SSFU Conquers Forum in Pyatigorsk: Students Find Partners, Ideas, and Put CyberGame in Forum's Top Spot

The presented phygital game became the winner of the "Student Startup" competition. The project uses gamification to help schoolchildren take their first steps in IT, live the life of their character as a security specialist, software developer, system administrator, and more. This is a mechanism of soft power to assist schoolchildren in self-determination for future educational directions and career choices.

Our scientific team is also conducting research in the field of trusted artificial intelligence, data analysis, and the application of machine learning in cybersecurity issues. Students presented their projects and received high marks from experts, - commented Maria Lapina on the SSFU team's participation in the forum.

For some, the trip was an opportunity to find partners, for others — an answer to long-standing professional questions, and someone just wanted to break out of the usual routine and look at their ideas from the outside.

From the first day, it was clear that the forum was far from a formal format with dry reports. The organizers created a warm and inclusive atmosphere, thanks to which participants quickly stopped feeling the distance in status and age and easily found a common language. The most valuable thing, according to the students, was live communication: ideas born at workshops and in the corridors immediately turned into joint plans and future projects.

The main outcome for the guys was the feeling that they became part of a large community of like-minded people. The forum gave not only knowledge but also confidence that their developments are in demand, and complex tasks can be solved together. The participants left with full notebooks of contacts, new ideas, and the understanding that the next forum cannot be missed.

The project by Nazar Podruchny and Vladimir Lapin to create the phygital game CyberGame received special attention. The development entered the TOP-5 projects of the forum and became one of the most notable examples of how student initiative can grow into an interesting technological product.

Such a format of events not only inspires — it provides real resources for moving forward. For SSFU students, the forum in Pyatigorsk became the point where ideas gained a team, and energy — direction.