We were informed about the death of Prof. Juan Alberto Mignao,from the
InstituteofPhysisoftheUniversidade FederaldoRiodeJaneiro(UFRJ),atthe
nal stages of the proessing of the manusripts referring to the XXI Brazilian
National Meeting on Partiles and Fields. A review paper by Prof. Mignao
had already been sent to be printed in this speial issue of Brazilian Journal of
Physis.
Prof. Mignao left important ontributions to eduation and siene both in
Argentina and Brazil. He was born in Argentina in 1940. During almost four
deades, he had an important role in the development of theoretial physis in
both ountries. In 1966 Professor Mignao reeived his Dotor degree at the
Universidade Naional de Rosario, where he worked for some time, and deided
to quit in a olletive protest against the intervention in the university after
a military oup d'etat. After a sojourn at CERN, he returned to Rosario as
a researher but was arbitrarily dismissed by the military ditatorship in 1976.
ForedtoleaveArgentina,Prof. MignaomovedtoBrazilwherehewasappointed
as a researher at the Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fsias (CBPF). Later, he
beame afull professor of physis atthe Instituteof Physisof UFRJ, where he
taught undergraduate and graduate physis ourses. His main elds of researh
wereelementarypartilephysis,quantumeldtheoryandmathematialphysis.
TogetherwithProf. EttoreRemidi,ofUniversityofBologna,Italy,Prof. Mignao
wasthe authorofanimportantpaperonthe evaluationofthe eletron magneti
moment.
In several oasions, Prof. Mignao served as department head at researh
institutions and universities both in Brazil and in Argentina. He was president
oftheAsoiaionFsiaArgentina,fromDeember1975toOtober1976, during
aritialpolitialmoment. He supervised the workofseveral graduatestudents,
and has always been partiularly onerned with the professional quality of his
students. Prof. Mignaormlybelieved in sieneasaninstrumenttooverome
underdevelopmentandtoimprovethequalityoflife. Hewasanativepartiipant
inArgentinianpolitiallife. InBrazil,he wasalsoveryative. Hewasamember
of several organizations dediated to the enforement of ivil and human rights,
among them, the Amnesty International. With the death of Prof. Mignao,
we loose a bright and militant sientist. He died of ompliations following a
