Alexander Janek (1891–1970) is the founder of colloid chemistry in Latvia. He published his first scientific works together with his teacher Peter von Weimarn, and worked at the University of Latvia from 1919 to 1944. Ha has published textbooks “Inorganic chemistry” (1922, 1924) and “Fundamentals of dispersion” (1925). Together with B. Jirgenson, he studied the effects of alcohol and salts on viscosity of agar and gelatin solutions, but with A. Shmit – the preparation methods of colloidal solutions. Since 1950 he worked in USA – initially as a chemist in the company “Upjohn”, and later as a lecturer in Kalamazoo College. 

We can mention Alexander Janek as one distributor of Buddhism ideas in Latvia. He popularized the Buddhism as the way of objective cognition in his book „The Basics of Buddhism Doctrine” with the Pali canon attached and gave an overview about Buddhism teaching (such themes like suffering, lack of knowledge, the teaching of rebirth and the rule of karma, the eightfold path) and the short information about Buddhism in Europe was given as well therefore by trying to give bigger stress on spread ideas of the author. His next book „Life and Religion” was edited in year 1925. If the first book gives an overview into Buddhism then the second book shows eternity, life and religion itself, purity of doctrine.

Sources:

1. Alksnis, Uldis, Grosvalds, Ilgars. Professor Aleksandrs Janeks.
2. http://www.buddhismandaustralia.com/ba/index.php/Buddhism_in_the_History_of_Latvia_by_Marika_Laudere