An affordable water purification system developed by Satbayev University scientists

Water is the source of life. And this, in general, is not news. But lately, we have been hearing more and more about the shortage of water resources, which can become a global problem. According to World Bank forecasts, the volume of water resources in Kazakhstan will decrease from 90 to 76 m3 per year by 2030. This means that the water shortage in the country in 8 years will be about 12-15 m3 per year, that is, about 15%. By the way, residents of remote Kazakh villages have been living without clean drinking water for decades. And this problem persists to this day.

Slow-acting filters are the first type of filters that have begun to be used in the practice of water treatment. In 1829, John Simpson built sand filters for the London water supply, which were called English, or slow.

“Slow-acting filters are used for non-reactive clarification and partial water discoloration from surface sources if its color does not exceed 35-50 degrees. According to the method of regeneration of the filter loading, the following designs are distinguished: with the removal of the polluting layer and washing it outside the filter, with the washing of the contaminated layer in the filter during mechanical loosening and flushing of impurities,” the scientists explain.

Slow filters have a unique ability to remove not only turbidity and color from the water but also specific organic, and inorganic contaminants and bacteria. At the same time, no chemical reagents are used.

“The filter has a double bottom: its lower part is solid; the upper part is perforated. A drainage space is formed between them, into which the filtered water enters. A layer of crushed stone or gravel (0.4-0.45 m thick) is placed on the upper part of the bottom, and a filter layer of quartz sand (0.8-0.85 m) is placed on it, to which the purified water is supplied. The filtration process on a slow filter approaches the natural one: water passes through the filter slowly, at a speed of 0.1-0.2 m/h. Under such conditions, almost complete clarification of water and its purification from microorganisms by 95-99% is achieved.”

As the water is filtered, a biological film is formed on the surface of the filter layer of sand from the retained organic residues, minerals, colloidal particles, and a large number of microorganisms. It is formed within a few days – this period is called the period of “maturation” of the filter. This film retains a fine suspension that would pass through the pores of the sand. That is, film filtration of water takes place on a slow filter. The film itself also contributes to mineralizing the organic substances, the destruction of microflora, and the reduction of oxidation and color.

The use of crushed shungisite (expanded clay, zeolite, volcanic slags, burnt rocks, clinoptilolite) instead of quartz sand reduces the formation time of a biologically active film by 3-5 times.

The process of “maturation” lasts until the number of bacteria in the filter decreases to 100 colonies (A colony is a visible isolated cluster of representatives of one type of microorganisms. – Note of the author.) per 1 ml of water. That is until the water meets the requirements for drinking water quality. After that, the water can be eaten.

“The useful operation period of the filter continues until the available pressure is exhausted (usually it reaches 15-30 days, sometimes more). After that, the filter is stopped and the regeneration of the upper layers of the load is started, removing a 2-3-centimeter layer or loosening it with simultaneous water supply to the filter surface to flush the impurities into the sewer collector,” say scientists of KazNRTU named after K.I. Satbayev.

Traditional technologies of water treatment and water purification provide a complex technology consisting of several processes: settling, filtering, and disinfection. At the same time, the existing treatment facilities no longer give the desired result due to the heavy pollution of reservoirs. Slow filters, scientists say, are easy to build, and low-cost to maintain, while they can provide clean water to a small village. The project is being implemented with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Computers should never be allowed to control human mind, says AI expert

Computers should never be allowed to control the human mind and humans’ decisions, says Professor Dr. Madjid Fathi, a world-known AI expert, and head of the Institute of Knowledge-Based Systems and Knowledge Management at Germany’s University Seigenin.

Professor Fathi was in Kazakhstan on 20-22 September as a guest speaker at the Kazakh Agrotechnical Research University (KATRU) named after Seifullin University in Astana. Professor Fathi gave a talk at the conference session on the use of artificial intelligence in the production of quality food. He said AI can be used for monitoring food crops and the data collected can help understand what affects the quality of food. Whether it is the quality of water, the quality of air, the quality of soil or plasticized, or the overall environment those affect the quality of the food crop.

