Energy as a vocation: the story of the CASE-IN Championship winner from KuzSTU

Energy is an industry that directly affects the life of entire cities. For the graduate of the direction "Thermal power engineering and heat engineering" Maxim Pazderin's interest in this field began in his school years and gradually developed into a conscious professional choice.

Even before entering the university, Maxim went on an excursion to the power plant. At that time, it seemed to him that he already knew his future profession well enough. However, studying at KuzSTU has shown how deep and multifaceted the energy industry is.

"During the training process, it became clear how much more difficult the profession is than it initially seemed. Over the years of my studies, I have discovered many technical and professional aspects that have allowed me to look at energy from a new perspective. As a result, the interest in the chosen direction has only become stronger," he said.

Theoretical training at the university, combined with industrial practices, allowed Maxim to form a solid foundation and confidently begin independent professional activity. An additional contribution was made by his participation in engineering championships and scientific conferences, where he developed the skill of competent and appropriate application of technical terminology in a professional environment.

"My path to science began already in my first year, when my interest in research was supported by the teachers of the Department of Thermal Power Engineering. From that moment on, I actively participated in technical Olympiads, and also performed annually in the student field "Thermal Power Engineering" of the CASE-IN championship, which is held with the support of the Presidential Platform "Russia – the land of opportunities". Last year, our team took the third place in the finals. At the same time, I began to develop my scientific activities, and to date I have published three scientific papers," Maxim said.

Thanks to this experience, Maxim got the opportunity to become a participant. The International Summer School of Energy Engineers of the Future "FIG", in which he participates annually.

The graduate studied under the special program "Target energy flow" from SGK and mastered two working professions: turbine equipment maintenance engineer and boiler equipment maintenance engineer.

Maxim was a named scholarship recipient and a target student. Kemerovo Generation JSC of Kemerovo GRES, where today he holds the position of a machinist for ash removal of the 4th category of the boiler shop.

A special place in Maxim's professional career is occupied by his work as a laboratory assistant at the Department of Thermal Power Engineering on a scientific project, which subsequently received practical continuation. Together with the technician of the laboratory of modernization, development and reengineering of electronic automation devices for enterprises of the fuel and energy complex By Mikhail Luzin and under the supervision of the Associate Professor of the Department of Thermal Power Engineering Konstantin Ushakov, he developed the research topic within the framework of the Melnichenko Foundation's Junior Cup competition.

Over time, this work went beyond the scope of the educational project: research results They formed the basis of Maxim's graduation project and became the foundation for a startup..

During his studies, Maxim managed to try himself as a teacher. This experience allowed him to take a fresh look at the process of knowledge transfer and better understand how important initiative, confidence and willingness to learn new things are.:

Today, among the achievements of the graduate are the status of a scholarship holder of the Andrey Melnichenko Foundation, the title of a finalist in the engineering development competition within the framework of the Russian Energy Week and the victory in the Student Startup competition of the VI stage in 2025.

Maxim is sure that even a high result should not be a reason to stop. For him, energy engineering has already become not just a chosen specialty, but a professional field in which he sees opportunities for further growth. Therefore, he decided to continue his master's degree studies at KuzSTU.

"I am convinced that all the results achieved are just a stage on the path of professional development," he said. - There is still a lot of work ahead, as the path to the level of a highly qualified specialist requires constant development and involvement in science and practice."

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