In January of the next year, it is planned to select 30 first-year students of the State University “Dubna” who will be the first students of the International School of Engineering, a joint project of JINR and the University. Now, the basic part of the educational programme has been formed; there are agreements with leading engineering universities of the country on joint educational activities. Rector of the Dubna University, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics Dmitry Vladimirovich Fursaev gave an interview to the JINR Weekly Newspaper.

The task set by JINR to the School of Engineering is an exclusive training of engineers and physicists for large-scale projects of the Institute, such as the facilities being constructed now, namely the mega-science project NICA, the Factory of superheavy elements, as well as for the future advanced fields of activities.

It should be reminded that JINR actively develops, and the need for highly skilled engineering and technical staff will increase. It concerns only the most talented, creative engineers, specialists who will be able to solve advanced scientific and technical tasks. It is they who will create and operate large experimental physical facilities.

In development of the International School of Engineering, we base on the experience we have in cooperation of the Institute and our University. Now, 7 basic departments exist at JINR. The University’s teaching staff comprises of more than 100 leading staff members of JINR, world-class scientists. Annually, about 30 graduates of the University come to work at the Institute’s laboratories!

Joint work at the project of the School started about a year ago. At present, the JINR Scientific Council and the Committee of Plenipotentiaries of the governments of the JINR Member States have already supported the School, the project has been discussed at the meetings of STC JINR. Nowadays, the School is established as a structural unit of the University. The task of the University is to prepare the concept and contents of the educational programme, select staff members, attract staff members of the leading engineering institutes as experts. In the Dubna University, the School of Engineering is considered as an interdepartmental project: the most talented students of various departments of engineering-technical and natural sciences fields will have an opportunity to enter the School. Generally, these will be physicists. It is worth to highlight that, entering the School, they will continue their studies at their faculties, to follow the curriculum in the framework of the State Standard. The School of Engineering will provide them additional education as a set of various skills. Firstly, it will cover engineering disciplines, including a large number of practical tasks, and IT necessary for carrying out engineering developments. In the frames of the State Standard, it will be necessary in depth mathematics, physics and foreign languages. Thus, students of the School will have to carry out a lot of extra work. There is no tuition fee for study at the International School of Engineering. Moreover, in order to avoid students’ wish to find a part-time job, we will pay them larger scholarships that will be 6-8 times higher than standard ones.

JINR makes commitment to provide additional support for students of the School of Engineering, to determine necessary competences, and provide the equipment, including an excellent educational laboratory base, which is being created in the JINR University Centre. Now, JINR actively helps to attract partner universities to the project of the School of Engineering, such as MEPhI and the Bauman University. We hope that our colleagues from these universities will help us develop and provide the engineering set of disciplines, and perhaps they will “share” their best teaching staff members. In the ongoing autumn term, we are going to give some courses in the test mode on the Bauman University basis. We admit that in the future, students of the School of Engineering will have a part of lessons in Moscow, in these universities, where there is a unique educational infrastructure.

I would like to highlight once again that the peculiarity of the International School of Engineering is training, first of all, the elite staff. Such direction of educational activities is one of the major characteristics of, so-called, 3rd generation universities. We highly appreciate that the University “Dubna” will have an opportunity to implement such breakthrough projects thanks to JINR.

Svetlana Strogova