The focus of Professor Fathi’s research is the constructive and positive use of AI. Professor Fathi’s interest in AI developed 35 years ago when he was at Standford University California. He worked at the University of California, Barkley, He was at the University of New Mexico, too. Later, speaking to the KATRU Press Service, Professor Fathi said that the human mind should always control AI and its development.

“Humans should be decision makers, not computers, computers shouldn’t lead us, we should lead computers. We must focus on controlling the misuse of AI,” said Professor Fathi.

He further elaborated his point by giving an example. “By using Artificial intelligence, we can know about existing illnesses in a person or any illnesses that person may suffer in the near future. That means that AI can tell with accuracy how long the person may live. If this information gets into the hands of insurance companies, there is a possibility of misuse of the medical data.”

Professor Fathi talked about the dangers of AI if it is not regulated. He said big businesses and corporations are using AI to make money and there is a danger that ethics may be compromised.

He stressed the need to develop ethics for the use of AI and its applications. Professor Fathi is part of a group of professors from various countries who are working and pushing for rigorous ethics to regulate AI and its development.
Professor Fathi travels around the world as a guest speaker and he has helped several universities in setting up AI centers and knowledge-based systems.

Muhammad Sheraz is the Advisor to the Rector KATRU on Strategy, Global Engagement, and Communication. His email is: [email protected]

 

Satbayev University opens School of Transport Engineering and Logistics

The opening of M. Tynyshbayev School of Transport Engineering and Logistics took place at Satbayev University. It is a higher educational institution that combines the rich experience of teachers and the achievements of Satbayev University’s scientists in implementing research projects for Kazakhstan’s transport and logistics industry.

The new school, where engineers will be trained in “Transport” and “Logistics” degree programs, is named in honor of M. Tynyshbayev, the first Kazakh railway engineer, public figure, Prime Minister of Turkestan autonomy, an active participant in designing and constructing the Turkestan-Siberian railway.

To ensure high-quality training of specialists, Satbayev University signed a cooperation agreement with Xi’an Railway Vocational Technical Institute (PRC), opened a two-degree Master’s degree program “Transport Technologies” together with Silesian University of Technology (Poland), and also created a consortium with Railway Transport Institute (Riga, Latvia). Degree programs for training engineers in road and rail transport are certified by international and domestic agencies for accreditation of degree programs: ASIIN (Germany), IKAQAE, and IARA.

— Cooperation with universities of countries that are experiencing rapid growth in the transport and logistics industry will ensure not only high-quality training of specialists but also the transfer of new technologies to Kazakhstan,” said Seidulla Abdullayev, Director of M. Tynyshbayev School of Transport Engineering and Logistics.

The school’s opening ceremony was attended by representatives of the transport and logistics industries, as well as the son and granddaughter of Mukhamedzhan Tynyshbayev Davlet Sheikh-Ali and Zhunissova Nurshaken Apa.

State’s Head K. K. Tokayev in his Message to Kazakhstan’s people noted that strengthening the position as a nodal transit hub in Eurasia is a strategic task for our country. President set a goal to increase the share of the transport and logistics sector in the GDP structure to 9% in the next three years. The opening of M.Tynyshbayev School of Transport Engineering and Logistics will contribute to advancing the human resources and scientific research for Kazakhstan’s transport and logistics region.

 

Shaping an Internationally-Oriented Generation at IITU

In today’s world, international activities within universities play a pivotal role in nurturing an educated and globally conscious generation of students. These endeavors foster traditions of tolerance, intercultural understanding, and the ability to address complex global challenges.

At IITU, our commitment to international cooperation aligns with our development strategy, aimed at elevating the university’s standing in the global academic sphere. Our primary objectives include securing positions in international university rankings, fostering collaborative projects with leading foreign institutions, expanding the presence of foreign faculty and students, and developing joint educational programs resulting in dual diplomas.

Our efforts to cultivate partnerships span continents, covering Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa, with a primary focus on enhancing academic mobility and facilitating joint educational programs. These dual degree programs allow students to study at two institutions, enriching their knowledge and skills across diverse cultural and educational environments. Graduates of such programs possess unique and highly attractive qualifications for the global job market.

