On November 22, the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI) took an active part in NU Day in Almaty—one of Nazarbayev University’s key annual outreach events designed for high school students, parents, and anyone interested in modern education and technology. Executive Director of ISSAI Yerbol Absalyamov delivered a lecture within the block “AI and the Professions of the Future”, providing a comprehensive overview of ISSAI’s current initiatives—from large-scale language models and multimodal systems to applied AI solutions. He also highlighted the ISSAI Summer Research Program, emphasizing its role in helping high school students gain hands-on research experience under the mentorship of ISSAI’s leading data scientists.
Throughout the event, Yerbol Absalyamov and ISSAI Senior PR Manager Aliya Tusupova hosted the ISSAI booth, where visitors had the chance to explore the institute’s latest technologies, test AI models via the ISSAI AI Playground, and interact directly with systems such as Oylan, Mangisoz, and Beynele. Guests also received updates on ISSAI’s newest developments and upcoming initiatives. At the ISSAI booth, pupils could take part in an AI quiz, challenge their general knowledge, and win exclusive ISSAI-branded gifts and merchandise. Overall, the ISSAI booth welcomed more than 500 visitors — including students and their parents — who showed strong interest in our projects.
Students were particularly excited to learn about the SRP — a unique initiative where high schoolers work on real research projects in machine learning, language models, AR/VR, computer vision, and more, guided by ISSAI’s expert mentors. Details about SRP 2026 will be shared soon on ISSAI’s website and official social media channels, including Instagram , LinkedIn and webpage.
High school students from Almaty learned more about the academic programs offered at Nazarbayev University, gained insights into its departments and research institutes, and discovered where they might see themselves in the future—as students, interns, or young researchers. The program featured engaging lectures and interactive sessions that introduced attendees to the evolving world of AI, leadership and decision-making, student life, career pathways, and short talks on steppe medicine, geology, and petroleum engineering. A practical Admissions Workshop further guided prospective applicants through the application and submission process, helping them better understand the path to joining Nazarbayev University.