Today, on December 10, BNTU celebrates its 104th anniversary. In honor of this event, we have prepared an exciting journey through the key stages of its history, focusing on the events related to number 4.

1924

At different times, BNTU had completely different names. Thus, until 1924 it was the Belarusian State Institute of Agriculture, which was transformed into the Belarusian Institute of Agriculture and Forestry named after the October Revolution. During this period, university's teachers and students actively addressed the issues of training engineering and technical personnel with higher education in order to increase the pace of industrialization of the country.

1934

In 1934, the Belarusian Polytechnic Institute (BPI) held its first ceremonial graduation of 120 engineers. The young specialists, who soon made a significant contribution to the development of the Belarusian economy, were welcomed by representatives of the governing bodies of the BSSR. The first graduation of highly qualified engineers became a symbol of the rapid growth and development of Belarusian engineering education.

For reference: in the 1920s and 30s, the college itself and the republic as a whole considered the college to be an institute. That is why both terms are found in various documents, that is, the formal name was not given much importance. Later, only the term "institute" was used.

1944

During the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders on November 19, 1944, the USSR government decided to resume the activities of the Belarusian Polytechnic Institute (it was stopped for obvious reasons). After the difficult years of the war, the students and teachers of the BPI carried out tremendous work to restore the technical university and develop curricula for quality education.

1954

The year 1954 became famous for the achievements of BPI scientists. This year, nine scientists were awarded the honorary title of "Honored Scientist and Technician of the BSSR", three scientists were awarded the honorary diploma of the Supreme Council of the BSSR, 47 representatives of the institute were awarded the diploma of the Supreme Council of the BSSR. This large-scale recognition was a vivid confirmation of the high level of development of the Polytechnic's scientific activities.

1964

The year 1964, rich in achievements, was remembered for the formation of the Faculty of Engineering and Pedagogy at BPI. In addition, this year the Radio Engineering faculty of BPI was transformed into  Minsk Radio Engineering Institute (now the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics).

1974

In 1974, activists of the BPI student construction teams were awarded the Badge of Honor and the Medal for Labor Distinction. The fourth year of the 1970s also marked the date of the establishment of two educational, scientific and industrial associations of BPI: with  Minsk Automobile Plant and Minsk Tractor Plant.

1984

In February 1984, the BPI team was recognized as the winner of the All-Union Socialist Competition for the fulfillment of the plans of the 11th Five-Year Plan and was awarded the Challenge Red Banner and the first monetary prize of the USSR Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education. This victory confirmed the leading position of the institute among the universities of the Soviet Union and became a historic event for the Polytechnic.

1994

This year was a period of development of the infrastructure and student life of the Belarusian State Polytechnic Academy (BSPA). Thus, on the basis of the preparatory department, the Faculty of pre-university training and the Coordinating Council for Youth Affairs and educational work headed by the rector were established. To preserve the cultural heritage, a Center for Ethnography, Folklore and Crafts was organized.

A significant event that ended 1994 was the visit of the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. This event emphasized the importance of the achievements of BSPA and provided an incentive for further improvement of the quality of engineering education.

2004

In 2004, BNTU expanded its educational activities by opening a branch in Soligorsk to train mining specialists for the extraction of potash fertilizers. At the same time, Baranovichi State University was opened on the basis of the branch in Baranovichi.

2014

During the period of cooperation between Belarus and China, BNTU established the world's first Confucius Institute for Science and Technology, which to this day represents a unique platform for learning Chinese language and culture in our country.

In addition, in 2014, the Forum of the Union State of Engineering and Technology Universities was held for the third time, during which the Nobel Prize winner in Physics, Zhores Alferov, gave a speech.

2024

In 2024, BNTU continues to strengthen its position as one of the leading centers of education and science in Belarus.Thus, the opening of the Center for Technical Hydromechanics and Hydraulic Machines at the Department of Hydrotechnical and energy construction, water transport and hydraulics of the Faculty of Energy Construction was added to the collection of scientific achievements of the year. The center has unique equipment for scientific research and development.

The Scientific and Technological Park of BNTU Polytechnic also demonstrated excellent work by completing the annual state order for knee arthroplasty.

Moreover, representatives of the BNTU rose to the world pedestals of sports competitions. Evgeny Tikhontsov, a weightlifter and graduate of the Faculty of Sports Engineering, confirmed his high-quality sports training at the Polytechnic by becoming a bronze medalist at the Olympic Games in Paris. The athlete continued the rich traditions of the Russian school of weightlifting.

A biathlete, a silver medalist of the Olympic Games in Beijing 2022, a silver and bronze medalist of the World Cup stages, a bronze medalist of the junior World and European championships, a student of BNTU Anton Smolsky this year reconfirmed his skills by becoming the winner in the overall standings of the Commonwealth Biathlon Cup of the 2023/24 season.

In the world championship in rapid chess, the champion in rapid chess was BNTU student Maksim Tsaruk, while the champion in rapid and blitz chess was BNTU student Alexandra Tarasenko.

This year, the university staff also distinguished themselves with great achievements. Natalia Penyaz, Head of the Department of Cultural Affairs at BNTU, was awarded a grant from the President of the Republic of Belarus in the field of youth policy for the development of the interuniversity student film competition “VideoRаdius BNTU”. Andrei Ponasenko, Advisor to the Rector of BNTU (now director of the Belarusian–Uzbek Interdisciplinary Institute of Applied Technical Qualifications), in turn, successfully defended his thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in technical Sciences at Tashkent Institute of Chemical Technology. This was the first defense of Belarusian scientists in Uzbekistan.

Every year brings BNTU new ideas and achievements that leave their mark on the unique history of the university and the country as a whole. We congratulate our alma mater on its birthday and wish it new heights and prosperity!

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