Origins of Information Technology and Computer Engineering at Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute (1950s–1960s)

Abstract

The article examines the issues related to the reconstruction of industry after World War II. Addressing the challenges of improving the efficiency of the industrial complex in the context of post-war economic development necessitated solving a set of new engineering tasks. Their implementation was aimed at introducing automation tools into technological processes based on the use of computing technology. Representatives of higher technical education institutions made a significant contribution to the development of the theory and practice of information technologies, where scientific schools began to emerge in the early 1950s. The innovative research of Professor V. Vasyliev, associated with the study of electronic models of complex dynamic systems, evolved into a powerful scientific school of mathematical modeling at the National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute” in subsequent years. The development of scientific research initiated by V. Vasyliev led to the establishment of the specialized department “Mathematical and Computing Devices and Instruments” in 1961, which he headed for thirteen years. In 1959, the scientist initiated the creation and became the head of the basic laboratory of electronic modeling. In 1966, this laboratory was reorganized into an industry-specific research laboratory of electronic modeling under the Ministry of Electrical Engineering Industry of the USSR and the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Education of the Ukrainian SSR. V. Vasyliev, as the head of the laboratory, was elected a member of the USSR National Committee on Analog Computing. The research topics covered the study of dynamic processes in complex systems of locomotive electrical equipment, carried out jointly with scientific institutions and enterprises. The significant role of V. Vasyliev in the establishment of the Faculty of Automation and Instrument Engineering, where he became the first dean, and in the creation of the specialty “Mathematical and Computing Devices and Instruments” has been established. His individual talent, fluency in foreign languages, strong mathematical background, and broad erudition were applied in the development of curricula, material and technical resources, and educational literature. All these efforts ensured the formation of a system for training engineering and scientific personnel in the field of information technologies at Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute.