Quantorium is a federal network of children's technology parks equipped with the most modern equipment. Accordingly, a Quantorian is a teenager from 11 to 17 years old who attends it. The quantoriums will train new qualified engineering personnel. Why suddenly quantoriums began to appear in all regions of Russia, including in the EAO, is not a rhetorical question at all. The fact is that no more than five percent of children in our country are engaged in technical creativity. And this is not because young Russians prefer other types of additional education. It's just that they had very few opportunities for such activities until recently. Here you can insert a couple of sentences about the technical revolution, about modern challenges and Russia's place in the global world, but the essence is already clear: the country needs to train qualified techies from school.
– When I saw in social networks that a quantorium would open in Birobidzhan, I immediately began to search the Internet for details, - says Svetlana PLYUSNINA, Alexey's mother. – We realized: this is what we need! The decision to enroll there was made by Alyosha himself, and in this I fully support him. We studied what quantums will work for us, and chose the "High-tech workshop".
According to Svetlana Alexandrovna, her son chose the "High-tech shop" because there are 3D printers, laser and milling machines and many other interesting equipment that any boy would consider lucky to work on. Well, let it be, almost any.
In addition to the" High-tech workshop "in Birobidzhan, five more quantums will work (this is something like offices): "Energiquantum" – the development and implementation of renewable eco – friendly energy sources;" Roboquantum " – applied programming of robots;" Geoquantum "-the study of geospatial technologies;" VR/AR "– virtual and augmented reality; and" IT-quantum " - programming and information protection.
TEENAGERS who are looking forward to starting classes at the quantorium are not ten or twenty in our small city.

– As soon as we opened the preliminary registration, literally in the very first days, more than a hundred children signed up for us, - says Pavel BREICHER, director of the children's technopark "Quantorium" in Birobidzhan. – They mostly prefer "IT" and "VR/AR", and this is understandable. It's just that these are the most understandable directions for students and their parents. But now the world is also in great demand for specialists in the field of geoinformation systems, and in new energy, and in programming robots, and those who know how to work correctly on the most modern equipment. So a child who will attend any quantum will acquire unique knowledge and skills.
A visit to the quantorium also includes additional classes in chess, mathematics and technical English. This is necessary, as, for example, strength training for football players or running for gymnasts. Only in sports they train the body and breathing, and in the quantorium-the brains, logic and just "pump" the necessary competence in the future.
Training in quantoriums is free, there are no entrance exams. The main thing is that the child has a desire to learn something new, come up with various projects and look for ways to implement them.
And yet: in quantoriums, they teach how to work as a team, that is, teachers develop not only professional skills in their wards, but also social ones.
A student of the 23rd lyceum, Jan MISYUTINSKY, learned about the quantorium from the class teacher, who threw a link to the Instagram profile @kvantorium79 in the general WhatsApp group. After reviewing all the proposed quantums, Ian chose "Geo". As Yana's father Andrey Viktorovich assured me, it was a conscious and independent choice.
– I like geography, and in this quantum there is an opportunity not only to study the planet, but also to build 3D cities. That's why I signed up here, " Ian explained.
The guy has not yet decided on his future profession, but I am sure that the knowledge and skills that he will receive in the quantorium will definitely be useful to him.

NOT ONLY Birobidzhan children are enrolled in the quantorium. For example, a schoolboy from the village of Yellow Yar, Stepan Pleshkevich, also firmly decided to go to the regional center twice a week for classes.
"It's only a 45 – minute drive to the city," Stepan's mother, Anna Anatolyevna, says enthusiastically. - Of course, this is not an obstacle for Stepa, who dreams of studying at the quantorium.
11-year-old Stepan, like many of his peers, likes to play computer games. Now he prefers to play in BrawlStars. But, unlike many other guys, the guy is also very interested in how these games are "arranged", since in the future he is going to become their developer. The choice of quantorium in his family was approached with all seriousness: they carefully studied the information on the site, looked at the reviews in social networks and decided on "VR/AR"as the most suitable profile.
And you can already write a couple of hundred such stories. Boys and girls actively enroll in the quantorium and look forward to its opening. And it's coming soon!

