Журнал Viche 2013 №5

№5, 2013

The founder of the national academic science

Among the prominent scientists-naturalists, who are closely related to Ukraine, the important place belongs to academician Volodymyr Ivanovych Vernadskiy who made a significant contribution to the development of such sciences as geology, geochemistry and biogeochemistry and geochemistry, radiogeology, mineralogy, crystallography. Besides, he studied the cosmic substance, the structure of the Earth, and many other scientific fields, created the theory of living substance, biosphere, noosphere.
At the same time V.I.Vernadskiy was an excellent organizer of the science and education - created by him universities, institutes, laboratories, committees, commissions worked both for the scientific purpose and for the needs of the economy, agriculture, national defense. He did a lot.
For the development of the science and the higher education in Ukraine V.I. Vernadskiy founded Ukrainian academy of sciences, the National library of the Ukrainian State, a number of universities and institutes, scientific organizations and societies. Besides, all this happened in a very short historical period, packed with fateful events - 1918-1920 years when, despite the difficult economic and political circumstances, he managed to mobilize the all creative forces of Ukrainian society to build cultural foundations of the national state, the formation of its future.

In 1921 V.Vernadskiy wrote in a letter to M.Vasylenko: “You know how much I love Ukraine and how deep the Ukrainian revival penetrates to all my national and personal view of the world, and, I think, I’m so lucky to take part in it. I believe not only in its future, but, in particular, in the future of  Kyiv Academy of sciences and the National library”. By the way, Vasylenko was in communication with Vernadskiy for the whole life, informing about events in Ukraine.

During the period of the “red terror” in Kiev, when scientists and statesmen of Ukrainian governments were shot without trial, he personally appealed to the authorities to release them, proving this by the exceptional scientific value of these people for the country. He managed to save S.Yefremov, P. Stebnytskiy, E. Kivlytskiy, Y.Korshun and many others. Many of them worked then at the academy and the National library.

Volodymyr Ivanovych did not finish with Ukraine even after he had left the presidency of the UAS. He appreciated the scientific communication and maintained the constant friendly correspondence with Ukrainian academics –historian D.Bagaliy and  orientalist A.Krymskiy; known botanist and microbiologist, academician M.Kholodnyi; botanist, florist and science historian, organizer of botanical gardens, academician and president of the UAS (1922-1928) V. Lypskiy; geologist, lagislator, academician F.Taranovskiy; economist and academician L.Yasnopolskiy. The scientist delt with the matters of his numerous students, continuing the active correspondence with them.

Such fact of V.Vernadskiy’ activity, as correspondence with colleagues, associates and students, unveils his high moral criteria and cultural qualities of a man and ascientist, profound culture, tireless work on mastering the whole experience of a human thought, openness and desire to help colleagues, sorrow for the fate of people who were under the pressure of the soviet ideological machine, the ability to strengthen the human spirit and to find the words of support.

Anatoliy ZAGORODNIY, Oleksiy ONYSHCHENKO, Lubov DUBROVINA