Currently, IITU offers dual degree programs in collaboration with esteemed universities in Germany, South Korea, Malaysia, and Poland for both undergraduate and graduate students. Additionally, our academic mobility program provides students with the opportunity to study at top-tier institutions across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

In pursuit of an internationally oriented and educated society, IITU has attracted renowned foreign educators. This not only enhances the quality of education but also nurtures students’ development, making them well-prepared to tackle the challenges of globalization and engage with the global educational community.

Our commitment to knowledge exchange, technology sharing, and experiential learning is evident through international projects with organizations such as UNICEF, Erasmus, and collaboration with American and British consulates. These endeavors bring together experts from various countries to address complex issues and drive groundbreaking discoveries.

Moreover, our adoption of the educational platform Coursera for Campus has revolutionized learning at IITU. It allows our students access to unique courses from leading global institutions and technology companies, complete with the opportunity for free certification. IITU proudly became the first university in Kazakhstan and Central Asia to collaborate with Coursera for Campus, integrating their content seamlessly into our educational ecosystem. We’ve expanded our course offerings significantly to provide our students with a broad international perspective and practical skills.

In a historic moment for Kazakhstan, our top-performing students received diplomas directly from Coursera CEO, Jeff Maggioncalda, recognizing their exceptional dedication to global learning.

IITU remains committed to strengthening cooperation with the global scientific and academic community, universities, and public organizations. Our doors are open to foreign applicants, students, interns, and teaching staff, embodying our dedication to fostering international understanding and collaboration.

In conclusion, IITU’s relentless pursuit of internationalization is not just a vision but a tangible reality. It empowers our students with the skills, knowledge, and global perspective necessary for success in a rapidly evolving world. Together, we are shaping a future generation that is truly internationally oriented.

India Professor Explains Smart Agribusiness, Recommends Adoption of Agriculture 4.0

India’s top Agriculture Informatics Professor Moni Madaswamy says that the use of digital technologies such as blockchain, IoT, Artificial Intelligence (ML & DL), data analytics, GIS, smartphones, Internet, Cloud Computing, and Language computing in agriculture will help farmers, increase productivity, and strengthen national and global economies.

Professor M. Moni is Professor Emeritus and Chairman of the Centre for Agricultural Informatics and e-Governance Research Studies (CAIRS) & Centre for Agribusiness and Disaster Management Studies (CADMS), Shobhit Institute of Engineering and Technology Meerut, India.

His thought-provoking talk on the use of informatics and new IT technologies in Agriculture at the International Food Safety and Food Quality Conference at the Kazakh Agrotechnical Research University (KATRU) in Astana provided a new perspective on the relationship between IT and agriculture.

The topic of Professor M. Moni’s talk was: Food Security in a Digital Economy: Need for Strategic Agricultural Informatics Research and Development in Higher Educational Institutions.”

The Indian Professor praised Kazakhstan’s strides in the digitalization of its economy and the wide use of technologies in Kazakh society.

He said Kazakhstan has tremendous potential in agriculture and it should start using new information technologies in the agricultural sector.

Professor M. Moni gave examples of different projects in India where farmers in 100,000 villages were trained to use IT in agriculture. He said India would facilitate the farming community by progressively empowering them through the newly evolving Agricultural Informatics discipline.

Professor M. Moni said that collaborative farming is defined as “two or more farmers working together” in a formal arrangement for their mutual benefit.

He said that the “Future of Farming” will be mostly based on extensive research and development in the areas of Genomics, Robotics, Informatics, and Nanotechnology (GRIN), and such intensification is being witnessed now.

During his talk, Professor M. Moni also explained the term ‘Smart Agribusiness’ saying it meant the applications of digital technologies to improve the efficiency of all the stakeholders in the interrelated and interdependent value chains in agriculture.

The goal of Smart Agribusiness is to leverage the recent surge in technologies (such as blockchain, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, remote sensing technologies, cloud computing, and mobile internet) to reduce information and financial asymmetry across the agricultural value chain. Through the use of these technologies, Smart Agribusiness can increase farmers’ access to inputs, information, finance, and knowledge.

Smart Agribusinesses can have a democratizing effect across the agricultural sector. They have the potential to positively impact the livelihoods of all those involved in the agriculture sector, irrespective of societal divides (e.g. gender, age, and economic status among others).

