Sergiy Syrota

Born 1968 in Kyiv. Graduated from physics and math school 145. Entered KPI, Control Systems Faculty, Applied Mathematics Department. Graduated from KPI in 1992. At that time, the department was at the Faculty of Informatics and Computer Science. Defended PhD thesis in 2006. Has been teaching at KPI since 2008.

What courses do you teach?

“Algorithms and Data Structures,” “Computational Geometry and Computer Graphics,” “Decision Support Methods,” “Text Mining.”

Tell us please about your family.

I’ve got a beloved wife, two beautiful daughters, a son-in-law, two granddaughters, and parents. May God bless them with good health and long lives!

What did you want to become when you were a child?

I wanted to become an IT engineer and a millionaire.

Do you remember you first acquaintance with a computer? What was it like?

It was like a meeting with a person you’ve known for your whole life.

Have you currently got a hobby?

I’ve got many interests. Some of them are traveling, music, equipment. Teaching, after all. In my free time, I switch activities.

Imagine all the books, movies, and music pieces have all gone in one day, and you’ve got an opportunity to save one instance of each work. What would you save?

I would do my best to save my children and grandchildren. This is the future of every person.

If you caught a goldfish, what wishes would you make?

I won’t be that lucky. I’m used to making my wishes come true by myself.

Do you believe in God?

Yes, I do. I deem the model, in which He exists, to be the most adequate one.

What was your student life like?

It was colorful. I aced my first year. Then spent 2 years in the army (they didn’t ask back then). Came back to a different country.

Entered the second year fully grown up and married. Had a daughter in the third year. Finished the fourth, fifth, and a half of the sixth year in a year and half with honors.

In my fifth year, I had already got my own business with 15 employees.

Were there any events in your life that drastically changed it?

Collapse of the “iron curtain” and opening the whole world outside the USSR.

What emotions did you experience when the USSR collapsed?

Great joy and euphoria.

When becoming an “October child,” a pioneer, or a Komsomol member, did you really believe in the bright socialist future?

Yes.

Do you have favorites among students?

No, all of them are equally cool.

Do you regret expelling students?

No, I don’t. If you came to study, then study. If not, go away.

Do you agree with the statement that earlier students were better than nowadays? Is it true that the quality of school education is steadily going down?

That’s not true. Times are changing, that’s all.

As for the quality of education, it depends on me and my colleagues, so it simply cannot get worse.

“Live and learn.” What have you recently learned or found out?

How to forward ports on routers.