Born October 15, 1945 in Warsaw, Poland, Andrzej Zieminski became a professor at the University of Warsaw, from which he graduated in 1968. He immigrated to the United States in 1980, moving to Bloomington in 1982.

Zieminski taught physics at Indiana University, with research focused on elementary particle physics. Under his leadership, IU joined a large international research project at the Fermi National Laboratory near Chicago in 1985. The greatest achievement of the D-Zero experiment was the landmark 1995 discovery of the Top quark, the most massive of all observed elementary particles. This fundamental building block of nature helps scientists understand the forces of the universe.

Professor Zieminski loved life. He enjoyed people, travel, mountains, opera, and world history, and was passionate about politics, both in his home country and in his adopted country. During his 62 years, Andrzej traveled to every continent except Antarctica. He climbed Mount Rainier in Washington State to celebrate his 40th birthday, and on his 50th birthday he accepted his son’s invitation to travel to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. He was a frequent visitor to New York City, where he enjoyed performances, often standing, at the Metropolitan Opera.

Andrzej Zieminski is survived by his wife, Daria (who was with him since adolescence), his son Nick, daughter-in-law Alexis, and grandchildren, Max and Anna.