Vladyslav Panchenko speaking to a class on campus

Building Ukrainian Connections

Ukrainian Professor Gains Valuable Insight at UT 

Vladyslav Panchenko’s students at Ukrainian State University of Railway Transport can’t attend in school in person because of the ongoing war with Russia. For a period of time, they weren’t allowed to leave the country for educational opportunities because of a travel ban. 

That is what made Panchenko’s recent visit to the University of Tennessee even more valuable. 

Panchenko spent four weeks at UT this fall as part of the Bridge USA Ukrainian Academic Fellows Program from American Councils for International Education. The program promotes the development of relationships between Ukrainian and American teachers and researchers for the purpose of joint research, exchange of teaching experience, development of educational courses, and publication of scientific works. 

The program’s goal is to help Ukrainian universities train specialists critically needed for the reconstruction and recovery of the country. 

Panchenko, whose field of research is electrical engineering, interacted with faculty from the Tickle College of Engineering’s Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the Center for Transportation Research (CTR).  

During his stay at UT, Panchenko observed classes, took part in discussions, made presentations, and collaborated on future research opportunities. He gained information about the educational system in the United States and the curriculum of electrical engineering that he plans to bring back to Ukraine. 

“The situation in Ukraine right now with education is really complicated because of the war and because of the problems with electricity. We cannot ensure the safety of our students. That’s why we are continuing to learn in an online format,” said Panchenko said, who was making his first trip to the United States. 

“Our university is really close to the border with Russia, and that’s why we have a problem with shellings and bombings,” he added. “The main thing is they try to heat our electrical power system, and they try to bomb our heat power plants and hydropower plants. That’s why I’m trying to find a way to restore and make our electrical system more reliable.” 

Vladyslav Panchenko speaking with professors on campus
Vladyslav Panchenko with a volunteers sign above his head

Feeling Right at Home  

CEE Professor Kevin Heaslip, CTR director, served as Panchenko’s guide throughout his stay in Knoxville. Heaslip considers the exchange important for UT to learn about the challenges Ukraine is facing and how the university can help. 

“I appreciated Dr. Panchenko’s eagerness to foster opportunities to continue advancing his ongoing work in Ukraine through his interactions with multiple departments and faculty at the university,” Heaslip said. “The resilience and adaptation of the researchers and educators of the Ukrainian State University of Railway Transport during wartime were inspiring.” 

Along with visiting UT, Panchenko toured Oak Ridge National Laboratory and made a trip to New York and Boston with Heaslip to visits different universities.  

“My wife is a teacher, and some of my relatives are also university teachers, so I felt their spirit while seeing some of strongest universities of the US during my stay,” Panchenko said. “It was such a great experience and one I have been dreaming about for a long time.” 

Panchenko was able to get the full American college experience by visiting during the fall, when football season is in full swing. During Tennessee’s game against rival Florida, he stood outside of Neyland Stadium marveling at the spectacle.  

“I could feel the atmosphere. It is so loud and it’s so emotional,” he said. “It’s like for one day Knoxville became an orange city. The main thing for me is just the emotions that everyone experiences during those games.” 

Panchenko and UT faculty are discussing future collaboration opportunities between the UT and Ukrainian State, including having UT professors join an online lecture for the Ukrainian students and helping Panchenko’s PhD students with more knowledge about how to commercialize their research ideas. 

As he anticipated his three-day trip back to Ukraine, Panchenko felt nothing but gratitude for his first visit to the US and how much insight he gained over a four-week period. 

“I was amazed about the community, about the about the people in Knoxville and the university. They are so kind. They’re giving support with any issue,” he said. “I felt like I was truly at home here.” 

Contact 

Rhiannon Potkey (865-974-0683, [email protected]