History of the Department of Radio Systems
At the end of 50-th of the XX century electronics made a great jump in its development. Engineers started using and design complex systems, including many components joint by the common goal, instead of separate devices
In Russia this process mainly took place in the field of electronic armament of the Soviet Army. Different kinds of radars, navigation of ships and planes, systems of missiles’ and the flying objects’ control have been developed with great success. During short period there have been organized many research institutions and design bureau. All of them needed qualified engineers of wide profile, well educated not only in electronics but also in joint brunches of science and technique.
The specialty “Radio Electronic Devices” was started at some leading Universities of the Country, meant at the beginning to prepare engineers dealing with moving objects’ radio control. But very soon it became the specialty of wide profile, preparing engineers who can design electronic systems and complexes of different purposes. Now 11 leading Universities of Russia are teaching students of specialty “Radio Electronic Systems”.
In December of 1959 the order of the Tomsk Polytechnic Institute Rector announced the opening of three specialties at the Faculty of Automatic and Telemechanics, the specialty “Radio Electronic Devices” among them.
Yong engineer of the Nuclear Research Institute of the Tomsk Polytechnic Institute A.S. Chumakov was appointed the main organizer of the Department. He, as well as the heads of two other Departments, had to prepare all documents in a very short time (by September 1960) – the curriculum, distribution of the subjects among the teachers. It was him, who was to decide what and how the students should be taught. The problem was caused by the fact that neither of them were real specialists in the fields their Departments were devoted to. And the text books, which could be used to teach the students, have not been written yet.
The copy of the order opening the Department of Radio Equipment
Help came from the experience of the Universities there student were being already taught “Radio Electronic Devices” – meetings with the teachers, students’ notebooks and exercise books helped to prepare the curriculum by the appointed time.
In September 1960 the Department of Radio Equipment was organized according to the order of the Minister of Education and the Tomsk Polytechnic Institute Rector. Assistant Professor Kh.S. Buksht was appointed the head of the Department. Several graduates of the Tomsk Polytechnic Institute (specialty “Radio Electronics”) were sent to the Moscow Aviation Institute for training and postgraduate courses.
After their coming back the Department consisted of the following people.
— The Head of the Department – the Assistant Professor, PhD Kh.S. Buksht.
— The teachers: G.B. Avraamova, V.I. Drozdova, V.T. Vasilkov, O.N. Keselev, Kravetz, A.M. Molodedgnik
None of the teachers except the Head of the Department had at that time academic degrees. Teachers from the leading Universities were invited to help them manage the job. Assistants Professor from Leningrad Electrotechnical Institute Ju.K. Pestov and V.P. Vasileva came to Tomsk to read lectures to our students.
At the first stage of the Department development the main problem was to organize the laboratory. It was organized on the empty place. In parallel the preparing lectures and training classes the teachers should design laboratory layouts – the equipment was made by students. Laboratory assistant and materially responsible S.T. Galeev did a lot to build the laboratory equipment.
In 1962 the specialty “Radio Electronic Systems” with laboratory and students moved to the newly organized Tomsk Institute of Radioelectronics and Electronic Technique (TIRET).
The name of the Departments changed several times and it was a part of different faculties. Still the main idea stayed – the Department always was the part of the Institute providing the system teaching of specialists. The name of the specialty also changed but the main idea also stayed.
The first graduation took place in 1965. At the beginning 200 students graduated every year. One of the first graduates B.N. Zjatikov stayed at the Department and worked till 2003 as a Assistant Professor.
Graduates of the Department of Radio Systems
The first group of graduates consisted of 216 students. On a whole the Department handed in diplomas to 2220 students. Five eight students graduated every year with honor, take postgraduate courses and do research. Really “golden” were 1989, 1997 and 2003, when 33, 47 and 34% of graduates got diplomas with honor.
“The golden group” of graduates, 2003
The members of the Department staff defended 12 Doctor of Science theses, 39 PhD theses, prepared for publication 23 monographs and collected articles. More 400 articles are published in Russia and abroad. There have been published 9 textbooks approve by the Minister of Education and many other methodical materials.
After the first graduation Kh.S. Buksht asked to relieve him from the duty of the Head of the Department. His place took A.S. Chumakov, then in 1969-1974 V.P. Denisov was the Head of the Department, from 1974 this duty is performed by Professor G.S. Sharygin.
The Heads of the Department of Radio Systems
At all stages of the Department activity everything has being done to improve the laboratory bases and the process of teaching. People from other Departments anв organizations were invited to give lectures to the students. Among them the assistant Professor F.I. Peregudov (at that time the manager of the Radio plant, later the University Rector and then the Minister of the USSR), the Assistant Professor of the Tomsk State University A.F. Terpugov and others.
The methodical background laid during the first years still influence the way the radio engineers are taught.
The research in the field of near radar technique was started by the Department teachers and the students in 1966. A.S. Chumakov supervised this activity for many years.
In 1974 The Research Laboratory of Radio Systems was moved to the Department of Radio Systems from the Department of Radio-receiving and Amplifying Devices. Later this laboratory became an independent body of TUCSR and in 2000 the Research Institute of Radio Systems (RIRS). During 35 years the Department and the Institute people have been working together, took part in 15 big state level projects – students and postgraduates of the Department also too place. In 2009 the volume of the research was 26 000 000 rbl.
The specialty “Radio Electronic Systems” always was an elite specialty of the University. It provides high quality of education which helps the graduates quickly adapt to their engineering activity. The prolonged period of study (five years and a half), excellent teachers – enthusiasts of their mission, big complex research projects, performed at the Department, the spirit of independence and initiative, difficult subjects to learn and the halo of secrecy all these attracted the most talented young people to join the specialty. That created the peculiar “latent competition”, eliminated the random, badly trained and lazy people. High demands, thoroughgoing and adherence to their principles of the Department staff were always the particular features of the specialty.
The staff of the Department in 2003
From left to right: 1st row: Assistant Professor PhD Dudko B.P., upper teacher Avraamova G.V.,
Professor PhD Chumakov A.S., the Head of the Department Professor Sharygin G.S.,
Professor Denisov V.P., Assistant Professor PhD Zjatikov V.N.,
2nd row: Assistant Professor PhD Kurakov V.A., Assistant Professor PhD Tislenko V.I.,
the secretary of the Department Ermolaeva G.E., computer operator Veretennikova O.N.,
Professor Krasnenko Ju.I., the head of the laboratory Eliseenko A.V.,
computer operator Kolesova Ju.I., Assistant Professor PhD Martyshevski Ju.V.,
3rd row: upper teacher PhD Seitov V.N., Assistant Professor PhD Bernghardt A.S.,
Assistant Professor Ilukhin B.V., the head of the laboratory Blinkovski N.K.,
Assistant Professor PhD Akulinitchev Ju.P., Assistant Professor Golikov A.M.
By the 90th the number of students of specialty “Radio Electronic Systems” at every academic year stabilized at 30-50. The curriculum guarantees high quality of graduates. The objects of the graduates activity after leaving the University are radio electronic complexes, their parts, devices and functional blocks, methods and means of their design, simulation, experimental tests and preparation for the industrial production. The area of science and technique covered by the specialty includes technical means for getting information about the environment, natural and technical objects, transmitting the information to the consumer far away, target detection and tracking, space, marine and terrestrial objects control.
In 1999, because of the new tendencies and high popularity of the security problems, the Department started a new specialty 201800 – “Protected Communication Systems”. The first group of student of this specialty graduated in 2005. In 2004 one more specialty was open – 075600 “Information Security of Communication Systems”. The curricula of these specialties keep system character typical for the Department of Radio Electronic Systems.