Prof. dr. Ladislav Kosec (1938 – 2023) In memoriam Prof. dr. Ladislav Kosec (1938 – 2023) V ~etrtek 28. septembra 2023 nas je raz`alostila vest, da nas je za vedno zapustil velik ~lovek in priznani strokovnjak na podro~ju metalurgije prof. dr. Ladislav Kosec. Rojen je bil 23. septembra 1938 v Zgornjih Gameljnah. V uni~evalni vihri 2. svetovne vojne je `e leta 1941 leta izgubil o~eta, komandirja Ra{i{ke ~ete, ki so ga okupatorji odpeljali v Begunje, kjer je zaradi ne~love{kih razmer v zaporu umrl `e oktobra istega leta. O~e Stane Kosec je bil po vojni posthumno imenovan za narodnega heroja. Ni manjkalo veliko, pa bi tudi majh- nega fanti~a Ladislava Kosca med vojno ustrelili. Ker je bil Ladislav Kosec zelo vedo`eljen in bister fant, se je po maturi na gimnaziji [entvid leta 1957 vpisal na Univerzo v Ljubljani, Fakulteto za rudarstvo, metalurgijo in kemijsko tehnologijo, na odsek za meta- lurgijo in diplomiral leta 1962. Podiplomski magistrski {tudij je ravno tako nadaljeval na Univerzi v Ljubljani na Fakulteti za naravoslovje in tehnologijo (FNT), odseku za metalurgijo in ga kon~al z delom Vpliv antimona, arzena, bakra in kositra na izoblikovanje obogatene plasti pri selektivni oksidaciji mehkega jekla. Doktoriral je leta 1971 na Univerzi v Ljubljani z doktorsko disertacijo Notranja oksidacija ve~komponentnih zlitin. Leta 1974 je bil habilitiran za docenta fizikalne metalurgije, leta 1983 za izrednega profesorja na Fakulteti za strojni{tvo Univerze v Ljubljani in leta 1987 za rednega profesorja na FNT Univerze v Ljubljani. Kot raziskovalec je bil od leta 1962 kraj{e obdobje zaposlen na Metalur{kem in{titutu v Ljubljani, leta 1971 je postal asistent na Fakulteti za strojni{tvo, kjer je bil v obdobju od 1974 do 1978 nato predavatelj za materiale. Od leta 1983 je bil na odseku za metalurgijo FNT Univerze v Ljubljani (ki se je pozneje preimenovala v Naravoslovnotehni{ko fakulteto, Oddelek za materiale in metalurgijo, Univerze v Ljubljani) najprej predavatelj fizikalne metalurgije, nato pa tudi {tevilnih drugih pred- metov, kot so metalur{ke tehnologije, preiskava mate- riala, specialna jekla, korozija, izbirne vsebine na smeri za materiale, idr. Kot redni profesor je bil do svoje upokojitve zaposlen na Univerzi v Ljubljani, Naravo- slovnotehni{ki fakulteti, Oddelku za materiale in metalurgijo. @e leta 1963 je mladi Ladislav Kosec dobil Pre{er- novo nagrado za {tudente, leta 1979 pa nagrado Sklada Borisa Kidri~a (SBK). Med drugim je bil je ~lan Mednarodnega zdru`enja za materiale ASM (Interna- tional Association for Materials) in zdru`enj za metalurgijo prahov EPMA (European Powder Metal- lurgy Association) in APMI (American Powder Metal- lurgy Institute). Njegovo {ir{e raziskovalno podro~je je bilo povezano z metalografijo, fizikalno metalurgijo, ter sintezo in karakterizacijo materialov. Znanstveno in strokovno se je ukvarjal z jekli, aluminijevimi, bakrovimi in srebrovimi zlitinami in naprednimi materiali, kot so npr. kompoziti s kovinsko osnovo. Imel je {irok spekter znanj pomembnih meta- lur{kih tehnologij. Bil je izjemen strokovnjak na podro~ju toplotnih obdelav, (selektivne) notranje oksida- cije kovinskih zlitin, metalurgije prahov, korozije, spajanja in varjenja, karbidov v jeklih, preiskave mate- rialov, pa tudi na podro~ju karakterizacije materialov z uporabo modernih tehnik, kot je elektronska mikro- skopija, s katero se je na podro~ju metalografije in fraktografije za~el ukvarjati med prvimi v Sloveniji. Bogato, skoraj enciklopedi~no znanje je prek predavanj in mentorstva prena{al na svoje {tudente, pomemben prispevek stroki pa je dal tudi s {tevilnimi recenzijami publikacij. Bil je eden tistih, ki so v zadnjih desetletjih bistveno prispevali k uspe{nemu razvoju in`enirskih materialov v Sloveniji. Poleg tega je bil izreden pedagog in mentor, saj je bil mentor pri 26 doktoratih, pri 25 magisterijih in kar pri 143 diplomah. [tevilna so tudi njegova somentorstva. Prof. dr. Ladislav Kosec je v svojem `ivljenju vzorno skrbel za razvoj metalur{ke stroke ter predano vodil Katedro za in`enirske materiale in Oddelek za materiale in metalurgijo. Prof. dr. Ladislav Kosec je bil kolegialen, inovativen ter izredno delaven. Vsi smo ob~udovali njegove pristne odnose z mladimi ter prijateljske povezave s kolegi, predvsem pa njegovo skromnost in predano, vedno aktivno delo na fakulteti, ki mu je bilo v zelo veliko veselje. V na{ih srcih ostaja izjemen ~lovek, strokovnjak, znanstvenik, pedagog in praktik v pristnem pomenu te besede, saj je nudil pomo~ in podporo mnogim, tako sodelavcem in kolegom na Univerzi, {tudentom, kot tudi kolegom metalurgom iz industrije ter {tevilnim drugim strokovnjakom iz najrazli~nej{ih panog. In kar je mogo~e {e najpomembnej{e – njegov zna~ilen temperament, smisel za humor in `iv duh, s katerim je odkrival nova obzorja in nas razveseljeval v ~love{kem in strokovnem smislu, sta ga zapisala v na{a srca. V sredo, 4. oktobra 2023 smo ga v [martnem pod [marno goro pospremili na njegovi poslednji poti. Spominjali se ga bomo z velikim spo{tovanjem. Direktor In{tituta za kovinske materiale in tehnologije A/Prof. dr. Matja` Godec Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 57 (2023) 6 569 In memoriam Prof. dr. Ladislav Kosec (1938 – 2023) On Thursday, September 28, 2023, we were saddened by the news that we had lost a great man and a renowned expert in the field of