Prof. I. N. Butakov.

Educational Activities at Tomsk Industrial (Technological) Institute over the Last 10 Years (1925–1935)

A review of the organization of educational work during the first 25 years of the existence of Tomsk Technological Institute was made by Prof. M. A. Usov in the jubilee collection of TTI (1900–1925), renamed, in connection with the jubilee, the Siberian Technological Institute (STI).

The last decade in the life of the higher technical educational institution may be divided into three periods: 1) from 1926 to 1929—the final years of STI’s existence; 2) 1930–1932—the period of existence of the branch higher educational institutions formed from STI, and of the brigade-laboratory method; 3) the period after the issuance of the decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR of 19.IX.32 and the subsequent unification of part of the branch higher educational institutions into Tomsk Industrial Institute¹.

I. The Period 1926–1929

The first period, with regard to educational work, is characterized by the development of tendencies that had already clearly manifested themselves in the preceding 1924/25 academic year, and in particular by a further increase in the length of study at the higher educational institution, which rose from 4½ years in 1925 to 5 years: the curricula for the 1926/27 academic year were already arranged for 5 years.

During 1926, Glavprofobr carried out a general revision of the curricula of all faculties of higher educational institutions. One of the main tasks was to establish a pedagogically correct and organizationally acceptable ratio between lectures and other, as they were then called, active methods of teaching. Glavprofobr and the State Academic Council oriented themselves toward the average proportion set forth in the resolution of the rectors’ conference of 1926, i.e., on average 1:1.

This ratio was reflected in the curricula of STI, although it must be said that in practice STI did not always manage to maintain this ratio because of the financial difficulties of that time: it was sometimes necessary to forgo holding part of the group classes.

Thus, at the basis of teaching at STI in the period under consideration there lay a combined system consisting of the combination of a lecture course with group work (practical classes, work in laboratories, classrooms, and drawing rooms).

In accordance with the arrangements adopted at TTI as early as 1924, the programs of many courses were divided either according to the number of hours into sections, or even by lectures, and contained indications of the principal manuals to be used. For many courses the programs were compiled not only for the lecture part, but also for practical classroom exercises, the latter containing a list of the material that had to be worked through. Laboratory and graphic work also had

their programs, indicating their content and scope. It cannot, of course, be said that these requirements were carried out by absolutely all course leaders: some continued to adhere to pre-revolutionary practice, providing programs that contained only a list of material without correlation with time, without specifying the content of practical classes, etc., not wishing to devote proper attention to the serious matter of drawing up programs in accordance with the instructions then in force. As a result, it sometimes happened that one or another of such leaders, having begun a course, did not manage to finish it, having no regulator in terms of time.

Attendance at various kinds of classes was not then compulsory for students. Nevertheless, attendance in many subjects was high, fluctuating depending on the quality of teaching and on the demands made by the leaders of particular courses. Students very often kept lecture notes; some of these were carefully worked out.

As for the form of control over students’ academic performance, in some cases the method of checking knowledge consisted in judging, on the basis of the work done by students in practical classes over a certain period of time, the degree to which this work was satisfactory; but most often the form of control was combined, i.e., the work done in practical classes was taken into account, while at the same time it was deemed necessary to have an interview on the course as a whole with the responsible leader, only after which the student could receive credit. There were no differentiated grades of performance at that time, and the attempt by the People’s Commissariat of Education to introduce them was unsuccessful (Circular of May 3, 1928, No. 310080/123).

Academic performance in the reporting data was evaluated by the number of promotions to the following years that had taken place: the ratio, multiplied by one hundred, of the number of those promoted to the number of students present gave, in percentages, the performance for the year and for the higher technical educational institution as a whole. This indicator was often not strictly maintained, since a very painful phenomenon was the so-called conditional promotion from year to year, when the dean’s offices made such a promotion without the student having passed all the subjects of the year, allowing one or another subject to be carried over to the following semester. The credits themselves were accepted not only at the end of the semester in specially designated periods, but also throughout the entire academic year on a certain day of each week, appointed by the responsible leader of the subject in agreement with the dean. Although the STI administration recommended that, after two failures, credit be accepted the third time only by a commission with the participation of a representative of the dean’s office, in practice this was not always carried out, and cases were recorded in which the responsible leaders allowed such repeated attempts far in excess of the norm. Such a situation could not fail to affect the seriousness of the attitude toward the credit itself on the part of a certain un conscientious segment of the student body, which abused these opportunities. Because of the lack of definiteness and consistency in the matter of promotion from year to year and because of the liberalism that undoubtedly existed here at that time, it turned out that students, already working on their diploma project, were clearing their arrears from the first years (mathematics, theoretical mechanics, strength of materials, etc.), which delayed graduation from the institute and, to a considerable extent, weakened the possibility of in-depth study of special subjects. Thus, already at that time the need became more and more clearly apparent to develop certain general norms regulating this painful question of evaluating students’ performance and the conditions for promoting them from year to year.

Diploma design and the state defense of projects in the period described were carried out on the basis of the provisions of 1925. In particular, it should be noted here that separate drafting ...

in certain specialties for the completion of diploma projects, as well as the development of a uniform form of journal for meetings of faculty state qualification commissions, in which all the chairmen of the SQCs took an active part. The form proved in practice to be quite convenient. In the SQC, simultaneously with the diploma project, it was also considered necessary to submit the final report on specialized practice.

During the period under review, for the first time since the beginning of the Revolution, small credits were granted for expanding the teaching space at STI; with these it was possible to add a workshop and a gas-generator room to the internal-combustion-engine laboratory, and also to restore and adapt for the agricultural and flour-milling laboratories the half-ruined buildings of the former brewery, located on territory donated to STI by the Tomsk City Soviet in connection with the celebration of its 25th anniversary. Some funds were also provided for strengthening laboratory equipment; with these, not to mention small acquisitions, it was possible to make such a major purchase as a locomotive for the STI electric station from the Lyudinovsky Works, with a capacity of 80 h.p. and superheated steam. In addition, thanks to the specific participation then existing on the part of the Siberian regional bodies in the development of STI, it was possible to obtain some valuable equipment from abroad through the Kara Expedition, including, from Germany, an excellent X-ray installation for the metallographic laboratory. In this period STI generally received regular annual foreign-currency allocations from the People’s Commissariat of Education for the acquisition of foreign equipment, by means of which the laboratories and offices were replenished with some small inventory. The STI Educational and Scientific Library also had fairly substantial foreign-currency allocations, and at that time subscribed to a rather rich assortment of foreign journals and individual books on orders from the professorial and teaching staff.

The connection of the higher technical educational institution with production was then carried out along the following lines: a) students’ industrial practice; b) servicing, by the professorial and teaching staff and by STI laboratories, of the scientific and technical needs of Siberia; c) the completion by some students of diploma projects linked with the interests of the country’s economy. Efforts made to involve representatives of economic and professional organizations in the work of the higher-education bodies (the Soviet, qualification commissions, etc.) produced few real results: the officially appointed representatives were usually absent.

STI encountered certain difficulties, especially at the beginning of the period described, with places for industrial practice, since the percentage of satisfaction of these places, for example, in 1926, was only 65: 1,426 places were requested, while 934 were provided. Nevertheless these difficulties were overcome partly by removing from practice the majority of second-year students in order to provide for the senior courses; partly on account of students who were ill or had fallen behind; partly by duplicating certain places (instead of 4 months—2 months), and so on. In the second half of the period under review, the possibilities of conducting permanent industrial practice, with practice places assigned by districts to one or another higher technical educational institution, were hotly discussed. Corresponding decisions on this question were adopted at the 1st All-Russian Conference on Industrial Practice in 1927 in Moscow. At this conference, STI representatives (Comrades Bessonov and Kuznetsov) objected to regionalization, pointing to the special features of STI as a higher technical educational institution in an outlying region which did not have, in its own district, a developed industry, which at that time was only being planned. Until the end of the period this principle of permanent practice, which also required duplication of the courses being read—

... was never implemented at STI, which was also hindered by the acute shortage of professorial and teaching staff.

II. The Period of Application of the Brigade-Laboratory Method

The 1928/29 academic year was the last year of the first period, since as early as July 1928 a plenum of the Central Committee of the VKP(b) was held, which had already set new milestones in the problem of training cadres. A change in the style of work was required. The 1929/30 academic year began at STI with the introduction in some courses of the “small-subject cycle system,” which had previously been applied at the Moscow Mining Academy. This system was subsequently characterized, in the decree of the Central Executive Committee of 19/IX-32, as a conveyor system. The academic year was divided into a number of periods, during each of which not all the subjects included in the curriculum for a given course were taken, but only some part of them, so that the student was engaged simultaneously not in 7–8 subjects, but only in 2 or 3, while, understandably, the number of hours for each subject was correspondingly increased. It was assumed that such a concentration of the student’s attention and efforts on a small number of subjects would facilitate the process of studying them, without forcing him to expend mental energy in many directions at once. But it is clear that the decisions of the plenum required something different. It is known that “the decisions of the July plenum of 1929 were carried out unsatisfactorily both by the bodies of the People’s Commissariat of Trade and Industry, the Supreme Council of the National Economy, and by Party organizations,” as stated in the resolution of the plenum of the Central Committee of the VKP(b) of 16/XI-1929. A sharp turning point in the life of the higher technical schools came only after this November plenum, when it was decided “to consider necessary... the further transfer (to the Supreme Council of the National Economy), already in 1929/30, of several higher technical schools most important for heavy industry,” on the basis of the experience with the 6 higher technical schools transferred to the Supreme Council of the National Economy earlier in accordance with the decision of the 1928 plenum. At the same time, the maximum term of study for the old higher technical schools was set at 4 years, with 40–50% of the entire time spent at the higher technical school to be allotted to industrial practice, with an alternation established between theoretical instruction at the higher technical school and industrial practice at enterprises. In accordance with these directives it was proposed to revise curricula and programs so that in 1930/31 the academic year could be begun in a new way.

