PROTODYAKONOV M.M. BIOGRAPHY
Mikhail Mikhailovich Protodyakonov was soviet scientist in mining engineering, Honored Worker of Science and Engineering of RSFSR.
He was born on January 27, 1911 in Ekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk, in Ukraine). His parents were: Mikhail Mikhailovich (senior) Protodyakonov, the famous scientist in mining engineering, and Zoya Nikolaevna Protodyakonova (Kholmskaya). They had two children: while Mikhail Mikhailovich (junior) followed the steps of his father in mining engineering, his sister Zlata Mikhailovna (Timofeeva, 1913 – 1982) and her own daughter Tatiana Sergeevna Timofeeva (1935 – 2002) became scientists specialized in geology and mineralogy.
As a consequence of Mikhail’s (senior) illness, in 1916 their family had to move to the place with a warmer climate – Tashkent, in Uzbekistan. There Mikhail (junior) graduated from school №50 (named after the Swiss pedagogue J. Pestalozzy). In 1929-1932 he studied at Moscow Mining Institute (now – NUST MISIS) and worked there afterwards as postgraduate assistant. In 1935 he successfully presented his PhD thesis and published, together with the academician A.M. Terpigorev, a first high-school manual about mining machines. This book has been published several times in USSR and abroad and served as a basis for education programs.
Photo 1953. M.M. Protodyakonov as the first rank mine director with his wife K.A. Gintze, son Andrey and daughter Olga.
In 1935 -1941 M.M. Protodyakonov continued his career as assistant professor at the Moscow Mining Institute and later at the Middle Asia Industrial Institute in Tashkent. In 1939 he married Kira Andreevna Gintze.
After beginning Second World War in USSR in 1941 he was recruited in the Red Army as apprentice the military Academy of armored and mechanized troops, evacuated in Tashkent. After excellent training he qualified in captain-engineer rank and integrated Moscow-based Academy as low teacher specialized in tanks. In 1943 – 1944 he was sent to the First Ukrainian Front, where he served as chief of department the tank’s repairing plant.
After demobilization in 1945 M.M. Protodyakonov worked in the new All-union Institute of Coal. In 1952 he presented up PhD thesis and worked as senior researcher, chief of laboratory of Mining Institute of USSR Academy of Sciences while teaching as professor at Moscow Mining Institute. Thereafter he worked in the Mining sector in the frame of the Institute of Earth Physics of the AS USSR in Moscow. M.M. Protodyakonov Jr. published over 200 scientific articles in mining sector and hard form physics. He was scientific teacher of 27 pupils who presented PhD thesis. For his large contribution in the area of mining engineering he had been recommended in 1971 as corresponding member of the AS USSR. Such as corresponding member must be no more 60 years old instead of he received the title of Honored Worker of Science and Engineering of RSFSR.
At the beginning of the 1950’s, while he was writing a PhD dissertation developed a hypothesis about the structure of electronic shells of atoms. Not with standing surrounding skepticism from the few members the Academy of Sciences, this hypothesis had been registered by the Committee for innovations and discoveries (№ 182-OT, date 15.01.1959) in quality of “Hypothesis regarding the structure of electronic shells of atoms and molecules”. In the frame of its publication and further discussion by scientific community, in 1962 made the acquaintance Mikhail Jr. with Leningrad-based physicist I.L. Gerlovin, with whom he maintained close and friendly relationship until his very late days.
Due to registering hypothesis Mikhail Jr. could be published two editions his book “Properties of rock-forming minerals and of their electronic structure” in 1965 and 1969 by the Soviet edition house “Nauka” (“Science”). When he understood that crystallographic angels are equal anisotropy angels of nucleus particles, obtained on basis of Gerlovin’s theory (TFF), Mikhail Jr. immediately adhered to this theory. Therefore, he asked permission to include I.L. Gerlovin as co-author in the third edition of his book and got it. This book “Electronic structure and physical properties of crystals” was published in 1975 by edition house “Nauka”.
But this latest publication was echoed by a sharp negative reaction from the side of scientists – theorists of USSR Academy of Sciences, who required an actual ban any publications in journals of AS for authors of this book. This ban made further work of M.M. Protodyakonov in the AS Institute of Earth Physics impossible. As a result, he was forced to retire in 1976 and to focus only on own research in the area of atomics, molecules and crystals structure, designed nucleus conversing diagram. However, after his retirement, with the help of I.L. Gerlovin, Mikhail was engaged in Leningrad as a part-time researcher – consultant. He worked first for the High Engineering School of the Navy, then for the Naval Academy and for the Polytechnical Institute.
After refusal on publication his latest article in AS journal at the end of 1983, Mikhail got a heart attack, which he could not really recover from. It was impossible his work in Leningrad and he continuing to work at home on his theory until his very death. Together with enthusiasts and friends he designed and prepared models some of atoms, molecules, crystals and their various, while keeping a regular correspondence with I.L. Gerlovin.
M.M. Protodyakonov died on January 20, 1987 in Moscow and had been buried in the Moscow Central Scherbinsky cemetery.