History of department

Graduation of the first Mining Engineers in the specialty “Surface Mining” in the Dnepropetrovsk Mining Institute (DMI) has been implemented in 1957.

It was preceded by coming of the famous scientist and educator, professor, doctor of technical sciences Novozhilov Michael Galaktionovich to DMI’s department of “Development of Ore Deposits” in October 1956

Novozhilov Michael Galaktionovich (1911 -1997) is twice laureate of State Prize of Ukraine, academician of the Ukrainian Ecological Academy of Sciences, honorary academician of the Academy of Mining Sciences of Ukraine, was awarded by many orders and medals for participation in the World War II (1941 - 1944) and a complete cavalier signs “Miner's Glory”.

In 1961, the department has received the current status of "Surface Mining". It was the first department in Ukraine in this field. Its founder was a professor M.G Novozhilo. He also served as its undisputed head until 1989. During this period, the department has released 2,000 mining engineers in the field of surface mining.

In 1957 – 1958 Prof. M.G. Novozhilov collected a group of young engineers at the department, which then became a famous scientific and pedagogical school of Professor M.G. Novozhilov in the world. This school has more than 140 doctors and candidates of technical sciences who work not only in Ukraine but also at enterprises of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Angola, Jordan, etc.

Since 1957, the department established a scientific research department where young scientists started work to solve the problems that have arisen in communication with rapid development of surface mining in Ukraine and within the former Soviet Union. Scientists of the department carry out scientific and research works practically for all major basins of mineral deposits of Ukraine (Krivoy Rog iron, Nikopol manganese ore, Carpathian sulfur-bearing, Dnieper brown coal, etc.).

Large amount carried out by scientific researches allowed to open in 1966 at the department “Industrial Scientific and Research Laboratory of the Problems Surface Mining Iron Ores, Manganese and Non-ore Deposits of Ukraine” and in 1969 opened the second “Industry Scientific and Research Laboratory of the Problems Developing Deposits of Rock Building Raw Materials”.

In 1978 the State Committee of Science and Technology of USSR and the Council of Ministers of Ukraine adopted the resolution to the opening “Problematic Scientific and Research Laboratory of Complex Development Mineral Resources of Ukraine”.

From 1989 to 1992 the head of department was professor Georgiy Pchelkyn , from 1992 to 1996 - Professor Anatoly Dryzhenko.

From 1996 to 2015 head of department was Dr., Prof. Illia Gumenik. He was mining engineer mine-builder Member of Ukrainian ecological academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine schools High society member Corr. Mining Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor tehnychal Sciences.

From 2015 the Department is headed by Professor Sobko Boris Efimovich.