A group of young Namibian engineering students will represent the country at the Global HackAtom finals in Russia in September.
The event will form part of World Atomic Week – a historic celebration marking 80 years of the Russian nuclear industry.
The group, called Uranium X, qualified after impressing judges during the Namibian round of the HackAtom 2025 competition, which took place recently at the University of Namibia (Unam).
Organised by Russian nuclear industry player Rosatom, the competition saw 13 teams from Unam, the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust), and the International University of Management (IUM).
In two days, students posed a question of broad interest in the uranium industry: Is in-situ recovery (ISR) cheaper than traditional uranium mining?
Students began with business workshops and lectures from Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) – a strategic partner of Rosatom.
The sessions gave students an overview of emerging nuclear technologies and international study opportunities.
The second day involved teams displaying their solutions to an international panel of experts.
Jury chair Yulia Ivanova, an associate professor at RUDN, was impressed by the students.
“Namibian students showed us new thinking, technical capability, and excellent teamwork. Their projects were practical and innovative,” she says.
Uranium X emerged as overall winner and received an all-expenses-paid trip to Moscow to compete against other global teams.
Team leader Ndapanda Wanailonga says winning this challenge and heading to Russia is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“We’re ready to represent Namibia and learn from the best in the world.”
HackAtom has grown into a global competition with over 800 participants from more than nine countries.
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