The department of engineering ecology was founded in 1946 as department of mining. It was the first at the mountain faculty of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute organized at that time, a main goal was training of specialists for mining industry of Ukraine which after war demanded a complete recovery, especially in new perspective western regions of Ukraine.
In 1948 the department was renamed into department of development of mineral deposits. The new name more corresponded for the direction of study and lasted until 1963. The department of development of mineral deposits performed not only functions releasing, but also provided mining technological training of students of other departments of faculty: mine construction, mountain electrical engineering, geology.
In 1958-1963 there was a merging with department of mining machines and miner transport and renaming of department into department of technology and mechanization of mining operations. In general the period of 1946-1960 is characterized by formation of scientific and pedagogical staff of department, the beginning and development of school of sciences, strengthening of ties of department with the mining industry, the scientific and design organizations, higher educational institutions of the country, at last, creation of that pedagogical and scientific atmosphere of department, is inherent in the Kiev Polytechnic Institute.
Since the end of the 60th years scientific research was carried out for mines of coal mines, pits of production of construction materials, the construction organizations. The range of these organizations constantly extended: trusts “Pavlogradugol”, “Novovolynskugol”, “Shakhterskantratsit”, “Donetskantratsit”, “Luganskugol”, “Primorskugol”, “Aleksandriyaugol”, “Kamchatkaelektrosetbud”, Kolyma hydroelectric power station, Tyumennaftogaz and others. At the same time was form the scientific directions of the department: creation of effective technologies and schemes of mechanization of mining operations; creation of process control systems; the study of physical and mechanical properties of rocks and creation of the tool for their destruction. In the years ahead the range of scientific searches extended that promoted strengthening a postgraduate study of department on specialties: “Underground mining of mineral deposits”, “Open-cast mining of minerals”, “Mining machines”.
In 1991 the department is renamed into Department of Geotechnology and engineering ecology. This period of activities of department is characterized by creation of branches of department in ON “Granite”, Kievnerudprom and Zakarpatnerudprom, at Institute of a Hydromechanics of NAN of Ukraine, releases of mining engineers of extramural studies for the entities of the industry of construction materials. The structural changes which concerned department have a positive impact on nature of educational and scientific work which was more concentrated on the technological and ecological directions.
Strengthening of the ecological direction was promoted by creation in 1995 of interindustry educational and scientific ecological laboratory Ministry of Education, Minugleprom and the Ukrstroymaterialy State corporation. In 1995 the specialty “Ecological Technologies and the Equipment in Mountain” is open. Training at department was carried out on three specialties: “Ecological technologies and the equipment in construction”, “Open mining operations”, “Technology and the equipment of extraction of construction rocks” with a number of specializations. In 1996 the first release of bachelors mountain in system of three-stage preparation has taken place: bachelor, expert, master.
In 2000 department of geotechnology and engineering ecology it is renamed into department of engineering ecology. The profile of training of specialists changes, transition to new specialty – “Ecology and environmental protection” begins. Despite the considerable difficulties connected, first of all, with improvement of educational and methodical providing and formation of new subject of theses it was succeeded to keep the highly qualified personnel capable to solve the current problems and to work for prospect.
In December 2011 the head of the department was unanimously elected Prof. Konstantin Konstantinovich Tkachuk . Since 2016 the department is recruiting for 101 “Ecology”, specialization “Engineering ecology and resource-saving”.
