Minko Nina Ivanovna is 90 years old!

The Russian Association "StekloSouz" congratulates Nina Ivanovna Minko (BSTU named after V.G.Shukhov) on her anniversary!

Honored Worker of Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Honorary Worker of the Glass Industry, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Glass and Ceramics Technology of the Belgorod State Technological University named after V. G. Shukhov (BSTU named after V. G. Shukhov) Nina Ivanovna Minko turns 90 years old on October 11, 2024, and celebrates 67 years of teaching, production, scientific and social activity.

In 1957, N.I. Minko graduated from the Kiev State University with a degree in Physical Chemistry.

From 1957 to 1977, she worked at the Konstantinovsky Avtosteklo Plant and at the Research Institute Avtosteklo as an engineer in the central physical laboratory, deputy head of the structural analysis laboratory, head of the physicochemical laboratory of thermally polished glass, and the department of physicochemical research methods and production control. At the same time, she worked part-time for 11 years training glass technologists at the Ukrainian Correspondence Polytechnic Institute (UZPI), teaching the disciplines Physical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry of Silicates, Crystallography and Mineralogy, Chemical Technology of Glass and Sitalls in the evening and correspondence departments, conducted diploma design, and participated in the work of the State Examination Commission.

She completed her postgraduate studies in the specialty "Silicate Technology" at UZPI, and in 1968 defended her dissertation at the Minsk Polytechnic Institute on the topic "Study of the Phenomena of Immiscibility and Crystallization in the Process of Production of Transparent Quartz Glass" and was awarded the academic degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences.

While working at the Avtosteklo plant and the Avtosteklo Research Institute, she took direct part in the development, pilot-industrial development and industrial implementation of the technologies of technical glass-ceramics and slag glass-ceramics, the domestic method of thermally polished glass, the technology of opaque and optical quartz glass, contrast glass for the first color picture tubes, lighting glass, etc. For her great merits, N.I. Minko was included in the Book of Honor of the Avtosteklo plant.

At the V.G. Shukhova has been working since 1977. Since 1978 – Head of the Glass Section, Associate Professor; 1979–1984 – Vice-Rector for Research; from 1983 to the present – Head of the created Department of Glass and Glass-Crystal Materials Technology; since 1988 – Professor.

In 1994, at the D.I. Mendeleyev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, she defended her doctoral dissertation on the topic of “New Glasses, Glass-Crystal Materials and Technologies Using Raw Materials Containing Elements with Several Stable Oxidation Degrees”. N.I. Minko has made a significant contribution to the development and improvement of the educational process in specialty 240304. She teaches the disciplines "History of Glass Technology Development", "Chemical Technology of Glass and Glass-Crystal Materials", "Industrial Pedagogy", supervises research projects, diploma projects, supervises masters, postgraduate and doctoral students.

Production, scientific and pedagogical experience allowed N.I. Minko to create a material, methodological, scientific and experimental-industrial base for training glass engineers and technologists. The department has organized and operates an educational and scientific production laboratory of artistic glass, which manufactures various decorative and souvenir products, including the "Crystal Pelican" - the prize of the All-Russian competition Teacher of the Year.

Under the leadership of N.I. Minko, the department's staff has trained over 1,000 engineers, many of whom are managers and chief specialists in the glass industry of Russia and the CIS countries, and also work in foreign countries. She has supervised 8 candidates of technical sciences, two doctors of technical sciences, and has repeatedly acted as an opponent of doctoral and candidate dissertations in the leading Councils of Russia.

N.I. Minko has lectured for teachers, researchers and students in China, completed a scientific internship at the Friedrich-Alexander-University (Nuremberg-Erlangen, Germany), and visited international glass exhibitions in Dusseldorf, Milan and Paris. The department offers advanced training courses for glass industry workers. N.I. Minko has repeatedly held master classes at glass factories – today one of the most effective forms of training, uniquely combining the theoretical part with the individual work of the master with continuous contact between “teacher and student”.

During her work at BSTU, under her leadership, a series of glasses and glass-crystalline materials were developed using secondary products of various industries, products and incidental rocks of the iron ore basin of the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly and substandard raw materials as the main and auxiliary raw materials. Most of the materials are protected by copyright certificates and patents, and have undergone pilot tests with the release of pilot batches and their use. The developed materials were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals at the Exhibition of Economic Achievements in 1983-1987.

Based on the fiery liquid slags of silicomanganese, together with the Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant, an industrial resource- and energy-saving technology for glass-crystalline materials for technical and construction purposes, including decorative ones, was developed.

N.I. Minko is known as a leading scientist in the field of theory and technology of refractory non-metallic and silicate materials. Her fundamental works on the physical chemistry and technology of glass and glass-crystalline materials have been widely disseminated in Russia, the CIS and abroad. The list of works consists of more than 300 works, including monographs, textbooks and teaching aids, author's certificates and patents.

The most significant works are:

✔ "Optical Properties of Glass", a textbook co-authored with A.V. Gubarev and M.I. Ostrovny; 1985;

✔ "Features of the Glassy State and the Structure of Oxide Glasses", a textbook co-authored with O.V. Mazurin, 1987;

✔ "Glass Technology" by Schaeffer N., textbook, translation from German and general edition, 1998;

✔ Management of Safety and Quality Systems in Construction", a textbook co-authored with S.K. Sergeev, V.I. Telichenko, A.M. Stepanov et al., 2000;

✔ "Selected Works of N.I. Minko", 2004;

✔ "Methods of Obtaining and Properties of Nano-Objects", a textbook co-authored with V.V. Strokova, I.V. Zhernovsky, V.M. Nartsev, 2007;

✔ "Foam Glass. Scientific Foundations and Technology", a monograph co-authored with O.V. Puchka, V.S. Bessmertny, S.V. Semenenko, V.B. Krakht, R.G. Melkonyan; 2008;

✔ "Sol-gel technology of glass materials and coatings", a teaching aid co-authored with A.B. Atkarskaya and V.M. Nartsev;

✔ "History of development and fundamentals of glass technology", a teaching aid co-authored with V.M. Nartsev and R.G. Melkonyan, 2009.

For her great achievements in labor, scientific, pedagogical and social activities, N.I. Minko was awarded the medals "For Valiant Labor", "Veteran of Labor", gold, silver and bronze medals of the USSR Exhibition of Economic Achievements, has the titles of Honored Worker of Higher Professional Education of the Russian Federation, Honored Worker of the Glass Industry, Honored Worker of the Higher School of the Russian Federation, a laureate diploma, medal and certificate of the "Engineer of 2004" competition, a laureate diploma and medal of the "A.N. Kosygina”, honorary diplomas of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation and the International Exhibitions “Glass and Modern Technologies”.

Today N.I. Minko works with her inherent determination, devotes a lot of time to working with graduate and doctoral students, and is full of creative plans

We sincerely wish you good health, self-confidence, well-being, kindness, joy, love, happiness and good mood.

May every day be filled with warmth and success in all endeavors!

Sincerely,

Press Center "StekloSouz"