Phystech is the best: Alina Tutolmina, a TPU graduate, talks about love of the nuclear industry for TPU graduates

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Phystech is the best: Alina Tutolmina, a TPU graduate, talks about love of the nuclear industry for TPU graduates

These days, Tomsk Polytechnic University is hosting celebrations dedicated to the important anniversary date - the 75th anniversary of physics and technology training. Over the years, Phystech has trained more than 20,000 highly qualified specialists for the nuclear industry in Russia and its partner countries. TPU graduates are, by right, the scientific and technical elite of the Russian nuclear industry.

How career trajectories of physics engineering graduates develop, where they work, and what they remember about their studying at TPU - see in the special project of the Tomsk Review.

Alina Tutolmina (nee Gorbunova), while studying at the TPU School of Nuclear Engineering, became the first student in the country to receive the right to operate a research nuclear reactor. After completing her master's degree, she and her fellow student and husband got a job at the Voronezh branch of Atomtekhenergo, and then went on a business trip to Kursk NPP-2, where they were engaged in commissioning. Now the family of young nuclear scientists works at the Atomtekhenergo branch in the People's Republic of Bangladesh, at the Rooppur NPP being under construction in the republic.

The graduate recalls that she chose nuclear physics intuitively. Since childhood, Alina was interested in natural sciences, and by the end of high school, she also got interested in physics. She got to Tomsk Polytechnic University in the 11th grade, to the finals of the intellectual game Science Game.

"Tomsk Polytechnic University impressed with its achievements: the launch of an artificial satellite, the university's own operating nuclear reactor, the only one in Russia! Since this was a university that was definitely one of the top three technical universities in the country, and was located very close to home, I was impressed. After a month and a half, I submitted original documents for admission there. I didn't even consider other options," the graduate shares.

Alina visited the TPU research nuclear reactor, the most powerful university reactor in the country, back in her first year of studies. At the same time, she got the idea of operating such a large plant. To get permission to operate the reactor, she had to complete six months of training, internship and pass a total of nine exams - internal and to the Rostechnadzor committee, directly at the reactor. Alina started working at the reactor while studying within English-language master's degree program "Nuclear Reactors and Power Plants".

"I was trained and supported by Alexander Ovsenev, our supervisor, now he works there as a shift supervisor, and then he was a control engineer. The shift supervisor Vitaly Demidov, who we worked with for another year and a half, and the chief engineer of the IRT-T reactor, Peter N. Khudoleev, helped me a lot. We still keep in touch with everyone, they really opened the way for me in my professional career. They are very good mentors and professionals, experts in their field. I worked at the university reactor for a year and a half while I was studying for my master's degree. To be honest, in real professional life, everything turned out to be much cooler than you can expect," says the girl.

After completing her master's degree, Alina took part in the intellectual and sports show "Challenge" on TNT and began to build her career in the nuclear industry. The nuclear power plant, the girl admits, is a place where she is always drawn.

"I was so thrilled, I can't put the thrill inside into words! The scale is huge, the complexity of all interactions, systems, this is not a perfect picture from a textbook - it's hard to imagine being on a university bench or at a research reactor. It was difficult, but very interesting. The base of knowledge about equipment and the ability to think, analyze, and work, which was instilled in us at TPU, helps us and forms competencies and character," says Alina about working at Kursk NPP-2.

After gaining experience, the graduate could choose whether to stay at the Kursk NPP or, for example, go to Turkey, to the Akkuyu NPP. But Alina and her husband chose a project in Bangladesh as a place to apply their knowledge and gain work experience, which would help them in the future. Young specialists work together with the girl. There are other graduates of TPU among them.

A TPU graduate can be seen from afar: they are always the most organized, the smartest, the fastest to grasp, the most proactive! TPU graduates are appreciated very much in our industry, and we have noticed this for ourselves - we have always been praised. TPU trains really super-skilled personnel, it does not lower sights,

You can read the full version of the interview with the graduate here.