Professor Moni said that it is professed that an Agricultural System (Research System, Input System, Production System, and Output System) built-in with effective ICT-enabled “Information Systems”, is capable of delivering services in Indian local languages, for enhancing agricultural production, productivity, and income rise.

He recommended the adoption of Industry 4.0 in Agriculture (Agriculture 4.0) and said that it paves the way forward for collaborative farming.

Grand opening of first University Center for Sustainable Development takes place at Satbayev University

On September 6, 2023, the opening ceremony of Center for Sustainable Development, the first such center in Kazakhstan opened at University, took place at Satbayev University within the framework of International Round Table “UN Sustainable Development Goals: Principles of Environmental Safety”. The event also included the adoption of the University’s strategy for Sustainable Development Goals.

The event was attended by Gulzat Kobenova, Chairperson of Higher and Postgraduate Education Committee at RK MSHE (online), Mikaela Friberg-Storey, UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan, Assel Nurbekova, Director of Ecology and Energy Department at UNDP in Kazakhstan, Zhang Wei, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Almaty, and other officials.

UN Sustainable Development Goals are a set of ambitious goals aimed at the prosperity of countries. As Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted in his message, the key tasks of Kazakhstan’s development include ensuring the country’s water security and education quality. The work within the framework of Sustainable Development Goals is designed primarily to address the given issues.

Satbayev University has become the first and so far the only University in the Republic of Kazakhstan to be included in the UN Global Compact. This enables University to actively implement the 17 Sustainable Development Goals at the national and global levels. Among them: poverty eradication, hunger eradication, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation etc.

The initiative force of change will be Center for Sustainable Development opened at University, designed to develop practical solutions for the sustainable development of society. Center will develop new technologies and methods that help reduce the negative human impact on the environment and help raise people’s awareness of sustainable development issues and ways to solve them.

The participants highly appreciated the fact of the opening of such an important center, which will play a key role in economy growth and improving the society’s living conditions. To support University on the way to building a “green university” and in honor of the opening of Center, University’s business partner Dauren Askarovich Sabdenov donated two HONDA 1st generation electric crossover cars to Satbayev University.

– In order not to lose our way, we must all move in the same direction. Here we will work together to work out ways to solve problems that affect each of us in one way or another,” Rector of Satbayev University Meiram Begentayev said at the opening of Center.

The first step was the international round table “UN Sustainable Development Goals: Principles of Environmental Safety”. The purpose of the round table was to unite the ecological community of Kazakhstan under the auspices of Satbayev University, as well as accelerate and coordinate research to develop and promote reliable and effective solutions to environmental protection issues faced by humanity.

Kazakh government transfers 13 research institutes to KATRU

Food security and food self-sufficiency, modernization of agriculture, adoption of environment-friendly policies, and the development of renewable energy sources are top priorities of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s government.

Kazakhstan is the world’s ninth-largest country with an area of 2,700,000 square kilometers making it equal to the entire western Europe in terms of area. The country is home to nearly 20 million people 45 percent of whom live in rural areas and two million work in the agriculture sector.

Nearly 75 percent of Kazakhstan’s land is suitable for agriculture, however, only 30 percent of its land is used for agriculture, still, Kazakhstan is among the top 10 producers of wheat in the world.

Now the Government wants to further develop the agriculture sector turning it into the major driver of the national economy. The goal is to transform Kazakhstan into a leading food-exporting country. Therefore, the focus is on technological innovations and applied research with the aim to bridge gaps between academia and business & industry. Universities are key players in the Kazakh government’s modernization strategy.

Kazakh Agrotechnical Research University (KATRU) is among Kazakhstan’s top three universities. It is located in Astana, one of the newest and most modern cities in the world, which is also the capital of Kazakhstan. KATRU is City’s oldest university. The University is also known as Seifullin University. Saken Seifullin was a national hero of Kazakhstan.

