On this day, August 7, 1908, Vitaliy Nykyforovych Hrydnev was born. He was a specialist in the field of physical metallurgy, academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, rector of Kyiv Polytechnic Institute from 1952 to 1955.
In 1945, he became a senior researcher at the Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy, and later - an associate professor at Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
During the post-war recovery of the national economy, the problem of training engineering personnel of various profiles and, in particular, such an important one as metallurgical, became urgent. Hrydnev then headed the newly created Department of Heat Treatment at Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
In August 1952, Hrydnev was appointed rector of Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. He occupied the position for three years, then moved to a permanent job at the Academy of Sciences. However, he did not sever ties with Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and the department where he worked part-time.