Scientific schools, professional dynasties, outstanding personalities of Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic: from a mechanical and technical school to a modern national university

From November 9 to 12, 2020 , our university held an online video conference using the Google meet platform. The XVI Interuniversity Scientific Conference with International Participation on the Day of Ukrainian Writing and Language and the 120th Anniversary of the Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University, which was attended by students and teaching staff (senior lecturers, associate professors, professors, heads of various departments) of eight Ukrainian universities (Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University, Zaporizhzhia National University, National Academy of Internal Affairs (Kyiv), Academy of Advocacy of Ukraine (Kyiv), Oles Honchar Dnipro National University (Dnipro), Luhansk State University of Internal Affairs (Severodonetsk), Zaporizhzhia State Medical University, Classical Private University), representatives of Zaporizhzhia mass media, various scientific institutions, graduates of the GF and FEU in different years and in different specialties.

The organizing committee of this anniversary conference was headed by the acting rector of the Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University – Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Honored Worker of Education of Ukraine Serhiy Borysovych Belikov. The organizing committee of the conference included – Vice-Rector for Scientific Work and International Activities, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Naumyk V.V., Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Associate Professor, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Ukrainian Studies and ZMP Dedkov M.V. The working group included – Head of the Department of Ukrainian Studies and ZMP, Associate Professor, Candidate of Philological Sciences Chernova I.V., Specialist of the Department of Scientific Work of Students of the Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University Skrebkova A.V., employees of the university library, students of the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Law, who actively participate with reports and theses in international and all-Ukrainian scientific conferences.

The curator of the XVI interuniversity scientific conference is Halyna Serhiivna Onufrienko, associate professor of the Department of Ukrainian Studies and General Language Training.

The leitmotif of the program of the anniversary conference was chosen as the famous saying of the brilliant Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko: «And we will magnify our mind and our language in a miracle!». More than 80 reports and presentations, including those of graduates of the Faculty of Law of ZNTU of past years, who are now successfully working in the scientific field in Iceland and Canada, in the program of this landmark interuniversity conference. Among the speakers from our university, as many students as possible are pursuing higher education at the Faculty of Physics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Technology, and Faculty of Engineering.

The original decoration of the conference was a colorful cultural program. The conference participants got acquainted with both the gallery of thorough book publications of scientists of the Department of Ukrainian Studies and General Language Training, and the excellent exposition «Our Pride: University Professors — Laureates of the State Prize of Ukraine in the Field of Science and Technology» prepared by experienced employees of the university library Fedko N.I. and Fedyun S.V. and the masterfully created photo exhibition «Vernissage of Talents: Works of Kornus T.M.».

The participants were impressed by two bright exhibitions-presentations of dolls-motankas by the Zaporizhzhia craftswoman of the TO «Gems of Ukraine» S.V. Balueva: «Lyalka-motanka — one of the symbols of the national identity of Ukrainians» and "Dolls in costumes of different regions of Ukraine and national diasporas".

The speeches and presentations and their discussions took place in an intellectual atmosphere at the plenary session, which was moderated by the conference curator — Associate Professor of the Department of Ukrainian Studies and ZMP Onufrienko G.S., and at 9 locations in 3 sections of the conference (moderators – Professor Kononchuk T.I. and Associate Professor Krasnytska A.V. (Kyiv), Associate Professor Pashchuk R.I. (Severodonetsk), Senior Lecturer Laskava Y.V. (ZNU), representatives of the departments of the Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University – Professor of the Department of Ukrainian Studies and ZMP Mantulo N.B. and Associate Professors of this Department Bilenko T.G., Voronyuk I.O., Associate Professor of the Department of Higher Mathematics Antonenko N.M.).

The reports presented in detail covered a whole range of topical issues for the grand 120th anniversary of the alma mater, namely: the historical stages of the formation of our university, various faculties and departments; the formation of scientific schools at the university’s technical departments; traditions of linguistic training of foreign students at the university; the scientific potential of the university through the eyes of its graduates; the personal scientific achievements of leading professors of the university’s departments reflected in periodicals, monographs and reference sources; the personal scientific achievements of leading professors of the university’s departments – doctors of technical and physical and mathematical sciences; professional dynasties at various departments of the university; various areas of scientific cooperation of the university’s linguists-terminologists with other Ukrainian higher education institutions; the educational potential of translation terminological dictionaries prepared at various departments of the university for students of various specialties; scientific achievements of the departments on the eve of their anniversaries (to the 90th anniversary of the Department of Higher Mathematics); implementation of the results of research projects in Ukrainian and comparative linguistics, terminology, linguoculturology (to the 30th anniversary of the first research project on linguistics in the media); digital literacy in the modern educational process and professional communication; the significance in the modern linguistic and communicative dimension of the annual interuniversity scientific conference at the National University of Ukraine «Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic» on the Day of Ukrainian Writing and Language.

The moderators identified among the students of «Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic» those who best presented prepared presentations and convincingly answered all the questions posed to them – these are Kovalenko Elizaveta (GF-217), Gavrish Serhiy (YUF-119), Maystrenko Oleksandr (IF-110), Anulich Artem (EF-410). Students of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics prepared detailed reports on the scientific achievements of the faculty of the Department of Higher Mathematics for its 90th anniversary.

Head of the Department of Foreign Languages, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor Sobol Yu.O. highlighted in her theses interesting departmental projects on in-depth study of English professional language. Head of the Department of Higher Mathematics of our university, Professor, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Pridniprovsk Center of the NAS of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine Onufrienko V.M. on the occasion of the Year of Mathematics in Ukraine, which was declared 2021, comprehensively substantiated the necessity and importance of mathematical competence as basic in all modern technical fields. Member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine Gladiy O.B. interestingly told about the TV programs and radio broadcasts on the channel "Public: Zaporizhzhia", to which prominent personalities of the NU "Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic" were invited, and about the history of the creation of the successful TV project "Language as a Sea".

The most active participation in the preparation of media materials for the conference was taken by students of various faculties of the university and courses: Kovalenko Yelyzaveta (GF-217), Cheban Yuliia (FBAD-530), Tymoshenko Taras (FBAD-510).

The plenary and three sectional meetings were held in a new — remote — video conference format. The organizers of the annual conference dedicated to the Day of Ukrainian Writing and Language each year seek new forms, expanding the scope and geography of the conference participants, diversifying and modernizing the topics and issues of sections and locations, enriching the cultural program with new opportunities, developing informative and interesting virtual information materials for students with the active participation of experienced employees of the university library. This search for innovations, their implementation over time produces traditions on which scientific and research work with students at the university continues to develop.