Established in 1957, KATRU now has 12000 students and 860 teaching staff in the University’s nine faculties and 16 research institutions. The University has been a distinguished and proven leader in solid fundamental and applied research since the 1960s in the fields of agricultural economics; crop production, agriculture, agro-chemistry and soil science, plant protection; microbiology, veterinary medicine, and animal husbandry; plant and animal biotechnology; land management, architecture and design, mechanization, and electrification of agriculture, as well as humanitarian areas.

KATRU scientists’ research and scientific and technological innovations played a key role in transforming the Soviet Union into a superpower and excelling in food production, agriculture engineering, energy and ecology, biotechnology, and other fields.

Since the independence of Kazakhstan in 1991, through its cutting-edge research solutions and technological innovations KATRU has been an engine behind the unprecedented economic growth, scientific innovations, and infrastructural developments in modern Kazakhstan, which is now the most advanced and developed state in Central Asia.

Astana is known the world over for its modern and unique architecture and city structures. KATRU Department of Architecture has a significant role and contributions to the engineering and designing of Astana’s major building structures and architecture.

Due to KATRU’s solid academic achievement and reputation, the government of Kazakhstan has transferred 13 national research institutes to KATRU. These institutes located in various parts of Kazakhstan were part of the Ministry of Agriculture and worked under the Kazakhstan National Agriculture Research and Education Center. That Center has been closed now and its constituent institutions have been transferred to different universities. The purpose of the move is to create a link between education, research, and production.

KATRU already had three research institutes, with the addition of 13 more by the government, KATRU now has 16 research institutes. This is a sign of huge trust in KATRU’s credibility and academic standing. Such an expansion in its research work and activities has transformed KATRU into a globally engaged modern Research University contributing to the creation of a “knowledge society” in Kazakhstan and building knowledge bridges in the Eurasian region and beyond through the creation, exchange, and transfer of knowledge & expertise in the fields of food, agriculture, and sustainable development using the work, achievements, and contributions of KATRU scientists, teachers, and students.

The University’s new Rector, Professor Kanat Maratovich Tireuov, plans to strengthen KATRU as a global hub of research, innovation, and technology connected with the rest of the world through collaborative and inter-disciplinary research, academic exchanges, and partnerships beneficial to local, and national, and global economies and societies.

“By 2030 KATRU will be among the world’s top entrepreneurial research universities offering global education, cutting-edge research, and scientific and technical solutions to global and national challenges,” vowed Rector Professor Tireuov.

Muhammad Sheraz is an adviser to the Rector KATRU on strategy, global engagement, and communication. He can be reached at: [email protected]

KATRU will create model ‘research cluster’ using forest resources, research facilities in Shchuchinsk

Kazakh Agrotechnical Research University (KATRU) is the only institute in Kazakhstan with vast and spectacular forest resources and research facilities in north Kazakhstan. The University has the Faculty of Forestry, Forest Research, Wildlife, and Environment in the Kazakh capital Astana and a research institute, ‘Alikhan Bukeikhanov Research Institute of Forestry’ located in Shchuchinsk, a small city in northern Kazakhstan 214 kilometers northwest of Astana.

Under its new Rector and Board Chairman, Professor Kanat Maratovich Tireuov, KATRU is transforming its teaching &learning and research practices and processes through strategies such as conducting research in real conditions, providing students and researchers with practice opportunities in the field, and learning by observing, experiencing, and doing.

KATRU’s forestry faculty students and researchers will now spend more time in the University’s newly developed research and study facilities in Shchuchinsk where they will test and process their observations and findings in newly established fully equipped modern research labs in and around KATRU’s forestlands.

KATRU is building new research laboratories, academic buildings, and student and staff residences in Shchuchinsk. There will be new themes & techno-parks on the forestland in cooperation with national and global partners. KATRU is looking for suitable partners in establishing a techno-park and more joint research centers in Shchuchinsk on forest, environment, and wildlife. The University is keen on developing ecotourism, also.

IITU on the way to meta university concept

Currently, the development of digital technologies has changed the approach to learning and quality of the education. With the accelerated development of distance education in the world, universities are moving into a virtual or meta-space – i.e. a web platform that offers students and organizations a platform with virtual immersion capabilities for gaining and sharing knowledge to
achieve interdisciplinary academic goals. In this way, educational institutions come together to offer students the opportunity to access learning resources from any university/library they need, and students studying at one educational institution can take courses at other universities and colleges. All this makes education more accessible, perfect and independent.

