Students and Faculty Members of Nanjing University of Science and Technology Complete Training Program at Polytech

The Institute of Civil Engineering at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) hosted a ten-day training program for second-year undergraduate students majoring in Civil Engineering and Technosphere Safety, as well as faculty members from Nanjing University of Science and Technology. The program was organized with the support of SPbPU’s international offices.

The delegation included Danhe Chen, Deputy Director of the Office of International Relations; Ke Zhao, Dean of the Institute of Safety Science and Technology; Feng Xiao, Associate Professor at the Institute of Safety Science and Technology; Yingying Miao, Academic Coordinator at the Institute of Safety Science and Technology; and students from Nanjing University of Science and Technology. The delegation was hosted by Mikhail Romanov, Associate Professor at the Higher School of Hydraulic and Power Engineering of the Institute of Civil Engineering and the Institute’s coordinator for international activities.

The program introduced the guests to the university’s research and educational facilities. They visited the campus, the SPbPU History Museum, the MetaCampus Polytech digital technology laboratory at the Institute of Civil Engineering, the Polytechnic supercomputer center, and the materials science laboratory in the Research Building. Alexandra Zatsepina, Senior Lecturer at the Higher School of Industrial, Civil and Road Construction of the Institute of Civil Engineering, delivered a lecture to the Nanjing University students entitled “Contemporary Architecture of St. Petersburg.”

The program also included a visit to the Institute of Civil Engineering’s partner department for Fire Safety, based at Gefest LLC. Representatives of Nanjing University learned about fire safety research conducted under the supervision of Olga Zybina, Head of the Partner Department, and Marina Gravit, Associate Professor at the Higher School of Industrial, Civil and Road Construction of the Institute of Civil Engineering. The guests observed a live demonstration of an experiment involving the extinguishing of a lithium-ion battery fire.

During meetings with representatives of the Higher School of Technosphere Safety at the Institute of Civil Engineering, the delegation discussed opportunities for academic mobility, the organization of joint research conferences, and collaboration on research into material combustion. The guests also visited the Life Safety Laboratory, where students took part in an interactive session on measuring lighting levels in an industrial workshop using virtual reality (VR) technologies.

An important part of the program was the cultural activities organized by the student community PROF.ISI. Russian and Chinese students decorated masks together, danced to traditional Russian folk music, and enjoyed tea with traditional sweets.

The students also explored St. Petersburg’s cultural heritage. They took a walking tour of the city’s historic center and visited the State Hermitage Museum and Peterhof.

The training program concluded with a meeting with the leadership of the Institute of Civil Engineering. Marina Petrochenko, Director of the Institute, introduced the delegation to its organizational structure, research areas, and opportunities for collaboration. The participants discussed prospects for establishing a joint laboratory in the field of technosphere safety.

At a formal ceremony, the delegation members were presented with certificates confirming their successful completion of the training program and commemorative gifts.