The First Mining School in Russia
The Moscow Mining Academy was established in 1918. The main task of the Academy was to train mining engineers and technicians, to popularize technological achievements among miners, to work on important problems of mining and metallurgical engineering arid to direct scientific research.
There were three departments in the Academy: mining, geological prospecting and metallurgy. The Moscow Mining Academy introduced a new course in coal mining mechanization which provided the basis for the development of mining engineering. The two scientists A.M. Terpigorev and M.M. Protodyakonov wrote the first textbook on machinery for mining bedded deposits.
Much credit for the establishment of the Moscow Mining Academy and the development of co-operation among outstanding scientists and educators is due to Academician I.M. Gubkin, a prominent geologist and oil expert.
In 1925 the Moscow Mining Academy was one of the best-known educational institutions in Russia. It had well-equipped laboratories, demonstration rooms and a library which had many volumes of Russian and foreign scientific books and journals.
The Academy established close contacts with the coal and ore mining industries. The scientists carried out scientific research and worked on important mining problems.
The rapid growth of the mining industry called for the training of more highly-qualified specialists and the establishment of new educational institutions.
New collieries and open-cast mines, concentration plants, metallurgical works and metal-working factories for processing non-ferrous and ferrous metals appeared in the country. The people took an active part in the construction of new industrial enterprises.
The Academy alone could not cope with the problem of training specialists. In 1930 the Moscow Mining Academy was transformed into six independent institutes. Among the new colleges which grew out of the Academy's departments were the Moscow Mining Institute and the Moscow Institute of Geological Prospecting. Later, the scientific research Institute of Mining appeared near Moscow.
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1. There were four departments in the Academy.
2. The Academy introduced a new course in coal mining mechanization.
3. In 1925 the Academy had only several well-equipped laboratories, demonstration rooms and a library which had many volumes of books.
4. The Academy established close contacts with the coal industry.
5. In 1930 the Academy was transformed into six independent institutes.
6. The Moscow Mining Institute and the Moscow Institute of Geological Prospecting were among the new colleges which grew out of the Academy's departments.
2. :
1. What was the main task of the Academy?
2. What new course did the Academy introduce?
3. Were there three or four departments at the Academy?
4. What industries did the Academy establish contacts with?
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5. Who wrote the first textbook on machinery' for mining bedded deposits?
6. Why was the Academy transformed into six independent institutes?
7. Why was the Academy transformed?
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Mining and Geological Higher Education in Russia
In Russia young people get mining education at special institutes which train geologists and mining engineers for coal and ore mining. The total number of students of an institute includes full-time students, part-time students and postgraduate students.
Russian higher educational establishments offer different specializations for the students. Thus, at the geological institutes, the students specialize in geology, the science which deals with different problems connected with the Earth, its history, the study of rocks, their physical and chemical properties. One of the main tasks of geology is to prospect, discover and study the deposits of useful minerals.
Geology is both a theoretical and an applied science. Mining geology is of great importance to the mining engineer. As a rule, mining geology includes economic geology.
The outstanding Russian geologist V.A. Obruchev says that geology is the science of the Earth which reveals to us how the Earth took shape, its composition and its changes. Geology helps prospect for ores, coal, oil, salt and other useful minerals.
Higher mining schools (universities, academies, institutes and colleges) develop a wide range of courses and programmes that meet the requirements of the society.They offer courses in mining technology, machinery and transport, hydraulic engineering, electrical engineering, industrial electronics, automation, surveying, geodesy, information technology, etc.
The main trend in the development of higher mining education is the introduction of courses in environmental protection, management (environmental human resources), economics and management of mining enterprises, marketing studies, computer-aided design (CAD) and others.
Computer science is also of great importance. The course aims at providing students with understanding how software and hardware technology helps solving problems.
Laboratory work is an important part in training specialists. Experiments in laboratories and workshops will help students to develop their practical skills. They have a short period of field work to gain working experience.
The students go through practical training at mines, plants and other industrial enterprises.. They become familiar with all stages of production and every job from worker to engineer. Here they get practical knowledge and experience necessary for their diploma (graduation) papers.
A lot of students belong to students' scientific groups. They take part in the research projects which their departments usually conduct. Postgraduates carry out research in different fields of science and engineering.
Sport centres give the students opportunities to play different sports such as tennis, football, basketball, volleyball, swimming, ' skiing, water polo, boxing, wrestling and others.
Students graduate from mining and geological higher schools as mining engineers, mining mechanical engineers, ecologists, mining electrical engineers, geologists, economists and managers for mining industry.