As early as the end of 1929, directive instructions were received from Glavprofobr (Circular No. 310050 of 19/XI–29) concerning the revision of curricula, which were reduced basically to the following:

1) In drawing up curricula, to achieve a real organic connection between theoretical instruction and continuous production practice;

2) To begin specialization from the first semester;

3) To exclude from curricula everything that is not absolutely necessary for the training of specialists in the given branch;

4) To decisively increase in the curricula the relative weight of special disciplines by correspondingly reducing the time allotted to general technical and general theoretical disciplines;

5) To link the general theoretical and general technical disciplines most closely with the special disciplines, subordinating the content and volume of the instructional material of the former disciplines to the interests of the latter;

6) To reduce the term of study in all higher technical schools to 4 years, with the alternation of theoretical instruction and continuous production practice to be determined by a ratio of 1:1, and the academic load in a semester not to exceed 360 hours of theoretical classes at the higher technical school.

The very end of 1929 and the beginning of 1930 were at STI a time of intensive work on creating curricula for all specialties in accordance...

with the new directives. In these new curricula, what draws attention is the hypertrophy of the specialized part at the expense of an excessive reduction of the general-theoretical part. Physics, for example, as a separate discipline was entirely absent; in the curricula of the mechanical-machine-building and power-engineering specialties only a laboratory was retained, as a laboratory in the methodology of physical measurements. It was assumed that the necessary information in physics would be conveyed in the appropriate sections of the specialized subjects, for which the number of hours was increased there: for example, in the curriculum of the steam-engineering specialty, 180 hours were allotted to thermodynamics on the assumption that this would suffice to cover the sections of heat from physics that were especially necessary for a steam engineer. By this, physics was of course deprived of one of its most important functions—to provide a unified physical picture of the world as the basis of all production processes.

Only in the second half of 1930 were printed standard curricula of the People’s Commissariat of Education for higher technical educational institutions received, approved in the middle of that year by the Educational-Methodological Sector of the People’s Commissariat of Education of the RSFSR. These curricula, however, were not introduced in the newly formed branch higher technical educational institutions of Tomsk. Subsequently the Educational-Methodological Sector itself, in a letter approved by the Presidium of the State Academic Council on 25/V—1931, testified that their inconsistency with the principles of the fundamental reorganization of higher technical educational institutions was due to the separation of theory from practice, to their multi-subject character, to the poorly sustained selection of subjects from the standpoint of correspondence to the specialist’s profile, and so forth. As indicated, these curricula were not introduced because they were received late, so that the 1930/31 academic year began with the above-mentioned local curricula.

From 27/XII—30 to 2/I—31, the III session of the State Academic Council was held in Moscow, which gave a number of fundamental instructions on the basic questions of constructing curricula, programs, and teaching methodology in higher schools. The task in constructing curricula was formulated here as the realization in them of an internal unity between the theoretical and production parts of instruction, as the subordination of the entire curriculum to the main target orientation following from the characteristics of the profile of one or another specialist. Thus, at the III session of the State Academic Council, the question of the specialist’s profile was raised with full insistence, and general principles were formulated for constructing such a profile on the basis of a sharply expressed production specialization. In the second half of 1931, Tomsk received, one after another, two instructional-methodological letters on the compilation of educational-production curricula for higher technical educational institutions and technicums: 1) from the Educational-Methodological Sector of the People’s Commissariat of Education of the RSFSR, approved by the Presidium of the State Academic Council on 25/V—31, and 2) from the Personnel Sector of the Supreme Council of the National Economy of the USSR (June 1931). The latter letter proposed that higher technical educational institutions and associations develop profiles for the specialists they trained, as well as curricula, with the calculation that new admissions of students (1/X—31 and 1/I—32) would be transferred completely to these curricula, while with respect to earlier admissions they should shift partially, insofar as this would be possible, reorganizing in the course of work. The letters gave methodological instructions on the very construction of profiles and curricula.

But by this time curricula had begun to arrive in Tomsk that were being compiled in the associations. They began to be laid at the foundation of the work of the specialties. All this was already taking place in the branch higher technical educational institutions that had arisen from among the 8 of the former STI and had come under the authority of the corresponding trusts, associations, and so on. The decree of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR of 24/VII—1930 decreed the reorganization of multi-faculty higher educational institutions into branch educational institutions, with the unification of homogeneous specialties of different higher educational institutions (in Tomsk, the geological specialties of STI and TSU) and with their transfer to the jurisdiction of branch economic associations and the corresponding people’s commissariats and other

institutions of the USSR and of the Union republics. The partial disaggregation of STI began in Tomsk in 1930, even before this decree.

The transition to new curricula in 1930 was associated with a transition to new “active” methods of teaching, in which an exclusive position in higher technical educational institutions was occupied by the brigade-laboratory method, as “universal and mandatory in the working through of all academic disciplines.” After receipt of the instructional-methodological letter of 26/IX–31, No. 600—2609, from the Deputy People’s Commissar of the Main Administration of Educational Institutions of the People’s Commissariat of Education of the RSFSR, the brigade-laboratory method received final formalization in the higher technical educational institutions of Tomsk. The principal documents under the brigade-laboratory method were assignments, for the preparation of which no little energy was expended in the branch higher technical educational institutions of Tomsk. Examples of assignments in general geology and in steam engines are given below. It is of some interest here to note, in passing, a special variant of the method applied with respect to steam engines. The assignments on steam engines were linked into a complex constructed in such a way that it became possible, successively, as they were completed, to calculate a single-cylinder steam engine, a double-expansion engine, and the steam distribution for them. Altogether three assignments were provided, of which the first had in view the construction of the indicator diagram of a single-cylinder engine, diagrams of working pressures, forces and inertia, resultant forces, tangential forces, and a flywheel diagram. From the diagrams constructed, the mean indicated pressure was determined, which then formed the basis for calculating the principal dimensions of the engine; the steam consumption was determined, and the weight of the flywheel was calculated. The second assignment provided for constructing the working process of a double-expansion engine, with subsequent determination of its principal dimensions and steam consumption. The third assignment, using the indicator diagrams constructed earlier, had as its purpose the determination of the principal dimensions of slide-valve and valve steam distribution. The assignments for each student were individual, since the initial data given to each were different. The submission of assignments took place at the appointed times; at the same time, an interview was conducted with each student in order to determine the degree to which the corresponding part of the course had been mastered and the possibility of awarding credit. Thus this was a laboratory-design method.

The brigade-laboratory method excluded all credit sessions, since the accounting of the assimilation of educational material was to be carried out in the process of work. It was proposed to build such accounting on the principle of the student’s personal responsibility and individual academic performance. But in practice this was far from always carried out: often the brigade screened the individual student, and there resulted “a lowering of the student’s individual responsibility for his own work, depersonalization in educational work, and leveling down to the weak and lagging.”

Diploma projects as such, and their defense before the State Qualification Commission, were abolished entirely during the period under consideration. This was, of course, a serious drawback, but it undoubtedly constituted a reaction to the anarchy of the preceding diploma period, when the completion of diploma projects was extraordinarily protracted in itself and especially in connection with the presence of outdated arrears among many degree candidates, depending, as was indicated, on the lack of clarity in the acceptance of credits and in transfers from course to course. The academic life of the Soviet higher technical school in the period of the beginning turn toward the country’s industrialization undoubtedly needed a stricter production regime, and the brigade-laboratory method, with its “pedagogical standardization” of individual stages of academic work, certainly had its positive influence on the further development of the higher Soviet school.

In the first two years of study, with significant numbers of students passing through each subject in certain disciplines, for example, in

in mathematics at the Mechanical-Machine-Building Institute, calendar work plans were developed, thanks to which the work of all groups proceeded synchronously, and the responsible supervisor was able, at certain moments, to sum up results for the entire combined lecture audience on the completed section and to give a charge for the next section. Thus the role of the responsible supervisor here was not reduced to that of an ordinary supervisor, as happened in most cases when each group lived its own isolated life.

In accordance with the directives of this period, industrial practice was to play the leading role in the entire system of training engineers. “The leading role of NPP must be expressed not only in the amount of time allotted for carrying it out (40–50% of all study time), but also in its influence on the forms, content, and methods of theoretical instruction.” (From the aforementioned letter of the UMS of the NKP).