Alexander RAZIN
Di Voh newspaper
09.01.2020

– This is a technopark. It is equipped with high-tech equipment that helps the accelerated technical development of children. In fact, a new model of additional education is being created here. And it is extremely necessary. In Birobidzhan, no more than five percent of children are currently engaged in technical creativity. However, in this our region is not different from others – in the whole country, the statistics are about the same. We have wonderful sports clubs, art and music schools, choreographic groups and much more. But the guys who gravitate to technology, programming, modeling, the choice is small. And children's quantoriums are created just to solve this problem. They will train future engineers, programmers, and other creators of technological progress right from the school bench.
The federal network "Quantorium" has a great future. It is developing on a huge scale throughout Russia. 89 sites have already been opened in 62 regions. 80 thousand children are involved in their work, in the educational process, and 600 thousand children are involved in various activities. Now the Quantorium is coming to our area as well.

– How will the classes be held in it? It is unlikely that they will copy the usual lessons in an ordinary school…

– In the quantorium, children will be engaged in technical creativity. That is, not to cram, but to create. In this they will be assisted by mentors. Their task is to captivate the children, to awaken their interest in creation. Therefore, the classical lesson, in the usual sense, will not be here. Lectures and master classes are expected. And, of course, a lot of practice. You can't train a good engineer without it. The guys will also work on joint projects.
Usually, thirteen directions (quantums) are practiced in quantoriums. In Birobidzhan, we first open five: VR/AR (virtual and augmented reality), Energikvantum (development and implementation of renewable eco-friendly energy sources), Geoquantum (study of geospatial technologies), IT-quantum (programming and information protection), Roboquantum (application programming of robots). We also plan to equip a high-tech shop. This is a special part of the quantorium. Here all the children's ideas will come to life, turn into real, tangible things. That is, quantum is an invention, and high-tech workshop is an implementation. It will be equipped with various high-tech equipment.

– At what age will children be able to attend the quantorium? Will everyone be accepted, or is it necessary to pass some kind of selection?

– Children from eleven to eighteen years old are engaged in quantoriums. I do not think that a competitive selection is necessary for admission there. Technical ability, in my opinion, is not an innate talent. They should be vaccinated from an early age. Then the child will have a desire to express himself in technical creativity. We plan to open our quantorium this year, to conduct recruitment. We hope to welcome everyone.

– What has already been done for the organization of the quantorium and how much remains to be done? When will the children's Technopark open?

– The most important thing is that our region has entered the program for the creation of children's technology parks. It is implemented within the framework of the national project "Education". Without this first, but the most important step of the regional education committee, a quantorium in Birobidzhan could only be dreamed of. We have already found a suitable room, now there are repairs under way according to the design project – the requirements for the arrangement of each quantum are very strict. Contracts for the purchase of equipment and furniture have already been concluded, and their main suppliers have been identified. We plan to start classes in December.

– At whose expense is the quantorium being created in Birobidzhan? How expensive is it?

– Our region entered the federal program on quite acceptable, soft financing conditions for the regional budget. So, ninety-nine percent of the funds are provided by the federal center and only one percent will be invested by the region. The creation of a children's technopark in Birobidzhan will cost about eighty million rubles. It is not difficult to calculate that the regional share will be only eight hundred thousand rubles. And its content will already be carried out from the regional budget.

- Pavel Vyacheslavovich, so what, in fact, will give children training in the quantorium?

- Classes in the children's technopark are focused primarily on children who have decided to devote themselves to technical professions – a programmer, an IT specialist, an engineer, an aircraft designer, a shipbuilder, and so on. But even if the child decides to become a doctor or teacher later, technical literacy will not prevent him in any way. Schools, hospitals, municipal and public administration already require a certain level of technical knowledge. And in the near future, such requirements will become even higher. A poorly trained person will not be able to become a high-class professional even in an industry far from engineering without a certain technical baggage.

Yulia NOVIKOVA.
Birobidzhaner Stern newspaper 25.09.2019