MILAN MEŠTROV
The academic Milan Meštrov, prominent Croatian biologist and pedagogue, was born on September 12, 1929 in Tisno. He died on December 3rd, 2018 in Zagreb where he is buried. He finished classical high school in Dubrovnik, and graduated in biology at the Faculty of Science and Mathematics in Zagreb in 1954. During his studies, he worked as a demonstrator, and in 1955 he became an assistant. He received his doctorate in 1959 with a dissertation on groundwater fauna. He advanced through the academic ranks, becoming a university professor in 1973 and head of the Zoological Institute from 1980 to 1992.
Meštrov was a member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, where he headed the Scientific Council for Nature Protection. His research included hydrobiology, ecological and faunal relationships and adaptation of aquatic invertebrates. He introduced new scientific concepts, including the hypotelminorrheic biotope, and studied the impact of pollution on freshwater ecosystems. At the Faculty, he structured teaching programs in ecology, zoogeography and nature protection. During his tenure, he improved laboratories and research facilities.
Meštrov educated generations of biologists and ecologists who achieved success throughout Croatia and beyond. He also contributed to the development of teaching work in primary and secondary schools, published over 50 scientific papers, and his research has been cited in specialist publications, manuals and monographs. He won the Ruđer Bošković award in 1982 and the state award for lifetime achievement in 1994.
Sources:
Članovi Akademije. https://www.info.hazu.hr/clanovi/mestrov-milan/
Meštrov, Milan. Hrvatska enciklopedija, mrežno izdanje. Leksikografski zavod Miroslav Krleža, 2013. – 2024. Pristupljeno 25.9.2024. https://www.enciklopedija.hr/clanak/mestrov-milan.
