Professor dr hab. Anna Maria Bujakiewicz 1 of 3Published by Polish Botanical Society Acta Mycologica SCIENTISTS Professor dr hab. Anna Maria Bujakiewicz Anna Kujawa Institute for Agricultural and Forest Environment of Polish Academy of Sciences, Research station in Turew, Turew, Szkolna 4, 64-000 Kościan, Poland * Email: anna.kujawa@isrl.poznan.pl Abstract The article presents the biography and scientific achievements of Professor Anna Bujakiewicz. After receiving her master’s degree and doctorate in biology and mycology from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Professor Bujakiewicz continued her exciting research and teaching on mycology at her Alma Mater Posnaniensis for more than 50 years. Her publications in this field include many books, articles, and other scholarly reports. Keywords mycology; mycocoenology; macromycetes; Poznań This issue of Acta Mycologica is dedicated to Professor Maria Lisiewska and Professor Anna Bujakiewicz on the occasion of their 80th and 75th birthday, respectively. Professor Anna Maria Bujakiewicz, a native-born Wielkopolska province in- habitant, has always been interested in nature. Following her passion, in 1957 she started studies at the Institute of Bi- ology at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. She described her fascination as follows: “I chose biology because my childhood and my youth passed amid my beloved nature. I especially loved botany and ornithology. What fascinated me the most was observing nature during field classes which took place in different parts of Poland” [1]. She graduated in 1962 after defending her thesis, entitled “Udział grzybów wyższych w grądach okolic Opalenicy (Uroczysko Urbanowo i Da- kowy Mokre, Nadleśnictwo Podłoziny) [Macromycetes in oak-hornbeam forests near Opalenica (Uroczysko Urbanowo i Dakowy Mokre, Forest District Podłoziny)]”, supervised by Prof. Dr. hab. Zygmunt Czubiński, and was employed at the Department of Plant Systematics and Geography at Adam Mickiewicz University. She looks back to her studies and the beginning of her work with pleasure, and she also recalls her professors, Zygmunt Czubiński, Teofil Wojterski, Stefan Krupko, Jan Rafalski, Anna Czekalska, Jan Czekanowski, Izabela Dąmbska, and Stanisław Lisowski. Forests, especially alluvial and alder forests, fascinated her, and she devoted most of her time to studying them. Her focus was on mutual relationships between plants and fungi. Her first mycocoenological studies were planned according to the directions of the pioneer of Polish mycocoenology, Professor Andrzej Nespiak. The results of the mycocoenological studies conducted in riparian and alder forests DOI: 10.5586/am.1060 Publication history Received: 2015-06-27 Accepted: 2015-07-23 Published: 2015-08-05 Handling editor Maria Rudawska, Institute of Dendrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland Funding This work did not involve any funding. Competing interests No competing interests have been declared. Copyright notice © The Author(s) 2015. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits redistribution, commercial and non- commercial, provided that the article is properly cited. Citation Kujawa A. Professor dr hab. Anna Maria Bujakiewicz. Acta Mycol. 2015;50(1):1060. http:// dx.doi.org/10.5586/am.1060 Digital signature This PDF has been certified using digital signature with a trusted timestamp to assure its origin and integrity. A verification trust dialog appears on the PDF document when it is opened in a compatible PDF reader. Certificate properties provide further details such as certification time and a signing reason in case any alterations made to the final content. If the certificate is missing or invalid it is recommended to verify the article on the journal website. mailto:anna.kujawa%40isrl.poznan.pl?subject=Professor%20dr%20hab.%20Anna%20Maria%20Bujakiewicz http://dx.doi.org/10.5586/am.1060 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://dx.doi.org/10.5586/am.1060 http://dx.doi.org/10.5586/am.1060 2 of 3© The Author(s) 2015 Published by Polish Botanical Society Acta Mycol 50(1):1060 Kujawa / Professor dr hab. Anna Maria Bujakiewicz became the basis for her doctoral thesis, entitled “Udział grzybów wyższych w olesach i lasach łęgowych Wielkopolski [Macromycetes in the alder and riparian forests of Wielkopolska province]”, promoted by Prof. Dr. hab. Teofil Wojterski. Mycocoenology was not the only passion of Professor Bujakiewicz. Over the next years, she combined her love for mountain hiking with attempts to observe regulari- ties in fungi occurrence in forest associations in uphill gradients. Several years of ana- lyzing Mt Babia Góra and strenuous mycocoenological research provided the basis for her postdoctoral thesis, entitled “Grzyby Babiej Góry II. Wartość wskaźnikowa macromycetes w zespołach leśnych [Fungi of Mt Babia Góra II. The indicating value of macromycetes in forest associations]”, defended in 1979. She also gained experi- ence abroad on scholarships in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway. In the years 1982–1983 she studied in the USA, at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, under the direction of a famous worldwide fungi taxonomer, Professor Richard P. Korf. She received her nomination for professorship in 1994. Professor Anna Bujakiewicz’s research has focused on mycocoenological issues until today. She has analyzed the macromycetes in forests both in Poland and abroad (USA, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Finland). In Poland, she analyzed forest associations in the Beech Forest near Szczecin and the Babia Góra, Słowiński, Wielko- polski, and Białowieża national parks. She conducted mycological research in riparian and alder forests of many nature reserves and took part in the CRYPTO project in Białowieża Forest, conducted by Professor Janusz B. Faliński. She also organized sev- eral mycological and botanical