A delegation from ASU participated in a round table on the creation of an interuniversity association for interaction with a megascience-class mega-installation
Novosibirsk State Technical University hosted a round table on the creation of an interuniversity association for interaction with a megascience-class mega-installation – SKIF. The delegation of ASU consisted of Deputy Vice-Rector for Research, Candidate of Biological Sciences Alexey Vaganov, Director of the Institute of Digital Technologies, Electronics and Physics, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Sergei Makarov, Head of the Department of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry and Chemical-Pharmaceutical Technologies, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Sergei Beznosyuk.
The Shared-Use Center SKIF is a complex of 34 buildings and structures, as well as engineering and technological equipment, which ensures scientific research using synchrotron radiation beams. It will also be cable of solving current problems faced by innovative and industrial enterprises. The customer and developer of SKIF was the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, the executor of a complex of works on the manufacture, assembly, supply and commissioning of technologically complex equipment of the accelerator complex the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, SB RAS, the general designer was Rosatom, and the general contractor for the construction was the Titan-2 holding.
The participants of the round table were primarily representatives of universities in the Siberian Federal District, other educational institutions of the country, the administration of the Shared-Use Center SKIF and the science city of Koltsovo. The event coordinator was Olga Kolesova, Head of the NSTU project “Siberian Universities and the Shared-Use Center SKIF: Vectors of Integration”. The event was opened by Doctor of Technical Sciences, Rector of the Novosibirsk State Technical University, specialist in the field of materials science Anatoly Bataev.
The agenda of the meeting was carefully prepared, allowing for a comprehensive discussion of the project, both from the standpoint of science and education, and work with talented schoolchildren. Participants were introduced to the concept of the SKIF Center, its capabilities for universities, the current role of technical universities in the development of the Shared-Use Center SKIF, and the development of equipment for stations. They also discussed SKIF’s needs for personnel and opportunities for internships and joint educational programs. The Shared-Use Center SKIF is expected to significantly enhance the prestige of natural science disciplines for schoolchildren. It is planned that an interdisciplinary approach to teaching will be developed based on this advanced complex.
“Russian science will grow from 2025 with the Siberian ring source of photons - SKIF! The SKIF synchrotron complex uses electrons traveling along a kilometer ring at approximately the speed of light to generate X-ray photons. Radiation flows through filtering channels are diverted to various laboratories located along the perimeter of the ring and distributed for research into objects of physics, chemistry and biology. The construction of compact scientific towns around mega-installations such as SKIF is a modern trend in the development of nature research throughout the world. SKIF, located in Koltsovo near Novosibirsk, is something that should be easily accessible for Altai State University employees and students to use in breakthrough scientific research!” noted Sergei Beznosyuk.
“At the round table “Creation of an Interuniversity Association for Interaction with the Shared-Use Center SKIF,” questions were raised about the current status of the SKIF project and the opportunities provided by the installation to Russian universities. The reports noted the importance of training personnel for this Center, as well as increasing the prestige of natural science disciplines for schoolchildren. We discussed the possibility of conducting research by Altai State University employees on the basis of the Shared-Use Center and the prospects for internships for students in the natural sciences of Altai State University,” comments Sergei Makarov.
“The organizational structure, like the concept of the Shared-Use Center SKIF, is unique. SKIF is the most modern source of synchrotron radiation, but on the other hand it is an open infrastructure for institutes, universities and schools. During the round table, it was convincingly proven that this modern complex is capable of acting as a unifying center for a number of scientific areas of research, such as synchrotron research, new functional materials, structural biology, etc., both in Siberia and throughout the country. In the near future, Altai State University employees, students and graduates will have access to the research equipment of the world-class mega-installation, internships, excursions and employment at SKIF,” concluded Alexey Vaganov.
The event ended with an agreement on the official start of work between the participants of the round table on developing the concept of an interuniversity association, the necessary documentation and the prospect of signing an agreement at the XI International Forum of Technological Development “Technoprom-2024”, which will be held at the end of August in Novosibirsk.