On April 23, 2026, as part of the II International Youth Forum "Creativity and Innovation – 2026," the English Language Department No. 1 of the Faculty of Mining and Environmental Engineering hosted the Interuniversity Student Scientific and Practical Conference "Knowledge of a Foreign Language as a Key Factor for Working in Innovative Environments," with English as the working language.
The engineering industry has always been and remains international, and English has become as important a professional tool for modern engineers as the ability to program, work with CAD systems, or read blueprints. The recognition that proficiency in English is essential for competitive professional and scientific activity was reflected in the active participation of undergraduate and graduate students from BNTU and other universities in the Republic of Belarus and Uzbekistan in the conference.
The event brought together 246 participants from the Belarusian National Technical University, the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, the Belarusian State Technological University, the Belarusian State University, the A.D. Sakharov International State Ecological Institute (BSU), and the Namangan Civil Engineering Institute (Uzbekistan).
Following the conference, 292 abstracts from four sections were accepted for publication in an electronic collection. These sections covered the application of innovative technologies in engineering, the IT sector, economics, and transport logistics. Several papers addressed patriotism and historical memory through the eyes of young people. One of the conference organizers, Senior Lecturer of the Department E.V. Slesaryonok, noted that the quality of student papers in English has improved significantly compared to previous years. According to her, the participants became more familiar with the requirements for writing academic texts in English, more competent in structuring their reports and theses, and more attentive to issues of academic formatting and scientific style.
During preparation, the organizing committee selected the most interesting presentations for the in-person meeting, where participants demonstrated their public speaking skills in English, presenting the results of their research. The presentation topics were diverse. For example, representatives of the ATF automotive specialties analyzed the effectiveness of implementing driverless technologies on BELAZ mining dump trucks, examined the use of nanofilms in automotive paint coatings, and described the use of MEMS sensors in industrial equipment condition monitoring. ATF logistics specialists discussed the importance of macroscopic models in calculating traffic flows and the impact of smart containers on driver efficiency. A student from the Faculty of Technical Sciences and Engineering (FITR) proposed reflecting on the cognitive complexity of naming in programming, while a representative from the Faculty of Mathematics and Telecommunications (FTi) discussed the development of neurocomputer interface implantation technology. A representative from the Faculty of Energy (FTE) analyzed the prospects for developing biogas plants in Belarus.
The wide range of topics made the in-person portion of the conference rich and multifaceted. Following the event, Maria Shukalo, a lecturer in the department, addressed the audience with closing remarks, noting that even small scientific papers provide an important foundation for future discoveries and large-scale projects. Speaking in a foreign language to a live audience, who respond and ask questions, is a powerful tool for influencing the world and changing it for the better. Maria also emphasized the value of real-life communication between people, which is especially important in the digital age and cannot be replaced by digital formats. Based on the conference results, the following received first-place diplomas: Nazar Kopytok, Elena Budko, and Ilya Kuntysh (VTF), Artur Stapura and Yaroslav Starostenkov (EF), Ksenia Beresneva, Milana Stukach, Igor Vetrov, Arseniy Volosevich, and Diana Dudko (ATF). Second-place diplomas were awarded to Nazar Veselov, Ekaterina Kurman, Maria Sviridchuk, and Alisa Perepechina (ATF). Third-place diplomas were awarded to Nadezhda Mironchuk (ATF) and Varvara Fedorenko (FITR).
The electronic collection of conference proceedings will be posted in the BNTU repository.
