Cast in bronze, the sculpture is designed to embody the thirst for knowledge of the younger generation and the deep respect felt for the hard efforts that students spend in the field of science. This young man is an exact replica of a student who studied at the Imperial School of Engineering at the end of the 19th century. Subsequently, it became the only institute in Moscow that produces specialists in railway lines. All the features of the young man — his thoughtful tired face, the book with a pince-nez lying on it — indicate that he is gnawing at the granite of science.

The installation of the monument was timed to coincide with the 110th enrollment of students held in 2005. And students very soon turned this gift into a kind of cult of their university, making it the central figure of a number of traditions: to successfully pass the exam, young people rub their bronze shoes the student, touch his book or jump over his outstretched legs.