As can be seen even from the initial curricula drawn up at the STI during this period, NPP was included in them as an integral part; moreover, with regard to the practice of each semester, its principal elements were indicated and the content of each of its stages was disclosed. Each stage of practice sought to be linked in one way or another with the corresponding parts of theoretical instruction at the higher technical educational institution. On the question of the organization and methodology of NPP, as a system and form of industrial training in industrial-technical higher educational institutions, an instructional letter of the UMS, NKP of the RSFSR was circulated in 1930, and in addition a special supplementary appeal of 12/IX—1930 concerning the need to struggle for the enterprise industrial-financial plan. The main motive of the latter appeal was: “when drawing up NPP programs, to proceed from the necessity of giving all possible assistance to enterprises in fulfilling and overfulfilling the industrial-financial plan, subordinating to this task all the other tasks of practice.” In a number of Tomsk higher educational institutions this directive was received with complete seriousness, as a result of which their students were included in the fulfillment of enterprises’ industrial-financial plans, when sent there to undergo NPP, very closely and with great effectiveness. The testimonials brought back by groups from enterprises testified to this. Thus, for example, group No. 18 of steam-power technicians of the Mechanical-Machine-Building Institute brought back in 1931 from the construction site of the Kuznetsk Metallurgical Plant the following testimonial: “The administration, the Party collective, and the shop committee of the TsES express comradely gratitude to the group of SMMI trainees consisting of comrades D. S. Karpov, P. P. Lavretsky, N. A. Kondakov, N. V. Dulin, V. A. Korniliev, I. I. Eshelnik, I. P. Shalintsev, and I. A. Khodakovsky for energetic, shock work. During its stay at the construction of the TsES this group, despite all difficulties, performed well the production assignments on the responsible sections of heat installation and, serving as an example, showed itself to be a truly shock brigade, selflessly working in production. The comrades combined their practice with active public work. The work of the group indicates that SMMI is successfully solving the task set by the Party and the government of training cadres of red specialists capable of directing the construction and production of socialist enterprises.” Group 19 of electricians of the same Institute, for shock work in 1931 at the same Kuznetsk Metallurgical Plant, was recognized by the awarding of a certificate of honor. Numerous individual testimonials and individual shock-work certificates brought back in the period described by students from enterprises during their NPP testified that the best representatives of the student body of the Tomsk higher educational institutions correctly understood the directive of the Party and the government and, by their genuinely shock work in production during their periods of NPP, to the extent of their abilities—

contributed to eliminating the gaps that existed in the fulfillment of the plan of the first five-year plan.

In the aforementioned instructional letter of 1930, concerning the NPP, there was the instruction: “educational institutions must organize the use of their instructional-auxiliary institutions for carrying out various kinds of assignments for enterprises with which these educational institutions are connected.” The fullest connection with production in the period under consideration undoubtedly existed in the Geological-Prospecting Institute, which was under the jurisdiction of the West Siberian Geological-Prospecting Administration. The entire staff of this Institute, including all its auxiliary institutions, was drawn into carrying out the great plan of geological-prospecting work in Siberia, which was then being unfolded in connection with the first five-year plan (investigations of the Kuzbass, prospecting for iron-ore deposits for KMK, etc.). This was the most immediate and urgent task, the first stage in the industrialization of Siberia. The participation of other institutes was manifested to a lesser extent. Nevertheless, one cannot fail to note the work of the Chemical-Technological Institute on the investigation of the Kulunda lakes, on the study of liquid distillates from Siberian sapropels, the thermal-engineering testing, begun at that time, of Khakass coals under the boilers of the power station of the Mechanical-Machine-Building Institute, and the work begun at the same time on testing the use of liquid distillates from Siberian coals in internal-combustion engines in the ICE laboratory of the same Institute.

In the period described, higher-technical-school construction in Tomsk was curtailed. This is explained by the fact that the prevailing attitude at that time was to remove the majority of branch higher technical schools from Tomsk. Thus, there was discussion of transferring the Geological-Prospecting Institute to Novosibirsk, the Coal Institute to Prokopievsk, the Energy Institute to Novosibirsk, etc. This state of mind caused great harm to the subsequent development of TII, delaying the timely construction of academic buildings, dormitories, apartments for scientific workers, and so on. Nevertheless, precisely in this period (1930) the building of the former prison was reconstructed into an academic building, where at first the Coal Institute and the Institute of Transport Engineers were housed, and later only the Coal Institute. In addition, a small annex was built to the boiler house of the SMI power station for the workshops of the steam laboratories and for the boiler-house exhausters. The latter annex was carried out at the expense of Vostugol allocations released in connection with the aforementioned scientific-research work on testing Khakass coals. At the expense of the same allocations, and partly at the expense of credits from the NKPS, a locomotive boiler, transferred by the former STI of the Tomsk Railway for instructional and scientific purposes, was installed in the boiler house.

III. The period after the issuance of the decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR of 19/IX-32

An evaluation of the results of the second period under consideration on the scale of the entire USSR was made in the historic decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR of 19/IX-32. It indicated both the achievements of this period (the quantitative resolution of the personnel problem, the proletarianization of higher technical schools, the establishment of concrete leadership over them by the economic people’s commissariats, their rapprochement with production, etc.) and the distortions permitted in the practice of implementing the directives of the Party and the government (insufficient attention to questions of the quality of study, excessive specialization, etc.).

Meanwhile, the introduction of new technology into the Soviet national economy and the growth of national-economic tasks place increased demands on the theoretical level of Soviet engineers, “of whom an ever higher qualification is required, mastery of profound knowledge of scientific foundations—

Building of the former prison, now the Mining Building.

Extension to the boiler house of the electric power station

Workshop for gas-generator and master’s internal-combustion engines.

...of modern technology, knowledge of the system of Soviet economy and its planning, and practical familiarity with the organization of specialized industries under the conditions of advanced technology.” As its principal task, the resolution of the USSR Central Executive Committee sets the struggle to raise theoretical education in higher technical schools, while improving the quality of instruction through further strengthening ties with production and through genuine encouragement of the initiative and energy of each student in his academic work.

The third period, which began in higher technical schools after the issuance of the resolution of the Central Executive Committee of September 19, 1932, is at present still far from complete in its development; therefore it will be sufficient to confine ourselves to summing up what has been done toward its implementation at TII by the time of the latter’s 35th anniversary. With regard to curricula and programs, it should generally be noted that in all specialties the standard curricula and programs developed by the Main Administration of Educational Institutions of the People’s Commissariat of Heavy Industry are accepted. As for teaching methods, in accordance with the provisions of the resolution of September 19, 1932, they must satisfy the following basic requirements:
1) to ensure the individual and independent work of students;
2) to make the professorial and teaching staff responsible for the organization of academic work and for the work of each student individually;
3) to ensure a concrete approach that takes into account the specific features of the instructional material, the instructional setting, and each discipline; moreover, the use of the brigade-laboratory method in its previously established form has been recognized as inexpedient;
4) to encourage the collective work of students.

On the basis of these directives, TII has placed emphasis on the comprehensive development of laboratory work, understood as students’ independent work on individual assignments in premises specially equipped for this purpose: laboratories, study rooms, drafting rooms, and so forth. Almost all student groups engaged in design work are provided with permanently assigned drafting rooms, many of which have special equipment. In these premises the groups conduct all their classes, except for stream lectures, combining individual work with collective work. These assigned premises are open until 1 o’clock at night. The methodological conference of TII held in June 1935 identified, as a serious defect of the curricula of the Main Administration of Educational Institutions of the People’s Commissariat of Heavy Industry for the Mining, Geological Prospecting, and Chemical-Technological faculties, the insufficient number of course projects, as a powerful means for developing students’ skills in independent work; this defect must undoubtedly be eliminated at the next revision of the curricula. In the curricula of mechanical and power-engineering higher technical schools, design has been allotted a significant, although still insufficient, place, since students in these specialties complete 3 course projects each. Over the past 3 years, design work has undoubtedly been raised considerably. It has become apparent, however, that there is a general pattern of course projects falling behind schedule. Thus, for example, the special project for a metalworking machine tool (mechanical assembly) was allotted 78 hours in the standard curriculum. The volume of the project according to the standard programs is 4–5 sheets of drawings with an accompanying explanatory note. It is recommended that an assignment be given from the field of special machine tools. If 50% of the time for homework is added, we obtain a regulated time expenditure of 116 hours. Thus, on average, 25–30 hours are allotted per sheet of drawings, which is clearly insufficient. Without an enormous overload of 3–4 times, the student is unable to keep within the allotted time limit. We have the same situation at the Power Engineering Faculty, where the project of a steam turbine was completed by students within the calendar time allotted, but with an enormous daily overload of work for the students, who spent all their days off and nights on it, and at the cost of reducing the quality of study of the courses that ran in parallel with the proj—

project. The completion of turbine projects on schedule became possible thanks to strict planning of the intermediate stages in time and the mobilization of all the forces of the department and the public. In boiler installations, groups 630, 631/I, 631/II, and 631/III were for the most part unable to complete the projects within the assigned calendar deadlines, despite an enormous amount of overtime work, exceeding the man-hours by 2 to 2½ times. The same discrepancy between the time according to the curriculum and the actual expenditure of it was found in the projects for an overhead crane and for an internal-combustion engine; nevertheless, in the previous academic year the Red Banner group of the MMF completed the crane project within the assigned calendar period, though still with a large overrun of man-hours compared with the curriculum. Apparently this phenomenon is general, since Prof. Zhiritskii reports the same thing as well (ZPK, 1934, No. 12). There is no doubt that part of the failure to meet deadlines and the time standards for design work must be attributed to the still insufficient preparation of our students admitted in 1930–1931, who took their first courses under the conditions of the brigade-laboratory period and did not receive the necessary grounding in secondary school; but it is characteristic that even the best students, with unquestionably adequate preparation, were unable to keep within the prescribed standard expenditure of man-hours, as was shown by the self-timing we conducted for steam turbines and boiler installations. Here there was certainly an underestimation in the plans of the amount of time required for design work, and the influence was felt of the small number of hours for design in the curricula of the old technical school, where these hours meant only hours of supervision.

