Ivan Vsevolodovich Meshcherskiy
It is no coincidence that at the opening of the St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute, on October the 3rd, 1902, the first lecture to students of the technical faculties (metallurgic, electromechanical and shipbuilding) was read by Professor Ivan Vsevolodovich Meshcherskiy (1858-1935). He had been a chairman of Theoretical Mechanics Department since the day of its establishment in 1902 up to 1930 and played a significant role in theoretical mechanics teaching not only in Russia, but all over the world. Being one of the scientists who brought teaching mechanics in high technical schools closer to the needs of the engineering practice he, with all the Department staff, published «Theoretical Mechanics Problems» problem book and introduced practical trainings (exercises) for students. The first printed issue of the problem book was published in 1914, the last one, the 37th, in 1998. On January the 15th, 1893, at a St.Petersburg Mathematical Society meeting, he read the paper called «Dynamics of variable-mass body» that greatly promoted development of native rocket industry. Ivan Vsevolodovitch had a broad area of interests, it can be seen from the titles of his articles: «Hydrodynamic analogy of rolling», «A variable-mass dynamics problem», «Differential motion equations of gyroscopic monorail carriage», «Theoretical research of manometric tube», «Current state of the question about mechanical units», «B.K. Bobylev’s proceedings on hydrodynamics». From 1907 to 1908 I.V. Meshcherskiy has been the principal of the St.Petersburg Polytechnic Institute.
Fun fact: Meshcherskiy is also an impact crater that is located on the Moon's far side, to the east-northeast of the larger Ostwald.
