Representatives from eight countries became the selection winners
Within the framework of the World Youth Festival (WYF) program Rosatom selected 15 participants to join the scientific and educational expedition to the North Pole.
The selection started on February, 28 – the Arctic Day – and was arranged in several stages. In total more than 2,000 applications from young people worldwide were received. The candidates proposed creative and innovative solutions for the expedition program, participated in intellectual games, presented themselves and their ideas for the promotion of the project in their cities and countries.
The final selection stage was held on March, 5, at the venue of the World Youth Festival. The young participants presented to the jury their unique competences that they would be able to apply in the course of the unique scientific youth expedition to the Arctic.
Alexey Likhachev, President of the Jury and Director General of Rosatom, said, “We are facing a challenging task – to select only 14 experts who will become mentors within the scope of the youth scientific expedition to the North Pole aboard the Rosatom’s nuclear icebreaker. The selection of the best was arranged in the most impartial manner. I am sure that an excellent expedition to one of the most exotic places of our planet is ahead of the finalists, apart from new knowledge and enrichment with ideas”.
The names of the winners were announced from the main WYF stage on March, 6, and the last 15th participant was selected during the morning show of the Festival. Representatives from eight countries, including Uzbekistan, Cameroon, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Belarus and Russia, became the expedition participants. Ivan Kurbatov and Alexander Skryabin, captains of Ural and Arctic nuclear icebreakers, handed certificates to the finalists.
Shahzoda Hairullah Kizi Yekubova, a participant from Uzbekistan and a fourth-year student of the MEPhI branch in Tashkent, shared her impressions after the announcement of the results, “I had a dream to see the Arctic with my own eyes, and today my dream comes true! In the course of the expedition I want to study cosmic rays on drawing near the North Pole. And then to arrange a series of seminars and continue investigations in this area together with the members of the young scientist club”.
Rand Othman, a 28-year-old radiology specialist from Iraq engaged in the digitalization of medicine and application of the AI opportunities, noted, “During the Arctic expedition of Rosatom I am ready to study individual adaptation of people to the Arctic environment. Daily collection of data on nutrition, physical activity, the body mass index will enable to identify the personnel safety and well-being criteria. The expedition is managed by people, and that is why we need to study their health under the severe conditions of the Far North. And I will be also glad to arrange morning exercises for the expedition participants!”. The medical worker will be the first citizen of Iraq travelling to the North Pole aboard an icebreaker. On his return he plans to carry out scientific analysis of the collected data, and will also become the ambassador of Rosatom.
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The World Youth Festival was held in accordance with the decree of Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, for the development of international youth cooperation. 20 thousand of young leaders in education, science, international cooperation, culture, volunteering and charity, sports, business, mass media, including 10 thousand of foreign participants take part in it. Teenagers also have the opportunity to participate in the festival for the first time (within the track of “Movement of the First”, the Russian movement of children and youth).