It is for this reason that a certain number of distinguished, foreign and Yugoslav, scientists dealing with the field of mechanics - with whom Professor Boričić has collaborated so far - have been invited to contribute their papers to celebrate their jubilee. The Editorial Board expresses gratitude to all the authors for their contributions.
Professor Zoran B. Boričićis a well-known and acknowledged scientist in the field of the Theory of the Boundary Layer. He is also much respected and appreciated as the University Professor, a successful manager and organizer of many activities and institutions in the field of science and academic education.
Professor Zoran B. Boričić was born on September, 21, 1942, in Niš (Yugoslavia) where he finished the primary and secondary schools (1961). He enrolled into the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Engineering Faculty of Niš and graduated as the best student of his generation in 1965.
After completing his army service, he enrolled into the postgraduate studies of the Faculty of Natural and Mathematical Sciences in Belgrade (Mechanics Department) in the academic year 1966/76. In December 1968, after defending his M. Sc. paper “Universalization of Gertler’s Equations of the Boundary Layer for the Problem of Compressible Fluid” he obtained M. Sc. title as the first in his generation.
In the academic year 1969/70 he went to Leningrad (USSR) on a ten months’ specialization. During his stay at the Chair for Aerodynamics LPI, under the tutorial of the world famous scientist L. G. Locjansky, he completed his ph. d. related to the study of magnetic-hydrodynamic currents by applying modern numerical integration methods.
Upon his return he defended his ph. dissertation “The Universalization of the Boundary Layer MHD Equations and Their Parametric Solutions” at the Engineering Faculty of Niš on March, 9, 1971. Thus he became the first doctor of engineering sciences at the University of Niš.
On 1966 he was chosen as Assistant Teacher for the Mechanics of Fluids at the Engineering Faculty of Niš. He was elected Assistant Professor at the Mechanical Engineering Faculty of Niš in 1971; he became Associate Professor in 1976 while he obtained the Professorship in the Mechanics of Fluid in 1981.
Professor Boričić was the Deputy Chief of the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Engineering Faculty in 1970. In 1971 he was elected Vice Dean of the newly-founded Mechanical Engineering Faculty. In 1973 he was re-elected. He was many times elected Dean of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty (1975/77, 1978/79, 1981/85, 1994/97). At present he is the Dean of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty. In the periods 1979/81 and 1985/89 he was Vice Rector of the University of Niš. At one time he was the President of the Niš University Council (1985/89). For his work and contribution to the development of science and high education at the University he was awarded the greatest reward, the Great University Charter.
Beside his university activities, Professor Boričić also gives other contributions to the development of science and education. He was the President of the Executive Council and of the Assembly of the Specialized Education Community of Serbia, a member of the Education Council of Serbia, a member of the Executive Board of the Science Community of Serbia and a member and President of its Boards for Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering. As a member of numerous commissions and other bodies he participated in the draft-making of a great number of documents, acts and laws in the field of high education. He was awarded for his work with many rewards including the Work Medal with silver wreath and the Work Medal with golden wreath.
Beside lecturing at graduate and postgraduate studies at the Mechanical Engineering Faculty of Niš, he was also engaged in giving lectures at other faculties of the University of Niš and of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He was a tutor as well as a member of many commissions for defending M. Sc. and ph. dissertations at the Mechanical Engineering Faculty of Niš as well as a number of mechanical engineering and other faculties in Serbia and Yugoslavia. As the Head of the Chair for Hydroenergetics for many years, he was the reviewer of many scientific papers, books, monographs and scientific-research studies.
Professor Boričić is a well-known and acknowledged scientist in the field of magnetic and hydrodynamic theory of the boundary layer in our country and abroad. A great number of his papers dealing with plane and space, stationary and non-stationary currents of compressible and non-compressible transmission fluids were referred to and quoted by great many scientists. He is the author or co-author of over 110 papers published in well-known journals in our country and abroad, many of which were reported at numerous scientific and international conferences in the field of mechanics.
Professor Boričić either took part or was in charge of many scientific studies and projects of republic, federal or international importance. Even in the first phase of his scientific work he obtained a very significant reward, namely, the October Prize of the City of Niš for 1971.
His scientific work is not only theoretically and methodically important for further development of the MHD boundary layer theory. It also represents a very important basis for applying the phenomenon of these currents in contemporary engineering domains, in the fields of control, stability, mass and heat transfer, etc.
Professor Boričić is a member of many scientific and professional associations such as the Yugoslav Society for Applied and Theoretical Mechanics, of the YUTRIB, of the YAD, of the GAAM, of the American Mathematical Association, of the Mathematical Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences, etc.
The Editorial Board of this issue wishes Professor Boričić good health, personal and family happiness, and a long, successful scientific and educational work.

Prof. Dr. Dragiša Nikodijević
Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering