A challenge for students: Satbayev University hosted the first industry workshop on organic matter technology

For the first time, Satbayev University hosted a hackathon for students of “Chemical Technology of Organic Substances” degree program. For 24 hours, teams from different universities in Kazakhstan solved real production tasks related to de-carbonization, waste-free technologies and environmental modernization of the oil and gas industry.

Hackathon tasks were developed jointly with representatives of companies in the oil and gas sector, including KPI, MEDEO Drilling and other industrial partners. Participants' decisions were evaluated by a jury of industry experts, chaired by Fluor Project Manager Nurbolat Beketov.

Teams of 3-4-year students from all over Kazakhstan met at the hackathon with the real challenge: they not only modeled chemical processes using Aspen HYSYS industrial software, but also had to do it within 24 hours, which they spent on Satbayev University territory.

"For the first time, students tried themselves as technologists solving real production tasks. This helped them understand what challenges they would face in their profession and what skills are in demand in the modern oil and gas industry," said Rauash Mangazbayeva, Head of “Chemical and Biochemical Engineering” department.

The teams analyzed real technological schemes and proposed real engineering solutions for production. Based on the competition results, Kazakh-British Technical University’s "Atomic hearts" team won, which received one million tenge. The special prize named after Yerengaip Shaikhutdinov, who stood at the origins of the department's cooperation with FLUOR and made a great contribution to evolving the chemical technology education at Satbayev University, was awarded to the al-Farabi KazNU Exothermix team.

Hackathon was organized by “Chemical and Biochemical Engineering” department with the support of FLUOR Kazakhstan Inc., the general sponsor of the hackathon and a long-time partner of the university. Cooperation between Satbayev University and FLUOR has lasted for more than 20 years, and it is thanks to this support that students have been able to gain a unique practical experience.

The organizers are confident that such practice-oriented projects will increase the interest of young people in engineering specialties and help solve the personnel shortage in the oil and gas sector of Kazakhstan.

"In the coming years, new large petrochemical facilities will open in the country, and the industry will receive trained specialists. We hope that the hackathon will become a platform where future engineers will be able to express themselves and receive professional evaluation from employers," said Rauash Mangazbayeva.

Hackathon was an important step in the development of practice-oriented learning at Satbayev University and strengthened the university's ties with industrial partners. Thanks to such initiatives, students get the opportunity to put theoretical knowledge into practice, and employers get to see the potential of future engineers. The organizers plan to make the hackathon an annual event that will contribute to creating a new generation of specialists who are ready for the modern oil and gas industry challenges.