On the day of the celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the Department of Ceramic, Refractory, Glass, and Enamel Technologies, another special event took place: the unveiling of a memorial plaque dedicated to Professor Mykhailo Ivanovych Ryshchenko, an outstanding scientist, educator, and organiser of science and education, and Doctor of Technical Sciences.
Mykhailo Ivanovych Ryshchenko (1937–2023) was a Doctor of Technical Sciences, a Honoured Worker of Higher Education of Ukraine, and an Academician of the Ukrainian Technological Academy. His name is inseparably linked with the development of the National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute”, the establishment of a modern scientific school in ceramic, refractory, glass, and enamel technologies, and the training of generations of engineers and researchers. He devoted more than 60 years of his life to his alma mater.
Faculty members and researchers from NTU “KhPI”, Mykhailo Ivanovych’s family, friends and colleagues, representatives of various universities and research institutions from Kharkiv and Dnipro, as well as department staff, his former students and graduates, gathered to honour his memory. Among the distinguished guests were representatives of the administration of Kyivskyi District of Kharkiv, Mykhailo Ivanovych’s wife and son, and the creator of the bas-relief, Oleksandr Ridnyi, a renowned Kharkiv sculptor, Honoured Art Worker, and People’s Architect of Ukraine.
The ceremony featured speeches by Halyna Mykolayivna Tymchenko, Acting Rector of NTU “KhPI” and Associate Professor; Neli Vasylivna Kasanzhieva, Head of the Administration of Kyivskyi District of the Kharkiv City Council; Professor Leonid Leonidovych Tovazhnyanskyi; Professor Yevhen Ivanovych Sokol; Vice-Rector Magomedemin Isa Magomedovych Gasanov; Oleksandr Leonidovych Sydorenko, Professor Ryshchenko’s long-time colleague and friend; and Professor Olena Yuriyivna Fedorenko, one of Mykhailo Ivanovych’s former students and Head of the Department, on whose initiative the gathering was organised.
One of the most moving moments for everyone present was the address by the person who had stood by Mykhailo Ivanovych’s side for many years — his wife, Rehina Mykhailivna.
The memorial plaque was installed on the façade of the university’s Technical Building, which houses the Department of Ceramic, Refractory, Glass, and Enamel Technologies. Professor Ryshchenko headed the Department for 34 years.
The honour of unveiling the memorial plaque dedicated to Professor Mykhailo Ivanovych Ryshchenko was given to Halyna Mykolayivna Tymchenko, Acting Rector of NTU “KhPI”, and members of his family — his wife, Rehina Mykhailivna, and his son, Ihor Mykhailovych, Director of the Educational and Research Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering at NTU “KhPI”.
At the end of the ceremony, participants laid flowers in tribute to a man whose knowledge, talent, and dedication left a profound mark on the history of the Department, the University, science, and Ukrainian industry.
May this memorial plaque remind future generations of students and faculty members of the outstanding professionalism, dedication, and sense of purpose that guided Professor Mykhailo Ivanovych Ryshchenko throughout his life.
