Today Chelyabinsk is one of the most actively developing regions of Russia. Each year new buildings and structures become a part of urban landscape. Graduate of South Ural State University, construction engineer of the Chelyabinsk Electrometallurgical Integrated Plant Viktor Koltan told us about how engineering projects are turned into reality.
– Which year have you graduated from SUSU and what was your specialty?
– I finished bachelor’s degree studies in 2008 and specialist’s degree in 2009. I studied at the Faculty of Architecture and Construction. I got admitted to the Department of Building and Engineering Structures, and graduated from the Department of Structural Mechanics.
– Why did you choose this profession?
– After high school I got admitted to the South Ural State College of Technology. As we have family dynasty of engineers, I also chose this area for obtaining the primary profession. Studying was a lot of fun, during the first and the last years of study I even was a prefect of our group.
– Which subjects did you like most?
– Most of all I liked Strength of Materials course and structural engineering. Strength of Materials is a discipline close to physics, there is a lot of calculations there, a lot of formulas. I’ve always loved it!
– Tell us about the period of your study, about internships. How did you career start?
– It is well-known that first a student works for his reputation, and then his reputation works for him. As an academic year finished, I was sent to take part in a project of constructing the SUSU Publishing Center. Then I worked in the Laboratory of Construction Machines. After a while I was invited for working at the Department where I started making my first steps in the profession by carrying out projects connected with minor reconstruction and buildup. And then I started teaching simultaneously. I conducted workshops and explained to students how to solve engineering problems.
– When graduating, many students do already know where they are going to work. Was it the same inyour case?
– I liked studying and I still do. I finished bachelor’s and specialist degree studies. Then I applied for master’s degree and planned going for postgraduate study. I wanted to further develop the topic of calculations, dynamic analysis, matrix, etc. Lecturer Valery Kosogorov offered me to work in the Chelyabregionproekt Research Institute. And I came back to engineering. What is most interesting, from almost the very beginning I managed to contribute into construction of the famous in Chelyabinsk Manhattan residential complex. After having worked for a while in the Chelyabregionproekt and having gotten significant and various experience, I easily got hired as a design engineer at the Chelyabinsk Electrometallurgical Integrated Plant where I have been happily working for two years already.
– What does a construction engineer do when designing a building?
– If an architect develops planning of a building, its appearance and design, a construction engineer decides which structures are of better use and where to use them, how many bricks are required, where to lay the bricks, how to reinforce them and how to protect them. We work with architects’ projects; turn their sometimes extremely creative ideas into reality.
– What is the specificity of your profession? Which qualities are required for completing a project?
– A person should definitely posses analytical thinking. Diligence and assiduity are required first of all.
– What can you be proud of in your career? What are your dreams?
– This question is hard to answer. In fact, the best projects are ahead. What about my dreams, I have always liked bridges. I would like to take part in designing a bridge, a simple one at first, and then to design a flap bridge and a cable bridge.
– What would you like to wish for students who are now studying in your specialty?
– I wish them more interesting projects and bravery for turning them into reality!