Jan Rzewuski
Encyclopedia
Jan Rzewuski was a Polish
theoretical physicist, a member of Polish resistance during World War II and a participant in the Warsaw Uprising
.
Rzewuski finished a gimnazjum in Łódź in 1934 and between 1934 and 1939 studied chemistry
in Lwów and Gdańsk
. From the start of the German occupation of Poland until 1942 he worked in the cotton industry in Łódź as an ordinary worker. In the next two years he studied theoretical physics in a secret underground (Poles were forbidden to study past the elementary level during the German occupation) university organized by the University of Warsaw
.
As part of the Polish Home Army (AK) he fought in the Warsaw Uprising
for which he was later decorated with the Cross of Valor and the Cross of the Uprising.
After the war, in 1945, he worked a lecturer at the Lublin Polytechnic. In 1946 he moved back to Warsaw where he took a position at the University of Warsaw and where, in that year he got his magisterium
in theoretical physics under Jan Blaton. He received a scholarship of Ministry of Education and defended his doctoral thesis in 1947. In 1948 he was hired as an adjunct at the Mikolaj Kopernik University in Toruń
. He spent the next year at the University of Birmingham
.
He was the laureate of numerous awards and decorations. He received an honorary decree from University of Wrocław, the Order of Polonia Restituta
, the Jurzykowski Prize
in USA, the Medal of the Polish Education Commission and several awards from the Polish Minister of Education. The Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences awarded him the Marian Smoluchowski
medal.
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
theoretical physicist, a member of Polish resistance during World War II and a participant in the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
.
Rzewuski finished a gimnazjum in Łódź in 1934 and between 1934 and 1939 studied chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
in Lwów and Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
. From the start of the German occupation of Poland until 1942 he worked in the cotton industry in Łódź as an ordinary worker. In the next two years he studied theoretical physics in a secret underground (Poles were forbidden to study past the elementary level during the German occupation) university organized by the University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
.
As part of the Polish Home Army (AK) he fought in the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
for which he was later decorated with the Cross of Valor and the Cross of the Uprising.
After the war, in 1945, he worked a lecturer at the Lublin Polytechnic. In 1946 he moved back to Warsaw where he took a position at the University of Warsaw and where, in that year he got his magisterium
Magisterium
In the Catholic Church the Magisterium is the teaching authority of the Church. This authority is understood to be embodied in the episcopacy, which is the aggregation of the current bishops of the Church in union with the Pope, led by the Bishop of Rome , who has authority over the bishops,...
in theoretical physics under Jan Blaton. He received a scholarship of Ministry of Education and defended his doctoral thesis in 1947. In 1948 he was hired as an adjunct at the Mikolaj Kopernik University in Toruń
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
. He spent the next year at the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
.
He was the laureate of numerous awards and decorations. He received an honorary decree from University of Wrocław, the Order of Polonia Restituta
Polonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta is one of Poland's highest Orders. The Order can be conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, defense of the country, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries...
, the Jurzykowski Prize
Jurzykowski Prize
The Alfred Jurzykowski Prize is an annual prize awarded by the Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation in New York for the translation of Polish works in to English. Its recipients have included such writers as Leszek Kołakowski , Ryszard Kapuściński , and Bogusław Schaeffer ....
in USA, the Medal of the Polish Education Commission and several awards from the Polish Minister of Education. The Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences awarded him the Marian Smoluchowski
Marian Smoluchowski
Marian Smoluchowski was an ethnic Polish scientist in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was a pioneer of statistical physics and an avid mountaineer.-Life:...
medal.