Emīlija Gudriniece facts for kids

Emīlija Gudriniece (born August 3, 1920 – died October 4, 2004) was a famous Latvian chemist. She was an expert in making new chemical compounds. Emīlija focused on how to use these substances in real life. For example, she created a medicine called furacilin. She even won a special state award for this work!

Emīlija was also one of the first to see that plant oils could be used as fuel. She started studies on how to make fuel from rapeseed oil in Latvia. She wrote many scientific papers and edited a chemistry journal. She also wrote a textbook on organic synthesis in Latvian. Emīlija received many awards for her important contributions.

Early Life and Education

Emīlija Gudriniece was born on August 3, 1920. Her birthplace was in the Rēzekne District of Latvia. She grew up in a farming village called Kromoni. This village is in the Kaunata Parish.

Emīlija went to the University of Latvia. She graduated in 1948. She earned a degree in chemical engineering. After that, she started her advanced studies in 1949. She earned her Candidacy Degree in Chemical Science in 1952.

A Champion Chemist

While studying, Emīlija also had another talent. She was a great motorcycle racer! She won the Latvian Women's Motorcycling Championship twice. She won in 1949 and again in 1953.

In 1953, she became an associate professor. She taught at the University of Latvia in the Chemistry Faculty. She worked there until 1958. In 1959, she moved to the Riga Polytechnical Institute. There, she began studies for her higher degree. She finished this degree in Moscow in 1960.

After completing her advanced degree, Emīlija became a full professor. This happened at the Riga Polytechnic in 1961. She then started a new department in 1963. It was called the Department of Organic Synthesis and Biotechnology. She led this department for 27 years!

Scientific Discoveries

Emīlija Gudriniece's main research was about organic synthesis. This means making new chemical compounds. She also focused on how to use these substances. Her work helped create new medicines, cosmetics, and industrial products.

She successfully created furacilin. She also found a way to use it for industrial purposes. This important work earned her the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Prize in 1957.

Emīlija studied different chemical reactions. She published over 600 scientific reports. These reports were about theoretical and synthetic chemistry. Her later work focused on rapeseed oil. She tried to find ways to separate fats from it. She also worked on refining rapeseed oil for industry in Latvia. She was one of the first to realize that plant oils could be used for biofuels.

Publications and Awards

Emīlija Gudriniece was very active in the scientific community. She was on the editorial board of the Latvian Journal of Chemistry. At the time of her death, she was a co-author of a textbook. This was the only textbook in the Latvian language on organic synthesis methods.

She received many honors for her work. Some of her awards include:

• The Gustavs Vanags Prize for Chemistry in 1972.
• The Vladimir Vasilevich Chelintsev Memorial Medal.
• Election as an academician in the Latvian Academy of Sciences in 1978.
• Latvian Emeritus State Scientist in 1996.
• Professor Emeritus from the Riga Technical University in 2000.
• The Paul Walden Medal in 2000.
• The Grindeks Award in 2003 for her contributions to education.

Emīlija Gudriniece passed away on October 4, 2004, in Riga, Latvia.

Images for kids

• 

  Gudriniece on a 2020 stamp of Latvia

See also

In Spanish: Emīlija Gudriniece para niños