According to Director of the Institute of Physics, SSU, Sergei Venig, physics is ‘the best discipline for the education of the best qualities’. This idea, in his opinion, he has been sharing with his students for many years. And he shares his thoughts in an interview entitled Physics is Primary! Which was published in the Research City section.
He emphasises that the Institute of Physics participates in at least four of the five strategic projects of the Priority 2030 federal programme. ‘They are aimed not only at electronics, but also at chemistry and new materials, medicine. Most of the areas dealing with medical topics today have left the physical laboratory.
As for the ICT-Electronics strategic project, the university relied on 60 years of experience in the development of the electronic industry in the Saratov region. First of all, with the participation of SSU scientists. When choosing this project, physicists were guided by the fact that information and communication technologies (ICT) in communication systems are increasingly entering into all spheres of our life. This is telephony, all types of communication, probing. We have achieved notable results in the development of this area. This allowed us to organize cooperation with Moscow State University, to create a joint network master's degree in quantum technologies (the main direction is quantum computing, quantum communication technologies).’
As for electronics, even here, according to the interlocutor, we are experiencing increased interest in this area. ‘The Saratov enterprises of the electronic industry, which used to survive, today have a huge number of orders, and the same need for highly qualified personnel: almost everyone has up to 80 people a year. Our graduates have interesting and promising places for a professional start.
SSU participates in the joint program of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Russian Ministry of Higher Education and Science for training personnel for the electronic industry. The university has received additional funding, and we have created the Centre for Design and Modelling of Electronics Products.’
For a new educational and research breakthrough, the efforts, experience and technical capabilities of three university faculties were combined. So, the Institute of Physics, SSU, was established. As Sergei Venig notes, practice has shown that the decision was correct, especially since the unification took place under the slogan We are reviving the great physics faculty again!.
Today, employees of the Institute of Physics are included in all major scientific developments. An interdisciplinary research approach to the problem has become commonplace. Sergey Borisovich notes with some pride that "physicists took an active part in all significant grants: from the point of view of information technology, the development of software calculation of signals, data processing, the creation of sensors. In all laboratories of the Scientific Medical Centre, SSU, most of the employees are graduates of the Faculty of Physics." Answering the correspondent's questions, S.B. Wenig spoke about the main achievements that can be considered a breakthrough in the development of the physical science school.
‘Physicists have long had a practice: most of our scientific schools are headed by professors who selflessly share their ideas and achievements with novice scientists. They have a very good launch pad. Now the advantage in the distribution of grants is given to novice researchers, the bet is on young teams. Of the more than 60 grants from Russian Science Foundation being implemented at SSU, about half (32 projects) are led by physicists.’
In the interview, the topic of the demand for applicants of the Institute of Physics training direction was touched upon. ‘It is no coincidence that this year we held an open day at the Faculty of Information Technology, because almost all areas are connected with them. Moreover, there is a certain aspect that is an advantage of the Institute of Physics. The education received here has an engineering component – engineering programming takes into account the capabilities of real systems. In addition to knowledge of programming languages, it is necessary to have a mandatory knowledge of hardware. Programs are written taking into account the real capabilities of devices and systems. Everything needs a special approach. And these are just the applied programming basics that are now needed in most enterprises. Information technologies permeate everything – without a computer, without programming languages, the development of physics is impossible.’
The interviewed commented on the advantages of studying at the Institute of Physics. ‘On the one hand, this is an opportunity to engage in scientific work at a global level, because we have areas that are already recognized worldwide, and for many we are among the leading scientific organizations. On the other hand, this is an exit to production, since the university has built connections with all enterprises. Today, our students are happy to take on an internship, and then they ask the guys to write their diplomas with further employment.’
At the same time, the interlocutor admits that the last few years the results of school olympiads in physics are not encouraging. ‘The problem is that the school system has taken the path of least resistance. If the main indicator for the school is the result of the Unified State Exam, then why teach everything when you can limit yourself to the fact that these indicators will not spoil.
Until we saturate the school with physics teachers, talented schoolchildren will not appear. We at the Institute of Physics are determined to significantly strengthen the pedagogical direction. Let's hope that a change in the educational paradigm will help us.’
Sergey Venig also spoke about his personal scientific interests related to materials science and nanotechnology. He admitted that it is difficult to combine scientific work with the management of the Institute of Physics. ‘Of course, it's hard to do all this due to the large amount of administrative work. But if we recall the experience of the Faculty of Nano- and Biomedical Technologies, of which I was the dean for 15 years, then the first two years were also 2-3 publications. Then their number began to grow, because the system was organised and adjusted, there were more opportunities to engage in research. And today I hope so!’
