Two school teams from Moscow became finalists of the CASE-IN championship

The teams of school No. 117 and Domodedovo Lyceum No. 3 named after Hero of the Soviet Union Y.P. Maksimov became finalists.  XII The International Engineering Championship "CASE-IN» with the support of the presidential platform "Russia – the land of opportunities". The young researchers have developed effective solutions for the development of the industry and are now preparing for the main competition of the season.

The project is included in the Science to Win initiative and the plan The Decade of Science and Technology, which takes place in Russia in 2022-2031., is being implemented within the framework of the federal project "Social Elevators for everyone" of the national project "Education".

11 teams of high school students in grades 9-11 from educational institutions in Moscow participated in the regional selection stage in the direction of "Solving the case", which took place at the National Research University "MEI": schools №№1317, 1228, 1580, 117, Lyceum of Dedovsk, Lyceum No. 3 named after Hero of the Soviet Union Y.P. Maksimov and GBPOU "Vorobyovy the mountains."

Welcoming the participants of the competition, the First Vice-rector of the National Research University "MEI" Vladimir Zamolodchikov underlined: "Everything you see around you today is created by the intelligence, talents and efforts of engineers. And if you have chosen an engineering future for yourself, you will be, in a sense, the creators of the future world. I wish you to successfully defend your decisions, get decent grades and have a good time."

"I am glad to welcome you to our large energy family. Today you have been able to plunge into the vast industry of energy. It's an amazing world that can be explored endlessly. I congratulate you that you now have this opportunity. You are already winners, as you were able to overcome your laziness, limited time and lack of knowledge.", - said the senior lecturer at the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics of the National Research University "MEI" Julia Naumova.

While completing the assignment on the main theme of the Lean Manufacturing season, the students analyzed the state of one of the priority industries in Russia and developed solutions based on lean manufacturing tools that will allow this industry to develop more efficiently.

The contestants presented their projects to an expert commission consisting of representatives of companies, as well as specialized organizations and educational institutions.

The Uncertainty Principle team was recognized as the winner of the qualifying competition. Students of school No. 117 Stanislav Golovko (captain), Tatiana Knyazeva, Valeria Marchenkova and Peter Ryabukhin got acquainted with promising solutions from other teams at the championship, received high-quality expert feedback and a large amount of information for further analysis.

"Our solution is to optimize the energy system., - said the captain of the team Stanislav Golovko. – We have proposed regulating the electricity consumption of individuals in apartments, making it beneficial not only to the owners of the premises, but also to the energy system, which will be less loaded during peak hours. We managed to reach the finals thanks to hard teamwork and teamwork during the case solving process. Our supervisor guided us in the right direction in making the decision, pointing out the need to emphasize some points. Our physics teacher found errors and inconsistencies in the solution and suggested ways to replace them. The friendly atmosphere in the team allowed us to quickly resolve important issues."

The guys believe that in order to achieve a successful result in the finals, they need to demonstrate creativity, systematic thinking and quickness of reaction.

"We hope to learn a lot of new things not only through the response to our decision, but also by listening to the ideas of other teams. We want to get to know other teams, exchange opinions and discuss them. We would also like to demonstrate our skills to future employers and receive feedback on our project. In addition, we hope to acquire new knowledge, skills, and opportunities for growth and development." – Stanislav Golovko shared his expectations for the final.

Silver was awarded to students of Domodedovo Lyceum No. 3 named after Hero of the Soviet Union Y.P. Maksimov Anastasia Panova (captain), Anna Pogoreltseva, Sofia Sevostyanova and Polina Senchurova from the Hype team.

"We have prepared a solution for processing red sludge. Red sludge is a byproduct of aluminum production, - the captain of the team shares the nuances of team development Anastasia Panova. – More than 600 million tons of it are stored in Russia. The accumulation of red sludge requires large land areas and special protection, which is associated with the risks of environmental pollution. To reduce environmental risks, red sludge needs to be recycled. We have proposed a comprehensive solution consisting of different methods and techniques, as it is economically beneficial and safe for the environment of our country."

In the process of working on the solution, the high school students helped each other, showed determination and interest, which eventually allowed them to become one of the best at the qualifying stage.

"The preparation of the decision, as well as the defense itself, I am sure, will be remembered for a long time by all team members. While searching for information, we were able to become really interested in the Russian industry. Analyzing the found data, the whole team became even more friends. We also improved our design skills, trying to make the presentation as clear and understandable as possible.", - Anastasia Panova noted the positive aspects of participating in the "CASE-IN".

The silver medalists understand that there is still a lot of exciting work ahead. "We have received feedback from experts and now we understand in which direction we should refine our project. In the future, we plan to continue working with various Internet sources and archives. Perhaps we will be able to work in a real scientific laboratory in tandem with scientists. There's a lot of unidentified and interesting things ahead", - Anastasia Panova emphasized.

In third place was the Minions national team, which included students from Vorobyovy Gory State Pedagogical University Ales Demura (captain), school No. 1228 Ksenia Kutischeva, school No. 1580 Makar Smirnov and school No. 1580 Timofey Frolov.

At the end of May 2024, in Moscow, as part of the final of the CASE-IN championship, the Uncertainty Principle and Hype school teams will present their developments to the industry community in competition with the strongest peers from different regions of Russia.

The champions and prize-winners of the School League will receive  additional USE points for admission to bachelor's degree programs at one of the partner universities of the championship. In addition, they will receive invitations to industry youth educational forums and will be able to travel around Russia as part of the "More than a Trip" program.

The organizers of the CASE-IN championship are the Reliable Change Foundation, the Non-profit Partnership Youth Forum of Mining Leaders and AstraLogica LLC.

The project is being implemented using a grant from the President of the Russian Federation for the development of civil society.