From Russia with Nuclear Education – Rosatom Scholarship beneficiary

The editor had an opportunity to speak Kiprotich Patrick Langat, another ROSATOM Africa scholarship beneficiary.

What keep you motivated to study nuclear energy ? You have already pursued Mechanical Engineering Course.

I am passionate not only about energy production but also how to utilize energy sources with minimal environment defect. Safety in nuclear power plant is a priority of every engineer. This is where I come in to be part of the team that do more research on producing the required energy safely without undermining natural resources as well as climate.

Dependence on natural sources of energy such oil and gas has greatly increased in recent years. However, the future of this is unknown. Nuclear Energy is the solution to this problem. Its installation cost is cheap and producing energy throughout the year with minimal carbon emission.

I wanted to pursue an energy-oriented career which brings in more research. This is where nuclear energy comes in.

I am passionate about the complexity of the nuclear systems which generate a huge amount of power out of a small reactor and a small property of element called atom. I believe nuclear is a future stable source of energy.

How did you join national research nuclear university: How did you applied?

I applied scholarship through the Ministry of Education. We had the first interview and I was lucky to be selected for the second interview at the Embassy of Russia Federation. Throughout the interview process, my cousin a student at the RUDN , guided me on the application processes. He assisted me to select the best and most affordable college. I had made National Nuclear Research Institute as my first choice. I am happy I was selected to study at IATE, which is one of the best institutions of learning.

So far, you have not started to study Nuclear Engineering. Tell us about your daily activities as of now.

Right now, we are studying a preparatory course, to prepare us for the Engineering course . I make sure I have an extra hour to study the Russian language. Break time, I write new vocabularies to learnt throughout the day, to boost my grammatical skills.

You are young. What has been your proudest achievement in life so far?

My proudest achievement was to arrive in Russia I have always dream of studying, which of course has advanced in technology. Seeing ice was only on movies, right now I can attest to it.

Most importantly is to follow my career part which I thank the government of Russia and Rosatom community for this great opportunity.

What is the best career advice you have ever received? What advice to Kenyans who would like to study in Russia?

The best career advice is the one in which you’re using the skills you enjoy.

Maximize every opportunity in learning something new and to keep an open mind.

I advise someone who wants to further their studies here to be psychologically prepared if it is there first time learning a new language. Also, Russia is a wonderful country to be, people are really friendly and ready to help.

Being in a new country can be stressful, being young and just discovering life. Do you face any challenges?

My day to day problems started as soon as I arrived, communication was always a challenge. I came to Russia late last year; found my fellow students way ahead in the preparatory course. Right now, I am working extra hard to catch up.

How is life in Russia?Tell us about it.

I arrived in Russia in winter. Winter is extremely cold season. Though I am used to cold but not this kind. I have adapted and continue to adapt to this kind of climate.

Russia is an exciting and interesting place to be, right now I haven’t travel so much because I am studying.

Russian language is not easy. It requires more effort for one to be able to write and communicate well with it. I believe as time goes on; I will improve my speaking skills in Russian language.

How do you hope to apply your studies in Kenya?

Kenya is a developing country. For more development in Kenya, we require an increase in energy production especially electricity. The government has four agendas which need to be implemented by 2030. These agendas require enormous energy. The government want to build it first nuclear power plant. In Kenya we do not have enough expertise in nuclear power generation especially plant maintenance, this is the reason why I am studying to be part of the team who will pioneer the first nuclear power plant and make it a success.

To attract more investors, we require energy. The government has also spearheaded rural electrification. For it to become more successful we require an additional source of energy which is very stable. The best promising option now is nuclear power plant. Nuclear power plant of now is more advance, and hopefully with more effort and advance research in nuclear field, this will certainly be the best solution for the much-needed energy worldwide.