Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute

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National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute"
Національний технічний університет "Харківський політехнічний інститут"
University seal, with brown academic building on yellow background
Seal
Motto Unition of education, science and business
Established 1885
Type Public university
Rector Prof. Dr. Leonid Tovazhnyanskyi
Admin. staff 3,700
Students 24,000 (as of 2006)
Location Kharkiv, Ukraine
Campus Urban
Affiliations IAU
Website http://www.kpi.kharkov.ua/
Brown, three-story building with arched windows and trees in front
Main Academic Building

The National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute" (NTU "KhPI") ((Ukrainian: Національний технічний університет "Харківський політехнічний інститут")), in the city of Kharkiv, is the largest and oldest technical university in eastern Ukraine. Founded in 1885, it is the second-oldest technical university in the Russian Empire (after Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology) and in the territory of modern Ukraine (after Lviv Polytechnic).

History

The university was established according to the program for technical education in the Russian Empire set up by Dmitry Mendeleev as a Practical Technological Institute, with two departments (mechanical and chemical) which could offer training to 125 students. The organizer and first rector of the institute was Viktor Kyrpychov, an honored professor specializing in mechanics and resistance in materials. In 1898, the institute was renamed the Emperor Alexander III Technological Institute. After the October Revolution in 1917, the Technological Institute continued its work. In 1921 the institute set up the first department for workers (rabfak) in Ukraine, and in 1923 (at the request of students, teachers and employees) the institute was renamed for Vladimir Lenin. In 1929 the V.I. Lenin institute of Technology was renamed the Kharkiv V.I. Lenin Polytechnic Institute (KhPI), a name kept until the fall of the Soviet Union.

In 1930, five independent higher-educational institutions (for mechanical machine-engineering, electrical technology, chemical technology, engineering and construction, and aviation) were set up as five separate departments of the institute. KhPI, as a whole, temporarily ceased to exist after that but historians consider these five institutions as informal branches sharing a common history. During World War II over 3,000 professors, students and institute employees joined the Army. Evacuated to Krasnoufimsk and Chirchiq, the institute continued training engineering staff; it also solved serious scientific problems related to strengthening national defense (such as contributing to tank-design work spearheaded by Alexander Morozov, one of the key engineers in T-34 design). In 1949 four higher-educational institutions (the institutes for mechanical machine-engineering, chemical technology, electrical technology and the institute of the cement industry) were reunited into the Kharkiv V.I.Lenin Polytechnic Institute. Professor Mikhail Semko was appointed its rector, and remained in this position for 30 years.

After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, KhPI continued its work as a Ukrainian institution of higher learning. In April 1994, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine granted Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute university status and it was renamed the Kharkiv State Polytechnic University (KhSPU). In September 2000, the status of National Technical University has been given to KhSPU, by decree of the President of Ukraine; since then, it has had its current name (NTU "KhPI"). In February 2010, NTU "KhPI" was granted the status of Autonomous Research National University by decree of the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers.

Status

NTU "KhPI" has been accredited as a university of the highest (IV) level. It trains full-time students in 91 fields and offers 69 fields for instruction by correspondence. It has the greatest number of matriculated students in eastern and southern Ukraine (4,377 places for full-time students and over 4,000 places for correspondence students). The university has 21 full-time departments, departments for correspondence and new full-time students, a center for foreign students, an inter-branch institute for advanced studies and three research and design institutes. It prepares specialists in the fields of machine-building, automation, electrical engineering, electronics, chemical engineering, control systems, management, computer science, software engineering and business.

Campuses and buildings

The University consists of approximately 20 different buildings. Most campuses are concentrated compactly - through Pushkinskaya and architect Beketov underground stations. Campuses have changed shape over the time of building - old buildings were built, as usual in the 19th century and functioned from the very inception of the institute. They are built of brick, and are of great architectural and even historical value. New buildings were built in the Soviet era and their dimensions correspond to concrete houses built at that time. They were built during 1960-1980s of the 20th century.

Campus U-1

U-1 — the highest building and one of the largest in the university. The body has a rectangular shape at the base. It has a large area of glazing (*). It is not only the highest in the university, but also one of the highest buildings in the city, besides it is located on top of the hill. You can see much of the city from there - all Nagirnyy region and adjacent neighbors, Holodna Gora, Saltovka, Novi doma. This building was commissioned in 1974. There are six elevators, including two high-speed, which start to function 10 minutes before the lectures start and stop when they begin. There are two stairswells. U-1 has many departments, dean offices and classrooms.

