Students of 5 universities won medals at the Autumn Cup of the CASE-IN Championship

At the final of the Autumn Cup The International Engineering CASE-IN Championship, which is supported by the presidential platform "Russia – the land of opportunities", the results of the Student League have been summed up. Students of 5 specialized universities, who became winners and prize-winners, received great opportunities to continue their studies and internships in the best companies in Russia. All project participants were able to gain valuable practical experience and master professional competencies.

The Student League is supported by the National Research University "MEI" and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. The main theme of the league, as well as the entire championship, in 2024 was "Lean Manufacturing". The participants of the industry-wide direction, as well as the new direction "Space Technologies", solved tasks aimed at introducing the principles of thrift into key sectors of the country. On December 9, 22 student teams met in Moscow in the final.

Anastasia Bondarenko, State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, Gennady Guryanov, Deputy General Director of ANO Russia - Land of Opportunities, Alexander Vedekhin, Deputy Director of the Department of State Youth Policy and Educational Activities of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bugaev, First Deputy Minister of Education of the Russian Federation, Rector of the National Research University "MEI" Nikolay Rogalev.

12 of the strongest industry–wide finalist teams from Moscow, Smolensk, St. Petersburg, Kemerovo, Kazan, Almetyevsk, Perm, Yekaterinburg and Tyumen presented to the expert community the ALROSA fuel supply logistics model based on optimization methods and lean manufacturing tools, ensuring the achievement of an equilibrium price and economic efficiency in the planning horizon until 2029.

An expert commission consisting of leading experts from the partners of the championship, ALROSA, SIBUR, United Metallurgical Company and Gazpromneft – MNPZ, reviewed the ideas of future specialists and determined the winners.

The champion is the Kuzbass Express team, which includes students of Kuzbass State Technical University named after T.F. Gorbachev Anastasia Ustyuzhanina (captain), Yaroslav Avdeev, Mikhail Luzin and Elizaveta Fil.

The students had to determine the most optimal way to deliver diesel fuel to mining and processing plants.

"We decided that, since it is not always possible to supply diesel fuel by land transport (for example, due to weather conditions), then why not use an aboveground, - shares the nuances of development Anastasia Ustyuzhanina. – We offer to transport diesel fuel for mining and processing plants on cargo airships. We solved the transport problem and determined the most optimal number of airships and the route for them. Based on the daily demand for diesel fuel of each mining company and their meteorological conditions, we determined the amount of diesel fuel that will be delivered daily in order to offset the risk that there may be non-flying weather on some day. Experts from ALROSA noted that our solution has the prospect of being implemented in production."

The winners from the Kemerovo region are confident that they were able to take the leading place thanks to an unconventional approach to the task. At the championship, they gained the ability to see the problem from a different angle and gained new knowledge in the diamond mining industry.

"We remember the final with a cool and unique atmosphere. It was great when guys from different regions joined together under their flags and sang with the performers., Anastasia Ustyuzhanina shared her emotions. – I have already participated in the championship several times, I was a finalist and now I am the winner. Despite this, my team and I will definitely take part in the main CASE-IN-2025 season and we want to try our hand at the Electric Power Industry. The goal is always the same – to win."

The second place went to the students of the National Research University "MEI" Egor Sergeev (captain), Maria Trefilova, Pavel Trukhanov and Yolanta Khorolskaya, united in the Era of Resonance team.

Egor Sergeev, a multiple winner of the CASE-IN championship and the Youth Global Forecast of Energy Development, believes that another success will have a significant impact on his personal and career development.

"Participation in the championship involves working on real-world cases, which allows you to develop analytical, strategic and team skills. This knowledge can be applied in future professional activities., - the captain of the team is sure Egor Sergeev. – In addition, a high result strengthens confidence in one's own abilities and abilities. Achievements in such events can be a significant addition to a resume and help to distinguish other candidates in the labor market. In order to continue developing, I plan to study current topics and trends in my field and work on improving my analytical, presentation and team skills in order to be a more effective participant and leader in the team."

The winners' decision is related to the effective logistical management of fuel supply chains in the internal and external perimeter of ALROSA. The team members proposed three ideas: a new route using long-distance passage of the main oil pipeline, unmanned vehicles, as well as a system for automatically transmitting data to the ALROSA ERP system from measuring instruments at oil product transshipment points. Each of the solutions is possible to implement, and the necessary technological base for their implementation is already available, the representatives of Moscow emphasized.

