Obituary Professor Marie Kaplanová (1941–2024)
The IC mourns the loss of Professor Marie Kaplanová from the University of Pardubice.
Marie Kaplanová was born in Prague, where she also spent her childhood and school years. After studying mathematics and physics at Charles University, she joined the Institute of Chemical Technology in Pardubice, which later transformed into the University of Pardubice. Pardubice became her new home. She and her husband, Ladislav, raised two sons together and celebrated their diamond wedding in 2021.
Marie Kaplanová started working at the Department of Physics, where her research was primarily concerned with photochemical changes of chlorophyll. Then, she moved to the Department of Chemical Technology of Fibrous Materials and focused on using photoacoustic spectroscopy to study polymers. However, her scientific career could not develop freely until after the Velvet Revolution. In 1990, she habilitated, and in 1992, she became head of the Department of Graphic Arts and Photophysics. She engaged in studying the properties of materials used in printing and novel characterisation methods. In 2001, she was appointed professor.
As fate would have it, she entered the field of printing at a time when it was undergoing major transformations. Marie Kaplanová significantly influenced the dynamically changing environment of the Czech printing industry. She was instrumental in publishing the journal disseminating new information, the English-German-Czech Dictionary of Graphic Arts and a monograph on Modern Graphic Arts (in Czech), as well as in organising 11 volumes of the Symposium on Graphic Arts and international networking in general. She initiated and promoted the implementation of study programmes in the field at all levels (bachelor, master, doctoral), complemented by special courses presenting state-of-the-art to the printing industry. Hundreds of students completed their studies at the department during her tenure and will remember her humanity, expertise and enthusiasm.
Although she devoted much of her time to the department, teaching and research, she did not just live her profession; she loved culture and sports and enjoyed her family. Unfortunately, not long after her retirement, she suffered a serious illness. Marie Kaplanová passed away on January 5, 2024.