The rapid computerization in all spheres of life and manufacturing in the 80s of the last century required a significant increase in a number of complex software development graduates. At that time the demand for software grew in various sectors of economy, in science, in management, but there was a lack of specialists. Therefore in 1988 the new major Software Engineering was added to the list of existing ones. According to the survey there was a need to train at least two hundred complex software developers annually for the organizations of Lviv region at that time. Software industry has proved itself as powerful not only in science, but also in manufacturing and has its own characteristics which differ from Computer Engineering, Applied Mathematics from which it originated and other developed areas at that time. To meet the need of the region in training highly qualified developers of modern software in August 1990 prof. Roman Bazylevych initiated the establishment of the Software Department. The urgent necessity and lack of professionals led to engineers training in this new promising field.
The Department’s formation was not an easy process. The Department was organized on the basis of the faculty of Applied Mathematics and was originally located in the building #3. Lecturer’s recruitment for the academic process turned out to be the hardest problem. The requirements were too high: the experience in complex software development, strong background the field of discrete mathematics and optimization methods. The experienced gained by prof. R. Basylevych from 1970 to 1990 came in use when organizing the team, which developed software for CAD on demand of leading companies in Lviv, Moscow, Leningrad and Minsk. The creation of the Mathematical and Program Support for CAD systems major within Applied Mathematics in 1984 was also a useful experience. A number of new subjects including Software Development was introduced and later used for the new major.
Prof. R. Bazylevych, Prof. R. Melnyk, Ass.Prof. V. Semotyuk, Ass.Prof. Ye. Fedorchuk, Ass.Prof. V. Zayats, Ass.Prof. O. Fedoryshyn, Senior Lecturer V. Rytsar, Ass.Prof. M. Palenychka were the core faculty and their role was particularly important and fruitful in providing students with ground mathematical training and in the Department’s management. The first years of the Department formation were very difficult: the lack of computers, laboratories, difficulties in involving new lecturers into academic process, lack of textbooks and technical literature for courses and methodological background.
The Department graduates laid the foundation of a number of new software developing companies in the region on demand of national and private organizations. During the first five years the Department began training engineers, masters and Ph.D. students and met all the standards of the highest IV level of accreditation. It contributed to the establishment of complex software development industry in the region. The number of entrants remains one of the largest in the university and in the Institute of Computer Science and Information Technologies, which confirms the necessity in Software Engineering major.
In 1992 the Department joined the faculty of Computer Science and Information Technologies. In 2001 during the reorganization of Lviv Polytechnic National University the Institute of Computer Science and Information Technologies was formed and included the Software Department.
The first head of the Department was its inspirer and founder Sc.D., Prof. Roman Bazylevych, who headed the Department from 1990 to 1991.
From 2001 to 2004 the Department was headed by Sc.D., Prof Volodymyr Hrytsyk, a corresponding member of National Academy of Sciences in Ukraine.
The new impact in the Department development was electing Sc.D., Prof Dmytro Fedasiuk as the head of the Department in 2004 who held the position of director of the Institute of Computer Science and Information Technologies from 2004 to 2008 and since 2008 as a Vice-Rector of Lviv Polytechnic National University.
Heads of the Software Department:
- Roman Basylevych
Sc.D., Prof Professor of Software Department
The founder and the first head of the Department Roman Bazylevych, Professor, Ph.D, Academician of the Academy of Engineering Sciences of Ukraine, a member of the American Computer Association (ACA), fellow Institute of Electrical Engineers of Great Britain.
Roman Bazylevych graduated from the Radio Engineering Department at Lviv Polytechnic Institute in 1958. While being a Ph.D. student he worked at Physicomechanical Institute of the Academy of Sciences, where he prepared his thesis. Since 1967 he has been working at the Lviv Polytechnic National University. In 1983 in Leningrad Electro-Technical Institute he defended his Sc.D. thesis on CAD of electric devices. In 1990 he initiated the formation of the first in Western Ukraine Software Department, which he had headed till 2001. During the first five years of his supervision the Department was certified for IV level of accreditation, provided successful training of bachelors, masters and Ph.D. students. From 1995 to 1996 he performed research at UC San Diego. From 2000 to 2001 he conducted research at Harvard University as a prizewinner of The Fullbright Scholar Program sponsored by the US government.
Roman Bazylevych initiated widespread development of scientific research in the field of CS in Lviv Polytechnic. In the early 70s he created the first in our University research group on CAD, where many highly qualified professional developers of complex software systems were trained. He created his own scientific school in the field of CAD and Mathematical Modeling. He initiated and headed the Informatics and Cybernetics Commission at Shevchenko Scientific Society since its revival, led five academic conferences on localization of Computers in Ukraine that favored the national and cultural renaissance of Ukraine.
In 1979 he organized the first and several subsequent conferences on CAD and the first regional conference on modern problems in CS in February 2000. He initiated and headed Lviv Center of the Institute of Electrical Engineers (Great Britain) in 1996 and the subsidiary of the American Computer Association (ACA) in 1999.
In 1995 he initiated and headed the Specialized Academic Board for the defense of theses on Mathematical Modeling and Mathematical and Program Support of Computer Engineering. Under his supervision sixty academic research projects were carried out, including those on demand of Science and Technology Committee, Ministries of Education and Defense of Ukraine.
In 2003 he became the INTEL scientific competition prizewinner. Since 2005 he has supervised the French-Ukrainian research program Dnipro.
He presented his scientific reports in many leading universities of the world including USA, France, India, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Armenia, Georgia, and Uzbekistan. He is a member of a number of organizational and program committees of both Ukrainian and international conferences. He is in the Editorial Boards of Upravlyayushchie Sistemy i Mashyny magazine (Control Systems and Machines) of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, chair of the Editorial Board of Modern Issues in CS scientific digest, managing editor of several scientific publications. He is a European Commission expert for problems of informatics.
