SPbGASU Held the Final Stage of the All-Russian Student Olympiad "Roads and Airfields"

On 14 April, the St Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering held a ceremonial opening of the final stage of the All-Russian Student Olympiad "Roads and Airfields" in the field of study 08.03.01 "Civil engineering" (bachelor's degree level).

The opening ceremony took place in the SPbGASU Academic Council Hall and set a warm, working tone for the entire Olympiad program. Participants received welcoming remarks from Sergey Mikhailov, SPbGASU Vice-Rector for Educational Activity; Sergey Zayats, Marketing Director of RPC Topomatik; Anton Syrkov, Leading Expert in Road and Bridge Construction at ABZ-1 Group of Companies; Olga Popova, Chairman of the Olympiad Jury and Head of the Department of Highways and Construction Production at Northern (Arctic) Federal University; and Sergey Mordvin, Chairman of the Appeals Commission and Associate Professor at Moscow Automobile and Road Construction State Technical University (MADI). In their greetings, the speakers noted the importance of training highly qualified specialists for the road construction industry, emphasized the role of such events in developing students' professional competencies, and wished the participants success.

Andrey Zazykin, Dean of the SPbGASU Faculty of Automobile and Road Building, briefed students on the Olympiad's participation rules and the program of events, wishing them confidence, inspiration, and bright professional solutions.

In 2026, nine leading Russian universities applied to participate in the Olympiad: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (SPbGASU), Novosibirsk State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (NSUACE-Sibstrin), Northern (Arctic) Federal University (NArFU), Yaroslavl State Technical University (YSTU), Siberian State Automobile and Highway University (SibADI), Pacific National University (PNU), Kazan State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (KSUACE), Moscow Automobile and Road State Technical University (MADI), and Tyumen Industrial University (TIU). A total of 26 students are participating in the final round.

During the Olympiad, students completed assignments in several areas, reflecting key aspects of professional training:

• "Road survey and design" category;
• "Road construction" category;
• "Road operation" category;
• team competition;
• overall standings of the final stage of the Olympiad.

The event's unique atmosphere was enhanced not only by the competition but also by the rich program prepared for the participants. In addition to completing tests and practical assignments, the students participated in excursions and cultural activities. The Olympiad partner, ABZ-1 Group, organized an educational tour for the program participants to a production facility—a traffic interchange under construction in Kudrovo—where they learned about the work of modern road construction companies. This allowed them to see the industry firsthand and get a sense of its scale and dynamism.

Next, the students will enjoy a sightseeing tour of St Petersburg and a theater evening. The results will be announced and the awards ceremony for the winners and runners-up will take place on 16 April.

Students from various Russian universities shared their impressions of participating in the Olympiad.

Polina Tkachenko, a student at the Novosibirsk State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (Sibstrin), noted that participating in the Olympiad was a new and valuable experience: "This is my first time participating in such an event. Our university held the qualifying round, where I won a prize and earned the opportunity to come here. The tasks varied in difficulty—from simpler to more complex—in both the test and practical sections. The trip to the construction site was especially memorable: it was interesting to see how the process was actually organized, what stages had already been completed, and what else was planned. This helps you better understand your future profession and see how theory is applied in practice."

Polina Klimova, a student at the Siberian State Automobile and Highway University (SibADI), also emphasized the high level of organization and practical value of the event: "I'm a fourth-year student majoring in Civil engineering, focusing on investment and construction activities on highways. This was my first time attending the Olympiad. First of all, I'd like to note the excellent organization—everything was very comfortable, and participants were well-supported. The competition day itself was divided into two parts: first, computer testing, then solving practical problems across several sections. The construction site tour was also interesting—even though I had some practical experience, each site was unique in its own way. I especially remember the engineering solutions we were told about. These types of trips allow you to better understand how the industry works and provide new knowledge that will be useful in the future."

The Olympiad is held to improve the quality of training for future specialists, identify gifted students, develop their professional competencies and creative potential, and strengthen cooperation between educational organizations that are members of the Construction Education Association and the Federal Educational and Methodological Association.

The Olympiad will conclude with a ceremony announcing the results and recognizing the best participants. The organizers are confident that participation in the Olympiad will be an important professional step for students, a source of new knowledge, experience, and motivation for further development in the field of road construction.

The event's partners were the ABZ-1 group of companies and the Topomatik research and production company.

We wish the Olympiad participants success, confidence in their abilities, and worthy results!