Dilara Issayeva

1. How did your interest in the specialty appear, why did you chose chemistry?

I decided on my future profession in the 8th grade. It was easy to choose chemistry, because in school I had a great teacher – Rymzhan Karabaeva. She could explain complex topics in such a way that many in the class were easily able to solve even complex tasks. Well, except for the interest imparted by the teacher, the pleasure that I experienced from the process of solving chemical problems and conducting experiments influenced my choice a lot.

2. What was the most difficult in the grant competition for the internship?

Second round, of course. We were given the task and questions we had to answer almost immediately, which required some effort you know. Despite this, I was interested to spend a day with talented, bright and smart guys – same contestants as I me.

3. What were you doing during the internship?

I interned in the laboratory, that is specialized in the field of heterogenic catalysis. We are talking about substances that accelerate a chemical reaction. In the laboratory we synthesized a nickel catalyst, which were reduced to carbon dioxide. As you know, it is a greenhouse gas, so reducing its concentration would improve the environmental situation on Earth.

4. What are the estimated results of the internship, what have you learned, what experience have you got?

The results were more than impressive. I learned to work with new equipment, such as handling glove camera, Slank’s line, nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectrometers among others. In the lab, I met with PhD-students. They told me many interesting and useful things. It’s been interesting to watch them work, chat with them. Thanks to them and my supervisor, I realized that I wanted to continue my studies in the field of heterogenic catalysis. So now I am studying to obtain Master’s Degree. Further plans are to enter the doctoral program, to get a job in the research department of a chemical company and, of course, to become a lecturer. My goal is to spark the interest of young people to science and specifically to chemistry, as my school teacher did to me some time ago. I do think to combine research and teaching, but this is still far away and there’s still much to learn and much to do in professional life. However when you love what you do, you can achieve the desired.