Published on: 2026-04-06
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
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At the end of March at the analytical departmentFaculty of Natural Sciences (FEN) NGUa past series of in-person laboratory works fornetwork direction “Catalysts”, which is part of a regional career guidance project“Promtalant” of the “Education” Foundation. 34 high school students who participated in the event received a unique opportunity to work in a university laboratory and practice skills that are not always available within the school curriculum.
The “Education” Foundation has been operating in Novosibirsk since 2012, its founders are Novosibirsk State University (NSU) and the Akademgorodok Technopark. The main task of the foundation is to create and scale new educational practices.
—The “Promtalant” project grew out of the region’s need: it is important for us to increase the attractiveness of industry for young people. We are currently at the pilot stage, covering the 2025–2026 academic year. We want talented young people to see opportunities for self-realization here, in the Novosibirsk region., — said the head of the regional career guidance project “Promtalant”, coordinator of educational projects of the “Education” FoundationAleksey Antonov.
Currently, the “Promtalant” project has three network directions: “Green Pharmacy,” “Glass Laboratory,” and “Catalysts”; each has its own industrial and educational partner. For example, in the direction of “Catalysts,” the fund cooperates with JSC “SKTB ‘Catalyst'” and the Faculty of Natural Sciences of NSU, which allows combining academic knowledge with real production cases.
—The project is designed for students in grades 8–11 who are still exploring themselves and want to try hands-on experience in the field of production. We also actively work with teachers and educators of supplementary education, who are interested in project activities with schoolchildren,— explained Alexey Antonov.
The project launched in September 2025 with an online course for teachers. Based on the training results, 28 mentors were selected in each network direction; now they work with school teams of 5 people each. Each team received special research kits with reagents and equipment.
In the training mode, the children solve a specific practical problem. For example, in the “Catalysts” program, it is an experimental study. Schoolchildren study how different factors affect the decomposition rate of hydrogen peroxide. The goal is to find the optimal conditions and the most effective catalysts. This is not just school chemistry, but an imitation of the work of a research center.
In-person laboratory work is one of the key stages of “Promtalanta.” Thus, the training program in the direction of “Catalysts” included work in a university laboratory, which became a unique and unforgettable experience both for the students and their mentors — teachers. The research topic was serious: “Study of the kinetics of methylene blue oxidation in the Fenton process using a spectrophotometric method.”
—The guys studied how catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide is applied in practice. As an organic “pollutant” imitating wastewater, a thiazine dye was used. The work was done in tandem: a mentor and one school student from the team. They themselves prepared the solutions, calibrated the spectrophotometers, and measured the reaction rates — with and without the catalyst. They even assessed how UV irradiation accelerates the dye decomposition process.— said Alexey Antonov.
Now the teams are moving on to the most responsible stage — preparing to defend the results of their project work. It is planned that in the second half of April, the final conference of the “Catalysts” direction will be held at NGU, where students will present the results of their research. For many, this will be the first serious step towards their future profession.
The “Education” Fund thanks the FEN NGU leadership, the deputy dean for general affairsVasiliy Romanovand the head of the analytical chemistry departmentGennadiy Kostinfor assistance in organizing laboratory work.
The “Promtalant” project is implemented by the “Education” Foundation using a grant from the President of the Russian Federation for the development of civil society, provided by the Presidential Grants Foundation.
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