We continue to talk about the famous scientific dynasties of the St Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. The heroes of this publication are father and son Maslennikovs.

Nikita Aleksandrovich Maslennikov (photo made by SPbGASU)

Nikita Aleksandrovich Maslennikov, head of the Department of Construction Mechanics, graduated from LISI in 1983 and has been working at our university since 1987. In 1990, he defended his PhD thesis and has been working at the Department of Construction Mechanics for the last six years. He teaches the disciplines “Theoretical Mechanics”, “Strength of Materials”, “Construction Mechanics”, and is the author of more than 50 published scientific and educational works, including 27 scientific articles. Nikita Aleksandrovich’s scientific interests are the development of new tasks for the educational process, the development of educational programs with the inclusion of active teaching methods.

Nikita Aleksandrovich followed in the footsteps of his father, Aleksandr Matveevich Maslennikov, who also studied at LISI (SPbGASU). He went from a student to a Vice-Rector for Research and headed the Department of Construction Mechanics for a quarter of a century.

Aleksandr Matveevich Maslennikov (photo provided by Nikita Maslennikov)

Aleksandr Matveevich Maslennikov was one of the first in the country to introduce the matrix form of calculation of building structures and the finite element method into the educational process. He published several textbooks on this topic, including those with the stamp of the USSR Ministry of Higher Education.

As Deputy Chairman of the Commission on Structural Mechanics and Strength of Materials of the Section of Construction and Architecture of the Scientific and Technical Council of the USSR Ministry of Higher Education, he constantly promoted new directions in the field of structural mechanics in our country and abroad. The distinctive features of his scientific works are novelty, perspective and practical orientation..

For a number of years, he was the leader and direct participant in the implementation of work to improve the methodology and algorithms for strength calculations of pipelines. The results of his work have found wide application in design organizations of the USSR Ministry of Energy. The ideas of the finite element method were implemented by him in the calculation of flat shells made of flat ribbed slabs, designed by the Leningrad Institute "Promstroyproekt" and built in the city on the Neva.

In 1972, Aleksandr Maslennikov was appointed Head of the Department of Construction Mechanics at our university, which he headed for 25 years​.

For many years, under the guidance of Professor Maslennikov and with his participation, scientific work was carried out on the development of methods for calculating special structures for short-term impacts for one of the design institutes of the Ministry of General Engineering of the USSR. The work was carried out in the field of structural dynamics.

For his great contribution to the development of construction science, Aleksandr Matveevich was included into the encyclopedia “Engineers of St Petersburg” (1996) and in the “Russian Architectural and Construction Encyclopedia” (2001), was awarded the USSR Ministry of Higher Education badge “For excellent success in work”, and state awards: medal "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945", order "Badge of Honor" (1986), medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" II degree, honorary title "Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the Russian Federation" (1993), medal "Veteran of Labor".