"Success at the engineering championship was achieved due to several key factors. First, it's teamwork: we were able to efficiently allocate tasks and use the strengths of each participant. Secondly, we conducted a thorough analysis of the case, which allowed us to better understand the problem and develop informed solutions.", - Egor Sergeev shared the secrets of a successful result.

The final of the CASE-IN was remembered by the students of the NRU "MEI" not only for the interesting work on the case, but also for the atmosphere that prevailed at the event. "The career zone of ALROSA, Sibur and Gazpromneft companies provided a unique opportunity to communicate with representatives of large organizations, learn about their corporate culture and career opportunities. In addition, I remember the feedback session with experts after defending the cases.", - Egor Sergeev noted.

The guys admitted that at the championship they learned how to work in conditions of limited time and stress, were able to improve their analytical abilities, as well as presentation and communication skills, which allowed them to more confidently present their team and ideas to the jury.

The bronze medal was awarded to the PetroVision team (St. Petersburg Mining University of Empress Catherine II): Nikita Epifanov (captain), Nikita Martynov, Veniamin Pashkov and Oleg Yukhimets.

The debut season of the new direction "Space Technologies" brought together students of specialties related to astronautics and aviation. In the final, 10 teams presented to the experts the developed concepts of the optimal management system model for multi-satellite orbital groupings based on automation and lean manufacturing technologies, ensuring increased management efficiency in the planning horizon until 2033.

The first two places were taken by students of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University.: Taisya Surina (captain), Dmitry Baranchikov, Tatiana Smirnova and Varvara Lobanova from the Pulsar team became the winners, while Vladimir Shchedrin (captain), Matvey Fedin, Artyom Kochetov, Ainur Uraksin from the Flight of Dreams team became the vice-champions.

The Champions proposed a hybrid control scheme for a multi-satellite orbital constellation (MOG). "It is based on a combination of large high-orbit satellites and small low-orbit vehicles. We cannot assume that large satellites are an outdated technology. They perform key tasks that cannot be completely covered by small devices., - emphasized the captain of the team Taisya Surin. – As part of the final, we were given the opportunity to personally talk with experts. Nikolay Aleksandrovich Storilov was assigned to us, who highly appreciated our idea and recommended that we continue working on this concept."

The success at the championship was a big surprise for the Pulsar team, as for each of its participants, solving real engineering cases and, in general, participating in events of this scale was their first experience.

"We were sure that we had no chance, because there were many teams much more experienced than us., - Taisya Surin admits. – We were worried that it would be unprofitable to stand out from the experienced participants, but our fears were in vain. We came up with a solution that had high technological performance. Which was later evaluated by the jury with the appropriate score. Together and with the competent help of our mentor Vsevolod Vladimirovich Koryanov, who is a highly qualified specialist in the space industry, we were able to prove ourselves at the championship. We thank the organizers for such a wonderful opportunity to plunge into engineering challenges, meet experts in the field of space technology, spend time with like-minded people and simply recharge with positive energy."

The cup winners singled out the CASE-IN final separately. "This is a truly vivid event that cannot but sink into the soul. We really enjoyed spending the whole day in the company of like-minded people. On such days, it clearly becomes clear that the industry is not standing still, and the prospects are open to every young person who is burning with an idea.", – they noted.

Thanks to the championship, students from Moscow learned to think outside the box, present solutions and correctly express their thoughts, and mastered the skills of cross-functional interaction. In addition, at the finals, a representative of one of the relevant organizations suggested that they finalize their idea as part of an internship.

"We were very happy with this opportunity and we will definitely take the chance to start our career later., - said Taisya Surina. – The championship has remained a vivid event in our memory. Of course, I want to live through these emotions again. Therefore, in the future, we hope to participate in solving the case again in order to have time to study the topic more deeply and work out a solution."

The top three were rounded out by the Ryskanye team, which is represented by students of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology Irina Slyusareva (captain), Nikolai Zeleny, Egor Kasulin and Nikita Filon.

The winners and prize–winners of the Student League had the opportunity, on preferential terms, to enroll in the partner universities of the championship for master's and postgraduate programs, as well as to complete internships and internships in the partner companies of the championship with the possibility of further employment.