Mikhail Mikhaylovich Rusinov

Mikhail Mikhaylovich Rusinov (Russian: Михаи́л Миха́йлович Руси́нов, 11 February 1909 – 29 September 2004) was an outstanding Russian scientist, specialising in optics. Mikhail Rusinov co-founded the USSR Science School of Computational Optics and discovered several optical phenomena, including aberration vignetting (1938), projection centre distortion (1957), and existence of second order aberration (1986). The phenomenon of projection centre distortion became the basis for engineering photometry, and existence of second order aberration dramatically changed the aberration gestalt of 150 years. Lenin Prize awardee.

Mikhail Rusinov was born into the family of a high school mathematics teacher. His father Mikhail Nikolaevich Rusinov (Russian: Михаил Николаевич Русинов) taught at The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory. His mother Evdokiya Vasil'yevna Rusinova (Russian: Евдокия Васильевна Русинова) studied piano under Anton Rubinstein. Many well-known Russian composers were family friends, including Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov. Mikhail Rusinov inherited his mother's love of music and composed waltzes as an adult.

Rusinov attended school from 1917 to 1920; in 1921 he entered a trade school that eventually became the Professional School of Precise Mechanics and Optics. In 1921 it became a Technical School and Precise Mechanics and Optics University. After graduation from technical school at the age of 18, Mikhail Rusinov joined the Leningrad Optical Mechanical Association as an optician designer. He performed calculations for submarine periscopes in this capacity.

From 1929 till 1933 Rusinov worked at the USSR Optical and Mechanical Society. Beginning in 1931 he also worked in the Central Office of Geodesy and Cartography. From 1932 until 1942 he held positions of Senior Engineer, Head of the Laboratory and Senior Researcher in Geodesy at the Aerial Photography and Cartography Central Institute. From 1930–1935 he taught at the Civil Air Engineering Institute of LITMO. In 1938 he received his PhD degree and in 1939 he was promoted to Senior Researcher.

In 1941 Rusinov received a Doctor degree.

During World War II, from 1942 till 1943 he was a Senior Designer Assistant at the Factory № 393 in the Moscow region. From 1943 till 1944 taught at the Bauman Moscow State Technical University. Returning to St. Petersburg in October 1944, he became the Scientific Supervisor of the North-East Aerogeodesy Institute Laboratory of Optics and Mechanics.

In 1946 he received a permanent position at ITMO.

In 1958 he worked on design of wide angle lenses in Geodesy, Aerophotography and Cartography Central Research Institute.

Rusinov's scientific work is closely associated with ITMO University. He worked with ITMO from its foundation, holding the position of Department Head for more than 40 years and was Scientific Supervisor of its laboratory, which later became the Technical Optics Laboratory. He became Professor of the Applied and Computational Optics Department in 1997.

Mikhail Rusinov wrote more than 152 scientific papers (18 monographs), and held 320 Inventor's Certificates and 22 patents (7 in the Russian Federation). Author of fundamental papers devoted to Optics, such as "Technical Optics", "Non-spherical Surfaces in Optics", "Technical Photometry", "Optical Systems Composition". In 1995 he published a monograph "Off-Centre Optical Systems Composition". He became well-known because of his development of wide angle lenses for aerophotography. He also received USSR State Prize for his contributions in developing wide angle lenses.

Died 29 September 2004. Buried at Volkovo Cemetery in St. Petersburg.

In 1972 awarded Losede Prize (French Academy of Sciences); in 1978 awarded "Best Developer in Geodesy in Cartography" Prize; in 1984 received degree of "Honour Geodesist".

Four times USSR State Prize winner (1941, 1949, 1950, 1967). 1982 Lenin Prize winner.

Awarded Korolev Medal for contribution in Vega program.

Received Lenin Prize and Order of the Red Banner of Labour for educational work.