- Volodymyr Hrytsyk
Sc. D., Professor, Corresponding member of NAS of Ukraine
Volodymyr Hrytsyk, Sc.D., Professor, corresponding member of NAS of Ukraine, Honored Scientist of Ukraine. Awarded with the Order of the Red Banner, the Medal of Labor Valor, Korolyov Medal, Tsiolkovsky Medal, Keldysh Medal, Haharin Medal, Lebedyev NAS Award. He has been the head of the Department from 2001 to 2004. Volodymyr Hrytsyk graduated from Lviv State University in 1962 and began his career in Physical-Mechanical Institute of the NAS of Ukraine (Lviv). Since 1996 he has been the director of the State Research Institute of Information Infrastructure of the NAS of Ukraine and State Department of Communications and Informatization of Ukraine while being a professor at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv and Lviv Polytechnic National University.
V. Hrytsyk is a prominent scholar in field of CS. His scientific activity is related to research and development of highly efficient systems for the selection and automated data processing aimed at analyzing, assessment, control, classification and prediction of transient processes, complex systems and environment based on high-performance problem-oriented and specialized structures with deep level of algorithms parallelization. Volodymyr Hrytsyk supervised the State Scientific and Technical Programs 6.02.02 Advanced Information Systems Technologies of the State Committee on Science and Technology within the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which united more than 40 scientific and technical projects. Scientific Technical Projects in research and development of innovative Information Computing Systems were performed on the international competitive basis and supervised by V. Hrytsyk (funded by the US government in 1998, 2000 Governments of Canada and EU, 2003).
V. Hrytsyk leaded the development of specialized and problem oriented super parallel data processing systems in real time, which are embedded in space research, and were used on the orbital station Mir, at startup, flight and landing of the space system Buran.
V. Hrytsyk supervised the creational process of Information and Analytical center Peace-Shield-98 for military training of NATO member states, which took place in Lviv polygon (Yavoriv district of Lviv Region) as well as information center organizing which supported the Summit in 1999 at the Sixth Meeting of Central and Eastern Europe Presidents. He headed the preparation for the visit of Pope John Paul II in Lviv in 2001.
His scientific and practical results were published in Ukraine and abroad in more than 270 research papers and 11 monographs.
V.Hrytsyk, Corresponding member of NAS of Ukraine, is a head of Section of Informatics and a member of State Bureau of Western Scientific Center of NAS of Ukraine. He is a member of the program committees of Ukrainian and international academic conferences and an editor of scientific and technical magazine Informaciyni Technologiyi i Systemy (Information Technologies and Systems), a member of Editorial Boards of many Ukrainian and international academic and technical magazines, a head of Specialized Scientific Board for Ph.D. and Sc.D. theses defense in CS.
He led the training of more than 30 Ph.D. and 7 Sc.D. theses in CS.
From 2001 to 2004 the material and technical background was updated, the Department’s computer network was created, teaching and methodological background was developed and expanded at the Department.
- Dmytro Fedasyuk
Sc.D., Professor, Head of the Software Department, Vice-Rector for Educational and Pedagogical Work
Dmytro Fedasyuk, Sc.D., Professor, Vice-Rector at Lviv Polytechnic, member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society, the head of the Software Department since 2001.
Dmytro Fedasyuk graduated from Radio-technical school of Lviv Polytechnic Institute in 1977. He started his career as a design engineer in the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Metrology and Control Systems (RPA “System” Lviv), developing design and technology projects of complex engineering systems. After finishing his referral job he returned to Lviv Polytechnic Institute at the invitation of Radio Engineering faculty in 1980. He was a Ph. D. student while working in a research laboratory at Department of Radio Equipment Design and Technology. D. Fedasyuk defended his Ph.D. thesis on CAD at Leningrad Institute of Fine Mechanics and Optics in 1985. Since 1985 he has worked as a lecturer in Lviv Polytechnic. He defended his Sc.D. thesis on Automation of the Design Work in Lviv Polytechnic in 2000. His research interests include thermal design of microelectronic and electronic equipment, CAD, decision-making computer information technologies.
With first signs of democracy and national revival movement he headed the Center of Ukrainian Education Society of Radio Engineering. Since creation of Shevchenko Scientific Society in 1989 he has been its member and from 1990 to 2005 he has been the Secretary of the Informatics and Cybernetics Commission at the physics and mathematics section. Since 2004 he has been a member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society Presidium and in 2006 he was elected as a member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society. He was awarded the diploma of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
From 2002 to 2005 he was a Secretary of the Lviv Polytechnic Academic Board and since 2005 Deputy-Chair of the Specialized Board for Sc.D. and Ph.D. theses defense. Dmytro Fedasyuk supervised a number of Sc.Ds and published two monographs and a textbook. His scientific achievements include over 125 research papers which were published in both national and leading magazines of the world, performance at international academic conferences in Germany, France, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Estonia, Russia, Armenia and others.
He is a member of the Editorial Board of several research papers collected volumes, an Organizing Committee Chair of the International CS and IT Conference.
From 2004 to 2008 he was the director of the Institute of Computer Science and Information Technology at Lviv Polytechnic . Since 2008 he has been a Vice-Rector at Lviv Polytechnic National University.
Under the guidance of Prof. Fedasyuk the Department conducts updating of the curriculum, introduction of new courses, organizational and methodological activities. The Department received Microsoft licensed software, created and certified a new major in Software Engineering. During the last three years the material and methodological background for the academic process has been significantly improved. The faculty performance was considerably increased. The relation with the industry and leading IT companies in Ukraine and Poland are being expanded.
In 2007 Fedasyuk initiated the opening Software Engineering major for Bachelor students at the Software Department.