First-year students of VyatSU presented their own projects in the field of artificial intelligence to the professional community.

      First-year students of VyatSU presented their own projects in the field of artificial intelligence to the professional community

      The public defense of project solutions within the framework of the "AI - Projectorium" competition was a demonstration of the professional competencies developed over a year of study in a unique top-level educational program.

      Photo: VyatSU

      At Vyatka State University, the first year of study in the bachelor's educational program "Computer Science and Computer Engineering" with a profile in "Software and Hardware Solutions for Artificial Intelligence Systems" is coming to an end. It should be noted that the implementation of this unique program became possible thanks to VyatSU's victory among 22 Russian universities in the grant competition held by the Ministry of Digital Development and the Analytical Center under the Government of the Russian Federation. Moreover, the opening of a new profile within this in-demand training direction perfectly aligns with the goal of achieving one of the strategic objectives of the university's development program "Priority-2030." This concerns ensuring advanced training and developing personnel for scientific-technological and socio-economic leadership in Russia.

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      This was emphasized by VyatSU's Vice-Rector for Education Sergey Nikulin, welcoming the participants of the final stage of the "AI - Projectorium" competition, which took place on May 19 in the collaborative workspace "Point of Boiling." "You are studying in an innovative educational program that is very important for us. Not only for the university but for the entire country. The role of artificial intelligence in our time cannot be overestimated, so with your competencies, you will be a step ahead of many people in the labor market. You will understand how to integrate into these realities of life, how to use new tools. This is not the future. This is absolute reality," noted Sergey Viktorovich.

      The "AI - Projectorium" competition was organized by the Center for Top-Level Educational Programs in the field of artificial intelligence at VyatSU and took place over several months. Teams of first-year students, future top specialists in the field of artificial intelligence, worked under the guidance of mentors - second-year students from the "Computer Science and Computer Engineering" program, faculty members from the Center, with the participation of mentors from among the industrial partners of the Institute of Mathematics and Information Systems at VyatSU. Many project topics were proposed by employers. This fact not only reflects the connection with real practice but also indicates the recognition by industry authorities of the high level of training of IT specialists at VyatSU and the university team's contribution to the development of the country's digital economy.

      The final of the competition took place in the format of student project defenses. Experts - representatives from "IT Team" of the agricultural holding "Doroniczi," companies "ELMA," "Sinaptic," "NORBIT," "EDS Technologies" - became acquainted with the independent and often truly creative solutions of their junior colleagues during the presentations. All developments were in one way or another related to artificial intelligence. Among the projects were a full-fledged hydroponic system with management and monitoring functions, a "smart" greenhouse, a local AI assistant to help people with visual impairments, a system for decoding biosignals to determine a person's condition, an assistant for conscious control of screen time, a "silent secretary" - an intelligent filter for email, 3D visualization technology, and several others. No team member was left without an individual task. The projects were created thanks to the contribution of each student. It is interesting to note that high school students from Lyceum No. 28 of Information Technologies also participated in the implementation of tasks. This also manifested the connection between generations, a lively and engaging career orientation, and the focus of a large team of like-minded individuals on a collaborative creative process.

      First-year student Artyom Napalkov shared his impressions of participating in the competition and studying in the new profile: "I enjoy studying in this profile. It provides knowledge that allows me to keep up with the times. After all, neural networks are now integrated into almost everything. Therefore, I consider the chosen direction promising. It cannot be called easy, but therein lies a special interest. Participation in the competition was beneficial. In my team, I dealt with computer vision problems. Working on the project provided communication skills and excellent experience interacting with other groups."

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      Second-year student Artyom Fofanov, who acted as a mentor for one of the teams, said: "It was interesting to try myself in the role of project manager. For me, this was a new experience. I realized that managing a team is quite challenging." In the end, I was satisfied. And I am very proud of my guys. The results of the final were commented on by the head of the educational program "Computer Science and Computer Engineering. Software and Hardware Solutions for Artificial Intelligence Systems" Maria Dolzhenkova: "This work is very important because it allows students to develop not only professional but also meta-professional skills. Special attention should be paid to the participation of mentors from the Center in the project, which allows students to feel not only as participants in the project but also as leaders of individual groups, to take on responsibilities and fulfill these responsibilities. And to demand execution from others, which is very important for further professional development and in professional roles."