In September of 1998 the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, having obtained the status of a National Technical University of Ukraine in 1995, celebrates its 100th anniversary.
The appearance of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute of the Emperor Alexander II, as well as the Warsaw and the Saint Petersburg Polytechnic Institutes, at the boundary of the 19th and 20th centuries was caused by the entire course of the economic development of Russia. The rapid development of production required a great number of engineers, technicians, agronomists. The 11 technical colleges of that time trained a total of 5,497 students, and more than one third of engineer's positions in Russia were occupied by foreign specialists.
The moment it was founded the KPI had 4 departments - Mechanical, Chemical, Engineering, and Agricultural - at which 360 students were trained. Now the KPI has 28,000 students at 25 faculties in 96 disciplines. The KPI is the leading institution of higher education in Ukraine, training specialists not only in technical disciplines, but also in the humanities. Pioneering in switching over to a stepped specialist training system, the KPI became a training-and-research center of technical education in Ukraine, a proving ground for working through novel pedagogical ideas in the training of bachelors, specialists and masters, as well as holders of candidate's and doctor's degrees.
Over its history the KPI has trained 200,000 specialists. Prominent scientists and teachers have brought glory to the KPI all over the world. The KPI first Principal was a distinguished scientist in the field of mechanics, strength of materials and graphostatics, one of the organizers of the higher education in Russia - V. L. Kirpichov.
The world famous leading lights of science D. I. Mendeleyev, M.Y.Zhukovsky, A. O. Kovalevsky, K. A. Timiryazev took part in the creation of the institute. The aircraft designers D. P. Grigorovich, M. I. Sigorsky, O.S.Kudashev, mechanics S.P.Timoshenko, K. K. Silinsky, Y. O. Paton, such metallurgists as V.P.Izhevsky, V.Y.Vasilyev worked at the KPI at different times. The well-known academicians S. P. Korolyov, B. Y. Paton, I. P. Bardin, A.V.Vinter, A. M. Lyulka, many other renowned scientists studied at the KPI.
At different times, 12 technical colleges in Kharkiv, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odessa, Vinnitsa, Cherkasy and Zhytomyr separated from the KPI and became independent.
Now 5 academicians and 10 corresponding members of the Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences, 28 members of other academies, more than 200 professors, and 1000 senior lecturers work at the KPI. Up to 15 research workers of the KPI defend their theses for a doctor's degree, and up to 70 - their theses for a candidate's degree annually.
The international ties of the KPI chairs extend to all the continents - the KPI has cooperation agreements with 54 partner institutions in 22 countries. Each year up to 1,000 students, post-graduate students and practical student trainees are trained at the KPI.
2.Find in the text English equivalents to the following words and word combinations:
здобувати статус, на межі, швидкий розвиток, підготовка спеціалістів, приносити славу, відомі науковці, щорічно, міжнародні зв’язки, угода про співпрацю.
3. Make up sentences from the following words. Translate the sentences into Ukrainian.
1. Development, the rapid, required, a great, of, production, number, of, technicians, agronomists, engineers.
2. Engineering, Mechanical, Chemical, the moment, the KPI, 4 departments, and, Agricultural, founded, had, was, it.
3. Anniversary, in, 1998, September, of, celebrates, Polytechnic, the Kiev, Institute, its 100th.
4. Put the verbs in brackets into Present Simple Tense.
1. KPI (to be) one of the most famous research centers of Ukraine.
2. Now the KPI (to have) 28,000 students at 25 faculties.
3. Prominent scientist and teachers (to bring) glory to the KPI.
4. Now 5 academicians (to work) at the KPI.
5. The international ties of the KPI departments (to extend) to all continents.
5.Answer the following questions:
1. When was the Kiev Polytechnic Institute founded?
2. Why was the Kiev Polytechnic Institute organized?
3. When did the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute obtain the status of a NTUU?
4. How many faculties were there in the KPI at the time of its foundation?
5. What leading lights of science worked in the KPI?