D.I.Mendeleev was right, when he said that “chemistry holds out its hands far away”. In today’s world it is impossible to find an industry, technical and household products, range of tasks on environmental protection and human health, where chemistry would not be involved, chemical science and chemical technology. If objectively assess past and present innovative breakthrough achievements of mankind, it can be stated that most of them are based on chemical or on its theoretical application use.
Fundamental achievements of chemistry – discovery of properties of the atmosphere, the mysteries of water, aqueous and non-aqueous solutions, patterns of occurrence and development of the universe and life, nanotechnology and fullerenes, electronic, nuclear and other materials with ultrahigh purity, theory and practice of applied ecology and electrochemical processes in living and inanimate matter, technology of polymers and millions and applied using of organic compounds and medications.
Modern problems of penetration in the ocean of micro and macrochemical world, predictive modeling and optimal set of transformations of chemical compounds put in front of chemists harder tasks, which arise, for example, during long-term weather forecasting.
The achieved level of mathematics and supercomputers power is not enough to model and calculate complex chemical-technological processes. Maybe it is also proof that chemistry and chemical technology – this is science of direct action, and mathematics – of indirect. In the words of Henry Menke (American essayist of the twentieth century): "Catholic-women are allowed to avoid pregnancy with the help of mathematics, but it is strictly prohibited to turn to chemistry and physics."
By the way, there is a suspicion: is not that chemistry is very complex science and to master it you have to be very curious of mind, that is why students (and only them) of informally designated "elite schools" of university don’t like it? With pleasure and peace, they use materials with a chemical basis: fruit and vegetables, plastic products, paints, varnishes, perfumes, beer, wine, drinking water, fertilizer, sugar, medicines, paper, pens, etc., but the chemistry aren’t liked! Basely and illogical!
However, university has enthusiasts and chemistry toilers – these are students, graduated, theachers and staff of the Faculty of Chemical Technology. On the last Sunday of May, they, together with the whole country, celebrate Chemists’ Day and HTF’s Day, the first in the former Russian Empire faculty that started preparing chemical engineers. The staff of the faculty - the leading department of its kind and one of Ukraine's oldest department in university - can be proud of: its achievements in training highly qualified specialists in science recognized in the country and in the world.
So, I want to congratulate all the students and staff of HTF on the holiday and wish to continue to keep and enhance the prestige of the Faculty and University.
Jun 4, 2007 || By I.M.Astrelin, prof., Dean of the HTF