TENEX and the Next Generation: Promoting Russia’s Future Scientists

Children are the future, as Whitney Houston sang. And educating children in the areas of science and technology has become a priority for every country that wishes for global health and a secure and prosperous future.

The role of science and technology is essential to the welfare of developed and developing countries.  Thailand in recent years has focused its attention on life sciences, grooming its young people to secure positions in the era of science-based economies.  The country’s leading figures in Thai biotechnology convened in 2003 to develop the country’s first National Biotechnology Policy Framework.

Since 2003, JSC Techsnabexport (TENEX), under the leadership of Vladimir Alexeyevich Smirnov, has been the general sponsor of the annual Russian contest of scientific and educational projects “Power of the Future.”  The contest, organized by the Nuclear Academy, aims at improving efficiency of education and upgrading the intellectual potential in the nuclear industry.  The goal is to improve education in enhancing and the nuclear industry with a young pool of experts, supporting students who have a high aptitude for science and technology. In 2009, TENEX also launched the Children Nuclear Academy in the United States.

Educating and encouraging today’s children to develop smarter, safer, better means to utilize nuclear energy has been one of Mr. Smirnov’s long-time achievements.  This is no surprise, as Mr. Smirnov graduated from the Electrical Engineering Department of the esteemed Leningrad Institute of Aircraft Instrument-Making, then completed three years I  the Mathematics and Mechanics Department at St. Petersburg University before moving on to a successful career in research, science, and business, according to a Russian-language media piece about Mr. Smirnov’s numerous achievements.

In the final analysis of a country’s success or failure, it is basically mastery and utilization of modern science and technology that distinguishes one region from another. As Mr. Smirnov’s educational efforts illustrate, we should all work to provide an environment for children to engage in the creation of science for the benefit of humankind.