On August 13, 2024, the 5th Arctic expedition “Icebreaker of Knowledge”, organized with the support of Rosatom and the Russian society “Knowledge,” set off from Murmansk to the North Pole. This year, the nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy of Atomflot (Rosatom’s company) is to have on board talented schoolchildren and experts from 15 countries. The team includes a lot of foreign members, the first representatives of their countries who will reach the North Pole on a nuclear-powered icebreaker.
The “Icebreaker of Knowledge” expedition team consists of 63 talented schoolchildren, including 10 children from abroad (Mongolia, Hungary, India, China and South Africa). Twelve winners of the open competition within the “Icebreaker of Knowledge” project, finalists of the Russian competition Playtime and participants of the Rosatom Juniors movement will also join the expedition. Also on board, there will be the winner of the educational project Atomic Lesson 2023 Lidiya Seliverstova and her student, winner of the Russian competition Teacher of the Year 2023 Oleg Yankovsky, winner of the Russian competition of pedagogical achievements Master of the Year 2023 Ivan Zarubin.
Besides, an expert team including 15 delegates chosen during the World Youth Festival in Sochi 2024 (representatives of Cameroon, Iraq, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Belarus and other countries) goes on the voyage. The experts will participate in the educational program, delivering lectures and giving masterclasses. Also on the voyage, there will be a famous Russian scientist and professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences Artem Oganov; paleoanthropologist and popularizer of scientific knowledge Stanislav Drobyshevsky; CEO of the Russian Society “Knowledge” Maxim Dreval; Director of the Sustainable Development at Rosatom Polina Lyon; Russian actor Mark Eidelstein and others.
The expedition team has a rich educational program ahead including lectures, masterclasses, scientific games, film shows and a lot of other things. The members will deliver flags of their regions and countries to the North Pole and will be presented with the nuclear achievements and technologies (including solutions for the development of the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route) during the voyage. The expedition also includes shoots of a lecture series “The Northernmost Lecture Hall” and a documentary reality series.
Captain Ruslan Sasov is in charge of the icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy. The voyage will be made on the route from Murmansk through the North Pole and Franz Josef Land to Murmansk. “Icebreaker of Knowledge 2024” is expected to be at the Pole on August 17, and back to the port of Murmansk on August 22.
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The scientific and educational project “Icebreaker of Knowledge” organized by the network of Information Centers on Atomic Energy (ICAE) with the support of Rosatom is aimed at promoting natural sciences and nuclear technologies, searching for and supporting talented and gifted children, developing their abilities and providing them with career guidance. Schoolchildren from all over Russia take part in the project; this year, there are about 15 thousand applications for participation. Since the start of the project, more than 300 gifted schoolchildren, winners of many competitions and projects from various regions of Russia have taken part in Arctic expeditions on the nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy. Rosatom’s anniversary Arctic expedition “Icebreaker of Knowledge” is timed to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the nuclear icebreaker fleet.
The nuclear icebreaker fleet is a unique competitive advantage of our country. Russia is the only country that can boast such vessels. Currently, the nuclear icebreaker fleet includes seven icebreakers: the lead universal nuclear icebreaker Arktika, the first serial universal nuclear icebreaker Sibir, the second serial universal nuclear icebreaker Ural, the nuclear icebreakers Yamal, 50 Let Pobedy, Taimyr, and Vaigach.
Rosatom now considers the development of the Arctic infrastructure and shipping as one of its key tasks. In 2018, the Government of the Russian Federation appointed Rosatom the NSR infrastructure operator and later in December 2019, approved the NSR Infrastructure Development Plan until 2035 worked out by Rosatom.
Large Russian companies are expanding the range of their solutions for attracting personnel and revealing the potential of talented employees. Rosatom implements early career guidance programs, being involved in the creation of basic departments at Russian universities, the implementation of scholarship support programs, large educational projects, the organization of practical training and internships for students including their further employment.
