Polytech Team Wins Bronze at the Atomic Brain-Ring
The team from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) took third place at the VI Atomic Brain-Ring named after E. I. Ignatenko, organized by the Rosenergoatom Concern. The intellectual competition was held in Obninsk during the IV International Youth Nuclear Forum OBNINSK NEW-2026 at the Rosatom Technical Academy.
This year, the tournament became part of the OBNINSK NEW-2026 forum program for the first time, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the world's first nuclear power plant startup in Obninsk. Six teams from partner universities of the nuclear industry — representing Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tomsk, Kazan, Sevastopol, and Vladivostok — made it through the preliminary selection and met in the final.
The Atomic Brain-Ring named after E. I. Ignatenko is held annually by Rosenergoatom Concern. Its distinctive feature is a unique question bank, specially developed each year for the tournament. The tasks cover the history of nuclear energy, prominent nuclear scientists, scientific discoveries, and modern technologies. This year, participants noted that there were significantly more nuclear-themed questions than before, making the competition even more specialized.
The intellectual game was hosted by Andrey Kozlov, a Master of the game "What? Where? When?" and President of the International Association of "What? Where? When?" Clubs.
«I was fortunate to participate in the Brain-Ring for the second time. I can say that the game remains just as exciting and dynamic. Moreover, this is one of those cases where even watching from the sidelines and making your own guesses is very engaging. While you're at the game tables, you're rivals, but once in the spectator stands, absolutely everyone becomes a friend with whom you can exchange opinions and have interesting conversations. I would also like to highlight the organizers' efforts: with each year, the format gets better and more engaging. The combination of logical questions and nuclear-themed questions allows, on the one hand, to involve all spectators, and on the other hand, fully lives up to the name 'Atomic Brain-Ring».
"The trip to Obninsk will be remembered for a long time!" shared team member Maria Potapenko. "We attended many interesting lectures, met with HR specialists from various Rosatom divisions, and even took part in a debate masterclass — it was an invaluable experience. We also had the opportunity to connect with like-minded people from different parts of the country. Participation in the Atomic Brain-Ring was not only a test of knowledge in the nuclear industry but also a true logical battle, where every question made you think hard. It's doubly rewarding that our team managed to take third place."
