The Rosatom’s V Scientific and Educational Expedition “Icebreaker of Knowledge–2024,” is being held for the first time in an international format. A team of schoolchildren and experts from 15 countries have embarked on a trip to the North Pole aboard the nuclear icebreaker “50 Years of Victory.”
The team includes 15 expert delegates — participants of the World Youth Festival from Cameroon, Iraq, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, and other countries. Talented schoolchildren from Russia and ten foreign countries, where Rosatom develops nuclear technologies, have joined the journey. These countries include Armenia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Mongolia, Hungary, India, China, and South Africa.
“For the first time in the history of the ‘Icebreaker of Knowledge’ expeditions, young people from different countries of the world are participating in this unforgettable trip. The foreign delegation includes participants from the WYF-2024 who won Rosatom’s tickets to the North Pole during the Festival itself. Thus, the World Youth Festival has opened doors for youth, among other things, to the farthest point on the Earth. There, Russian and foreign participants of the expedition will raise the flags of their countries, which holds a special symbolic meaning. The V Scientific and Educational Expedition ‘Icebreaker of Knowledge–2024’ once again proves that representatives of different countries are ready to explore distant lands together, create new projects, and build a common future”, noted Daniil Bisslinger, Advisor on International Affairs to the Head of Rosmolodezh and Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate.
The ceremony to launch the Rosatom’s Arctic Expedition “Icebreaker of Knowledge” featured Leonid Irlitsa, Director General of Atomflot, who addressed the expedition participants:
“Rosatom is pleased to welcome the participants of the ‘Icebreaker of Knowledge’ expedition. For our company’s team, it is a special honour that in the year marking the 65th anniversary of the nuclear icebreaker fleet, the expedition has gained an international status. 15 participants of the World Youth Festival, young people from countries where we actively develop nuclear technologies, and the best Russian schoolchildren will become a true team. The Arctic unites talented and goal-oriented individuals!”.
The expedition will last until August 22. The participants will learn about the icebreaker’s structure and how it works, experience the nature of the Arctic, and have the opportunity to send postcards from the northernmost post office on the Franz Josef Land. For the first time, a documentary series will be filmed on the life of the international team of schoolchildren in the Arctic.
The anniversary expedition season featured a special guest, Maxim Dreval, Director General of the Russian Znanie Society.
“It’s hard to convey the emotions standing next to this technological marvel, top engineering. I get the feeling of profound pride for the country, and this pride only grows when you realize that all of this has been created by the hands of our people. Today, we are embarking on not just a regular expedition, we will be bringing the light of knowledge from the northernmost point of the planet for the first time in history. I’m happy that the Znanie Society has got the opportunity to become part of this unique Rosatom project. Our partners, like us, are focused on creating new opportunities for the development of youth, and this unites us. I’m sure that all the expedition participants will get unforgettable impressions!” said Maxim Dreval.
Additionally, the expedition participants had a chance to become listeners of the northernmost lecture hall. Scientists, educators, and science bloggers gave lectures to the schoolchildren. The project is organized by the State Corporation Rosatom and the Russian Znanie Society. Among the speakers of the northernmost lecture hall are Artem Oganov, Russian theoretical crystallographer, mineralogist, chemist, educator, and Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Stanislav Drobyshevsky, paleoanthropologist and science communicator, and Andrey Akatov, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Engineering Radioecology and Radiochemical Technology at SPGTU.
“The crew is ready for the trip from Murmansk to the North Pole and back. You are about to experience one of the most exciting journeys of your life. We will show you the Arctic as we, the sailors of the nuclear icebreaker fleet, see it. The icebreaker will cover 1,200 miles to reach the North Pole. We plan to reach the summit of the planet on August 17”, announced Ruslan Sasov, Captain of the nuclear icebreaker “50 Years of Victory”, as he started the expedition.