Today MEPhI is celebrating the 75 year anniversary: on 23rd of November, the Decree of Sovnarkom of the USSR on the foundation of the University was signed. In honor of this momentous event the solemn opening of the monument to the outstanding Russian scientist, academician, winner of the Nobel prize in physics, the graduate of MEPhI Nikolai Gennadievich Basov was held in front of the main building of the University.
The ceremony was attended by the scientists who worked with Nicholai Gennadievich, and young people, who have yet to find their way into science; representatives of the administration, staff and faculty of the University.
Noting the high significance of the event, the rector of MEPhI M.N. Strikhanov stressed that the heroic biography of Nikolai Gennadievich Basov, a graduate and one of the founders of our University, can serve as an example for young people, and for all of us: “Starting as military paramedic at the front, later he became a great physicist and the founder of a completely new direction, a new technology, which belongs to the future”.
Remembering the years of joint work with N.G. Basov, academician of the RAS O.N. Krokhin said that Nicholai Gennadievich was a genius in every sense of the word, he was an exceptional scientist of high level from the point of view of his perception of the world. According to Oleg Nikolaevich, the scientist perceived physics quite extraordinary, was fond of science: "Sometimes it was difficult to work with him, because he thought at night. When we came to work in the morning - he had gone far ahead in solving the problem and began to give us tasks, in the best case starting from the middle and sometimes from the end."
"Nikolai Gennadievich told me how he got to the University: he saw an announcement in the tram on extraordinary admission in the Moscow Mechanical Institute of Ammunition (then known as MEPhI) for those who just demobilized from the front. Nicholai Gennadievich was very fond of his Institute, MEPhI was a home for him".
The head of the Department №65 B.N. Onikiy, who studied at the Institute in the postwar years, knew the scientist for many years. He told heroic facts from the military biography of Nikolai Basov and said, "We still remember the days when our University was built by the winners – those who returned from the front. We, the students, learned a lot from them - soldiers."
“For some reason it is assumed that N.G. Basov together with A.M. Prokhorov created a laser, but in fact they created a maser,” jokingly remarked veteran of MEPhI and nuclear industry V.P. Gladkov, providing scientific facts about difference between these revolutionary devices.
The Chairman of the Council of veterans at MEPhI N.S. Pogozhin expressed confidence that such people as N. G. Basov are an example of patriotism. "We are talking about it at all events with young people held by the Council of veterans," he stressed.
“Respect to the past is the line that separates education from savagery,” Chairman of the Union of MEPhI V.A. Petrov cited the words of the great Russian poet. "We are grateful to our predecessors who laid the foundations of Russian education, made an invaluable contribution to the development of our University, which today is proud of its high achievements. We need to remember it and to be worthy successors to their deeds."
And here is the solemn moment – the veil is lifted. A great scholar, a wonderful man who had done so much for our country and the University Nikolai G. Basov is on a bench near the main entrance to the University.
The monumental image of the great scientist was created by the sculptor Alexander Mironov. The staff of the University expresses gratitude to the graduate of MEPhI, the General Director of open company "Artplast" Andrey Valerievich Novikov, who sponsored the creation of the memorial. Today, the company employs 10 graduates of MEPhI.
