This was the motto of the events of March 17-20 at the Joint Mechanical Engineering Faculty in Magdeburg Otto von Gericke University (OvGU, Germany). They began with Joint Faculty's graduate, Olexiy Klimov, and his PhD thesis “Magnetic Abrasive Treatment of Carbide Tools”, under the joint guidance of Prof. B. Karpushevsky (OvGU) and Prof. V. Maiyboroda (NTUU “KPI”). After receiving two master's diplomas (OvGU and NTUU “KPI”), Olexiy studied as a postgraduate in Magdeburg University since 2009. For the Joint Faculty this is a successful result of the two universities' cooperation in preparing postgraduate students in the bachelor – master – PhD course.
The next day, Prof. J. Strakelyan, Otto von Gericke's rector, during a session of the Scientific Council, awarded Prof. M.I. Bobyr, director of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IME) and one of the founding deans of the Joint Ukrainian-German Mechanical Engineering Faculty, the greatest distinction of the OvGU – the credentials of a Honorary Doctor of the Magdeburg University – for numerous scientific achievements and the contribution to the cooperation between our universities. The ceremony was held at a historic place – the museum house where Otto von Gericke, the famous German physicist, engineer and philosopher, lived and worked. Starting from 1646 he held the post of Magdeburg's burgmeister for 32 years, constructed bridges and fortifications, experimented with vacuum, electricity and magnetism. In 1654, he carried out the famous experiment with the Magdeburg hemispheres, which proved the existence of air pressure, estimated the elasticity of air and its ability to fuel fires and conduct sound. These experimental stands are still working today.
On March 19-20 other students of the Joint Faculty presented their master's theses: Eduard Martov (IME) - “Design and Modelling of New Geometry Drills” (guid. Prof. B. Karpushevsky and docent E. Korbut), Volodymyr Bolbut - “Oxydation Resistance and Creep of Mo-T2 System Alloys” (guid. Prof. M. Kruger and Associate Member of Ukrainian National Academy of Science P. Loboda), Veronica Zhuk (Faculty of Welding) - “Industrial Effect on Quality of Point Welding of Hardened Steel” (guid. Prof. S. Juttner and docent V. Pakharenko), Svyatoslav Danylenko (IME) - “Development of Programmed Tool State Monitoring System for Detection of Mill Wear during Milling of Hard Materials” (guid. Prof. B. Karpushevsky and Prof. Y. Petrakov). It is worth mentioning that in Germany, a master's thesis is presented over the course of one hour (20 minutes of presenting, followed by questions and discussions).
In the 12 years of its existence the Joint Faculty had proved that the chosen model of study (bachelor's course in Kyiv and master's course in both universities) was correct, which is supported by the quality of the 26 graduates and the increased interest among the applicants. This year, 76 first year students of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IME), Faculty of Physical Engineering (FPE) and Faculty of Welding (FW) displayed willingness to study at our faculty. Our graduates work both in Ukraine at the well-known international enterprises (Kostal, Bosch, Remondis) and in Germany (Deutzer Technische Kohle GmbH, VHF Camfacture AG, TU Berlin). Ten of them decided to dedicate their future to scientific pursuits and applied for postgraduate courses. Last year a cooperation agreement was reached between our faculty and the German Economic Club, which comprises 35 German enterprises working in Ukraine.
To sum up the visit of the Kyiv Polytechnic delegation to the Otto von Gericke University, one should note the enormous untapped potential for scientific cooperation between the two universities. A decision was made to extend the cooperation and to organize and hold joint conferences and seminars at the earliest possible convenience. The German colleagues wished Ukraine and the world peace, prosperity and successes in overcoming hardships.