Alina Kabata-Pendias (8 September 1929 – 3 April 2019) was a Polish

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

working in the field of

biogeochemistry Biogeochemistry is the scientific discipline that involves the study of the chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes and reactions that govern the composition of the natural environment (including the biosphere, the cryosphere, ...

and

soil science Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to th ...

. She was a professor of agricultural sciences associated with the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation in

Puławy Puławy (, also written Pulawy) is a city in eastern Poland, in Lesser Poland's Lublin Voivodeship, at the confluence of the Vistula and Kurówka Rivers. Puławy is the capital of Puławy County. The city's 2019 population was estimated at 47,4 ...

(IUNG), and the State Geological Institute (PGI). She was a specialist in the field of biogeochemistry of

trace element __NOTOC__ A trace element, also called minor element, is a chemical element whose concentration (or other measure of amount) is very low (a "trace amount"). They are classified into two groups: essential and non-essential. Essential trace elements ...

s. Her husband was Henryk Pendias, a

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...

and

geochemist Geochemistry is the science that uses the tools and principles of chemistry to explain the mechanisms behind major geological systems such as the Earth's crust and its oceans. The realm of geochemistry extends beyond the Earth, encompassing the e ...

at PGI. Among other awards, she was the recipient of the

Golden Cross of Merit The Cross of Merit () is a Polish civil state decoration established on 23 June 1923, to recognize services to the state. History At the time of its establishment in 1923, the Cross of Merit was the highest civilian award in Poland. It was aw ...

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievement ...

, and the

Armia Krajowa Cross The Cross of the Home Army ( pl, Krzyż Armii Krajowej) is a Polish military decoration that was introduced by General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski on 1 August 1966 to commemorate the efforts of the soldiers of the Polish Secret State between 1939 and ...

Early life and education

Alina Kabata was born in Baranavichy on 8 September 1929. She was the daughter of Helena, née Wojciechowicz, and Piotr Kabata, a Polish officer, at that time in the

Border Protection Corps The Border Protection Corps ( pl, Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza, KOP) was a military formation of the Second Polish Republic that was created in 1924 to defend the country's eastern borders against armed Soviet incursions and local bandits. Other b ...

. She spent her childhood in various places in the

Eastern Borderlands Eastern Borderlands ( pl, Kresy Wschodnie) or simply Borderlands ( pl, Kresy, ) was a term coined for the eastern part of the Second Polish Republic during the interwar period (1918–1939). Largely agricultural and extensively multi-ethnic, it ...

of the Second Polish Republic. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the whole family managed to get to the Kielce region in the General Government. From 1940, under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

s of "Żar" and "Wujek", the father was the commander of the Szydłów AK District and commanded an independent

Home Army The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) est ...

subversive unit. Like the other family members, young Alina was involved in the Polish resistance (nicknamed "Cicia"). Her brother was Zbigniew Kabata. Kabata-Pendias received degrees at the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation in Pulawy (Ph.D.) and at the Agricultural University of Lublin (D.Sc.).

Career

Kabata-Pendias was the manager or contractor of many scientific projects, including three in cooperation with

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

Agricultural Research Service: "Distribution of micronutrients among soil minerals" (1961–1966), "The occurrence and behavior of trace elements in residual soils" (1969–1975), and "The impact of copper mining and industrial activity of Lower Silesia on the chemical composition of plants" (1975–1979). She was a consultant and lecturer for

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

UNEP The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on ...

, MAB, SCOPE, SETAC, and

IUPAC The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC ) is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations working for the advancement of the chemical sciences, especially by developing nomenclature and terminology. It is ...

. She was the promoter of seven doctoral dissertations. She published over 300 scientific papers, many of international coverage, including books in Polish, English and Russian. Her team's work ''Evaluation of soil pollution with heavy metals and sulfur. Framework guidelines for agriculture'' between 1993 and 2002 was the only source for assessing the degree of environmental pollution by trace elements in Poland. She actively participated in the work of numerous committees of the

Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences ( pl, Polska Akademia Nauk, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society o ...

, including the chair of the Committee for Analysis for Agricultural Need of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the MAB-9 Team of the Human and Environment Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences. She was a member of many scientific societies, including Polish Soil Science Society, Polish Mineralogical Society and Polish Geological Society, as well as the

International Union of Soil Sciences The International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), founded in 1924 under the name ''International Society of Soil Science'', is a scientific union and member of the International Council for Science (ICSU). The Union has 86 national and regional m ...

, Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health, the International Association for Study of Clay, and the

New York Academy of Sciences The New York Academy of Sciences (originally the Lyceum of Natural History) was founded in January 1817 as the Lyceum of Natural History. It is the fourth oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization wi ...

. She sat on the presidium of the International Society of Trace Element Biochemistry. She died on 3 April 2019.

Awards and honors

Kabata-Pendias received many awards for her achievements. The most important were: * PTG Gold Badge (1972) *

(1979) * Knight's

(1990) * Badge of Home Army soldiers (1992) *

(1994) * IUNG Director Award (1994) * Guerrilla Cross (1995) * Golden Badge of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Management (1995) * 1st degree team award granted by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Economy (1995) * Veterans Badge of Fight for Independence (1996) * Medal of the Rector of the Agricultural University of Lublin (1999) * Philippe Duchaufour Medal (2007) * Medal of the 75th Anniversary of the Soil Science Society of Poland (2012)

Selected works

* Trace Elements in Biological Environment (1979) * Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements (1993, 1999) * Trace Elements in Soils and Plants (1984, 1989, 1992, 2001)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kabata-Pendias, Alina 1929 births 2019 deaths People from Baranavichy People from Nowogródek Voivodeship (1919–1939) 20th-century Polish scientists 21st-century Polish scientists Polish women scientists Polish soil scientists Polish Academy of Sciences faculty Recipients of the Cross of Merit (Poland) Knights of the Order of Polonia Restituta 20th-century Polish women