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A professor from South Africa met with teachers and students of SSTU

01.10.2024
A professor from South Africa met with teachers and students of SSTU

The visit of the head of the research group of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Center for Nanostructured and Advanced Materials (CeNAM) (Pretoria, South Africa) Gugu Mhlongo continues at Yuri Gagarin State Technical University of Saratov.

Earlier, in the format of a guest lecture, the guest of honor talked with the faculty and students of the Institute of Physics and Technology. She spoke about her country and science, introduced the audience to the research she is doing at the scientific center.

Then Gugu Mhlongo visited the SSTU History Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Radio Museum, which are part of the Polytechnic Museum space.

"I am impressed by the richness of the collections of your museums, I am very glad that I was able to visit all the museums of the University. You have a lot of famous and outstanding graduates, many great athletes who studied at the Institute in different years. I didn't know that the first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, also studied at your college. I really liked the collection of stones and minerals in the Museum of Natural Sciences, it was interesting to learn about the traditions and way of life of the Volga Germans. The Radio Museum was surprised by the device that was used in villages to listen to the radio, I was happy to listen to an old gramophone,"
Professor Gugu Mhlongo shared his impressions.

Today, as part of an open dialogue, she met with undergraduates from the Institute of Electronic Engineering and Instrumentation.

Olga Mizyakina, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, addressed the participants of the event, emphasizing the importance of cooperation between the Technical University and scientists from South Africa in the field of science, technology and innovation.

In a friendly atmosphere, the guest talked about her scientific activities and professional achievements, shared interesting facts from her personal biography. She paid special attention to various scientific fields, and also answered students' questions. Gugu Mhlongo noted that her career began in 2009.

"I want to share my story, because it is important for me to tell you what can be achieved. I have a slogan that helps me in life: "You don't have to look down on any of the people, because you compete only with yourself and achieve only your goals,"
said the professor from South Africa.

At the end of the event, she wished the Polytechnic students to move forward confidently, not to be afraid of difficulties, to be brave, sociable and active.

SSTU undergraduates thanked the scientist for an open and meaningful dialogue and expressed the opinion that it is precisely such examples of purposeful people that best motivate successful scientific activity.

At the site of the "Entrepreneurial Boiling Point", Gugu Mhlongo talked with scientists from the technical University and told about her scientific developments.

In his opening speech, Igor Ostroumov, Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation of the Polytechnic University, noted: "The visit of the guest from South Africa is connected with the implementation of a grant received by scientists of the Institute of Physics and Technology under the guidance of Viktor Sysoev, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Physics, to research new multisensory platforms based on new low-dimensional materials for use in the food industry within the framework of the electronic sense of smell paradigm. Professor Gugu Mhlongo is the coordinator of this joint project between the Center for Nanostructured and Advanced Materials, SSTU and the Indian Institute for Scientific Cooperation of the BRICS countries."

Recall that in 2023, Polytechnic students received a grant to conduct joint scientific research during the 5th Framework Program of the BRICS countries on scientific and technical cooperation. Now SSTU scientists, together with colleagues from South Africa and India, are studying new multi-sensor gas analysis chips, which are supposed to be used in modern food quality control devices during transportation and storage within the framework of the Internet of Things concept.

The meeting with the Polytechnic researchers was productive, all participants were able to express their ideas and wishes.