I entered the KazPTI named after Lenin in 1967 with a competition of 14 people for one place (due to the double graduation of 10 and 11 classes). I think no wonder that I have chosen the specialty of the Faculty of Geophysics – “Geophysical methods of prospecting and exploration of mineral deposits”. As a child (I was about 7 years old), I met some student geologists not far from the village, in the mountains of “Delbegethey”. The full moon came up ... from the fire, where students sang songs, it was warm ... This picture determined my professional future. At the age of 14, I secretly from my parents submitted documents to the Semipalatinsk Geological Prospecting College. True, then my father cancelled my decision, promising that after finishing the 10th grade I would go to Alma-Ata.

It was a bright life full of colors.

During my studies, I loved Physics most of all, and especially Professor Gulnitsky L., with his neatly trimmed professor's beard. I have never recorded the lectures of this professor, I listened without stopping. During exams, he allowed everyone to use literature, maybe because he instilled in us the ability to search, not to memorize.

I remember with great warmth the Head of the department, Dmitry Venediktovich Tsvetkov, and the Dean of the Geophysical Faculty, Medhad Ganievich Karimov, who was strict and caring for the students like his father. His favorite expression: “We have a plan for admission, but no plan for release.” Somewhere in 2010, we opened the classroom named after the first dean of the Geophysical Faculty M.G. Karimov, at that time several scholarships of his name were established during his lifetime, and he personally presented them to the scholars. It was an unforgettable experience...

I am grateful to fate that we, students, were able to express to him our deepest respect. By the way, then he gave me one of his legendary notebooks (and there were a lot of them), where he wrote down everything about all students - grades, misconducts, praises, etc.

Memories of the student time evoke joy, longing, and sadness. It seems that the current generation does not have such a student life - fun, independent, full of new knowledge, places, deeds - study, practice, a collective farm, part-time work at a meat processing plant, donating blood ... It was a bright life full of colors.

I perceive geology and geophysics as art, as poetry. Like poetry, born from the words known to everyone, measurements, samples and data multiplied by creative and scientific genius data can make it possible to discover something unknown, to open the curtain on the secrets of the Earth.

I began my career in the Ili Geophysical Expedition (IGPHE), where the head was Akishevich Tokish Akishev, a very strict leader and successful geophysicist, research scientist, who created and headed the “Kazgeophysics” PGA. On my initiative a memorial plaque was erected on the wall of this building in honor of this outstanding man who made a huge contribution to the development of the mineral resource base of Kazakhstan, but in the last years of his life undeservedly forgotten by the society.

The atmosphere at IGPHE was creative. This allowed not only to grow professionals in their field, but also to form everyone as a person. During my career, I went through all levels of posts in the tariff-qualification reference book - geophysics of a field seismic party to the chief geophysicist of the “Kazgeophysics” PGA.

When we were studying, we were taught by the masters of geology, who in practice were engaged in geological research, and the knowledge gained from them helped in the future to discover the Amangeldy gas field supplying the city of Almaty.

I perceive geology and geophysics as art, as poetry.

For all this time, I did not lose contact with the Polytechnic University and, working as the head of the Almaty experimental and methodical expedition, we opened a branch of the department during the expedition. Since the Polytechnic institute did not possess such modern equipment and computers, this branch of the department allowed us to successfully prepare modern geophysicists.

I remember in 1992 Minister Trubnikov L.M. invited me to the post of First Deputy Minister of Geology. At that time, I said that I did not understand anything in the ministry's activity, and he answered: “…we needed people like you, to construct everything new…” And I agreed, but (it’s funny to remember now) only because… I imagined, how my mother, going out into the yard, will say that her son is the first deputy of ministry.

In general, I have never been interested in positions, and then even weighed down. I dreamed of becoming the chief engineer of the geophysical party ... When I received this appointment, I was proud, and it was, as I thought, the ultimate dream. Further posts came: the Minister, Mayor of Atyrau region, President of the National Academy of Sciences and at the same time - Director of the Institute of Geological Sciences named after K. I. Satbayev. I was quite calm about this, but I always felt like a mining engineer, a geophysicist. But I worked with pleasure, because the Polytechnic institute raised us as real technicians, and the geological environment, it defined human and professional morality and brought up in us those values in life that allowed us to live and work in such a way, without hesitating to look directly into eyes to our mothers and children.

Teaching is a very hard work. It is important not only professional knowledge, but also pedagogical skills. And this is the fate of very rare people. It is not for nothing that in Japan, the teacher is the most honorable person in society and receives (at least after the war it was) on a par with the minister and he is replaced by a bus.

As they say, if you want to destroy a country, destroy its formation. Of course, I want to see KazNRTU named after K.I. Satbayev as a scientific and educational center of the mineral resource complex, because our country is very rich in minerals and requires serious scientific support and highly qualified personnel.

I wish Satbayev University (and I really like the new name) to be revived and become a pride for its graduates and the country! I have a sculpture of Kanysh Imantayevich Satbayev of cabinet size, and I am happy to give it to my native “Polytech” - Satbayev University.