St. Petersburg State Technical University "LETI" summed up the results of the "CASE-IN" qualifying stage

The qualifying stage of the IX International Engineering Championship "CASE-IN" was held on the basis of St. Petersburg State Technical University "LETI" in a remote format, in which 18 teams of students competed in two areas of the Student League – "Electric Power Industry" and "Digital Atom".

17 teams from St. Petersburg State University "LETI" and a team from the Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov defended technological solutions developed in just 10 days to experts. The 2021 Championship is dedicated to the single theme "Sustainable development". When solving engineering and management tasks, students focused on achieving a balance of economic indicators, environmental outcomes and social consequences.

LETI experts, representatives of industry scientific and educational organizations, leading specialists of quality system management services, technical and personnel departments of fuel and energy complex enterprises evaluated the teams' solutions.

The Rector of St. Petersburg State Technical University "LETI" addressed the participants of the qualifying stage with welcoming words Victor Sheludko. He noted that one of the important tasks of the Year of Science and Technology is to involve talented young people in this field, to promote the scientific achievements of Russian scientists. 

"The events within the framework of the championship are held with the support of leading industry companies of the fuel and energy and mineral resources complex of Russia. Such a strategic partnership between universities and companies will allow them to study new industrial technologies, work with leading experts, and may be the beginning of a professional career for young people. This year, 18 industry companies became partners of the championship, and the best students will receive internship offers and employment in partner companies of the championship. The theme of the championship is sustainable development. LETI had a qualifying stage in two leagues: electric power industry and digital atom. This topic was not chosen by chance. We can consider these areas as a basis for creating new educational programs.", - said Victor Nikolaevich.

"The 2021 Championship is being held as part of the transition period to a new system of qualifying stages – at university venues and in the semifinal rounds. But how the interest of the guys representing the cross-functional teams has grown! The number of teams has grown, students and undergraduates of all courses have joined the intellectual competition, and teams with a history of successfully reaching the finals have appeared. The championship came under the patronage of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and the LETI gained the support of the leadership. The expert groups included heads of departments and leading specialists from the university's research groups. The LETI Championship has a great future", - said the Director of the Institute of Innovative Design and Entrepreneurship of St. Petersburg State Technical University "LETI" Natalia Trifonova

The head of the International Engineering Championship "CASE-IN" gave the start of work in the field of "Electric Power Industry" Olga Maslova. She noted the initiative of the younger generation, willingness to change and to participate in innovative projects.

The Student League in the field of Electric Power Engineering has been held since 2015 and is held in the format of a competition among university students who work in teams to solve engineering cases in the field of electric power engineering, dedicated to real production problems and developed based on materials from industry enterprises. It is valuable that the decisions of the participants are evaluated by an expert commission with the participation of representatives of government authorities, leading companies and industry research and educational centers.", - Olga Sergeevna is counting.

Head of the Department of Control and Implementation of Technical Policy of the Department of Operation of PJSC Federal Grid Company of the Unified Energy System – Rosseti Center Sergey Novikov He expressed the hope that many participants of the championship will come to work at ROSSETI. The Director for Strategic Development of Thermoelectric LLC also gave parting words to the participants Svetlana Vysogorets.

As part of the work on the Electric Power Industry case, 10 teams presented solutions for the sustainable development of the electric power industry and electric grids.

The first place was taken by the Prometheus team consisting of undergraduates from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Automation (FEA) of St. Petersburg State Technical University LETI Evgeny Terekhov, Anna Dereveshko, Vladimir Ermolovich and 3rd year students of the Institute of Innovative Design and Technological Entrepreneurship (INPROTECH) Catherine of Dneprovskaya (curator – engineer of the Department of ETPT Vadim Dmitrievich MarchenkoThe guys proposed a solution for the development and digitalization of the Kaliningrad Region's energy networks.

The most important thing, according to the captain of the team Evgeniya Terekhova, is the improvement of a sustainable system, the use of innovative technologies and professional development of personnel: "This is a very useful experience for us, we have received a lot of positive emotions from participating. I believe that all students should try their hand at such championships.  I and other members of our team are very interested in the topic of the electric power industry. The developments from previous training courses played a major role in creating the project. I want to study electric power engineering in graduate school. Many thanks to our university for the opportunity to collaborate with leading companies and experts."

