Polar researcher Fyodor Shipulin told students about his work

This year marks the 205th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica. As part of the celebration of this significant date, Kazan Federal University hosted a meeting of with a participant in the 69th Russian Antarctic Expedition, Fyodor Shipulin.

Vice-Rector for Earth Sciences Danis Nurgaliev, who himself has visited the southern continent, noted, “During his round-the-world voyage, Ivan Simonov, who was part of the First Russian Antarctic Expedition, was one of the first to see mountains in the middle of the ice and realized that this was a continent.” Simonov served as Rector of Kazan University in 1846-1855.

In addition, thanks to the Kazanian scientist, many discoveries and observations made during the voyage were recorded. Thus, according to Nurgaliev, Simonov calculated that the geographic south pole is the north magnetic pole – a conditional point where the Earth’s magnetic field is directed strictly perpendicular to the surface.

The meeting was attended by about 300 students of KFU, schoolchildren from local schools, and members of the Mountaineering Federation of the Republic of Tatarstan. A participant in the 69th Russian Antarctic expedition, an employee of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, a doctor – anesthesiologist-resuscitator of the highest category, a mountaineer of the Mountaineering Federation of the Republic of Tatarstan and polar explorer Fyodor Shipulin told them about his unique experience.

He spent more than a year at the Vostok station in the Antarctica.

“I used to work in emergency medical care. In parallel with this, I was engaged in mountaineering, sports, went to training camps, participated in rescue operations. I was born in the Far North, so I have dreamed of going on a scientific expedition since childhood,” the speaker shared.

Having decided to make his dream come true, Shipulin submitted a CV to participate in the expedition and began preparing for departure. To do this, he continued to play sports and keep fit, underwent safety training on the ship, and also received a seaman’s identity card – he had to get to the station by ship across three oceans.

“The expedition itself lasts at least 12 months, and together with the road it takes a year and a half. I left Kazan in September 2023, and returned back quite recently – on December 8. This is my first expedition,” he said.

During his stay on the sixth continent, Fyodor Shipulin participated in the preparation of a medical unit for the new Vostok wintering complex, which was put into operation at the end of 2024.

“There were two doctors at the station. Our job was to conduct a medical examination of the polar explorers. First of all, this is a scientific expedition, so we were interested in the data. I was doing stressometry – measuring the stress level of the station employees, watching how they endured the polar night, how the lack of sunlight affected them,” the guest said.

The event was organized by the Department of Youth Policy together with KFU’s Seven Rhumbs Tourist Club.