CONDUCTING EDUCATIONAL MEETINGS WITH SCIENTISTS FROM RESEARCH INSTITUTES WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF SDGs

Within the framework of the SDG program (Sustainable Development Goals), a meeting was organized between 2nd-year students of the educational program "Biological Engineering" of the Department of Biotechnology of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and researchers of the Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology (IPBB) of the SC MSHE RK. The Institute is one of the leaders in the field of plant biotechnology and conducts advanced applied research in the direction of improving agricultural plants on economically valuable traits, creating plants resistant to viral diseases, preserving the gene pool of rare plants and endemics of Kazakhstan, and also conducts fundamental researches in the field of molecular biology, population genetics, soil restoration and phytoremediation, thereby fulfilling several objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss; Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all). At the Institute, on the basis of scientific laboratories, undergraduate students of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University undergo industrial practice and complete master's and doctoral dissertations within the framework of research projects of the Institute and joint research with the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, thus implementing another of the SDG objectives: Goal 4 "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all." Due to the excursion to the Institute, organized by Professor of the Department of Biotechnology Turasheva S.K. and PhD-students Rymkhanova N.K., Manapkanova U.A. (junior researchers of the IPBB laboratory of germplasm cryopreservation, 2-nd cours students will learn a lot of interesting knowledge about new achievements and priority areas in the field of biotechnology, bioengineering, molecular biology, genetics and plant physiology. The laboratory staff acquainted students with modern equipment and showed new opportunities for conducting complex experiments with such equipment. For example, the scientists of the molecular biology laboratory told how sequencing and genomic analysis of phytoviruses and decoding of plant genomes are carried out. There were shown how valuable plant species are cloned and germplasm of tree and fruit and berry crops is cryopreserved. In the laboratory of biotechnology and plant breeding, they were told about methods for obtaining virus-free plants and methods of haploid technology. Also, in the laboratory of molecular genetics, researchers were told about molecular research in the field of genotyping wild plant species and endemics of Kazakhstan and about many other interesting projects that are being implemented at the Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology. Students received useful information about scientific projects carried out at the institute and are truly proud of the achievements of our Kazakh scientists!