History of the Information-Measuring Engineering Department

In 1920 as an independent unit the Department of Electrical Measurements was separated from the Department of Electrical Machines. It was headed by Professor K. Idashevskyi. From 1930 to 1941 the Department was headed by Professor V. Krukovskyi, he is a well-known expert in the field of measurements. His practice was connected with the work of the famous company “Siemens”. At that time the Department became a state scientific and metrological center. In 1931 the first potentiometric institution for the state attestation of electrical devices and standard of electrical resistance was established and the Department had got the maintenance right for it.

From 1944 to 1958 the Department was headed by Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR K.Karandieyev, and from 1958 to 1971 — A.Shramkov.

Since 1971 till 1982 the Department was headed by Ye. Polishchuk and its scientific field was design of the digital devices for measuring of the different physical quantities.

Since 1982 till present the Department of  Information-Measuring Engineering (IME) is headed by Professor B.Stadnyk.

The peculiarity of the historical development of the Department are not only saving of the preformed scientific fields, but their transformation in accordance with the time. For more than one decade, the researchers of the Department develop different devices of measurements. They are aware of the existing problems of the measurements and their solving prospects, have experience in conducting theoretical and experimental researches aimed at increasing accuracy and expand the range of measuring quantities.

The great experience in research, practical and organizational work enables the Department to successfully and effectively improve the traditional ones, develop and implement new devices of measurements. Based on the conducted researches developed hypothesis about integral impact of electro deformational effect on the matter of the changes in output quantities of thermoelectric and thermoresistive temperature converters, which confirmed by a lot of experimental data. Following this hypothesis, the faculty of the Department conducts complex research to improve the metrological characteristics of thermometers, including the use of new materials, physical phenomena and effects. These subjects are deeply considered in the reference book “Temperature Measurements” and in the monograph “Temperature Measurement: Theory and Practice”, which co-authors are in particular B. Stadnyk and Ya.Lutsyk.

An acoustic method of gaseous atmospheres local values of temperature measurement is based on the dependence of the extension of acoustic vibrations instantaneous velocity from the environment local temperature. A new method of local temperatures determining is suggested, based on the estimation of their integral values — time domains of the extension of acoustic vibrations in certain directions.
Resarchers of the Department developed the theoretic basis of primary transducers designing and equipped international space projects with measuring equipment — Fobos and Vega, as well as important nuclear power facilities. Professor B. Stadnyk is honoured with the State Prize for his work on the creation of the theoretical basis and practical implementation of measuring net in the perpetual steel melting system. These researches are represented in his monograph, published in 1991, “Computer-aided Engineering of Contact-couple Thermal Converters.”

The whole complex of activities are performed at the Department from scientific, searching and research ones to construction of specific models of equipment for temperature measurement. In addition to this, the research is carried out in two directions: contact and contactless thermometry. Taking into account the particular topicality of the energy and material saving problems, the scientists of the Department focuse their efforts on the following researches: the thermal-noise and ultrasonic thermometry; thermal fields monitoring systems; engineering of various physical values portable measurement devices, the use of new materials, physical phenomena and effects to create measurement devices. The results of prolonged researches allow to create the complexes of devices for temperature measurement in especially difficult circumstances of metallurgical, chemical and other industries converters, made of materials available in Ukraine. The noticeable academic success of the Department was the edition of the substantial “Thermometry Encyclopedia” (Ya. Lutsyk, B. Stadnyk, 2003). The novelty of technical solutions, creating the basis of the constructed measurement devices, is confirmed by patents and copyright certificates.

Currently, the Department has a number of advanced unique methods of measurement. Here is conducted the work on the main directions of alternative principles of temperature measurement development and measurements in nanotechnology. One of the researches was completed with manufacturing ultrasonic thermometer and in 1992 with editing of the monograph “Ultrasonic Thermometry” (Ya.Lutsyk, B.Stadnyk). The scientific qualification support of the Department regular personnel is ensured by its doctorance and post-graduate study. Over the past decade, the workers of the Department defended seven candidate and five doctoral theses. Research work carried out by the faculty of the Department has a real impact on the scientific process. Department progress is widely used in lectures, laboratory and practical classes, course and diploma projects.

