ConnectUs Youth Spotlight EP 21 - Aiganym Asset: Pursuing hands-on industrial engineering and fashion-tech at Kazakhstan

Photo of Aiganym

Aiganym Asset is a highly accomplished high school student studying at Nazarbayev Intellectual School in Astana, Kazakhstan. She is the founder of Mashtroy and I can Fashion House - both projects exemplifies her passion for using engineering to “build real products, not only studying theory.”

“I’m especially drawn to programming, engineering, and research, and I’m working on several projects in inclusive education, industrial engineering, fashion tech, and digital platforms,” she said. 

Her education in Nazarbayev Intellectual School in Astana is in the International Baccalaureate Program: a program that provides her the means to create projects and educate her and other students to make a global social impact. The school is well suited for her with labs, robotics, and teachers who prep them proficiently.

The Internships that Led to Innovation

Aiganym has gone through three different internship programs, all of which have greatly propelled both her knowledge and skills as an individual.

KazNIIS (2025): Her first internship lasted three months at a construction institute focused on being  a geophysical engineer. Here is where she identified a solution that she later created and founded to conserve energy and lessen friction on conveyor belts.

China Harbour Engineering Company (2026): Here Aiganym worked in China and presented her company Mashtroy (Further discussed later) in Chinese to the construction industry.

Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (2026): Her most recent internship is with the Kazakh national railway, a major company in Kazakhstan. She worked in the information infrastructure directorate and developed her understanding of the affairs of businesses and presentation among other companies. 

Photo of Aiganym at one of her Internship places

Mashstroy & the Air Cushion Conveyor Belt

In October 2025, Aiganym published the basis of her research for Mashtroy. This research has been peer reviewed and indexed in  NASA ADS. The company is currently in the process of building a factory focused on mechanical engineering, programming, and her innovative invention of the air cushion conveyor belt.

What is an Air Cushion conveyor Belt? Well, as Aiganym explains:

“An air cushion conveyor is a type of conveyor where the belt moves over a thin layer of air, instead of relying only on traditional rollers. The air reduces friction between the moving belt and the supporting surface, so the system can potentially move materials more smoothly, with less wear, less vibration, and lower energy losses.”

This is an extraordinarily revolutionary invention for mining, construction, and heavy industry. Combined with AI to track data for optimization, it transforms the traditional conveyor belt into a much more efficient tool that is easier to monitor. 

Logo of Mashtroy, founded by Aiganym

I Can Fashion House: Compensating for the Disabled with Engineering

Mashtroy is part of the broader AI Inclusive Engineering Group, which has many more projects. One such project is Comfort Correctional School and University, which was made in 2025 to assist children with special educational needs.

Another key initiative within this group is her project I Can Fashion House, which was built on the idea of applying engineering solutions to empower young designers - motivated through her passion with engineering.

“My main interest is inclusive engineering, not only for children but for people in general. The goal of I Can Fashion House is to bring new research and technologies from engineering into fashion… One example is gloves with sensors that help a designer use scissors, for instance, to cut fabric when making a dress.”

The organization she is a part of has published eight different journals covering topics such as construction, education, psychology, and medicine.

The Importance of Language:

Aiganym is fluent in multiple languages including: Kazakh, Russian, English, Chinese, German, and some Spanish. 

She highlights how these languages have proven useful to her, initially starting with ten before dropping Turkic and Arabic; she especially emphasized Chinese, noting its prominence in the construction industry she works closely with.

Kazakh, Russian, and English, however, were not learned out of excess, but rather through her environment. She revealed that in Kazakhstan her international school primarily instructs in English, but prior to that her courses were taught in Russian, and at home she speaks Kazakh.

Photo of Aiganym presenting at a TED talk

Time, it’s all We Have

The advice Aiganym left us with was the importance of time for her success:

“I think time is the key to achieving everything. Even if you’re still a kid, try to reach the small goals you set. Time is the main resource we have in life, and by planning it and using it well, you can achieve a lot.”

Having started her research at an early age - around thirteen to fourteen years old - she shows how  using our time effectively can propel our world into the future.

Essentially, time is truly all that humans are given for free in life, and how we spend it allows us to achieve amazing things, just as Aiganym has. 

Take your time, it’s all you have.