Introduction

The Institute of Mechanics and Power Engineering is a successor of the Faculty of Mechanisation and Electrification of Agriculture, an education and science centre offering fundamental higher education to would-be agroengineers and power engineers, specialists in the field of technosphere safety.
As of today, the Institute of Mechanics and Power Engineering is one of the largest divisions of the National Research Mordovia State University. It has more than one and a half thousand leaners from many regions of the Russian Federation, as well as citizens of countries near and far abroad. The Institute teaching staff is composed of 76 lecturers, including 10 holders of Higher Doctorate degree, 52 PhD degree holders.

Departments/Chairs

The Institute has 6 departments:
· Safety of Living (Chaired by Ph.D., Associate Professor I.I. Igaykina);
· Mechanisation of agricultural products processing (Chaired by Ph.D., Associate Professor V.V. Kuznetsov);
· Mobile vehicles and agricultural machinery named after Professor A.I. Leshchankin (Chaired by Ph.D., Associate Professor V.F. Kupryashkin);
· Heat power systems (Headed by Higher Doctorate degree holder, Professor A.P. Levtsev);
· Technical service of motorcars and machinery (Chaired by PhD, Associate Professor P.A. Ionov);
· Electrification and automation of manufacturing (Chaired by PhD, Associate Professor V.A. Ageev).

Bachelor degree programmes

Heat power engineering and heat-process engineering (academic track «Power supply of enterprises»;
Power engineering and electric engineering (academic track «Electric power supply»);
Technosphere safety (academic track «Fire safety»);
Operation of transport-technological machinery and complexes (academic track «Motorcar service»);
Agroengineering (academic track «Design, operation and repair of technical systems and complexes»).

Master degree programmes

Heat power engineering and heat-process engineering (tracks «Optimisation of fuel utilisation in power engineering», «Management of energy flows at small power facilities»;
Power engineering and electric engineering (academic track «Electric power systems and grids»;
Technosphere safety (academic track «Fire safety»);
Operation of transport-technological machinery and complexes (academic track «Motorcar/Automotive service»;
Agroengineering (tracks «Technologies and means of mechanisation of agriculture», «Machinery and equipment for storage and processing of agricultural products», «Technical service in the agro-industrial complex», «Design, operation and repair of technical systems and complexes»).

Double diploma programme

The Institute offers joint master degree programme in «Heat power engineering and Heat-process engineering», track «Management of energy flows at small power facilities» developed in partnership with the Jiangsu University of Science and Technology (China), and taught in English. This academic programme has been successfully accredited by the state authorities in Russia and China.

Facilities and resources

Innovation-oriented higher education is a priority at the Institute. It implies the integration of scientific, educational and innovative activities in teaching and learning academic programmes at various educational levels including further/continuing education; it is carried out not only through traditional university divisions (departments, laboratories), but also through new types of organisational units: science and education centres, innovation and technology centres, technology transfer centres, business incubator, small innovative enterprises, modern scientific laboratories, etc., launched by the University within the framework of the University Development Programme.
The Institute incorporates 10 authorized research and training centres and laboratories, three of which were created in partnership with foreign companies. The Institute boasts branded class-rooms equipped by Rostselmash and PEGAS AGRO companies.
Unique scientific laboratories have been opened, which hold the most advanced equipment. They are:
· Energy-saving technologies for processing raw materials and materials;
· Technologies and tools for creating coatings with given properties;
· Pulse heat and water supply systems.
In 2022, the Institute launched the Centre for maintenance and high-resource repair of machinery and technological equipment.
The Institute successfully runs 2 small innovative enterprises that deal with repair of domestically manufactured and foreign automobiles, tractors, agricultural machinery. While doing this, the most recent technologies and equipment developed by Institute’ scientists are used.

Research

The Institute has its own Dissertation Board to present PhD and Higher Doctorate theses in such academic specialisms as:
· Technology and means of agriculture mechanisation;
· Technology and means of technical maintenance in agriculture.

Dozens of researchers from Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Penza, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Ryazan, Saratov, Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Udmurtia and other regions presented and defended their dissertations here.

The Institute offers PhD and Higher Doctorate programmes in six subject- specialisms.

The Institute research strands are wide and broad-ranging:
- improving the safety and efficiency of the "man-environment" system;
- research and development of methods and means ensuring the comprehensive safety of protection facilities;
- development of autonomous microclimate systems in livestock houses of a new generation;
- introduction of methods and means ensuring safe working conditions;
- improving the efficiency of technologies for processing raw materials;
- research into the properties of food media and agricultural products, polymer materials;
- development and application of baromembrane technologies, energy-efficient grinding of materials, extrusion, molding and compression technologies for the production and processing of agricultural products, food media, concentrate feeds and composite materials, including with nanoscale particles;
- development of mobile/fast-moving means of mechanisation designed for the production of agricultural products with built-in control systems monitoring their proper functioning;
- development of effective mechanised, automated and robotic technologies and technical means for the production of agricultural products;
- development of techniques and technical means for research and testing of aggregates and working bodies of machines for the production of agricultural products;
- development and implementation of the scientific concept of creating adaptive robotic technical systems, including the use of additive technologies;
- development and implementation of the concept of formulating innovative engineering thinking among university students;
- energy-efficient technologies in sources, systems of transformation and storage of heat power;
- development and use of heat and water supply pulse systems;
- fundamental and applied research in the field of high-resource repair of machine components and assemblies by applying metal coatings to the working surfaces of parts by electric spark processing;
- development of diagnostic and technological equipment for technical service enterprises;
- development and modeling of operating modes for electric power systems and grids, ensuring their stability and reliability;
- development of energy-saving systems and technologies.

The Institute has close ties with leading domestic and foreign research and training centres, enterprises and companies.
The Institute’s scientific achievements have been rewarded at prestigious international and Russian exhibitions and forums such as: the International Salon of Inventions "Archimedes", the Russian Agro-industrial Exhibition "Golden Autumn", the International Exhibition Center "Crocus Expo", the International Specialised Exhibition "Agrosalon", the interregional specialised exhibition "Safety and Ecology" and many others.

Mission

The staff of the Institute sees its mission in maintaining the high reputation of Russian engineering education, improving its quality and competitiveness both in Russia and abroad.