metallurgy, Professor Dr. Ladislav Kosec. He was born on September 23, 1938, in Zgornje Gameljne. In the midst of the destructive turmoil of World War II, he lost his father in 1941, the commander of the Ra{ica Unit, who was taken by the occupiers to Begunje, where he died as a result of the inhumane con- ditions in the prison in October of the same year. After the war, his father Stane Kosec was posthumously made a national hero. In fact, it was a close call that young Ladislav Kosec himself wasn’t shot during the war. His curiosity and sharp intellect meant that after at- tending [entvid Grammar School in 1957, Ladislav Kosec enrolled at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mining, Metallurgy and Chemical Engineering, in the Department of Metallurgy, where he graduated in 1962. He continued his postgraduate master’s studies at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology (FNT), in the Department of Metallurgy, completing it with a thesis on the Influence of Antimony, Arsenic, Copper and Tin on the Formation of an En- riched Layer in the Selective Oxidation of Soft Steel. In 1971 he obtained his doctorate at the University of Ljubljana with a dissertation on the Internal Oxidation of Multicomponent Alloys. In 1974 he was habilitated as an assistant professor of physical metallurgy, in 1983 as an associate professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engi- neering of the University of Ljubljana, and in 1987 as a full professor at FNT of the University of Ljubljana. As a researcher, he worked at the Metallurgical Insti- tute in Ljubljana for a brief period starting in 1962, and in 1971 he became an assistant at the Faculty of Mechan- ical Engineering, where he served as a lecturer for mate- rials from 1974 to 1978. From 1983 onwards, he worked at the Department of Metallurgy at FNT of the Univer- sity of Ljubljana (which was later renamed the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Department of Mate- rials and Metallurgy), initially as a lecturer in physical metallurgy and later teaching numerous other subjects such as metallurgical technologies, material investiga- tion, special steels, corrosion, elective courses in materi- als, and more. He remained employed as a full professor at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Natural Sci- ences and Engineering, Department of Materials and Metallurgy, until his retirement. In 1963, young Ladislav Kosec received the Pre{eren Award for students, and in 1979 he was awarded the Boris Kidri~ Fund Prize. Among other achievements, he was a member of the International Association for Mate- rials, as well as the European Powder Metallurgy Associ- ation and the American Powder Metallurgy Institute in the field of powder metallurgy. His broader research ar- eas were connected to metallography, physical metallurgy, synthesis and material characterisation. He dedicated himself to scientific and professional work related to steels, aluminium, copper, silver alloys, and advanced materials, such as composites with a me- tallic base. He possessed a wide spectrum of knowledge in essential metallurgical technologies. He was an out- standing expert in heat treatments, the selective internal oxidation of metallic alloys, powder metallurgy, corro- sion, joining, and welding, as well as carbides in steels, material investigations, and the characterisation of mate- rials using modern techniques such as electronic micros- copy, which he was among the first to explore in Slovenia in the fields of metallography and fractography. Through lectures and mentorship, he shared his rich, al- most encyclopaedic knowledge with his students. He made contributions to the field through numerous re- views. He was one of those who contributed to the suc- cessful development of engineering materials in Slovenia over the past few decades. Furthermore, he was an ex- ceptional educator and mentor, serving as a mentor for 26 doctoral theses, 25 master’s theses, and 143 under- graduate theses. He also had numerous co-mentorships. Throughout his life, Prof. Dr. Ladislav Kosec took exem- plary care of the development of the metallurgical field and led the Department of Materials and Metallurgy. Prof. Dr. Ladislav Kosec was collegial, innovative, and extremely hardworking. We all admired his genuine relationships with young people and friendly connections with colleagues. Above all, we appreciated his modesty and his unwavering dedication to his work at the univer- sity, which he found great joy in. In our hearts, he will remain an exceptional individual, expert, scientist, edu- cator, and practitioner in the truest sense of the word, as he provided assistance and support to many, including university colleagues, students, fellow metallurgists from industry, and numerous other experts from various fields. And perhaps most importantly, his characteristic tem- perament, sense of humour, and lively spirit, with which he discovered new horizons and brought us joy in both a human and professional sense, have left a lasting mark on our hearts. On Wednesday, October 4, 2023, we accompanied him to his final resting place in [martno pod [marno goro. We will remember him with great respect. Director of the Institute of Metals and Technology A/Prof. Dr Matja` Godec 570 Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 57 (2023) 6