expeditions for foreigners, among which were expedi- tions for the International Society for Vegetation Sciences (1978) and an expedition during the International Botanical Congress in Western Berlin (1987). Since the beginning of her work at Adam Mickiewicz University, Professor Anna Bujakiewicz has dreamed of implementing mycology as a separate subject in the pro- gram in the Faculty of Biology. She managed to obtain her goal in the academic year 1998–1999. Earlier, in 1991, she had established a mycological section of the Polish Botanical Society in Poznań, where she has resided until today and with whom she has conducted over 200 seminars with lecturers from all over Poland. Professor Anna Bujakiewicz has been able to instill her passion among a great number of students. The latest experiment is a lecture, “Biology, ecology, and fungi protection”, in English for students of environment protection studies within the Human Resources of the EU program. Bujakiewicz’s fascination with fungi necessitated that she popularize the study of these organisms, and she therefore conducted expeditions and corresponded with amateurs. Each September from 1996 to 2005, she visited Białowieża Forest and or- ganized fungi exhibitions visited by tourists, Białowieża residents, and students in the Nature Education Centre at Białowieża National Park. Since 2005, the organization of this exhibition has been taken over by a new generation of researchers who have cooperated with her in previous years. During her work, Professor Anna Bujakiewicz has participated actively in myco- logical congresses, conferences, and symposiums in Poland and abroad. Her scientific experience includes 133 Polish and foreign publications, among others the summary of macrofungi in deciduous forests [2], remarks on macrofungi occurring in boreal and temperate grey alder [3], and macrofungi in the Alnetum incanae association in the Western Carpathians [4]. Ecological research on fungi occurrence patterns in black alder bog forests were described in an article from the Olszyny Niezgodzkie na- ture reserve [5]. She is also a co-author of an elaboration on mycocoenological studies covering half a century, 1952–2002 [6]. A number of people gained mycological experience under the supervision of Professor Bujakiewicz. These include 14 bachelors, 21 masters, and 3 doctors (Anna Kujawa, Marek Halama, and Mateusz Stefaniak). Professor Anna Bujakiewicz has re- viewed five doctoral dissertations, three applications for professorship, and an applica- tion by the Wrocław University Senate to award a degree of honoris causa of Wrocław University to Mark R.D. Seaward, a professor at Bradford University in England. Her experience and professionalism have been appreciated in the professional and organizational field. In the years 1984–1985, Professor Bujakiewicz held the position of deputy dean of the Department of Biology at Adam Mickiewicz University, and in 1992–2005 she was the head of the Department of Plant Ecology and Environment 3 of 3© The Author(s) 2015 Published by Polish Botanical Society Acta Mycol 50(1):1060 Kujawa / Professor dr hab. Anna Maria Bujakiewicz Protection. She has taken an active role in activities of scientific societies, and she remains a well-known expert in the field. During 2004–2009, she was a member of the Botanical Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and in 2005–2007 a member of the Ecology Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Since 2004, she has been a member of the Department of Mathematics and Nature at the Poznań Society of Friends of Learning. In the years 2001–2014, she was a member of the Zygmunt Czubiński Medal Chapter. Through the years, she has participated in scientific ses- sions of the Babia Góra and Białowieża national parks. She is a member of the Polish Botanical Society and the Polish Mycological Society. Since 1980, she has performed international activities as a member of the IAVS (International Association for Veg- etation Science). She was awarded the Second Stage Minister’s Prize for scientific studies and was honored for studies in the Białowieża National Park. In 2010, she received a Medal of Professor Bolesław Hryniewiecki to appreciate her development and popularization of botanical knowledge. Her work she summarizes as follows: “In my opinion, I chose the direction of my studies correctly and I fulfilled my professional aims. I have always treated my work as a duty. I was taught this attitude by my father”[1]. References 1. Bujakiewicz A, Dunajska-Zielińska L, Kopczyńska-Idzikowska K, Malinowski A. 50 lat my z Biologią – 50 lat Biologia z nami. 1962–2012. Poznań: Wydział Biologii UAM, Wydawnictwo Kontekst; 2012. 2. Bujakiewicz A. Macrofungi on soil in deciduous forests. In: Winterhoff W, editor. Fungi in vegetation science. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 1992. p. 49–78. (Handbook of Vegetation Science; vol 19). http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2414-0 3. Bujakiewicz A. General remarks on macrofungi occurring in boreal and temperate grey older forests. Blyttia. 1993;51(3–4):99–110. 4. Bujakiewicz A. Macrofungi in the Alnetum incanae association along Jaworzyna and Ska- wica River valleys (Western Carpathians) Pol Bot J. 2011;56(2):267–285. 5. Bujakiewicz A. Response of macrofungi to mosaic arrangement of biotic microforms in the Ribo nigri-Alnetum in the Olszyny Niezgodzkie reserve. Acta Mycol. 1999;34(2):267– 280. http://dx.doi.org/10.5586/am.1999.016 6. Ławrynowicz M, Bujakiewicz A, Mułenko W. Mycocoenological studies in Poland – 1952– 2002. Łódź: Polish Botanical Society; 2004. (Monographiae Botanicae; vol 93). http:// dx.doi.org/10.5586/mb.2004.001 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2414-0 http://dx.doi.org/10.5586/am.1999.016 http://dx.doi.org/10.5586/mb.2004.001 http://dx.doi.org/10.5586/mb.2004.001 Abstract References 2015-08-02T15:22:02+0100 Piotr Otręba