Science Days at Saratov State University of Geography and Tourism – the Center for History and Culture opened its doors to Lyceum students
As part of the Days of Science, the Center for History and Culture of Saratov State University of Geodesy and Tracts held lectures for 9th- and 10th-grade students from our university's technical lyceum.
The lectures were delivered by the Center's director, Ivan Ivanovich Zolotarev. The students learned about the main scientific areas of the NIIGAiK-SSUGIT, the remarkable scientists who have made our university famous with their discoveries, and the prominent organizers of science, industry, and education.
For example, NIIGAiK graduates of 1952, Vasily Nikolaevich Belykh and Ivan Timofeevich Antipov, developed a revolutionary new aerial photography technology that significantly reduced the amount of fieldwork, significantly accelerating the creation of 1:25,000-scale topographic maps for the entire USSR. In 1984, both scientists were awarded the F.N. Krasovsky "For the development of the theory, mathematical support, and software for an analytical method of spatial phototriangulation and the implementation of the method in production."
In 1957, a station for observing the flight of artificial Earth satellites was established at the NIIGAiK. Vladimir Aleksandrovich Merkushev was the first head of the artificial Earth satellite visual observation station of the Astronomical Council of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Observations were conducted over many years, involving faculty and staff from the departments of higher geodesy, astronomy, and gravimetry, as well as dozens of students studying astronomical geodesy. From 1963 to 1978, another talented NIIGAiK scientist, Konstantin Mikhailovich Antonovich, served as the station's head.
Our university had a so-called "orbital group"—a research team that brought together mathematicians, astronomical geodesists, and gravimetricians. This group worked under the scientific supervision of Yuri Venediktovich Surnin and consisted primarily of young scientists and faculty from the Department of Astronomy and Gravimetry. These determined scientists set an incredibly challenging goal: determining the precise coordinates of a satellite's position in orbit, taking into account gravimetric disturbances. And this daunting task was accomplished! It is well known that the algorithms developed by this research team are used in the Russian GLONASS navigation system.
Another important area of research interest for our university's staff is the development of modern technologies for engineering and geodetic surveying at complex industrial and energy facilities. Scientists from the Department of Engineering Geodesy and Mine Surveying have traditionally worked in this area. With the involvement of graduate and undergraduate students, they conducted production work and research at major nuclear power plants, as well as at several thermal and hydroelectric power plants. A leading specialist in this field was Boris Nikolaevich Zhukov, a former Sibtekhenergo employee.
These are just a few of our university's research areas, but we have achieved success in other fields as well—cadastre, cartography, instrumentation, technosecurity, and information technology. The Lyceum students realized they had an important decision to make: choosing a major. Within the walls of SSUGIT, they can pursue an interesting and in-demand major and, in the future, join the university's research corps.
