ITMO Summer Courses: Teachers Share Their Experiences Part 2

This summer, ITMO University offers a variety of short-term courses for school students. While some focus on various subjects, including programming, web development, financial literacy, etc., others are there to help prospective students prepare for studying at the university. Courses also include a wide range of workshops, tours, and other exciting activities. 

Before applying, all students can take a free career test to discover what careers are best for them and thus choose the right fields. To participate in a summer school, applicants must fill out an application form and write a motivation letter. During their studies, participants who successfully complete tasks receive special bonuses that they can later exchange for souvenirs from ITMO University.

Read on to learn more about what school students are learning this summer.

Summer School in Infochemistry

Anna Stekolshchikova, engineer and program curator at the Infochemistry Scientific Center

Our summer school lasted two weeks. During its first days, participants attended lectures by our top-tier professors: Ekaterina Skorb, ‪Konstantin Nikolaev‬, Vladimir Shilovskikh, Svetlana Ulasevich, Alexander Novikov, Sergey Shityakov, and Michael Nosonovsky. Then, they started working on their projects, which they would later present to experts. While working independently, participants were assisted by mentors – the faculty’s Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD students. 

During the course, students learned how to design better presentations, use specialized programs, as well as obtain and process results at labs. After the completion of their projects, all participants received internship certificates from the university. 

Each researcher got to work in a certain research field, among which were molecular self-organization, DNA encapsulation, and electrochemical platforms. 

So, students who focused on self-organization had to form periodic structures in test tubes and then conduct their research by ranging key parameters and external factors. While working on the project, each participant played a specific role: one could change concentration, while other varied dyes. Then, the researchers exposed the test tubes to a highly sensitive detector in order to capture the structure formation.

We’re happy when students continue to attend our center even after the course. We hold classes for prospective students on Sundays. There, they have the chance to work with our mentors. Current students can attend the classes, too. What really matters is their interest and motivation. 

Summer School in Soft Skills

Maria Ososkova, head of the Career Services Center

This year, we held two sessions of the summer school in soft skills. The first session took place on July 12-15 and brought together 16 participants – mainly students of tenth-to-eleventh grades. Students were enrolled based on their cover letters where they described why this school is important for them. In total, we received 30 applications.

The course focused on life and career guidance. As soft skills is a rather broad topic, we also decided to introduce classes and lectures on self-efficacy, time management, teamwork, emotional intelligence, goal-setting, and so on. 

At first, we met our students and learned more about their strengths, future plans, and careers. Within four days, participants explored different aspects of soft skills and participated in numerous games aimed at boosting their teamwork skills and various competencies. The school’s teachers were both the staff of ITMO’s Career Services Center and practicing experts. This course was meant to help future specialists find their niche through soft skills. Apart from classes, students also had home assignments: for instance, to make a bucket list, watch a movie on a certain topic, or create a CV or a portfolio. 

Nadezhda Ankudinova, a representative of St. Petersburg Youth Chamber, an expert in personnel management, and a commercial director of a dental network, held two workshops for school students on SWOT analysis and emotion management. Pavel Fokin, the head of the St. Petersburg Entrepreneurial Community, conducted the Emotional Intelligence business game. Kirill Lunegov, a representative of AIESEC, talked about when to start thinking about your future career and how to take control of your life today. And Olga Chernaus, the head of the Self-Identification and Career Guidance Department at St. Petersburg Employment Center, spoke about how to choose a future career, find your first job, and what kinds of internships one should look for.

Our key mission was to help school students become more conscious and find their careers, as well as introduce them to soft skills. 

When you’re still at school, you dream about everything. At one of the classes, we tried to imagine that far in 2171, their descendants came across an article about them. Who did they become? And what life did they have? Someone said that they became an architect or biotechnologist, designed smart clothing, or had a house on Mars. There were so many awesome ideas. It’s amazing that our students have such a vivid imagination. 

The second session will be on August 16-19. The content will be similar, yet we will have different speakers and games. We hope to keep our school just as cozy, heart-warming, and efficient. 

Summer School for Young Engineers

Tatyana Ryabova, associate professor, head of the Energy Systems Engineering program at the Faculty of Energy and Ecotechnology, and coordinator at Life Science School

Our school is designed specifically for sixth-to-eight graders. Although it is held annually, each year we introduce something new. Classes are held by Vadim Tsvetkov, PhD, an assistant at the Faculty of Energy and Ecotechnology.

This year, students explored AutoCAD, starting from its rather easy to more complex features. The course included a brief overview of drawing design, history, and theory, as well as its place in Industry 4.0.

School students got an insight into CAD systems and AutoCAD interface, as well as put the knowledge they got into practice while performing various tasks. At the end of the course, participants had to complete a more intensive project.