  • Height: 60 m
  • Number of floors: 14
  • Year of completing: 1974

Campus U-2

U-2 is the second highest and the largest building of the University. As with U-1, it was built during the period of mass construction and in the typical style. Its shape is rectangular; it is linked by an underground passage with the Physical campus building. The architectural design is more interesting than U-1, for example, the staircase is paved with marble. As in U-1, there are 4 elevators here. The building has eight floors including a basement which is used for education. (U-1 also has the basement, but unlike U-2, for storage, and there are no classes held there). The building includes a department of general and experimental physics along with many other departments. The university entrance examination commission, offices of the university newspapers and the cafeteria are housed there. Physical condition of the campus is relatively good. One of the university computer labs local is located here. The first floor of the building is occupied by the student government "Student Alliance" of NTU "KhPI"

  • Height: 32-34 m
  • Number of floors: 7 (8 with the basement)
  • Year of completing: 1982

Central part of MCB

MCB (Main Classroom Building) is the largest of the old buildings of the institute. It is lined with brick, and was constructed in the second half of the 19th century. The building contains a number of departments, dean offices and other classrooms. The building is rectangular with two interior courtyards. There are a library and reading room for the University located there. The classic design of the stairs is the main architectural feature of the building. It has 3 floors, with high ceilings whose height is 4.5 meters. The building also has a large basement.

For a long time it was used as the main building of the University (until building of U-1 and U-2. During its long existence (over 100 years) many famous people worked there. There are memorial plaques at the main entrance of the building in their honor. The Memorial built in honor of Polytechnicians, who died during the Great Patriotic War is opposite the building. The building itself has a lot of art work showing the life of the institute in different eras and a wall commemorating the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. The outside part of the building has rich architectural decoration.

  • Height: 17 m
  • Number of floors: 3
  • Year of completing: 1885

Sports complex

The Sports complex of the NTU “KhPI” is located in the Youth’s park The Sports complex of the NTU “KhPI” is a building situated separately from university campus in the Kharkiv Youth’s park (close to Pushkinskaya subway station, apart from other university buildings). It is built of cement blocks. It is a relatively new building built in the 1980s. The Sports complex has a lot of rooms, gyms and sport objects including an Olympic sized pool. It is also equipped with modern changing rooms and shower facilities. Different sporting competitions between NTU “KhPI” students and students of other universities take place here. Also the NTU “KhPI” students’ physical education classes are held here. The Sports complex is one of the best buildings in the city and at the university. It is the second large building of university campus after U-2 (2nd Educational building). The building shape is not uniformed as it is more geared toward functionality. The lobby is decorated by two trophy-cases containing awards, won by NTU “KhPI” sportsmen.

The University has unique sports facilities, which in certain sports granted the status of the Center of Olympic training. Athletes of the University are successfully defending the honor of the University in competitions at the highest level. In total during 2005-2011 years in the competition of the European level they won - forty six (46) gold, thirty-three (33) silver and sixty-two (62) bronze awards. In the world competitions - thirty-six (36) gold, twenty (20) silver and nineteen (19) bronze awards.

Radio-electronic building (modern name- NTU “KhPI” Center for Integrated Technologies)

The Radio-electronic building, (“NTU KhPI Center for Integrated Technologies”) is a 4 floor cement building, with a basement. It is one of the new university’s buildings. In this rather small building are housed different laboratories, equipment and computer classes. The ground floor windows are protected with grates. Including a basement it is a five-storey building. There is a freight elevator in the building. Floors are connected with big panoramic staircases. Among the university buildings, which were built during soviet years in 1960-1970’s, this one has the lowest number of floors. The research institute is on the second and third floors. The building also houses the Institute of Ionosphere of NAS, the Ministry of Education and the offices of Youth and Sport of Ukraine.

  • Height : 16 m
  • Number of stores: 4 (5 with basement)
  • Completion of construction: 1960s and '70s

Chemistry building is one of the oldest in the university

The Chemistry building is the second in size and importance of the old buildings of the university. It was built in the middle of 19th century along with the Main Academic building. Most chemical laboratories and dean's office of the Organic Substances Technology Faculty are located in the building. Like the Main Academic building it is square shaped with an enclosed court in the centre. On the second floor of the building is the Great Chemical Auditorium, which is one of the largest in the institute. The building has two entrances - external and internal. The addition of two floors marred the building’s classic design.

  • Height: 18 m
  • Number of floors: 4 (sometimes 3)
  • Completion of construction: Second half - the end of 19th century.

Electrotechnical building

The Electrotechnical building of NTU ”KhPI” has the most students. In the past this building was an independent Electrotechnical institute, separated from Kharkiv Technical Institute. It was designed by the architect Beketov in 1930 and is an example of architectural constructivism. Technical departments and dean’s offices are located in the building. The Electrotechnical building is one of the largest in the university; it has several entrances and exits as well as the main one. After the war during the process of reconstruction, the main entrance of the building was designed as a colonnade in the architectural style of Stalin’s Empire. The building plays an important role in the life of NTU "KhPI". Different events and funerals for honored people of the university take place in front of the map of electrification and before the statue of Lenin.