The laboratory work proper at TII is carried out in special laboratory premises, the bulk of which were created as early as the initial period of organization of the former Tomsk Technological Institute. The shortcoming of these, generally excellent, laboratories is that their equipment is, to a significant extent, obsolete and requires decisive modernization. In the preceding period of the existence of the branch higher technical schools, the Geological Prospecting Institute—now the faculty of the same name of TII—developed its rooms very considerably, so that in these rooms students’ independent work is also provided for to a sufficient degree, although serious harm was done to this work in 1934 by the decision of higher authorities to transfer back to Tomsk University the new models of microscopes that had been handed over in 1930 to the Geological Prospecting Institute together with the geological specialty of TSU. Replenishing the GRF inventory with microscopes is now an urgent task. The GRF’s teaching-aid institutions have expanded so much that this faculty no longer fits into its own building, in which, during the existence of TTI and STI, the entire Mining Faculty was housed, including geological-prospecting and mining specialties. The question now is of adding a third floor in order to make possible the placement of new GRF institutions, the materials for which are partly stored in boxes in storerooms. The rooms and laboratories of the Mining Faculty received significant additions in the 1934/35 academic year, thanks mainly to the assistance of Kuzbassugol, and the final organization of the GF’s room-and-laboratory facilities will be realized in 1936 in the new building now nearing completion. Because of the delay in putting this building into operation, the new specialties—welding, casting, and forging with stamping—have until now remained without an adequate laboratory base. The welding laboratory, already having its basic equipment, still has no permanent premises, being housed temporarily in the basement of the physics building. A foundry laboratory has not yet been created, and the forging-and-stamping laboratory is in the process of organization. These are the most lagging areas in the organization of TII’s laboratory base. During 1936, with the freeing of Mining

New building of the TII buildings

by the faculty from its old building; in the latter it is proposed to deploy laboratories for the aforementioned new specialties, which is a matter of priority.

At the end of the current year only the first half of the new building will be put into operation. Its second half, brought only up to the height of the tops of the first-floor windows, has been mothballed, construction having begun in 1930. It is deteriorating under the influence of atmospheric factors. The commissioning of the second half of the building is very essential, since, first of all, it includes an auditorium for 600 people, which is very necessary for a powerful higher technical educational institution such as TII. In addition, it is proposed to house here the electrical-engineering laboratories now located in the physics building. During the existence of the brigade-laboratory method, when physics was neglected, a considerable area of the former physics laboratory was occupied by the laboratory of general electrical engineering, which in turn became cramped, hindering the passage of a large number of groups through this laboratory. Laboratories of electrical machines, high voltages, relays, and protection also developed as independent units; previously they had existed in embryonic form as part of the single electrical laboratory of the former STI. The physics building can no longer accommodate all these laboratories and does not allow for their development. On the other hand, it is necessary to make possible the expansion of the steam laboratories by removing the hydraulics laboratory from the engineering building. That is why the earliest possible completion of the new building is necessary.

Speaking of educational auxiliary institutions as the basis of laboratory work, one cannot fail to note the difficult situation at TII with educational workshops. Good educational workshops existed at the former Technological Institute and had all the necessary shops. In 1930, when STI was subdivided, the Mechanical Institute was for a certain period transferred to the administration of the Siberian Regional Council of the National Economy, by whose order the workshops were transferred to the jurisdiction of the “Metallist” plant, which later became part of the “Kuzbassugol” system. Thus TII found itself without its own educational workshops, and the academic practice of students is carried out partly in the FZU school of the “Metallist” plant, which is of little suitability for this purpose, and partly (fitting work) in temporary premises poorly adapted for this purpose. The return to TII of the educational-workshop building with its equipment is dictated by the entire spirit of the decree of the Central Executive Committee of 19/IX-32, and it must be carried out in the very near future.

Finally, a few words must be said about the TII electric power station, which is, on the one hand, an educational base for the power-engineering faculty and, on the other hand, a source of electric power for the TII buildings. Built and equipped before 1905, this station has become obsolete; and its equipment, having served out its full term, must be replaced by modern equipment, taking into account the need to convert the station into a heat-supply plant for heating the adjacent educational and residential buildings of TII, as well as the neighboring “Metallist” plant. The boilers for heating the TII buildings, operating since 1900, are also subject to replacement. The maintenance of numerous boiler rooms in separate buildings is unprofitable. A decision on the re-equipment of the TII power station is therefore absolutely urgent.

If the expansion of laboratory work is the first requirement of the new situation in higher technical educational institutions, then the use of lectures as a teaching method that promotes closer contact between professor and students must be considered the second such requirement; moreover, each lecture should be followed by thorough working-through of the material under the guidance of an assistant and under the supervision of the professor. The lecture method of teaching has found proper application at TII. Lectures are delivered by professors to a combined audi—

theory (stream), made up in the lower years of 6–8 groups, for example in mathematics, physics, chemistry, etc. In the senior years such streams are naturally less numerous, while in special courses for specialties, where there is one group each, lectures are delivered to that one group. The subsequent working through of lecture material in practical classes, up to the beginning of the 1935/36 academic year, was carried out under the guidance of assistants in the number of hours assigned by the curriculum in all years. At the present time, with increased emphasis on the independent work of senior students, the number of hours of such compulsory classes here has been reduced, with the allocation of one day free from classes, which students may devote entirely to independent work; in return, optional consultation hours have been provided, attendance at which is not compulsory and which students may use according to their needs. In many disciplines students prepare lecture notes, which are checked from time to time by assistants.

The decree of the Central Executive Committee of 19/IX-32 attaches enormous importance to the proper organization of the testing of students’ knowledge, placing responsibility for the evaluation of this knowledge on the professorial and teaching staff, pointing to the need to prohibit all collective credits, to wage a decisive struggle against fictitious credits, to introduce a differentiated form of assessing students’ performance, to introduce credit sessions twice a year (in autumn and spring), and to establish diploma projects with a mandatory defense. The struggle against liberalism in the assessment of students’ knowledge covers a fairly long period in the life of the Tomsk higher educational institutions. In this respect the following table is very indicative; its figures (in %) refer to the spring semester of each academic year.

Thus, only at the TII, formed by the beginning of the 1934/35 academic year, did we begin to approach a more objective assessment of students’ knowledge, although the sum of excellent and good marks in half of the faculties at the end of the 1934/35 academic year, amounting to more than 50%, still remains exaggerated, since there is reason to believe that at the present stage this sum should not exceed 40–45%. The percentage of unsatisfactory marks is also small, especially at KhTF, where it is expressed as a fractional part of a percent.

The responsibility of the professorial and teaching staff for their work undoubtedly increases from year to year. The departments played a major role in this matter. It can be stated definitely that the role of departments became fully prominent only after the publication of the decree of the Central Executive Committee of 19/IX-32. It is known that the department, as the basic unit for organizing educational and scientific work in higher educational institutions, was abolished in the initial period of the sovietization of higher educational institutions. From that time onward, subject commissions began to operate, usually bringing together research workers in a number of related disciplines. On equal rights and in equal numbers at the meetings

student representatives also took part in the subject commissions. This was a collegial body, consonant with the stage of our socialist construction at that time. Along with the reform of higher educational institutions, in accordance with the decisions of the plenums of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of 1928 and 1929, the question of establishing departmental organization was placed on the agenda; and already paragraph 4 of the Regulations on the salary-and-staff system of remuneration for teaching personnel in higher educational institutions, approved by the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR on 22/VIII-1930, stated: “Departments are established for the principal disciplines,” while the following paragraph 5 said that among the principal duties of a professor, the foremost is the direction of the work of the department. But it must be said frankly that the entire situation of the brigade-laboratory period in the life of higher technical educational institutions did not create the proper prerequisites for the development of departmental life, and in most cases the departments dragged out a rather miserable existence: they were often headed by assistants or postgraduate students; the number of departments was greater than necessary, since every discipline claimed to be a principal one; frequently there were no departmental collectives, but only 1–2 research workers in a department, so that such departments were essentially incapable of functioning. By the decree of the Central Executive Committee of 19/IX-32, the role of the head of a department was raised extraordinarily—as a single authority, personally responsible for organizing the work of his department, for the quality and timeliness of lesson preparation, for methods of instructional work, for the selection of teachers, their work, etc.

