Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology
Encyclopedia
The Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology is a scientific research organization headquartered in Warsaw
.
from Berne and St. Petersburg.
Over the next two decades the Institute gained prominence in the field of biological research in Poland. One of its major figures was the neurophysiologist Jerzy Konorski
who discovered secondary conditioned reflexes
. The outbreak of World War II
interrupted a period of its intensive expansion and the achievement of scientific excellence in the field of experimental biology.
During World War II, over a dozen of the Institute's staff lost their lives, and its premises (including most of its 30,000-volume library) were destroyed.
, and the Institute's director, Prof. Dembowski, became the first President of the Academy. During the period 1953-55, a newly erected building at 3 Pasteur Street in Warsaw became the new home of the Nencki Institute.
. The Institute hires new researchers and awards approximately 15 doctoral degrees annually and is competitive in securing external funding for research projects. Two European Centres of Excellence were recently formed within the Institute.
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.
Early history
It was founded in 1918/19, shortly after the reestablishment of Poland as an independent country. It was based on three pre-existing laboratories affiliated with the Scientific Society of Warsaw (Towarzystwo Naukowe Warszawskie): Laboratory of Neurobiology (in existence since 1911), Laboratory of Physiology (in existence since 1913) and Laboratory of General Biology (established in 1918). Formation and development of the Institute was supported in part by a donation of Nadine Sieber-Shumova, a close co-worker of Marceli NenckiMarceli Nencki
Wilhelm Marceli Nencki was a famous Polish chemist and doctor.-Work:Nencki's main scientific interest concentrated on urea synthesis, the chemistry of purines and biological oxidation of aromatic compounds. He was also interested in the structure of proteins, enzymatic processes in the intestine...
from Berne and St. Petersburg.
Over the next two decades the Institute gained prominence in the field of biological research in Poland. One of its major figures was the neurophysiologist Jerzy Konorski
Jerzy Konorski
Jerzy Konorski was a Polish neurophysiologist who further developed the work of Ivan Pavlov by discovering secondary conditioned reflexes and also operant conditioning...
who discovered secondary conditioned reflexes
Operant conditioning
Operant conditioning is a form of psychological learning during which an individual modifies the occurrence and form of its own behavior due to the association of the behavior with a stimulus...
. The outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
interrupted a period of its intensive expansion and the achievement of scientific excellence in the field of experimental biology.
During World War II, over a dozen of the Institute's staff lost their lives, and its premises (including most of its 30,000-volume library) were destroyed.
Post World War II
The surviving staff members (professors Jan Dembowski, Jerzy Konorski, and Włodzimierz Niemierko) re-established the Nencki Institute. In 1952 the Institute was incorporated into the newly founded Polish Academy of SciencesPolish Academy of Sciences
The Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences.-History:...
, and the Institute's director, Prof. Dembowski, became the first President of the Academy. During the period 1953-55, a newly erected building at 3 Pasteur Street in Warsaw became the new home of the Nencki Institute.
Recent developments
In 1990, the Institute was invited to become a member institution of the Global Network for Molecular and Cell Biology (MCBN) within UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
. The Institute hires new researchers and awards approximately 15 doctoral degrees annually and is competitive in securing external funding for research projects. Two European Centres of Excellence were recently formed within the Institute.