On the occasion of the International Kid Inventors' Day, the President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, academician Anatoly Zaпorodny, had a meeting with the students of the Polytechnic Lyceum of NTUU "KPI", who took out patents for their inventions in 2022, and their supervisors - Oleh Kozlenko and Ihor Mikulionok, scientists of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
Anatoly Zagorodny greeted both young and experienced creators warmly, presented them with the Acknowledgements of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and said the most important thing: Ukraine needs them. Congratulating their students, the Polytechnic Lyceum highly appreciates the contribution of their supervisors: "Thank you and your scientific and pedagogical advisers for your work! May your inventions bring benefits and change the world for the better!" Indeed, the charges of Oleh Volodymyrovych Kozlenko and Ihor Olehovych Mikulionok were lucky: at the beginning of their creative career and life’s journey, they met experienced, highly professional teachers who were able and eager to teach and share their knowledge, and real senior friends.
Oleh Kozlenko is an Honored Teacher of Ukraine, the head of the Technological Processes and Advanced Technologies section of the Kyiv City Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Department, the head of the scientific laboratory of cryogenic technology at the Department of General Physics of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. For more than ten years, his students’ projects have been receiving awards at the Contest-presentation of scientific research projects of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Festival of Innovation Projects "Sikorsky Challenge", various international competitions of inventions and innovations. Igor Klymenko, the best student in the world in 2022 according to the Global Student Prize (see "KP" No. 31-32 for 2022); Volodymyr Karan, who invented infravision camouflage and received the highest award at the innovation exhibition "E-NNOVATE" in Poland (see "KP" No. 33-34 for 2021); Yelyzaveta Stoliarchuk, the author of the project of a wind generator based on a Segner wheel, which won gold at the "Global Industrie" exhibition in France (see "KP" No. 18 for 2021), and many others are among his charges. All of them are former lyceum students and students of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute now.
Ihor Mikulionok is a professor at the Department of Chemical, Polymer and Silicate Engineering of the Faculty of Chemical Engineering of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Doctor of Technical Sciences, professor, senior researcher, Honored inventor of Ukraine, awarded with the World Intellectual Property Organization Medal for Inventors. For more than 35 years of inventive activity, he became the author and co-author of almost 1,200 titles of protection (certificate of authorship and patents) for inventions and utility models, about five hundred of which were joint developments with students of the university and lyceum. There are more than three hundred students, whom Ihor Olehovych involved in inventive activities over the years. "By the way, O. Kozlenko is my student, and I am his teacher, - says I. Mikulionok. - We graduated from the same department, now it is the Department of Chemical Engineering and Oil Refining Industry. And now we are teaching the next generations of students together." And, judging by the results, they teach successfully, because they have received 79 patents jointly with 43 students of the Polytechnic Lyceum of NTUU "KPI", where O. Kozlenko teaches, over the past six years.
Back in 2001, Ihor Mikulionok prepared the textbook "Fundamentals of Intellectual Property", which went through several editions and later turned into the textbook "Intellectual Property" with the stamp of approval of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. "As a teacher, I see the main purpose of my inventive activity," the scientist says, "in the involvement of students in creativity." And he adds: "Usually, these are very inquisitive and hardworking boys and girls. I consider it simply necessary to encourage technical creativity and provide maximum assistance. In addition, I always try to make the invention as simple as possible. This requires knowledge in a wide variety of fields, which often come out beyond the limits of the obtained specialty".
History is replete with examples where famous inventors’ great discoveries were preceded by "small" ones. To help young researchers "join the coterie of those who move civilization forward", O. Kozlenko and I. Mikulionok created a step-by-step guide for them - an algorithm for taking out patents for inventions and utility models. After all, according to the authors, the invention is not only a "work of intellectual art", it is an intellectual product that can significantly improve the inventor's financial situation.