Publishing House SB RAS:

Publishing House SB RAS:

Address of the Publishing House SB RAS:
Morskoy pr. 2, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia



Advanced Search

Humanitarian sciences in Siberia

2014 year, number

THE ROLE OF ACADEMICIAN VALENTIN A. KOPTYUG IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND PRESERVATION OF THE SCIENTIFIC POTENTIAL OF RUSSIA AND SIBERIA IN THE 1980S1990S

N.A. Kupershtokh
Institute of History of the SB RAS, Russia, 630090, Novosibirsk, Akad. Nikolaev str., 8
Keywords: Academician V.A. Koptyug, N.N. Vorozhtsov Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry, the Siberian Branch of the USSR / Russian Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Sciences of the USSR / Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract

The paper deals with the activity of Academician Valentin Afanasievich Koptyug (1931-1997) as a scientist in the fi eld of physical, synthetic and applied organic chemistry and also as an organizer of science in general. The author shows his role in organization of fundamental research of organic chemistry and training of scientific cadres and also in creation of new scientific institutions in the Siberian region during the 1980-1990s, his activity connected with maintaining the academic potential of Russia and Siberia in the post-Soviet period. Koptyug, Belarusian by nationality, disciple and follower of academician N.N. Vorozhtsov, realized his creative plans in the Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry. He defended his D. Sc. thesis and made significant contribution to fundamental research of physical, synthetic and applied organic chemistry. He was the founder of the scientific schools in the fi eld of organic chemistry and chemical informatics. For his scientific merits and contribution in the development of science he was elected acting member of the USSR Academy of Sciences (later - Russian Academy of Sciences) and awarded with many prestigious awards. Being the head of the Institute of Organic Chemistry in 1987-1997, the Academician Koptyug determined the Institute’s general strategy, based on the global trends in the development of science. In this period the Institute started to apply new physical methods, mathematical modeling and data bases in chemical research practice and to carry out experiments with advanced equipment. At the same time the Institute became an active participant in international projects in the field of organic chemistry. As Chairman of the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences in 1980-1997, the academician V.A. Koptyug contributed to establishment of affiliates located in Tomsk, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Ulan-Ude and Yakutsk as scientifi c centers of the Siberian Branch. Owing to his initiative separate academic institutes in Kemerovo, Omsk and Tyumen were re-organized into research centers of Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In this years institutions with functions of research centers in Barnaul, Chita and Kyzyl were established. In the post-Soviet period the academician V.A. Koptyug developed a system of measures for saving the academic potential of Russia and Siberia, which remains relevant today.