The Igoshin Readings on Mining and Metallurgy Held at INRTU
Fr om November 28 to December 3, INRTU hosted the 24th All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference on Prospects for the Development of the Mining and Metallurgical Industry (the Igoshin Readings-2024). The forum covered ten thematic areas of INRTU School of Subsurface Resource Management and Siberian School of Geosciences (SSG), the conference organizer. Representatives of various universities, academic institutions and companies gathered to discuss key issues in mining and oil and gas industries, geology, industrial safety, ecology and artistic processing of materials. In total, more than 140 presentations were made.
Vladimir Smirnov, INRTU Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, made the opening speech. He highlighted the professional achievements of Anatoly Igoshin, to whom the forum is dedicated.
"The Igoshin Readings conference is an event wh ere we can reflect on the significant contributions of Anatoly Igoshin to the development of higher mining education. Thanks to this outstanding person, the Mining and Metallurgical Institute, and later the Polytechnic Institute, became the largest university in the country, with over 20,000 students in 45 professions. It was Anatoly Igoshin's initiative that the University began to train surveyor engineers. We are proud of how the university has excelled in this mining specialization.
The university's main strengths are in natural resource management and geosciences. For employers, this symbolizes a standard of quality, as almost every mining company in the country has our graduates among their specialists. Today we once again confirm that INRTU is a hub of scientific innovation and expertise in the industry," commented Vladimir Smirnov.
In his opening remarks to the participants of the Igoshin Readings, Alexey Shevchenko, Director of INRTU School of Subsurface Resource Management, stated:
"This forum is a special event for me. As a student, I presented reports here, also was an organizer for 10 years. It is nice to see enthusiastic young people interested in research in the audience today. The Igoshin Readings provide an opportunity to learn about projects in the mining industry and related fields, as well as to discover interdisciplinary topics for personal academic pursuits. I wish you all productive work".
Associate Professor of the Department of Surveying and Geodesy Vitalii Ruposov is the author of the plenary report on 270 Years of Geodetic Education in Irkutsk. The lecturer noted that the need for engineers - surveyors and navigators - was caused by the development of new territories.
"The establishment of the specialized school was facilitated by several key factors, including expeditions to Kamchatka, the administration of extensive territories from Irkutsk, and the coastal expansion through the exploration of Siberia and the Far East. It was in 1754 that our city inaugurated the School of Navigation and Geodesy, which offered a curriculum covering arithmetic, drafting, geometry, geodesy, architecture, Eastern languages, and astronomy. The course of study consisted of three levels - primary, arithmetic, and higher education. Graduates found employment as surveyors, navigators, and translators in a variety of chanceries," explained Vitalii Ruposov.
At the plenary session, Igor Zyryanov, Head of the Department of Mining at the Mirny Polytechnic Institute, a branch of North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU), also took the floor. Being a graduate of Irkutsk Polytechnic Institute (a former name for INRTU) specializing in Mining Machines and Complexes (1984), he has dedicated many years to the diamond mining industry. Currently, Igor Zyryanov also works as an associate professor at his home university's Department of Mining Machines and Electromechanical Systems. During the Igoshin Readings, he discussed the implementation of cyclic-flow technology (CFT) at the kimberlite quarries of Yakutia, drawing comparisons to the use of similar methods in mining of open deposits of iron, gold, copper and coal. The main advantage of CFT, as highlighted by Igor Zyryanov, is the reduction in electricity costs and expenses related to maintenance, compared to traditional transportation systems.
The reports presented at the conference will be published in a collection indexed in the RSCI (Russian Science Citation Index). The publication will be available on eLibrary.
Photos by Arseny Chekmarev