In order to raise the authority of the head of a department, it was established that he is appointed by the People’s Commissariat, upon competition in the higher educational institution, from among persons holding the title of professor; while the other teaching personnel (docents, assistants, etc.) are appointed and removed by the director of the higher educational institution upon the recommendation of the head of the corresponding department. This was supplemented by the requirement that the awarding of academic titles (assistant, docent, professor) be carried out exclusively according to actual qualifications, determined by scholarly works. Thus the necessary prerequisites were created for obtaining truly viable and authoritative departmental collectives capable of providing teaching personnel responsible for the organization of instruction, placed within the framework of proper disciplinary responsibility. At the TII a great deal of work was done to organize and strengthen departments, and in particular efforts were made to create comprehensive profiling departments, so as to form sufficiently strong departmental collectives there. The basic requirement for any proper organization is the achievement of regularity in the performance of the functions entrusted to it; therefore, at the TII it was recommended that departmental meetings be convened every five-day workweek on the first day after the day off, the evening of which is reserved for such sessions. It was recommended that departments alternate their meetings so that one day would be devoted to methodological questions, and the next to research questions. The resolutions of departmental meetings, directed by the head of the department, are entered in special books by the secretary of the meeting, elected from among the department’s assistants, and acquire binding force after being approved by the signature of the head of the department. At departmental methodological meetings one student representative is present, to maintain contact with the groups among which the department’s work is being carried out. In the calendar plan of the department’s work, drawn up for the semester, special days are provided for summoning delegates from groups to hear reports on the state of affairs in the groups. Of course, not all departments fully carry out this recommended procedure, but the best departments conduct it systematically, achieving the proper effect. In the departments, criteria for evaluating performance have been worked out, which have greatly contributed to establishing more objective assessments of academic progress and have served as a serious

a weapon in the struggle against fictitious credits. Most departments are currently working on particular methods of teaching the disciplines included in one or another department. In the departments, for each semester, calendar plans of instructional work are drawn up, coordinating the various types of class work over time, as well as tests (and written examinations), and, in order to avoid overlaps in the deadlines for the latter across different departments, the dean’s offices plan the work of each group in such a way that no more than one deadline falls within any six-day period. Thus, the basis of the institute’s regime is the calendar work plan. The main planning regulator of academic life—the timetable—is drawn up for the entire semester, on the basis of a load of 6 hours of classes daily.

In contrast to the first period described above, the present period is characterized by strict control over class attendance by students and teachers, by the fight against absenteeism, tardiness, and slackness. The following table gives an idea of the state of labor discipline at TII in the spring semester of the 1934/35 academic year.

From the table it is evident that the state of labor discipline is weakest of all at OTF, which can partly be explained by the lesser disciplinization of the newly admitted students and their lesser adaptation to the new situation. Discipline at KhTF is weak in the semester total, despite the fact that this sparsely populated faculty, as the experience of the first months of the semester showed, is easily amenable, given vigilance on the part of the dean’s office, to proper disciplinary arrangements.

Turning now to the examination sessions, it must be noted that, in accordance with the instructions of the KombVTO, no more than 4 subjects are submitted for a session, at the rate of 2 subjects per six-day period of the examination session. The list of disciplines submitted for the session in each year of study is contained in the curricula approved by the GUUZ of the NKTP. For each session, the departments carry out special and timely preparation: the main questions that will be proposed at the examinations are formulated, giving them a comprehensive character so that it will be possible to reveal more broadly the degree of the student’s preparedness; the number of these questions, the very nature of the examinations, the volume of educational documentation to be presented by the student (lecture notes, exercise notebooks, written tests, etc.), and so forth are established. It is recommended that an average of 20 minutes be spent on each student at the examination session. Examinations are conducted by a commission with the participation of two teachers, one of whom is the person who taught the given group. The examinations themselves at TII are a public act: other students may be present, and the only requirement imposed is obedience to the established discipline.

Building of the former flour-milling laboratory, now the laboratory of agricultural machinery (first building).

Laboratory of Agricultural Machinery (Second Building)

The concluding chord of a student’s academic work in a higher technical educational institution is now the diploma project and its defense before the State Qualification Commission. Before the defense, diploma projects are examined by the specializing department, whose opinion is submitted to the SQC together with the opinion of the responsible supervisor; then this project is reviewed by the SQC, which hears the report of the responsible supervisor. Having passed through these preliminary reviews, the diploma project is admitted to defense. The act of defense itself consists of a report by the diploma candidate, usually lasting 20 minutes, setting forth the main points of the project that he is defending. A characterization of the diploma candidate’s work at the higher technical educational institution and of his diploma project is heard from the responsible supervisor. This is followed by the statement of the reviewer, after which members of the SQC put questions to the diploma candidate, and the latter is given a final five-minute word for possible objections to the reviewer in defense of his project. The total duration of the project defense is on average 1 hour per diploma candidate. Submission of a report on the final specialized practical training is obligatory. The decision of the SQC is entered in the journal according to the form described above and developed as early as 1926. Sessions of the SQC are public. Possible questions to the diploma candidate from those present are submitted in written form through the chairman of the SQC.

The specializing departments endeavor to have diploma projects carried out on real assignments, without obligation; however, it is difficult to achieve real design work here if, for the topic of the project, the corresponding specialist cannot find an object of real design that is suitable in its content, even if only in part. Such are, for example, projects in hydrogeology, each of which, without a specific assignment from an economic body, solves some particular task forming part of a larger problem being developed at the given moment by the specializing department: three diploma projects in the hydrogeology of the city of Tomsk made it possible to outline the construction of a general plan for the development of the city, or diploma projects for the district of the Omsk Railway assisted the department in solving the problem of water supply for this railway. Many diploma projects in the specialty of ICE have the same character, setting themselves the task either of replacing the existing engine on the ChTZ tractor with a diesel engine, with execution of the design of the latter, or of conversion from one kind of fuel to another, with the execution of a number of structural modifications of the engine, etc. These topics are, of course, of interest to the plant and agreed upon with it. To this same category should be assigned some projects by thermal engineers, solving problems either of rationalizing the thermal part of an existing station, or providing the thermal part of a new station for the specific conditions of one or another city or plant, where, according to planned outlines, the creation of such a station is projected in the more or less remote future, or developing the district heating of some populated locality from an existing station. Certain elements of diploma projects sometimes received the approval of local economic workers and were immediately put into practice. Thus, for example, this occurred with the proposal of a diploma candidate of the mining faculty for the reconstruction of the mine yard and trestle at the Maneikha mine of the Prokopyevsk mine, which made it possible to increase the hoisting productivity of this mine. At the same Prokopyevsk mine, in one diploma project there had been planned such an organization of drift driving that, to a greater degree, guaranteed driving 150 m per month than had been the case up to that time. A diploma candidate of the same Mining Faculty advanced such a modification of a variant of mining systems that made it possible at the Koksovaya No. 1 mine of the same Prokopyevsk mine to carry out work on extraction and sta-

in the deposit in parallel. In one of the diploma projects, sufficiently clear answers were given to the assignment of the MTO of Kuzbassugol on the delimitation of the fields of work of two large mines of the Leninsk ore field: Emelyanovskaya and Kapitalnaya II, etc. All such diploma projects are not real design work in the sense in which this was understood during the period of application of the brigade-laboratory method; they are not carried out according to concrete assignments of one or another economic agency, but undoubtedly all these projects have real assignments, not abstract ones unrelated to life: all of them study our reality and create certain real values that may be used in one way or another under the conditions of practical work.

Diploma design proceeds under conditions of extremely strict deadlines: in the curriculum of the GUUZ of the NKTP, only 22 six-day periods in all are allotted for completing the diploma project and defending it. In this situation, enormous exertion is required on the part of the diploma students in order to finish the project on time; work goes on in special rooms—drawing rooms—daily until 1–2 a.m., including days off. The volume of diploma projects usually ranges from 6 to 12 sheets of drawings and 150–300 pages of explanatory note. Completion of the work on time becomes possible only with strict planning by individual stages of the project and with supervision by the adviser over observance of these deadlines. As an example of such planning, one may point to the system applied in 1935 by the DVS department. Here, after the end of work, each diploma student daily entered in a special time sheet the number of working hours actually spent by him on the project. Every six-day period the adviser recorded the working time spent by each diploma student and calculated the percentage of fulfillment of the plan. The results of each student’s work were noted on the individual card of the diploma student; the average indicators for the group were entered on a group chart, which served as an indicator of the work of the entire group.

The evaluation of the success of the defense of diploma projects is made in the same differentiated indicators as during study at the higher technical educational institution. The following table gives a picture of these evaluations and their evolution by faculties.

Examination of the table leads to the conclusion that liberalism still persists in the assessments of the GKK, since the sum of excellent and good marks for TII in the first half of 1935 was 60.2%, whereas on average for the spring semester of the 1934/35 academic year this sum for the specialized faculties fluctuated around 50% (see above). The greatest approximation to more correct assessments by the GKK was obtained at EF, where the considered

the sum of 54.6% came closer than the other faculties to the average semester grades.

