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Konstantin SytnikUkrainian scientist and politician. Academician of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Date of Birth: 03.07.1926
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
- Biography of Konstantin Sytnyk
- Academic Achievements
- Contributions to Plant Engineering
- Research in Space Biology
- Environmental Activism and Political Career
- Awards and Family
Biography of Konstantin Sytnyk
Scientist and PoliticianKonstantin Sytnyk is a Ukrainian scientist and politician. He is an academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (ANU) since 1973. Sytnyk was one of the founders of the Ukrainian Republican Party "Sobor". From 1980 to 1985, he served as the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR.
Academic Achievements
Sytnyk graduated from the Taras Shevchenko Lugansk Pedagogical Institute in 1949. He began working at the M.M. Hryshko National Botanical Garden (formerly N. Holodny Institute of Botany) in 1950 and eventually became its director. From 1974 to 1988, he served as the Vice-President of the ANU. Sytnyk is also an Honorary Director of the Holodny Institute of Botany, the Chairman of the Commission for the Study of the Legacy of Academician Vernadsky, and the President of the Ukrainian Botanical Society.
Contributions to Plant Engineering
Under Sytnyk's leadership and direct involvement, research in the field of plant bioindication and chemosystematics was initiated in the 1970s. This laid the foundation for the further development of genetic and cellular engineering of plants in Ukraine. As a physiologist, Sytnyk continued the ideas of Academician Holodny and made a significant contribution to the development of his theories on phytohormones. Sytnyk played a crucial role in the emergence of a new branch of biology - engineering botany. The discovery of dual-parental inheritance of plasmagens opened up prospects for creating genetically new organisms. The findings on the behavior of nuclei and DNA-compatible organelles during somatic hybridization are now considered fundamental principles of transmissive genetics. Sytnyk was awarded the State Prize of the USSR in the field of science and technology in 1984 for his successful development of the fundamental principles of cellular genetic engineering.
Research in Space Biology
Sytnyk's research also extended to the field of space biology. He organized studies on the effects of space flight on the growth, development, and life activities of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. For his work on studying the laws of growth and development of microorganisms in space flight conditions, Sytnyk was awarded the State Prize of the Ukrainian SSR in the field of science and technology in 1979. Sytnyk is the author of the Ukrainian-American experiment program associated with the space flight of the first Ukrainian astronaut Leonid Kadenyuk aboard the American spacecraft "Columbia".
Environmental Activism and Political Career
Sytnyk also focused on environmental issues, nature conservation, and the formation of ecological culture. He introduced the concept of "environmentalism" into scientific circulation and founded a new direction of studying the environment - environmentology. Sytnyk was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU) from 1982 to 1990. He served as a deputy of the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR from 1980 to 1990 and as the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR from 1980 to 1985.
After 1996, Sytnyk participated in politics as a representative of the national-democratic movement. He joined the People's Democratic Party but left after the party split in May 1999 when the majority supported President Leonid Kuchma as a candidate for the presidency. In May 1999, together with Anatoliy Matviyenko, Sytnyk created the All-Ukrainian Association "Open Policy". In November 1999, he, along with other national-democratic associations, founded the "Sobor" party. Sytnyk served as a Member of Parliament in Ukraine from 1998 to 2006, elected as part of Yulia Tymoshenko's Bloc in the 2002 elections. However, after another split in the "Sobor" party in 2005, he withdrew from active political activities.
Awards and Family
Sytnyk has been honored with the Orders of Lenin, October Revolution, Labor Red Banner, and Yaroslav the Wise. His son, Mykola Veresen, is a journalist, television presenter, actor, and public figure.
