Dedicated to the International Day of Women and Girls in Science

On February 11, as decided by the United Nations General Assembly (2015), the global scientific community celebrates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. This year, the main theme of the celebration was gender equality in the creation of STEM ecosystems. According to UN Women and UNESCO, women make up only 35% of students worldwide in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. Women researchers account for 30% of the global total of researchers. However, women leaders constitute only one-tenth.

Kazakhstan is one of the countries where the number of women in science exceeds 50%. At the National Center on Complex Processing of Mineral Raw Materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan (hereinafter referred to as the NC CPMRM RK), the number of women is, on average, equal to that of men. Of these, 47% have higher education, and the same percentage of all managers. Of the total number of employees with academic degrees, 42% are women with the highest scientific qualifications. Statistics in recent years demonstrate a steady increase in the number of girls and women involved in scientific research, including advanced scientific training. Thus, while women at the NC CPMRM RK account for 30% of all doctors of science and 45% of all candidates of science, PhDs (the younger generation!) account for exactly half.

Scientists at the NC CPMRM RK timed the first post-winter break meeting of the Scientific Seminar on Natural Sciences, Raw Materials Processing, and Metallurgy under the Academic Council of the National Center for Complex and Processing of Mineral Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan to coincide with Women's Day. First Deputy Director General Dosmurat Aitkulov, opening the meeting, noted:

"In honor of the holiday, only men will be working at the seminar. We will give women the opportunity to relax, as they are our driving force in all areas of activity."

Evgeny Kremer and Alma Khalilina, specialists from KASSA.SREDA LLP, the official representative of Hitachi in the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Uzbekistan, participated in the seminar. Evgeny Kremer presented a paper titled "Electron Microscopy: Applications in Metallurgy and Mineralogy," which generated enormous interest. Young scientist and PhD candidate Danatbek Murzalinov shared the achievements of the Rare Metals Laboratory (headed by candidate of technical sciences Roza Shayakhmetova) in creating galvanic composite coatings with increased wear resistance based on nickel with a dispersed phase of WO3 and MoO3 on an Al substrate. The results of the study generated heated discussion due to their relevance and high potential.

The scientists actively discussed a project by Doctor of Technical Sciences and Professor Seitgali Galiev on a comprehensive technical and technological audit (CTTA) of the economic, technological, and environmental efficiency of open-pit mining systems. It was recommended to continue work with the prospect of integrating the KTTA into the state regulation system of the mining and metallurgical complex.

Petr Osipov, PhD in Chemistry and Chief Researcher at the Laboratory of Rare Metals at the NC CPMRM RK, and Amankeldy Akhmetov, PhD in Engineering at MISIS and Leading Researcher at the Laboratory of Ferroalloys and Recovery Processes at the Zh. Abishev Kharkiv National Medical Institute, actively participated in the seminar. Svetlana Efremova, Chief Scientific Secretary of the National Center for Complex Analysis and Control of Mineral Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Doctor of Engineering, and Professor (reference: Best Researcher 2024), emphasized the capabilities of modern electron microscopy in studying the transformation of carbon structure during the production of porous materials. Farida Kapsalamova, PhD, Head of the Information and Analysis Department, expressed interest in the intricacies of creating wear-resistant coatings, noting the systematic nature of the software approach and the need for further methodological development of the presented solution.

Source: www.gov.kz