Industrial practice is an integral part of students’ studies. Indeed, in order to ensure the closest possible connection between the taking of theoretical courses and industrial practice, “the curricula of the Main Administration of Higher Educational Institutions of the People’s Commissariat of Heavy Industry seek to encompass the entire educational process as a whole, including continuous industrial-production practice both in production and in workshops, as well as students’ laboratory work.” “NPP is conducted, where possible, at specific enterprises to which individual educational institutions are attached.” At TII, the principle of attachment has been implemented most fully with respect to the Mining Faculty, whose students are distributed chiefly among the mines of Kuzbassugol. On June 25–26, 1935, the Central Committee of the Union of Coal Miners of the eastern regions of the USSR convened the first All-Kuzbass student conference, which, on the basis of reports on the industrial practice of students of the mining technical schools of Kuzbass and of the Mining Faculty of TII, adopted a detailed resolution illuminating the achievements and shortcomings of NPP in the conditions of Kuzbass. It was stated that in the current year the schools had prepared for the conduct of NPP better than in the previous year. In particular, with respect to the Mining Faculty of TII this was reflected in: a) the timely conclusion of agreements for practice with enterprises; b) the holding of instruction in Tomsk before students departed for NPP, and in correspondence with them; c) the dispatch of representatives to the mines even before the students’ departure for NPP, for the purpose of preparing conditions for better provision of the conduct of NPP; d) the dispatch of its permanent representatives to the practice sites during the period of its conduct, to guide the students on the part of the dean’s office on site; e) the designation, even before departure from Tomsk, of senior students of individual groups, profession organizers, and party representatives.

Among the shortcomings of NPP it was noted, among other things: at some mines, students deviated toward gathering materials for the report (“collectors”), as a result of which control over students’ attendance at work in production weakened. This applied especially to diploma students, who in many cases thereby violated the direct instructions of the resolution of the Committee on Higher Technical Education of February 28, 1935, on pre-diploma practice, where it is stated that the program of this practice must provide, in addition to the collection of material for the diploma project and report, for tasks by which students acquire organizational and technical skills and carry out at enterprises a number of observations and experiments substantiating the experimental part of the diploma project. It was further stated that a number of students lacked due responsibility toward practice, withdrawing themselves from carrying out responsible assignments of the mines during practice and from occupying permanent jobs. Such phenomena did not occur at all mines, but rather where the mine administrations and the appointed supervisors of NPP did not pay due attention to such serious violations of labor discipline. In other cases, the same diploma students were skillfully drawn into combining the tasks of diploma design with the interests of production itself, to great benefit for the latter. An example of this may be the following Order No. 234 for the Prokopievsk Mine Administration of September 20, 1935:

“In 1935, for the first time in Prokopievsk and even in Kuzbass, a method was applied of using assistance from TII by assigning to diploma students tasks, coordinated with the mine administration, for the preparation of new horizons, with students carrying out projects directly in production; this made it possible to take fuller account of the experience of mine operation and to link design to production, which received in due time all the required projects. This made it possible to begin work on the deepening—

deepening within the planned deadlines. To carry out the necessary projects for deepening shafts No. 11, named after Rukimovich, and the Zimnikovsky adits, as well as the slope adit No. 10, a group of TII diploma students was sent to the mine, and they completed the projects for the indicated shafts. For the timely submission of preliminary designs for shaft deepening for the group’s evaluation, 3,000 rubles were issued. The head of the Mining-Technical Department, K. R. Maier, should take into account the positive aspects of this experience of assistance from TII and promptly reach agreement with the Institute on including among the topics of diploma projects the most urgent tasks for the Prokopyevsk Ore Administration.”

Among the individual speeches at the conference described, it is useful to note the speech by engineer Eremin, as a representative of Kuzbassugol, who pointed out that the work of preparing workers for state technical examinations in Kuzbass was carried out 50% by the efforts of TII students.

None of the other faculties of TII established such strong ties with production along the line of NPP as the Mining Faculty. This is explained in part also by objective causes—for example, the remoteness of the places of practice for the MMF, whose students travel to the Kolomna Plant, while the majority are assigned to plants in the Urals and the European part of the USSR. Despite such unfavorable conditions, many MMF students, while serving out their NPP, skillfully combined their tasks under the higher-technical-school programs with the interests of production, as evidenced by collective and individual reviews and evaluations from enterprises. As an example, one may cite the following review dated 27/I-33 from the Kolomna Plant concerning students of the DVS specialty: “Students Svetlov, Kirichenko, and Vaisburg were engaged in calculations of the main parts of engines under construction at the Kolomna Plant and showed themselves in the very best light: a) discipline, b) seriousness of attitude toward the work, c) ability to understand theoretical questions and their solutions, and d) sufficient preparedness for calculation work. Students Baskalaev, Karepin, Rzhevtsesky, Mitryukov, and Maksimov showed themselves on the design side, demonstrating preparation for factory design and calculations, and a serious and conscientious attitude toward the performance of the assigned work.” Nevertheless, all these places of practice for the MMF do not create the impression of being firmly secured for TII, and some of them change from year to year. The same situation also existed at the KhTF. The practice of the GRF, although it takes place within Siberian trusts, by its very nature is scattered and mobile, making it difficult to organize practice bases properly. In the 1934/35 academic year, a more solid connection began to take shape between the Energy Faculty and the Kuznetsk Metallurgical Combine, as one of the NPP bases for power engineers. For the heat-engineering specialty, it proved possible to obtain a successful combination of the tasks of the program of the first repair-and-installation practice with the interests of production at the Kuznetsk Thermal Power Plant, where part of group 632/III took an active part in the repair of a turbine generator and a steam boiler, as a result of which the work of these students was noted on 2/VII-35 by the issuance of a special evaluation from the head of the Thermal Power Plant, with the following content: “Students of the Energy Faculty of TII—Shkodo, Yavorsky, Gameleev, Ovcharenko, Tolmachev, Lekhnitsky, and others from this same group—underwent industrial practice at the Thermal Power Plant of the KMK. According to the practice program, the above-mentioned comrades were to go through installation work or repair work. In accordance with the program, the students were used at workplaces in the inspection of the 24,000 kW turbine generator and in the capital repair of boiler No. 2. It should be noted that of all TII groups that were with us for practice, this group took the most serious attitude toward the performance of its tasks and skillfully combined practice with direct assistance.

production. The comrades named above showed themselves especially well: they quickly became accustomed to the main repair workers of the TPP, showed sufficient tact toward them, and successfully performed work up to the 6th grade. On the whole, the group of students constitutes a well-disciplined, closely knit collective, keenly interested in production, which has earned a good opinion among the workers and the technical management of the TPP.”

Two graduating students of the same heat-engineering specialty brought the following review from the chief power engineer of the Magnitogorsk Combine, No. ED 1—97 of 1/XI-35:

“Students of the Tomsk Industrial Institute, comrades Shamrikov M. I. and Volodin M. V., who were undergoing pre-diploma practical training at the Magnitogorsk Central Power Station, were given a very difficult and responsible assignment: to prepare a working design for the reconstruction of the feed and deaeration system of the first stage of the Magnitogorsk Central Power Station.

The work was greatly complicated by the fact that it was necessary to take into account the existing building and the arrangement of the equipment.

Despite the great difficulties, the work was carried out with exceptional conscientiousness; moreover, good design skills and considerable initiative were shown in solving the most complex problems, since the work was performed quite independently, under our general supervision.

Shamrikov and Volodin drew up a detailed plan of work and compiled a preliminary specification for the entire scope of work, indicating the necessary number of basic, working, and installation drawings.

In all, the above-mentioned students completed 16 sheets of drawings and prepared an explanatory note with all the necessary calculations.

The design has been approved by us and sent for final approval to Glavenergo, after which its implementation will be begun.

The work has been carried out so well in structural and graphic respects that, taking into account its very great practical significance, we would consider it highly desirable to include it as the principal part of the diploma project of comrades Shamrikov and Volodin.”

In concluding the review of the period, it is necessary also to point to the organization at TII, from the beginning of the 1934/35 academic year, of the General Technical Faculty. This should raise the physico-mathematical and general engineering preparation of students to a higher level; increase the responsibility of the professorial and teaching staff of this faculty for the quality of their work, with the presence of a special dean’s office; and eliminate the considerable neglect that had previously existed in the general departments. This should concentrate more effectively the weeding-out of the unprepared in the lower years, make it easier for students to choose a specialty after two years of study at the higher technical educational institution, and provide greater flexibility in planning the training of engineers. The tables presented above on academic performance and the state of labor discipline show that the first two years of the GTF do indeed require special attention and a special approach. The past year of the GTF’s existence has clearly demonstrated the great significance of this measure, which, beginning with the current academic year, has received further development in the direction of unifying the curricula of individual specialties within the GTF.

Appendix to the survey by Prof. I. N. Butakov:
“Educational Activities at TII over the Last 10 Years.”

Types of Assignments during the Period of the Laboratory-Brigade Method

GENERAL GEOLOGY

Assignment No. 10

I. Volcanism. Volcanic products. Types of volcanoes. Elements of subterranean volcanism. Post-volcanic activity.

II. Objective—Familiarization with the principal manifestations of volcanic processes, chiefly with volcanic products, in particular with post-volcanic activity, for the subsequent conscious study of the courses in petrography and ore deposits.