Lecturers of the Department publish books, scientific textbooks and monographs for students studing at higher education institutions not only in Ukraine. Thus, in 1978 was created the first textbook in Ukrainian “Electrical Measurements of Electrical and Non-electrical Quantities” (edited by Ye.Polischuk), and in 1984 the faculty headed by Ye.Polischuk published the textbook of the same name. In 1981 was published the textbook “The Measuring Converters” and in 1990 — “Methods and Means of Electric Quantities Measuring” (the author — Ye.Polischuk).
Traditionally, the Department supports scientific-didactive links with educational and research institutions of Belarus, Great Britain, Canada, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Russia, the USA, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
Within the international cooperation is carried out an active work for strengthening contacts with researchers from abroad schools and institutions, exchange of professors, Ph.D. student, an active participation in international academic symposia and conferences.
In the course of 15 years the researchers of the Department together with the researchers from the Rzeszów Polytechnic organize an annual international scientific and technical conference “Methods and signal conversion techniques for physical measurements.” This collaboration culminated with the publishing in 2005 two-volume textbooks “Basis of Metrology and Measuring Equipments” by international group of the authors under the editorship of Professor B.Stadnyk. The publication of the monograph “Temperature Measurement: Theory and Practice” in 2006 (J. Lucyk, B. Stadnyk) and the publication of the textbook “Means and Methods of Measuring Non-electric Quantities” in 2008 by the international group of the authors under the editorship of Professor E. Polishchuk may be also included to significant scientific achievements of the Department.
Students, trainees and the Department faculty have pre-diploma and research training at the Technical University of Ilmenau (Germany). These works are led by Professor G. Jieger and Sc.D. and engineer F. Bernhard from the German side. Long-term cooperation with the Technical University of Ilmenau allowed to form mutually agreed integrated curriculum for graduate students who study at the institute and write here their master’s paper, and after the graduation they receive two diplomas: Ukrainian and German.
Researcher of the Department presented fundamental scientific papers at the international conferences that took place in many European countries. On the basis of a unit for more than 10 international conferences were conducted on the theory and practice of measuring temperature and other physical quantities and metrological support of measurements. The world-class scientists are regularly invited for the series of lectures, including Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences I. Fedyk, Professor G. Yieher and others.
During its existence the Department has trained over six thousand experts who have written more than one significant page in the development of domestic and international theory and practice of measurement. However, today there are new problems, which the faculty of the Department hopes to successfully solve by joint efforts in order to keep pace with technological progress.
Students who during the learning has shown the talent for research and pedagogical activity after graduation remained to work at the Department as lecturers, researchers and engineers. Most of them have successfully defended their Ph.D. and Sc.D. theses and became Associate professors and Professors. Among them are Ph.D., Professor M. Dorozhovets; Ph.D., Professor Ye.Polishchuk, Ph.D.s, Associate professors O. Bazylevych and I. Likhnovskyi,Ph.D., Ph. doctoral candidate I.Mykytyn, Ph.D.s, Associate professors V.Motalo, A.Ozhovych, I.Pytel, O.Ryshkovskyi, I.Petrovska, head of the laboratory B.Puchynskyi, junior student A.Semenystyi, senior lecturer R.Ivakh, assistants T.Dominiuk and Ya.Skolozdra, engineers V.Reznik and R.Yatsiv.

Basic training received by students in Lviv Polytechnic during the learning has allowed many graduates of the Department to successfully realize themselves in science, industry, business, be invited to work on the responsible positions in prestigious companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Siemens, Toyota, METRO and others. Among them there are a lot of researchers, teachers, engineers: T. Grynevych — academician of The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv); S. Savenko — Ph.D., CEO of the representative office of Hewlett-Packard in Ukraine (Kyiv) V. Parakuda — Ph.D., CEO of DP NDI “Systema” (Lviv); R.Ohirko — Ph.D., Deputy Director of DP NDI “Systema” (Lviv); I. Tarasiuk — Head of the State Administration (Kyiv).