Team work ITArt The second place winner was devoted to the use of drones and UAVs to identify malfunctions on power lines. A team of computer technicians consisting of 3rd year students of the Faculty of Computer Technology and Informatics (FCTI) Maxim Sergeenko, By Yegor Gaiko, Asi Lyanova I found an approach to the solution through mapping power lines and the surrounding area with the support of a senior lecturer at the Department of Electrical Engineering By Roman Spiridonov.

In the course of the work, the students came to the conclusion that 220 kV transformers are in the best technical condition, 35 kV transmission lines are in the worst technical condition. After analyzing existing projects, the students identified the following development goals: improving the reliability of power supply, increasing labor productivity, increasing the operating life of equipment, sustainable development, development of innovative devices, technologies, etc. materials, the need for electrified transport.

"Among the main criteria, we identified speed and timeliness, work without creating difficulties for people's daily lives, access to all sites, cost optimization, digitalization, trends towards full automation of movement and scanning of power lines, the development and use of AI to process footage, professional development of employees, reducing the number of necessary resources, innovation. Tasks that used to take weeks to complete are now solved in one shift to risk the lives of employees.", – said the captain of the team Maxim Sergeenko.

The participants of the Digital Atom direction were greeted by the manager of the Training center of the HR Department of JSC Greenatom Artyom Popov: "We sincerely believe that students who are not too "blinded" by some dogmas have space for new ideas and are ready to offer interesting solutions. It is very important for us to listen to the students' opinions, because our common goal is to make life more comfortable.".

Representative of the Organizing Committee of the International Engineering Championship "CASE-IN" Kristina Ukhlova She introduced the teams, experts and curators to the history of the Championship and the rules of the qualifying stage. She noted that the Championship is a way out of the comfort zone, which allows each participant to rise to a higher level and gain new competencies.

The League teams were presented with a case in the field of HR-tech in the interests of Rosatom State Corporation: participants had to develop a solution for remote employee adaptation in a new company. The students presented 8 creative ideas, using AR technologies, RPG games and other technologies to reduce the number of layoffs of new employees, reduce the cost of their adaptation and increase the productivity of new specialists.

The first place in the direction of "Digital Atom" was taken by the OOOleg team consisting of 4th year students of FCTI Oleg Prutkin, By Mikhail Abrash, Semyon Vaskov and Vladislav Kiselyov (curator – Associate Professor of the Department of IP Andrey Vorobyov).

The guys proposed a prototype of a web service with an emphasis on gamification. They have implemented a game through which new employees can more easily adapt and immerse themselves in the cultural environment of Rosatom State Corporation. In the game, you can get acquainted with the necessary documents, the history and values of the company. The management team has also thought out a reward system for successful completion of tasks. 

"We have presented a fully functional solution that can be expanded and customized later. You can add a chat between employees, support, an accurate office interior, or integration with the company's internal services. We believe that professional human resources are an important part of any development–oriented company.", – said the members of the OOOleg team.

The second place was taken by the Eltech team, which proposed using AR technologies to adapt an employee to work in a new company. Undergraduates of FCTI Vitaly Spiridonov, Alexander Vasin, Vladislav Trotsenko and a 1st year student at INPROTECH Olga Naumova under the guidance of a teacher of the Department of Information Security Gleb Evgenievich Smirnov, implemented an application that has access to the device's camera. When you point the smartphone camera at predefined objects in the company's office, a video clip containing educational content for a new employee will be played. The technology proposed by the team is focused on employee training and retraining during the transition from one stage to another.

"The integration of such a product will allow young professionals to form a clear understanding of the corporate culture, as well as the goals of the company. The content is compiled with a plan for the year ahead. This ensures that mentors save time on training. AR technologies speed up the assembly, installation, and manufacturing process, reduce the risk of making mistakes, and speed up processes by helping employees work. AR technology is only developing, and perhaps new modifications will appear," withMaster's degree student at FCTI SPbSETU "LETI" Vitaly Spiridonov

The four teams that took the first and second places will represent St. Petersburg State University LETI in the semifinals of the IX International Engineering Championship "CASE-IN", which will be held on April 27 and 29, 2021.

The final, which will bring together the best students from Russia and the CIS countries, will be held in Moscow at the end of May. The winners of the championship will receive valuable prizes, the opportunity to complete internships at 18 leading fuel and energy companies, take part in All–Russian industry summer forums, as well as advantages for admission to master's and postgraduate studies at 20 partner universities of the championship.

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