The relevance and advantages of creating a specialized virtual university are as follows:

• high-quality presentation of lectures due to the support of multimedia and interactive;

• low cost of education;

• Providing an opportunity to enrol in higher education institutions for all who experience difficulties in a traditional university;

• the opportunity to enter prestigious universities, regardless of the location of the university;

• easy access to libraries and educational resources;

• time savings due to the absence of the need to attend a traditional university;

• Ensuring social justice through equal access to technology;

• the students control the path of academic learning, as learning in virtual classrooms is carried out in accordance with their request;

• creative teaching method;

• Creating an environment of real human presence in laboratories through meta-space

Also with the benefits, the most important reasons hindering the spread of virtual
universities in developing countries should also be noted:

• the virtual university is not yet popular all over the world;

• popular distrust in the level of the educational system of the virtual university;

• conservatism of the state policy of higher education;

• the traditional generation rejects the idea of modern teaching methods,
including virtual universities;

• continuous learning and technical support should be available to teachers and students of the virtual university.

The International Information Technologies University is the leading university in Central Asia in the training of IT specialists.The development of educational programs that consider immersive technologies, the creation of virtual laboratories and work on scientific projects funded by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan and international organizations such as UNICEF, led to the creation of a university meta-space. And the next stage of the university’s strategic development was the creation of a Meta-University. IITU defines a Meta-University as a new culture of learning in a virtual community

Of course, in order to create a meta-university, higher education institutions must have a reserve: a bank of technologies used, the presence of a digital university, a base of its own scientific knowledge, qualified personnel and scientists, a laboratory of immersive technologies that will
create digital twins, virtual objects, requires large financial investments and the availability of high-tech equipment.

Meta-education can provide a hybrid, formal and informal active approach to learning. In virtual 3D buildings, students are users of virtual spaces with their own individual curricula. Full immersion lets the learner know about unknown circumstances and events in remote locations.

Thus, IITU is developing its own concept and implementation of the META-university, which consists in the training of qualified personnel who can use immersive technologies, and the university itself teaches on the principle of “immersive learning”. We must be ready for future professions now and start working in the virtual space of various sectors of the economy.

How does Kazakhstan prepare digital journalists?

The new model of journalism education at the International University of Information Technology is adapted to the multimedia information environment because all media is moving toward digitalization.

Journalism today is becoming super-mobile and high-tech. Therefore, the International Information Technology University is the first and only university in Kazakhstan to offer a completely new curriculum focused on digital media, social networks, blogging, and social media marketing. The innovation of the educational program “Digital Journalism” consists in combining the basic journalistic profession with other specializations. In digital journalism, you don’t just need to know how to write. You have to be a big data analyst, director, cameraman, sound engineer, editor, and designer and know the basics of programming and animation. It means to the standard duties of a journalist a wide range of special knowledge is added, such as website development and web – design, motion design, infographics, programming, mobile applications, SEO – promotion, usability, digital marketing, 3D – animation programs, data visualization, etc.

Traditionally journalists were “humanists”, but today such areas as big data analysis in the Internet space and mathematical modelling are relevant for journalism. It should be understood how to extract the necessary information from a big stream of fake news, build the image of any company or person, and build information flows more effectively, including in social networks, so that the consumer receives the information they need.

An obligatory professional requirement for the work of a journalist is the possession of digital equipment, the latest technologies for gathering and transmitting information, knowledge of the requirements of information security, and the ability to produce an information product on various media platforms.

It is important that the educational program “Digital Journalism” at the IITU was developed considering the wishes of the heads of the leading mass media in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The best foreign professors are involved in teaching it. The study is conducted in English, Kazakh, and Russian. Each student can study for a year or a semester at foreign partner universities of the IITU. Together, we have developed a clear list of skills a journalist must have to work in domestic and foreign media structures. This shows the real connection between our faculty and employers; therefore, our graduates are in demand both in the media and PR departments, marketing, and advertising structures.

The educational program “Digital Journalism” is new, relevant, and timely, demonstrating the training of highly qualified specialists in demand in the global media market.