Departments and satellite campus

Tinted photo of main administration building, about 1900
Main Administrative Building, circa 1900
  • Department of computer science and management
  • Department of computer and information technologies
  • Department of mechanical engineering
  • Department of power-plant engineering
  • Department of transport engineering
  • Department of economics
  • Department of business and finance
  • Department of physics and technology
  • Department of electric power
  • Department of electric-power engineering
  • Department of instrument-making
  • Department of inorganic-substance technology
  • Department of organic-substance technology
  • Department of chemical machine engineering
  • Department of economics and law
  • Department of business management
  • Department of military education (formerly the Kharkiv Higher Tank Command School)
  • Chernivtsi campus

Notable alumni and faculty

  • Mikhail Gurevich, Soviet aircraft designer
  • Leonid Krasin, Russian and Soviet Bolshevik politician and diplomat
  • Iona Yakir, Red Army commander and military reformer
  • Hnat Khotkevych, Ukrainian cultural figure
  • Lev Landau, Soviet physicist, Nobel Prize winner (1962)
  • Nikolay Beketov, Russian physical chemist
  • Vladimir Steklov, Soviet/Russian mathematician and physicist
  • Alexander Morozov, Soviet tank designer, long-time head of Morozov Design Bureau, one of the key persons responsible for T-34 tank and its successors
  • Lev Belkind, Soviet power engineer and science historian
  • Leon Theremin, Soviet inventor, creator of the theremin, the first electronic musical instrument
  • Anton Valter, Soviet nuclear physicist, one of the founders of the Ukrainian Institute of Physics and Technology, the first nuclear physics research facility in Ukraine
  • Petr Budnikov, Soviet chemist (chemistry of silicates)
  • Nikolai Pylchykov, KhPI professor, practical physicist, inventor of radio remote control and photo-voltaic effect
  • Alexey Oleinik, Ukrainian-Russian mixed martial arts fighter and grappler
  • Konstantin Chelpan, chief designer of the T-34 tank engine
  • Leonid Pastur, Ukrainian physicist and mathematician.

Honorable doctors

The first doctors of honor of NTU "KhPI" were distinguished scientist such as Professors D.I. Mendeleev and N.E. Zhukovsky. Over the past years, famous scientists from 13 countries, along with the scientists of Ukraine, were awarded the title of Honorary Doctor of NTU "KhPI". Among them:

  • Academician B.E. Paton
  • Academician A.K. Shidlovsky
  • Academician V.V. Kafarov (Russia)
  • Academician M.Z. Zgurovsky
  • Academician V.L. Rvachov
  • Academician Ferenc Kovacs (Hungary)
  • Academician V.P. Seminozhenko
  • Academician P.D. Sarkisov (Russia)
  • Academician G.A. Yagodin (Russia)
  • Academician B.S. Stogniy;
  • prof. Nicholas Iliash (Romania)
  • prof. Michelle Fyuten (France)
  • prof. Wolfgang Kersten (Germany)
  • prof. Dieter Schneider (Austria)
  • prof. Tilman Reuter (Austria)

Facilities

The University is unique among other Kharkiv educational institutions, as it occupies the same campus that was initially given to it at its foundation in 1885 (the area was formerly called "Technological Garden", after the former name of the university).

Several campus buildings remain intact from the 19th century and may be considered historically significant as samples of past campus architecture:

  • Main Administrative building
  • Main Academic building
  • Chemistry building
  • Physics building
  • Technical building
  • Mathematical building
  • Engineering building
Round, gray Electrotechnical Building with high-pillared entrance
Electrotechnical Building

In addition, these modern facilities were established during the Soviet era:

  • Electrotechnical building (1929–30)
  • Administrative and economic building
  • 1st Educational (U-1) building (1977)
  • 2nd Educational (U-2) building (1985)
  • Computer building (former graduate-education building)
  • Radio-electronic building
  • Gigant (Giant) student dormitory (1926–30), located off-campus

Sports

The institute has a contemporary sports complex, allowing for more than 30 types of sports and activities; this allows for active involvement in sports for students and faculty. Among thousands of active sportsmen in NTU "KhPI" are Olympic and world champions, winners of international and national competitions, including Т. Artemenko, I. Moskaltsov, V. Homutov (mountaineering), Aleksei Barkalov (water polo, two gold Olympic medals in 1972 and 1980), G. Gafanovich (volleyball), Dmitrii Bezkorovaynyi, Ruslan Babaev (arm wrestling), I. Kaydash, L. Tkachenko-Garkavaya (track and field), N. Yesipenko (badminton), I. Kyrychenko (cycling), L. Khazieva (swimming), I. Raevskyy and D. Slatyn (basketball).

Sports Building

2004 Summer Olympics participants from NTU "KhPI":

2008 Summer Olympics participants from NTU "KhPI":

Since 1997, Dmitriy Bezkorovaynyi and Ruslan Babaev have won several world arm-wrestling championships. Considerable success on the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens was achieved by Andriy Zhyltsov (gold, silver and two bronze medals) in athletics (track-and-field) events.

Awards and reputation

In the 2012 rankings of the most famous universities in Ukraine the National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute” was in the top ten.

2012 Ranking of NTU “KhPI”:

  • Composite “Compass” ranking – 6th place
  • “Dengi” magazine – 3rd place
  • “Engineering and Technical specialties” ranking – 3rd place
  • “Compass 2012” IT specialty – 3rd place
  • “Compass 2012” Eastern Region – 1st place
  • UNESCO “Top 200” – 6th place
  • Webometrics Ranking of World Universities:
    • in the world – 2092
    • in Europe – 798.

2013 Ranking of NTU “KhPI”:

References

External links

Coordinates: 50°00′N 36°15′E / 50.000°N 36.250°E / 50.000; 36.250

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