A group of chemistry teachers from the Northwestern Federal District of Russia attended biology and chemistry workshops at Skoltech and visited its state-of-the-art laboratories and shared facilities.
As part of their tour of the Skoltech Center for Design, Manufacturing and Materials (CDMM) directed by professor Iskander Akhatov, the teachers were shown around the Laboratory of Thermal Spray Coatings, the Additive Manufacturing Laboratory, and the Laboratory of Composite Materials and Structures. Their hosts presented samples of various materials, explained how they perform strength tests and made a live demonstration of the thermal spray process.
The Advanced Imaging Core Facility showed its scanning and transmission microscopes used in materials research and the electronics industry and presented advanced analytical technologies for soil, core, and biological samples. The guests were shown unique electron microscopes and atomic-level instruments. Professor Artem Abakumov demonstrated the operation of the Titan Themis Z transmission microscope, showing the structure of gold atoms, and shared his ideas for school research projects.
At the FabLab and Machine Shop Shared Facility (FabLab), the teachers saw a collection of sophisticated equipment, including laser cutters and cutting machines, and received souvenirs with the Skoltech logo laser-engraved right before their eyes.
The Skoltech School Cluster arranged a series of training seminars, including the Forensic Lab Simulator workshop conducted by biologist Maria Yarina, who asked the teachers to identify the imaginary perpetrator by performing a series of biochemical tests. Another workshop delivered by Skoltech’s Materials Science MSc graduate Irina Varlamova focused on the visualization of molecules and crystal structures in Jmol and the writing of simple scripts.
According to Daria Yartseva, workshop organizer and Adviser to President of the Russian Chemists Union for Congress and Exhibition Activities, “this visit to Skoltech provides the teachers with a fresh perspective on how to set up the teaching process and take an interdisciplinary approach by combining chemistry and biology. The teachers recognized the importance of research and experiments in teaching and learned more about the frontier manufacturing technologies”.
The teachers welcomed the news of Skoltech’s plans to launch undergraduate programs, considering the opportunities it would offer to their students.