June at the Belarusian National Technical University is traditionally associated with a busy exam session, the beginning of industrial practice, and the defense of diploma projects. However, the university's chronicle contains many other significant events that took place in the first half of this month. We refresh our memory of these days at BNTU in different years — from the middle of the 20th century to the present.
In 1962, Maria Lapitskaya, the founder of the famous Lapitsky-Kuleshov-Vabishchevich labor dynasty, was appointed head of the Department of Water Supply and Sanitation. Maria Pavlovna was born in 1913 in Smolensk. After graduating with honors from the Smolensk Polytechnic College and then from the Moscow Engineering and Construction Institute, she received her diploma on the very first day of the Great Patriotic War and was sent to the Chelyabinsk Tank Factory, where she worked her way up from a foreman to a senior foreman. In 1945, she was sent to Minsk to restore the Minsk Tractor Plant, and in 1952 she entered the graduate school of the Belarusian Polytechnic Institute. In 1954, Maria Lapitskaya defended her dissertation and became the first candidate of technical Sciences in the BSSR with a degree in Water Supply and Sewerage. She began her teaching career on September 1, 1953, in 1958 she became an associate professor, and from 1962 to 1977 she was the head of the department.
Her daughter, Lyudmila Kuleshova, continued her mother's work. Maria Pavlovna instilled in her children a love for their profession and a belief that there is no more important or interesting job in the world. Lyudmila Kuleshova retired at the age of 70. However, her sons, Ivan and Danila Vabishchevich, joined the BPI. Ivan graduated with honors, received a F. Skorina scholarship, completed his postgraduate studies, and was assigned to the Department of Water Supply and Sanitation. Six years after his brother, Danila Grigorievich also entered BPI, graduated from the master's and postgraduate studies and remained to work at the department.
59 years later, on June 8, 2021, the 14th solemn ceremony of awarding the winners of the competition for the Prize of the Government of the Republic of Belarus for achievements in the field of quality in 2020 was held at the Palace of the Republic in Minsk. Three students and master's students from the Department of Standardization, Metrology, and Information Systems at the Faculty of Instrument Engineering of BNTU participated in the competition "Best Diploma and Research Work of Students in the Field of Management and Quality Control." Master's student Polina Arkhipenko (supervised by Head of the Department, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Pavel Serenkov) was awarded the title of laureate. In total, the Government of the Republic of Belarus approved four laureate titles in this category in 2020, and one of them was awarded to BNTU.
In 2023, the military department of BNTU celebrated 90 years, and the military-technical faculty celebrated 20 years. On the eve of the anniversary, on June 9, the university held a solemn meeting and a festive concert with the participation of the Honored Collective of the Republic of Belarus "Academic Ensemble of Song and Dance of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus". Rector of BNTU Sergey Kharitonchik, commenting on the upcoming anniversary, emphasized:
— The training of personnel for the Armed Forces is based on the cooperation of civilian and military specialists, and this beautiful alliance is about to celebrate its 90th anniversary. Today, we are honoring all those who have contributed to the development of the faculty, summarizing the past achievements, and making plans for the future.
This alliance has been strong for 93 years and continues to grow stronger with each passing year.
On this day in 2022, the Minsk-955 student construction team named after the Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Ilyich Kustov of the Belarusian National Technical University, which is based at the Faculty of Construction, began working on the overhaul and reconstruction of the Khatyn State Memorial Complex.
Just a day earlier, on May 13, 2022, the President of the Republic of Belarus issued Decree No. 176, granting the memorial the status of the All-Belarusian Youth Construction Site. As the university noted at the time, this decision allowed the university to unite young people with a significant civic and patriotic idea, increase the social activity of students, and give a new impetus to the development of the student team movement. The Minsk-955 team was one of the first to participate in the work at this sacred site.
The main feature of BNTU is its loyalty to tradition and its readiness to face new challenges. As students take exams and join the teams, the university's history is being written right now.
