Sergey Tereshkin got into a PhD program “Mathematical Modeling, Numerical Methods and Program Complexes”
This year I graduated from Novosibirsk State Technical University, where I took an interest in Big Data from the very beginning. The interest brought me to the “Big Data Laboratory” created by VimpelCom and a group of Novosibirsk universities. In the fall of 2018, I started working for Vimpelcom itself in its big data development department. The project I was working on there provided background for my Master's thesis. It is a software for detecting abnormal values in terabytes of billing system data.
I participated in the competition last year too, but failed. When I noticed “Big Data” among the tracks of the second season, I decided to challenge myself. Could I at least become a runner up after so many efforts? At the same time, I was looking for a PhD program. I heard a lot about ITMO University. The fact that it organized the track I was interested in was one more reason to participate. I had a look at ITMO educational programs and was surprised to find there was an entire department dedicated to Big Data. That was the moment I realized I wanted to go there. That’s why I applied for the “It’s Your Call!” winter school organized by the university.
That was my chance to get acquainted with ITMO University and my current academic supervisor. I also got an interview after one of the winter school’s workshops.
By the way, the first round of the competition was relatively simple, but some tasks of the second one caused mixed feelings because it wasn’t all about Big Data. Fortunately, I wasn’t befuddled for long. Winter school workshops quickly sorted things out. Those perplexing tasks turned out to be parts of real projects managed by ITMO with the help of Big Data.
Oleg Silchenko enrolled in the ‘Instruments and Methods for Monitoring thenvironment, Substances, Materials and Products” program
Before joining ITMO University, I studied Computer Science and Computer Engineering at Tver State Technical University. I often participated in international and Russian competitions and scientific festivals, but I heard about “I am a Professional” purely by accident from my friend. I decided to give it a go since competitions like this can be advantageous for entering a university and for my future career.
The first time I participated was last year. I became a medalist of the “Informational and Cyber Security” track then. In 2019, I got through qualifying rounds in five tracks and got a bronze medal in “Robotics”. The final competition consisted of two sub-rounds. The first one was held by ITMO University and required setting up a robot manipulator for playing billiards in VR. The goal was to pocket all the balls in the shortest possible time. The second round was held by Far Eastern Federal University. This time I had to revive a robot in 48 hours and teach it to play tennis by programming it to track the trajectory of the ball and kick it away with a robotic arm equipped with a camera and a racket. It was difficult to pull it off in such a limited time. At first, we had to deal with the theory and mathematics. Besides, a great deal hinged on good luck only: the accuracy of the camera in detecting the flight of the ball, the way my code will process it and control the robot.
All in all, the competition was held at a very high level. I gained valuable skills and experience while working with previously unknown software and solving an interesting and unconventional problem on a tight schedule. I also liked that we worked with the real industrial robotic manipulator, pre-modeling and testing the code in a virtual environment. It was like a real-life development process. The competition has proved to be practice-oriented.
There was no question about which university I should go to. ITMO University was the clear choice since everything about it was already familiar. It always attracted me, among other things, with its modern branding, new technologies and such features as double-degree programs. I am sure that the university will help me gain experience and land a job in an international company.
Artem Petrenko got into the “Optoelectronic Information-Measuring Devices and Systems” program
I have always been curious about the things and phenomena that make up the world around us, and physics still seems to be magic easily created with your own hands. That’s why I enrolled in ITMO University’s “Laser Engineering and Laser Technologies” program in 2013. During my Bachelor’s studies, I was so impressed with optoelectronics and semiconductors that I decided to continue working with them in the Master’s program “LED Technologies”. During my first year there, I came across the “I am a Professional” competition which was held for the first time.
I got participated in two tracks then: “Physics” and “Photonics”. Inmy second year that number went up to nine. Unfortunately, a great many things had to be sacrificed for this, but I could not leave “Photonics” behind. I have been studying it in various forms for six years, so I could not afford to miss the opportunity to test my acquired skills in a stressful environment.
What I definitely like about the competition is a wide range of tracks and topics, exotic and practice-oriented tasks and, of course, the “It’s Your Call!” winter school. There you can not only expand your knowledge, but also meet a lot of like-minded people and establish useful contacts.
Now, when all my plans are related to scientific research, ITMO University suits me perfectly. Its laboratory base is excellent, the equipment meets international standards, there are many interesting projects and programs promoting technical creativity, and a huge number of conferences (including international ones) that immerse you into science on international level.
During my Master’s program, I’ve been developing a semiconductor laser module. Now I plan to continue my work on lasers, however, the actual field of my scientific interest is optoelectronic and quantum electronics devices.
Ilya Krasavtsev got into the “Optoelectronic Information-Measuring Devices and Systems” program
Before the competition I got my Bachelor’s degree at the Faculty of Laser and Light Engineering (nowadays it is called School of Photonics). Back then, I was a second-year Master’s student studying LED Technologies.
In the first year I didn’t take an interest in the competition. I’d spent fpur years solving tasks in the classroom, so doing something similar but on a tight schedule just didn’t seem very appealing at the moment. I wanted more practice-oriented tasks and viable projects. Therefore, I devoted more time to my research projects.
In my second year, out of pure interest, I visited the “I am a Professional” website and was surprised by the scale of the competition. There are tracks for everyone, which is definitely a big advantage. More than that, some of my friends who took part in it spoke well of the contest. Eventually, I participated in the ‘Photonics” track.
What surprised and pleased me the most was the variety of tasks. Those were not the 10-20 typical tasks you get in the manuals, but they were the ones that really test your professional skills. Participation in the competition, among other things, can help you get into Master’s or graduate school programs. Even if you did not take the first place and did not get the money prize, but became one of the winners, your efforts are still rewarded. For example, the winner’s certificate allowed me to join ITMO without any exams.
Now I am a member of a research group that is developing a wireless data transmission system using Li-Fi technology. In simple terms, it transmits data through light. We are also developing a personalized system for wireless data transmission through LED lighting to create a smart LED PASS. We plan to implement our system at ITMO Highpark, so a smartphone would be enough to enter the complex. It will work simultaneously as a signal receiver using a camera and as a transmitter using a flash.
Translated by Pavel Vorobyev