III. Methodological Instructions

Introductory discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 hr.
Independent study with consultation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 hrs.
Home study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 hrs.
Acceptance of the assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ½ hr.
Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1½ hrs.
15 hrs.

IV. Materials for Study

I. I. V. Mushketov—Physical Geology, I. 1924.
II. D. I. Mushketov—A Short Course in General Geology. 1929.
III. E. Kayzer—A Short Course in General Geology. 1927.
IV. E. Og. Geology, 3rd edition.
V. M. A. Usov—A Short Course in Ore Deposits. 1931.
Tables and collections.

V. Study Plan

A. Volcanic Products

1. Methods of investigating volcanic gases (I 398).
2. Characteristic volcanic gases (I 398—400, III 198).
3. The problem of volcanic water (I 399; III 197—198; IV 311—313; V; 26/27).
4. Sequence of emission of fumaroles and hot springs (I 300—402; IV 267—270).
5. Conditions favoring the formation of loose volcanic products (I 46).
6. Types of loose volcanic products and deposits (I 402—405, 406/407, 409; II 49—51).
7. Structure of bombs and lapilli (I 403, II 47).
8. Origin of volcanic ash (I 404, II 47/48).
9. Properties of acid and basic lavas (I 422, 428—429).
10. Properties of lava flows and sheets (I 429—433, 435, 438, III 201—202).
11. Characteristic structures of effusive rocks (I 144, 146, 147, 149).
12. Jointing of effusive rocks (I 433—435).

B. Types of Volcanoes.

1. Fissure volcanoes (III 192–193).
2. Shield volcanoes (III 191/192).
3. Central volcanoes and their structure (I 444–446, III 193, 194).
4. The form and dimensions of the crater and its relation to the vent (III 197).
5. Maars and diatremes and their filling (III 195).
6. Diagnosis of denuded volcanoes (III 202–204).

C. Elements of Subterranean Volcanism.

1. Forms of bodies of intrusive rocks (I 177–188 or II 38–41).
2. Joints of separateness in intrusive rocks and their significance in restoring the form of intrusive bodies (I 159–163).
3. Assimilation by magma of the enclosing rocks.
4. Differentiation of magma, using the composition of intrusive bodies as an example (IV 293–294).
5. Features of the bulk composition of effusive and intrusive rocks.
6. The problem of the formation of intrusive bodies (IV 309).

D. Postvolcanic Activity.

1. Magmatic emanations and the time of their release (V 25–27).
2. Thermomineral springs, their classification and relation to volcanism (IV 270–273).
3. Autometasomatism and the conditions of its manifestation (III 209).
4. Contact metamorphism and the factors of its intensity (I 463–466).
5. Ore-forming processes and types of emanation ore deposits (V 3–4).
6. Facies of magmatic rocks and their relation to ore-forming processes (V 4).

1, 3, 7, 14, 17, 21, 23, 27, and 28 are not required.

VI. Review Questions.

1. Why do samples of volcanic gases usually not give a correct idea of their composition?
2. In what form do metals come out with volcanic gases?
3. Why do strong explosions occur during volcanic eruptions?
4. What is the origin of part of the water and carbon dioxide among volcanic gases?
5. What determines the predominance in fumaroles of one or another component?
6. What are solfataras and mofettes?
7. What accounts for the predominance of calcium carbonate or silica in the deposits of thermal springs?
8. Why do volcanoes of the central type yield many loose products?
9. The cause of the transformation of fissure volcanoes into rows of central volcanoes.
10. Why do lapilli and bombs usually have a porous structure?
11. What is volcanic sand usually composed of?
12. Why can volcanic ash remain suspended in the air for a long time and float on water?
13. What is the difference between tuffs and tuffites?
14. Why are volcanic tuffs usually found in an altered state?
15. In what case do acidic lavas possess fluidity?
16. Why do basic lavas form well-defined flows?

1. What are volcanic breccias and where are they formed.

2. To what part of effusive bodies is a porous or amygdaloidal texture usually confined.

3. What episodes in the life of lava are indicated by a porphyritic structure.

4. Why do ancient effusive rocks lose their glassy character and change their color.

5. What form of jointing is characteristic of the sheets of basic effusive rocks.

6. Why fissure and shield volcanoes are rarely encountered.

7. Of what, essentially, do volcanoes of the central type consist.

8. What accounts for the increase in the diameter of the crater of central volcanoes as compared with the vent.

9. Why the vents of volcanoes, in particular diatremes, have a cylindrical form.

10. What remains of volcanoes that have undergone complete denudation.

11. What is the difference between a laccolith and a stock.

12. How to distinguish a sill from a sheet.

13. How can one determine the character of the upper contact of an intrusive body.

14. What formations indicate the assimilation by magma of enclosing rocks.

15. What are the proofs of magma differentiation.

16. Why acidic magmatic rocks predominate among intrusive rocks.

17. Where acidic magmas are formed.

18. What are the methods for determining the composition of magmatic emanations.

19. Why sharp autometasomatism is manifested in dikes, veins, and stocks.

20. Above which contact of an intrusive body is the strongest contact metamorphism manifested.

21. Are there, or are there not, elements of metasomatism in contact metamorphism.

22. In what part of a magmatic body or of its contact are ore deposits preferentially formed.

23. Can ore deposits form in an effusive body, and in what part of it.

24. What form do emanational ore deposits have.

Nos. 1, 10, 14, 17, 25, 30, 32, 33, 35, 37 are not obligatory.

Professor M. Usov.

STEAM ENGINES

Assignment No. 3

Topic: Steam distribution in steam engines.

Objective

To become acquainted with the most commonly used steam-distribution organs, the methods of calculating them, and the effects of the elements of steam distribution on the periods of steam action in the cylinder.

Plan of study

Total number of hours—48, of which: introductory discussion—3 hrs.; independent work—37 hrs. (14 hrs. outside the schedule); group sessions—3 hrs.; lengthy consultations; concluding remarks—1 hr.; and acceptance of the assignment—4 hrs.

Work Plan

a) Introductory discussion: The current state of affairs in the steam distribution of steam engines. Presentation of the department’s methodology; construction of valve diagrams.

b) Independent work:

1) Plan of study: Familiarization with box-type slide valves and their calculation; the influence of the elements of slide-valve steam distribution on the periods of steam action in the cylinder, with investigation of pathological cases. Familiarization with cylindrical slide valves, Trick slide valves, as well as slide valves with a variable degree of cutoff and flat regulators. Familiarization with double slide valves and their calculation, with the general part of valve steam distributions and their calculation, including the checking of springs; analysis of one scheme of valve distribution.

Control Questions and Problems

1) Calculate the principal dimensions of a simple box-type slide valve for the low-pressure cylinder of a compound engine, calculated in the preceding topic, taking into account the oblique action of the connecting rod and using a slide-valve diagram; construct a longitudinal section of this slide valve in its middle and extreme positions relative to the cylinder ports.

Literature: Zhiritskii. Steam Engines. 4th ed. 1930, pp. 36–39, 41–43, 45, 51.

2) Trace the influence of the elements of slide-valve steam distribution on the periods of steam action in the cylinder in connection with the elimination of pathological phenomena, according to an individual assignment.

Literature: Zhiritskii, pp. 97–99.

3) Study cylindrical slide valves and Trick slide valves, as well as slide valves with a variable degree of cutoff and flat regulators, and answer the following questions:

a) What are the advantages and disadvantages of cylindrical slide valves in comparison with simple ones.

b) What is internal admission of steam, why is it arranged, and how, in this case, will the slide-valve diagram differ in comparison with the case of external admission (give the rationale for the development).

c) What are the advantages of Trick slide valves; which two cases of their application must we distinguish in practice; what will be the particular features of constructing slide-valve diagrams for them.

d) What is steam overflow in Trick slide valves and why is it provided.

e) How can the degree of cutoff be changed with simple slide valves; what are central lines; how do the periods of steam action change with a straight and a curved central line; what is the effect of flat regulators (show on a diagram).

Literature: Zhiritskii 46, 46, 52. pp. 165–175, 186–190.

4) Calculate the dimensions of a double slide valve of one system or another according to an assignment for the high-pressure cylinder of a compound engine working to the atmosphere, the dimensions of which were determined in the preceding topic. Give a longitudinal section of the slide valves in the middle position.

Literature: Zhiritskii, pp. 190–222 §§ 53–57. Polhausen. Steam Engines, § 87.

5) Carry out the calculation of a valve steam distribution of a specified type for the high-pressure cylinder of a compound engine working to a condenser, the dimensions of which were determined in the preceding topic; give the kinematic diagram of this steam-distribution mechanism, the valve-lift curve in connection with the steam-throttling curve; check the valve spring.

Literature: Zhiritskii, pp. 234–315; Polhausen, pp. 189–242.

Concluding Discussion.

Summing up the work. Demonstration of some additional constructions (slides). A brief characterization of the literature.

Methodological Instructions.

