Engineering drive and author’s developments of a master’s student in technology

Having just enrolled in the Master’s program in Specialization A4 “Secondary Education (Technologies)” (Department of Professional Education and Technologies), Oleksandr Chernychko already boasts a significant practical achievement: a self-designed and manufactured author’s muffle furnace.

For most first-year master’s students, the beginning of their studies is a time of adaptation and getting acquainted with academic programs and syllabi. However, Oleksandr entered the university with a clear understanding: a modern technology teacher should not merely reproduce theory, but be a real creator, engineer, and innovator. At the core of his approach is an orientation toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – from rational resource use and energy efficiency to fostering environmental mindset in students.

The idea of creating his own furnace arose from a purely practical need. Working with clay, Oleksandr faced the main challenge of any ceramic artist: the necessity of high-temperature firing. Indeed, for raw clay to transform into durable ceramics, strict adherence to the technological process and temperatures of hundreds of degrees Celsius – which cannot be provided under ordinary household conditions – is required.

«When you create a piece out of clay, you invest form and idea into it. But it is the firing process at specific, precisely controlled temperatures that gives it life, color, and durability. The desire to fully control this process from start to finish prompted me to create an author’s furnace» shares Oleksandr.

The custom-built furnace is only the first in a series of planned author’s developments by the master’s student. Oleksandr is convinced that a modern technology teacher must be an innovator capable of inspiring students through personal example and visual, practical equipment. We welcome Oleksandr Chernychko to the student community and wish him new engineering and pedagogical achievements!

More details about the uniqueness of the development, the materials used, and the technical characteristics of the furnace can be found in the video review on YouTube

Head of the Department of Professional Education and Technologies, Valentyna Peregudova