The event was held as part of the XI open scientific and practical conference of schoolchildren
Scientists from the Troitsk Institute for Innovation and Fusion Research (JSC RF SRC TRINITI, part of Rosatom State Corporation) introduced schoolchildren in grades 1–11 from Troitsk, Kaluga, Podolsk and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug with modern developments in the field of plasma technologies and the creation of new sources of clean energy.
The event was held as part of the XI open scientific and practical conference of schoolchildren “CALL OF THE UNIVERSE” on the basis of the Gymnasium named after N.V. Pushkov. More than 200 students and their parents took part in it. The program included the work of scientific sections, lectures and master classes from leading experts from research institutes in Troitsk and the region.
Nikolai Klimov, Deputy General Director of the Institute for Scientific and Innovative Development, spoke about the TRINITI project to create a prototype plasma rocket engine.
“We have a systematic approach to working with the school audience, involving and shaping interest in science and project work, showing that science can be interesting, using modern technologies such as VR. We hold master classes in schools and invite children to our laboratories, show experiments on world-class scientific installations. Why are we doing this? The answer is on the surface – in the future we want to see these guys as researchers and engineers in Rosatom to ensure the country’s technological independence in the scientific and energy fields,” said Nikolay Klimov.
TRINITI specialists allowed schoolchildren to use VR glasses
The master class “Virtual tokamak” aroused great interest among schoolchildren: with the help of VR glasses, the guys visited the experimental hall of a thermonuclear reactor, and with the help of manipulators they dismantled and reassembled the tokamak itself.
A tokamak is a type of nuclear reactor designed for research and possible applications of fusion energy. It is an annular chamber in which a strong magnetic field is created that keeps the plasma (a heated mixture of ions and free electrons) in the center of the chamber. The plasma is heated to very high temperatures (millions of degrees Celsius), which allows the initiation of thermonuclear reactions and therefore the production of energy. This type of reactor has the potential to solve the problem of energy scarcity and could become a source of safe and clean energy in the future.
