics and Robotics program, which combines programming and design, Summer University 2022 participants were introduced to three aspects of this field. In the first part, the students were told how to automate technological processes. Then they studied protocols and interfaces for programming microcontrollers. The third module was an introduction to developing control systems for mobile robots.
“I decided to participate in Summer University because I wanted to gain experience, see St. Petersburg, meet new friends, and learn more about the world. I studied mechatronics at LETI, and I really liked it here. The teachers here are very qualified, and the conditions are top-notch. I especially liked the class on programming microcontrollers,” said Asylturatbek Dooranov, a student of the Boris Yeltsin Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University.
Students from Syria learned the basics of the Russian language for communication in an engineering environment at LETI. The participants practiced listening comprehension and received language practice using special terms.
A cross-cutting area for all participants of the Summer University was the Social Project Accelerator. As a team with representatives from different countries, they created a passport of a social project and outlined the steps for its implementation. Among the topics are the intelligent assistant in the choice of university to reduce the outflow of graduates from Kazakhstan, advanced training of women from remote areas in the regions of Central Asia, and assistance to victims of domestic violence.
“At LETI, we developed a social project. Often students or employees can’t get enough sleep, so we decided to make capsules where people can take naps to work more productively, get enough energy, and improve their health. It is a great experience for me. My team members are very friendly and intelligent. They have so many great ideas, and we are working very hard to make a good project.”
Aya Hassan, a student of Tishreen University (Syria)
LETI also organized a busy cultural program for the Summer University participants. They visited the main sights of St. Petersburg and got acquainted with Russian traditions. A city tour, excursions to Peterhof, Tsarskoye Selo, Kronstadt, Vyborg, Peter and Paul Fortress, and the Hermitage left an unforgettable impression on the students – they say they would like to return to the Northern Capital as soon as possible. The most memorable event, according to the students, was a workshop on painting matryoshkas, and now the participants will go home with a symbol of Russia made with their hands.
“The cultural program is perfectly planned. We learn a lot about the history of the places we visit. And we also have free time so that we can fully enjoy the beauty of these places and take good pictures,” shared Madina Bigazinova, a student of Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University.
Thanks to the Summer University, more than 670 students from 9 countries were able to gain new knowledge and meet their peers at 14 Russian universities. The main goal of the project is to immerse international students in the Russian scientific and educational space and create sustainable international student communities based on leading Russian universities.