On February 9, 2026, our longtime colleague Ing. Zdeněk Převorovský, CSc., from the Department of Impact and Waves in Solids, passed away at the age of 80. He was a prominent figure of our Institute and the entire professional community of non-destructive testing of materials.
He dedicated his entire professional life to the Institute of Thermomechanics of the CAS. After joining in 1970, he established the field of non-destructive diagnostics of materials and structures, imbuing it with both high professional standards and deep humanity. Through his work, he significantly contributed to the international development of this field and mentored numerous students and successors.
He was a respected expert, an active member and representative of domestic and international professional societies, and a longtime educator at the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague. He shared his experience with a generosity and passion that inspired students and colleagues both at home and abroad.
His professional legacy remains a cornerstone of our field. However, his life energy, dedication, and joy of discovery transcended the boundaries of science; they stay with us like a musical trail of his journey.
It has been less than a year since we dedicated a song to Zdeněk for his 80th birthday. It was meant to be an encouragement—a reminder that he still had much to say to us and that the metaphorical river of his life would still have many bends. That it makes sense to cheer, to sing, to play… and he did just that; music was his language. Now, however, his song has been written to its end, and his river has reached the sea. Not in defeat, but in fulfillment. That which was played remains within us…