On May 25, the national stage of the Global HackAtom International Student Atomic Energy Championship started in Russia. The event is held at MEPhI with the support of Rosatom among Russian students studying at Rosatom's flagship and partner universities in nuclear and related specialties, as part of the work of the Obninsk Tech International Scientific and Educational Center. There are 5 teams participating in the national selection, bringing together 30 students from 6 leading engineering universities in Moscow and Obninsk. 

Alla Udalova

According to the moderator of the event, Alla Udalova, Professor of the Department of Nuclear Physics and Technology at the Obninsk Institute of Atomic Energy of the MEPhI Research Institute, this is the second year this competition has been held as an international one. Last year, nine countries participated in it, and this year there are already fifteen. "We expect a good level of engineering training," said Alla Udalova. "But the task will be unexpected for them, of course."

Alexander Petrov

Opening the event, Alexander Petrov, head of the press service of the ITER Project Office, urged students to be brave and not be afraid to put forward their ideas, recalling that 24-year-old Oleg Lavrentiev, who had no higher education, was one of the initiators of work on thermonuclear fusion in the USSR. Before the start of the competition, Alexander Petrov gave an introductory lecture "The energy of the stars in the service of humanity."

The winning teams of the Global HackAtom national stages from 15 countries, including Russia, will have a unique opportunity to compete for the title of champions in the Global HackAtom Grand Final, which this year will be held as part of the International Youth Festival in Yekaterinburg (September 11-17).

Earlier, national stages were held in Turkey, Namibia, Vietnam and other countries.