Marija Šimanska ( pl, Maria Szymańska; 1922–1995) was a Latvian chemist of Polish heritage. She was one of the most prolific scientists of her era in

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

and was honored with numerous medals and awards.

Biography

Marija Šimanska was born on 23 April 1922

Daugavpils Daugavpils (; russian: Двинск; ltg, Daugpiļs ; german: Dünaburg, ; pl, Dyneburg; see other names) is a state city in south-eastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. The parts of the c ...

to Polish parents. She finished her high school studies in Polish in 1940 at the Daugavpils Gymnasium and enrolled in the University of Latvia. After only one semester in the pharmacy school, she left

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

and returned to Daugavpils to join the Polish underground. She was arrested and sent to the Stutthof concentration camp in February 1943. At the end of the war in 1945, she returned to school and completed her degree in chemistry in 1948. She went to work in the Forestry Problems Institute and simultaneously studied for her PhD. When she received her doctorate in 1952, she became one of the first three Soviet women to have attained a doctorate in chemistry. Between 1957 and 1975 she was the deputy director of the Institute of Organic Synthesis and she founded the catalytic synthesis lab there, where she researched

heterocyclic compounds A heterocyclic compound or ring structure is a cyclic compound that has atoms of at least two different elements as members of its ring(s). Heterocyclic chemistry is the branch of organic chemistry dealing with the synthesis, properties, and ...

and catalytic transformations. She developed many new catalysts, analytical reagents, and medical processes and was one of the most prolific scientists of Latvia. Šimanska published over 450 research papers and was the creator of 56 inventions. She also served as the editor of ''Latvijas Ķīmijas Žurnāls'' (Latvian Chemical Journal) of the Latvian Academy of Sciences and ''Latvijas Farmaceitu Žurnāls'' (Latvian Pharmaceutical journal). Šimanska also served as the president of the Latvian Pharmacists' Scientific Society from 1978 to 1994. During her career, she received recognition for her work, including the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic State Laureate Prize in 1965; the David Hieronymus Grindel Medal; the Medal; and the Medal. In 1992, she was made the President of the Latvian Union of Poles and that same year was made an honorary member of the

Latvian Academy of Sciences The Latvian Academy of Sciences ( lv, Latvijas Zinātņu akadēmija) is the official Academy of Sciences, science academy of Latvia and is an association of the country's foremost scientists. The academy was founded as the ''Latvian SSR Academy o ...

. Posthumously, she was awarded the

Gustavs Vanags Gustavs Vanags (10 March 1891 — 8 May 1965) was a Soviet and Latvian organic chemist, full member of Latvian SSR Academy of Sciences. He was also one of the signers of the Memorandum of Latvian Central Council in 1944. Biography Gustavs Vanag ...

Laureate Prize and diploma for her research on ''Non-traditional methods of catalytic chemistry of heterocyclic compounds''. She died on 10 July 1995 in Riga and was buried in the Daugavpils Catholic cemetery.

Selected works

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References

Bibliography

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External links

WorldCat PublicationsWorldCat PublicationsWorldCat PublicationsWorldCat Publications
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simanska, Marija 1922 births 1995 deaths Latvian chemists 20th-century Latvian inventors Latvian women chemists Latvian women scientists 20th-century women scientists Scientists from Daugavpils Latvian people of Polish descent University of Latvia alumni Women inventors Soviet women chemists Soviet chemists Soviet people of Polish descent