ŻU: The defense of your doctoral dissertation is a splendid conclusion to your many years of professional career.
dr Stanisław Pruś: My entire life has always been connected with the textile industry. As a child, with my family, I worked cultivating, processing, and finishing flax and wool in a family-business home-based setting. After graduating from the High School of Textile Technology, I studied at what now is the Faculty of Material Technologies and Textile Design. Following my graduation, I started working at the "BORUTA" dye plant in Zgierz. My duties involved the synthesis of dyes for the textile and leather industries, which had been launched at the plant, and I also ran my own business. All this allowed me to build up a wealth of knowledge in the finishing of virtually any type of fiber.
I also collaborated with SITPChem, Stowarzyszenie Włókienników Polskich [Association of Polish Textiles Professionals], Polski Komitet Kolorystyki [Polish Committee of Colorists], and Stowarzyszenie Polskich Chemików Kolorystów [Association of Polish Chemists of Color] in organizing national and international seminars. This activity further advanced my knowledge and, at the same time, helped me realize that there were many unsolved problems, which led me to decide to investigate them.
ŻU: Was it this realization that brought you back to Lodz University of Technology?
Yes, after quite a long time I stepped back into the building I remembered from the time I was a student. My idea to take up experimental work at the laboratories of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Informatics and Chemistry of Polymer Materials was received with a very supportive attitude by dr hab. inż. Piotr Kulpiński, TUL prof. Consequently, the topic and scope of my investigation were formulated in such a way as to turn these scholarly pursuits of mine into much more than just a hobby, which resulted in fully-fledged study reports worthy of publication in several well-respected international journals. Eventually, they led to the preparation of a doctoral dissertation, the public defense of which was held on February 23 of this year.
ŻU: How did you feel doing something that 70+ year olds do not typically do?
All that happened was possible because of the most receptive attitude of my supervisor, dr hab. inż. Piotr Kulpinski, TUL prof., and assistant supervisor, dr inż. Edyta Matyjas-Zgondek; the many interesting discussions among the fellows at the Textile Institute as well as colleagues at industrial plants. Most importantly, there was an atmosphere of friendly collaboration between the entire staff at the Department, with the age difference playing no role at all.
ŻU: Have you been successful in finding answers to the problems that have been nagging you?
My research has contributed new insights into the mechanism of reaction of reactive dyes with modified cotton fiber. By taking into consideration the charges on the surface of the fiber and the electron densities of the reacting functional groups, new reaction mechanisms and impacts on the functional properties of the dyed materials have been identified. The results also suggest opportunities for continued research in this area.
ŻU: As we congratulate you on your scientific curiosity, we would like to wish you further success.