A long-standing employee of our institute, Dr Wiesław Maciszewski, passed away on 10 July 2023.

He was born on 27 March 1937 in Warsaw. From a very early age, he was interested in electronics. In 1955, he graduated from the Communications Technical School and started his professional career at the Industrial Institute of Telecommunications. He completed his engineering and master's studies at the Faculty of Electronics of the Warsaw University of Technology, graduating with a very good result in 1969 with a specialisation in radio technology. In the meantime, he worked at the Office for Nuclear Equipment and then at the Unipan and Eureka Experimental Plants as a constructor.

In 1970-1980, he worked at the Nuclear Physics Unit of the Military University of Technology (later the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microsynthesis) as assistant professor and head of the laboratory. He dealt with issues of electrical measurements for the physics of large dynamic loads. Among other things, he conducted, in cooperation with the IBJ, work on the construction of a pulsed electron accelerator "Nike", designed for dynamic radiography of processes in impact-loaded media.

In 1976, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Technical Sciences by the council of the Faculty of Chemistry and Technical Physics of the Military University of Technology. The title of his doctoral dissertation was:

"Analysis of a nanosecond time expansion system for time-resolved spectroscopy studies in the measurement of kinematic parameters".

In 1980, he joined the Department of Accelerator Physics and Technology (Department XXV) at the Institute of Nuclear Research. He worked as an assistant professor and held the position of head of the laboratory of model systems of accelerators. Among other things, he conducted work on the construction of the LIMEX 4 MeV therapeutic accelerator, the prototype of which was handed over for clinical operation at the Oncology Centre in Warsaw.

In 1987, he moved to the ICHTJ institute for several years in order to learn first-hand the problems of accelerator applications in material and food processing technologies. This involved the installation and commissioning of the Pilot1 accelerator developed at the IPJ at the Radiation Station in Włochy. He was also responsible for the commissioning and introduction into service of the high-powered process accelerator ('Elektronika' 10 MeV/10 kW) at the IPCU's Experimental Station for the Radiation Fixation of Agricultural Products. After a period of commissioning and optimisation of the accelerator parameters, when the work at the station became purely operational, he was no longer very interested in it. He returned to the IPJ and participated in new developments and accelerator solutions for various applications until 2002.

He was a very knowledgeable and experienced employee, and he willingly shared this knowledge with younger employees. Wiesław was socially committed, he joined the NSZZ Solidarność of the Institute of Nuclear Research very early on. He was a very sociable person and it was possible to have interesting conversations with him on virtually any topic. He had many interests, both political-historical and cultural. He was happy to talk to his friends about concerts at the Philharmonic, plays and books he had read. Every year we organised an Easter and Christmas gathering at the plant. We also continued this tradition when Wiesław, like many other colleagues, retired. Like our long-time head of the plant, Professor Staszek Kuliński, the last time he attended a private Christmas meeting was in 2019 and, as usual, he inquired with interest from his working colleagues about new developments at the plant.

He enjoyed meeting us privately, and many times organised cross-country skiing trips to the Kampinos Forest in winter.

Wiesław, we will always appreciate your commitment and professionalism in your work and warmly remember your sense of humour and kindness to us.

Anna Wysocka-Rabin

on behalf of colleagues

from the Department of Physics and Technology of Particle Acceleration at the NCBJ