University students are prize winners at the fifth youth technical forum "Shelf Frontier."
The fifth youth technical forum "Shelf Frontier" was held in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk from June 22 to 26, 2026. The event was organized by Gazprom Dobycha Shelf Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk LLC.
Gubkin University was represented at the forum by members of the Student Scientific Society, students from the Faculty of Oil and Gas Field Development Ilya Aleksashov (group RS-23-10), Maria Zakharova (group RS-23-10), Maxim Kozochkin (group RS-23-10), Ekaterina Tyurina (group RF-22-09), Vasily Solodov (group RF-21-09), and Anna Karsukova (group HTM-25-04), a student from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Ecology. More than 60 young researchers and specialists from industry organizations and leading specialized universities participated in the event.
The forum included a series of lectures on current issues in the development of the Russian oil and gas industry, as well as business games focusing on production, intellectual and scientific research, and team building.
The key event of the forum's business program was the solution of a production case related to the further exploration, development, development, and operation of an offshore field. Participants used the parameters of an existing field off Sakhalin as input. In their responses, they were required to present to experts their developments to ensure safe and profitable hydrocarbon production. In their defenses, the teams not only presented the technical aspects of implementation but also demonstrated the connection between their project and existing projects, as well as the work of other teams.
Following the defenses, all six Gubkin University representatives took prizes:
1. "Responsible Approach" category (Silver League):
- First place – Maxim Kozochkin with the case "Selection of Optimal Well Design";
- Second place – Anna Karsukova with the case "Preparation of Technical Specifications for a Hydrocarbon Field Development Project";
- Third place – Ekaterina Tyurina with the case "Preparation of a Technical Project for Hydrocarbon Field Development."
2nd Category "Advanced Technologies" (Golden League):
– First place – Vasily Solodov with the case "Feasibility Study of a Field Development Model";
– Second place – Maria Zakharova with the case "Terms of Reference for Developing a Hydrocarbon Field Further Exploration Project";
– Third place – Ilya Aleksashov with the case "Terms of Reference for Developing a Hydrocarbon Field Development Project."
In addition to solving the cases, the participants listened to lectures from company employees and third-party organizations, participated in a GPS game, an intellectual quiz, and business games. The cultural program left a lasting impression: a tour of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk's cultural sites, a hiking trip to a regional geological natural monument, and a trip to the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk.
