It is known that first director of KPI V.L.Kirpichov paid great attention to the selection of qualified personnel. In the collection “From the history of Kiev Polytechnic Institute,” there are some documents and materials linked with enrollment for the work in KPI professors Y.M.Vagner, D.P.Ruzsky, M.P.Chyrvinsky, K.O.Zvorykin, V.P.Ermakov, M.M.Tyhvinsky, B.Y.Bukreev.
Among others V.L.Kirpichev invited to work in KPI famous chemist, Professor of Moscow Agricultural Institute M.I. Konovalov. The professor hesitated for a long time and started to work in KPI from July 1, 1899. He became the dean of chemical department and head of the department of non-organic chemistry. At once he became the member of building committee and member of the directors board. He was included in arrangement of the chemistry building, which was constructed in autumn 1899.
As the dean, M.I. Konovalov put a lot of efforts to creation of new chemical department. According the KPI Statut it should be eight of such departments. At that time there are only two: his own- non-organic chemistry and Professor’s Reformatsky organic chemistry
Together with M.Konovalov his colleagues from Moscow V.P.Ijevsky, O.V.Alehin, and N.Z.Vasiliev came to Kiev to work as assistants. On the proposition of Konovalov, V.Ijevsky was sent abroad to have a knowledge of metallurgy to get a rank of Professor on this specialty. In 1899 the pupil of Konovalov V.O.Plotnikov was invited to work as an assistant on the chemical department. He became later the prominent scientist in the field of electrochemistry non-aqueous solutions, academician of AS UkSSR. I.D.Jukov was invited also. On the recommendation of D.I.Mendeleev, K.G.Dementiev was invited for the work. He also was sent abroad to get the professor’s rank.
September 1900, first in the country and second in the world the Department of physical chemistry was opened in KPI on the proposal of M.I.Konovalov. Professor V.F.Timofeev was invited to head it. At that time V.G.Shaposhnikov and M.M.Tihvinsky, returning from abroad, headed the departments of fiber and color substances and organic technology respectively. In 1901 I.D.Jukov has returned too. He organized the Department of organic technology of food processing. In 1902 V.P.Ijevsky has founded the Metallurgy Department. In 1903 the Department of building materials and mineral was opened (head – K.G.Dementiev). This way there was full staff of professors and there were all eight departments.
In 1902 V.L.Kirpichev retired because of students’ unrest, M.I.Konovalov was appointed as the director of KPI. At this position, he was able to continue with dignity the work of V.L.Kirpichev. He carried out two on the high-level two issues of engineers.
The KPI library keeps the correspondence M.I.Konovalov with many chemists, whom he invited to work in KPI, as well as with prominent scientists such as: V.V.Markovnikov, O.M.Menshutkin, O.M.Zaitsev, P.I.Valden, M.O.Umovich, L.V.Pisarjevsky; with professors of Petersburg, Warsaw and Riga polytechnics and Moscow, Petersburg, Kharkov, Kazan universities.
Today the most part of M.I.Konovalov’s correspondence became public. Assistant Professor O.Y.Hocianovsky published recently in the book “Director KPI M.I.Konovalov (to 150 years anniversary)” about 100 letters of Michael Ivanovich as well as the letters to him from prominent scientists. In December 2008, it was marked 150 years since the birth of M.I.Konovalenko, and this book is a kind of present to the memory of outstanding scientist, teacher and organizer.