Professor Evgeny Paton was a Ukrainianand Soviet engineer who established the E. O. Paton Electric Welding Institute in Kiev. Paton was a pioneer researcher of joining and welding technology. He created methods used in the design of rational bridge spans, investigated the conditions of their operation, and suggested methods for restoring damaged bridges. He carried out research on the fundamentals of welding, how to calculate the strength of welded structures, and the mechanization of welding processes. He supervised the development of automatic submerged arc welding. During World War II Paton supervised the design and production of equipment and technology for automated welding of special steels for tanks, bombs, and other military hardware.