It is necessary to provide an outline of the leader’s introductory discussion. Answers to the control questions are given individually. When constructing the slide-valve diagrams, the diameter of the circle described by the crank finger is to be taken as 150 mm. The dimensions of the slide-valve sections are \(1/5\) full scale. The kinematic diagram of valve steam distribution is at \(2/5\) full scale.

In addition to a lengthy consultation for each brigade, the leader provides brief consultations for 14 hours during the period of students’ independent work.

Professor SMI I. Butakov.

Specialties of TII.

A. Geological-Exploration Faculty.

1. Engineering hydrogeology.
2. Mine surveying.
3. Exploration of deposits of metallic and nonmetallic minerals.
4. Geological surveying and prospecting.

B. Mining Faculty.

1. Mining-electromechanical specialty.
2. Mine construction.
3. Exploitation of coal and other bedded deposits.

C. Mechanical-Machine-Building Faculty.

1. Internal-combustion engines.
2. Foundry production.
3. Mechanical assembly production.
4. Metal forming.
5. Agricultural machines.
6. Welding production.

D. Chemical Faculty.

1. Technology of inorganic substances.
2. Technology of pyrogenic processes.
3. Technology of silicates.
4. Technology of food substances.

E. Power Engineering Faculty.

1. Production, conversion, and distribution of electrical energy.
2. Electrical equipment of industrial enterprises.
3. Production, distribution, and industrial use of thermal energy.

Departments of TII

A. General Technical Faculty.

1. Historical materialism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . instructor Aivazyan.
2. Socio-economic sciences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . instructor Lapteva.
3. Mathematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prof. Maleev.
4. Physics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prof. Sokolov.
5. General chemistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . acting docent Khodalevich.
6. Theoretical mechanics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prof. Ivanov.
7. Drawing and descriptive geometry . . . . . . . . . . docent Sokolov.
8. Strength of materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prof. Trapeznikov.
9. Foreign languages (cycle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . instructor Ulrikh.

B. Geological-Prospecting Faculty.

1. General geology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prof. Usov.
2. Historical geology, paleontology and caustobioliths . . . . . . prof. Korovin.
3. Mineral resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prof. Shakhov.
4. Mineralogy, crystallography and petrography . . . . . . prof. Gornostayev.
5. Hydrogeology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . acting prof. Kuchin.
6. Prospecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . acting prof. Molchanov.
7. Mine surveying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prof. Galakhov.
8. Geodesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prof. Trushov.

C. Mining Faculty.

1. Mining engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prof. Strelnikov.
2. Mine construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . docent Bakanov.
3. Mining electromechanics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . docent Betekhtin.

D. Mechanical and Machine-Building Faculty.

1. Metallography and general technology . . . . . . . . prof. Dobrovidov.
2. Metal forming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . engineer Tyzhnov.
3. Welding production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . acting docent Balakin.
4. Mechanical assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . docent Rosenberg.
5. Agricultural machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . acting prof. Verkhovsky.
6. Machine parts and applied mechanics . . . . . . . . acting docent Shubin.
7. Internal-combustion engines . . . . . . . . . . . . acting docent Golashevsky.
8. Foundry work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . docent Belyshev.

E. Chemical Faculty.

1. Analytical chemistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prof. Kalishev.
2. Organic chemistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prof. Tronov.
3. Physical chemistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prof. Kotyukov.
4. Chemical apparatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . docent Stabnikov.
5. Technology of inorganic substances . . . . . . . . engineer Bursdorf.
6. Technology of silicates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prof. Ponomarev.
7. Pyrogenic processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . prof. Gebler.
8. Technology of food substances . . . . . . . . . . assistant Nazimov.

E. Power Engineering Faculty.

1. Heat-power installations . . . . . . . . . Prof. Butakov.
2. Thermodynamics and general heat engineering . . Acting Prof. Fuks.
3. Theoretical and general electrical engineering . . Acting Assoc. Prof. Voronov.
4. Electrical equipment of central power stations and transmission lines . . Acting Assoc. Prof. Shcherbakov.
5. Electrical equipment of enterprises . . . . Acting Assoc. Prof. Voloshin.

Educational-Auxiliary Institutions of TII.

LABORATORIES.

A. General Technical Faculty.

Head of laboratories.

1. Physics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Associate Professor Chesnokov.
2. General chemistry . . . . . . . . . . . Associate Professor Molodykh.
3. Strength of materials . . . . . . . . . Prof. Trapeznikov.

B. Geological-Prospecting Faculty.

1. Mineralogy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Postgraduate student Zheromsky.
2. Hydrogeology . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acting Prof. Kuchin.
3. Mine surveying . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Kiselev.
4. Petrography . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Kuryshev.
5. Geodesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prof. Trushov.

C. Mining Faculty.

1. Mining electrical engineering . . . . . . Assistant Shmargunov.
2. Hydraulics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acting Assoc. Prof. Balakin.
3. Ore-dressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acting Assoc. Prof. Nogin.

D. Mechanical-Machine-Building Faculty.

1. Internal-combustion engines . . . . . . Acting Assoc. Prof. Golashevsky.
2. Welding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acting Assoc. Prof. Balakin.
3. Metallography . . . . . . . . . . . . Prof. Dobrovidov.
4. Metal cutting . . . . . . . . . . . . Associate Professor Rozenberg.
5. Agricultural machinery . . . . . . . . Acting Prof. Verkhovsky.

E. Chemical Faculty.

1. Qualitative analysis . . . . . . . . . Assistant Saratovkin.
2. Quantitative analysis . . . . . . . . . Assistant Anufrienok.
3. Organic chemistry . . . . . . . . . . Associate Professor Dyakonova-Shults.
4. Physical chemistry . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Polonskaya.
5. Silicate technology . . . . . . . . . Associate Professor Logvinenko.
6. Basic chemical industry (inorganic substances) . . Postgraduate student Tirkunov.
7. Pyrogenic processes . . . . . . . . . Assistant Shults.
8. Technology of food substances . . . . . Assistant Nazimov.

E. Faculty of Power Engineering.

1. High-Voltage Engineering . . . . . . . . . . Acting Assoc. Prof. Shcherbakov.
2. Electrical Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . Acting Assoc. Prof. Voronov.
3. Steam Boilers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acting Prof. Fuks.
4. Steam Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prof. Butakov.
5. Relays and Protection . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Balashov.
6. Electrical Equipment of Industrial Enterprises . . Assistant Filippov.

CABINETS OF TII.

A. General-Technical Faculty:

Heads of cabinets.

1. Descriptive Geometry . . . . . . . . . . Associate Professor Sokolov.
2. Mathematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Ermakova.
3. Theoretical Mechanics . . . . . . . . . Assistant Solonitsyn.
4. Foreign Languages . . . . . . . . . . . Instructor Ulrikh.
5. Social-Economic Sciences . . . . . . . . Student Vasiliev.

B. Geological-Prospecting Faculty:

1. General Geology . . . . . . . . . . . . Prof. Usov.
2. Ore Deposits . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prof. Shakhov.
3. Non-Ore Deposits . . . . . . . . . . . Associate Professor Kuznetsov.
4. Historical Geology . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Aksarin.
5. Paleontology . . . . . . . . . . . . . Associate Professor Khalfin.
6. Caustobioliths . . . . . . . . . . . . Associate Professor Ammosov.
7. Drilling and Prospecting . . . . . . . Assistant Chulkov.
8. Geophysics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Katyaev.

C. Mining Faculty:

1. Coal-Mining Mechanization . . . . . . . Associate Professor Zavyalov.
2. Mine Construction . . . . . . . . . . . Postgraduate Martynenko.
3. Mining Engineering . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Kuzmin.
4. Safety Engineering . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Shilnikov.

D. Mechanical-Machine-Building Faculty:

1. Foundry Practice . . . . . . . . . . . Associate Professor Belyshev.
2. Plant Organization . . . . . . . . . . Postgraduate Chushkin.
3. Metal Forming . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Dunaev.
4. Applied Mechanics . . . . . . . . . . Acting Assoc. Prof. Shubin.
5. Technology of Metals . . . . . . . . Assistant Karasov.
6. Training Workshops . . . . . . . . . Assistant Pivovarov.

E. Chemical-Technological Faculty:

1. Photo Cabinet . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Shults.

Teaching Staff as of November 1, 1935

Grand total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

Number of students

a) In the former STI in 1930, before its disaggregation:

1) Mechanical Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 724
2) Construction Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496
3) Mining Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464
4) Chemical Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1986

b) In TII at the beginning of the autumn semester of the 1935/36 academic year:

1) General Technical Faculty . . . . . . . . . . 983 (GTF)
2) Geological Prospecting Faculty . . . . . . . 284 (GPF)
3) Mining Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543 (MF)
4) Mechanical-Machine-Building Faculty . . . . 515 (MMF)
5) Chemical-Technological Faculty . . . . . . . 344 (CTF)
6) Energy Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 (EF)

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2971

Graduation of engineers by specialties from 1925 to 1935

1. The following branch higher educational institutions, which had separated from STI in 1930, were united in TII: the Geological-Prospecting and Coal Institutes, which merged in 1933 into the Mining Institute; the Mechanical-Machine-Building Institute, which in 1933 incorporated the Institute of Agricultural Machine Building from Novosibirsk; and the Chemical-Technological Institute. ↩