Family of scientists from MIET

February 8 is Russian Science Day and 2024 is the Year of Family in Russia. For such an occasion we decided to tell about one of the scientific families of MIET. Professor at the Institute of Advanced Materials and Technologies Yuri Stern and his son Maxim Stern, Associate professor at the Institute of Advanced Materials and Technologies, talked about how they started their path in the world of science and why they linked their lives to research and MIET.

Yuri and Maxim Stern's scientific work are related to semiconductor energy converters and intelligent energy monitoring and metering systems.

Yuri Stern is an honorary worker of science and technology of the Russian Federation, the author of more than 400 scientific papers, including 25 inventions, for which he received 3 gold medals and 4 honorary diplomas at international invention competitions in Switzerland, France, Belgium and Germany, as well as 6 gold medals of the All-Russian Exhibition Center. Under his leadership, more than 100 bachelors, specialists and masters completed their graduate works, as well as 6 candidates of sciences defended their dissertations .

Maxim Stern received a Doctor of Technical Sciences degree in January 2024, during his work he became the author of more than 120 scientific papers, 7 inventions and 35 certificates for software.

— Yuri Isaakovich, you have been working in MIET since 1969. How did your journey at the university begin?

Yuri: In 1969, I enrolled in MIET on the advice of my relative. On September 5 of the same year, an entry appeared in my workbook "Hired as an electrician of the 3rd category in MIET." At the time, only one bulding were functioning, the rest were under construction. For 55 years after, only the positions in my workbook changed, but MIET stayed as my one and only workplace. Except for a two-year break, from 1971 to 1973, during which I served in the Soviet Army. After the service, I returned to the Physical Chemistry Department, where I was strongly recommended to actively engage in scientific research. All the conditions had been created to do this. My professor Arkady Aivazov made a large contribution to my development as a scientist.

Yuri Stern (to the left) with his professor Arkady Aivazov

— Did you devote your life to science precisely because of the recommendations of the university staff, or did you also have other personal motives?

Yuri: I hope that I was and still am a good engineer. At a certain point, it becomes clear that there is not enough knowledge to successfully solve the tasks required. And this is a push for scientific research. At the same time, I never thought about career growth, it sort of pursued me by itself.

— Maxim Yurievich, what brought you to the Institute of Advanced Materials and Technologies, where you are currently working with Yuri Isaakovich? Did he inspire you to choose this scientific area?

Maxim: That's right. But I would like to clarify that he me inspired to choose, not forced me. When you see a group of people with a common cause and you participate in their process, your eyes light up. And when you create a new device that works better than its analogues, it encourages you to do more.

— When did you realize that you wanted to do the same thing as your father? Was there any particularly inspiring moment?

Maxim: There were a lot of these moments. When my father enthusiastically talked about his work and how he achieved his goals. Of course, participation in exhibitions, winning gold medals at international exhibitions, making inventions. At some point, I realized that I also wanted to do something that would be useful and in demand.

— Is science love at first sight for you?

Maxim: Not quite. All my childhood I was interested in computers or, as they say now, IT. So at first, I worked as a system administrator and received a CISCO specialist diploma. It was only the third year when I began to engage in science, to conduct research on various materials and devices. When I gained some experience, I began to build measuring complexes and write manuals for them. I was motivated to choose this path because of the interest of learning new things. When you try to do something many times and nothing comes out, you don't give up what you started, but continue because it's interesting. And when you finally do it, it's an indescribable feeling.

— Speaking of studying. As in the case of scientific activity, did you decide to enroll in MIET yourself?

Maxim: Yes. I first came here in 1998, it was an open day on the last Sunday in March. I got to know the students of Yuri Isaakovich. These guys showed me a lot of interesting devices. I naturally did not understand how they operated, but it was very interesting. And at that moment I realized that I wanted to go to this university. The school where I studied (№616 in Zelenograd) had an agreement with MIET, and from the 9th grade I visited it every week. After graduation, of course, I enrolled for a post-graduate program, and then were my first students, my first inventions, so, how could I not have stayed here?

Maksim Stern (second from left) and students of his father Yiri Stern

— Yuri Isaakovich, Maxim Yurievich, what would you wish to your colleagues on Science Day?

Yuri: To be successful and stay healthy in the process of achieving your goals!

Maxim: Don't stop and always move forward. Learn, think, study!