Miroslav Zei (25 July 1914 – 2 November 2006) was a
Slovene biologist
A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...
, specialist in
marine biology,
oceanography and
ichthyology.
Zei was born in
Nabrežina near
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...
in 1914. He studied Biology at the
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana ( sl, Univerza v Ljubljani, , la, Universitas Labacensis), often referred to as UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 39,000 enrolled students.
History Beginnings
Although certain ...
from 1932 to 1936. He specialized at the Oceanographic Institute in
Split
Split(s) or The Split may refer to:
Places
* Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia
* Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay
* Split Island, Falkland Islands
* Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua
Arts, entertai ...
from 1937 to 1941 where he was also an assistant until 1941 and then senior scientific researcher until 1948 when he was appointed professor at the
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana ( sl, Univerza v Ljubljani, , la, Universitas Labacensis), often referred to as UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 39,000 enrolled students.
History Beginnings
Although certain ...
. He lectured until 1962 and then joined a
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
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 ...
oceanographic project and worked in
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
,
Tunisia
)
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, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
and the Western African coast from
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
to
Zaire
Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...
until 1975. He was then head of the Marine Biology Station in
Piran
Piran (; it, Pirano ) is a town in southwestern Slovenia on the Gulf of Piran on the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the three major towns of Slovenian Istria. The town is known for its medieval architecture, with narrow streets and compact houses. P ...
run by the National Institute of Biology of the University of Ljubljana. He died in
Drniš
Drniš is a town in Croatia, located in inland Dalmatia, about halfway between Šibenik and Knin.
History
The name Drniš was mentioned for the first time in a contract dated March 8, 1494. However, there are traces of older Middle Ages' fortr ...
in
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
in 2006.
He wrote numerous scientific texts but also a number of
popular science books. He won the
Levstik Award
The Levstik Award ( sl, Levstikova nagrada) is a literary award in Slovenia awarded for achievements in children's literature. It has been bestowed since 1949 by the Mladinska Knjiga Publishing House, making it the first literary award established ...
twice, in 1952 for his book ''Iz ribjega sveta'' (The World of Fish) and in 1957 for ''Iz življenja sesalcev'' (The Lives of Mammals).
The
Miroslav Zei Award for outstanding scientific achievements in Biology bestowed by the Slovenian National Institute of Biology since 2010 are named after him.
National Institute of Biology site: News 26 November 2010 ''The 50th Anniversary of the National Institute of Biology''
/ref>
Selected published works
* ''Življenje Jadrana'' (Life in the Adriatic), 1947
* ''Iz ribjega sveta'' (The World of Fish), 1951
* ''Jadranske girice'' (Picarels of the Adriatic), 1951
* ''Morja bogati zakladi'' (Rich Treasures of the Sea), 1956
* ''Pelagic Polychaetes of the Adriatic'', 1956
* ''Morski svet'' (Marine World), 1956
* ''Iz življenja sesalcev'' (The Lives of Mammals), 1957
* ''Dvoživke in plazilci'' (Amphibians and Reptiles), 1958
* ''Zoologija'' (Zoology), secondary school textbook, 1959
* ''Človek in ocean'' (Man and the Ocean), 1961
* ''Vretenčarji'' (Vertebrates), 1961
* ''Skrivnostna bitja globokega morja'' (Mysterious Creatures of the Deep Sea), 1962
* ''Morski ribji trg'' (The Sea Fish Market), 1982
* ''Jadranske ribe'' (Fish of the Adriatic), 1984
* ''Obrazi morja'' (Faces of the Sea), 1987
* ''Življenje živali v morju'' (The Life of Sea Animals), 1988
* ''Prvi koraki v morje'' (First Steps Into the Sea), 1998
* ''Povest o hrbtenici'' (The Story of the Spinal Cord), with Kazimir Tarman, 1999
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zei, Miroslav
1914 births
2006 deaths
Slovenian biologists
Ichthyologists
Levstik Award laureates
University of Ljubljana alumni
University of Ljubljana faculty
Yugoslav zoologists