News: Faculty of Science

The Czech Republic has taken a major step toward the nation´s first-ever mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Prime Minister Andrej Babiš announced yesterday that the European Space Agency (ESA) has signed an agreement with Vast to carry out the Czech orbital mission. The upcoming mission, involving astronaut Aleš Svoboda, will also include conducting 13 scientific and technological experiments. One of them is the PUMR-B project, a collaboration between CATRIN at Palacký University and the Brno-based company S.A.B. Aerospace.

Scientific experiment PUMR-B addresses the critical role that plants will play in sustaining human life in space. Its goal is to study in detail the physiological and molecular changes that spring barley undergoes while growing in a microgravity environment. A specialized bioreactor is being developed to grow this crop during the space mission.

“We believe that exposing barley to a microgravity environment will help us uncover previously unknown molecular and metabolic pathways involved in stress responses. This knowledge can then be applied in new breeding programs to develop varieties with greater resistance to extreme conditions. We are close to completing the bioreactor’s final design. As for the upcoming experiments, we are fine-tuning everything to ensure they are as effective as possible so that we can subsequently obtain as much data as possible from them,” explained Véronique Bergougnoux, the project’s principal investigator at CATRIN.

Members of the PUMR-B project research team had the opportunity to meet Aleš Svoboda in person at yesterday’s press conference in Prague. The Czech astronaut is expected to serve as the mission’s pilot, though his inclusion in the crew must still be approved by a panel of all five international ISS partners. Svoboda is set to join French ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who has been named commander of this mission.

“Meeting Aleš Svoboda was amazing. I’m so happy that I was able to present our experiment to him in person. I was excited as a little girl—a Czech astronaut is going to take our experiment into space, and the mission commander will be French,” expressed her double joy the scientist, originally from France.

The mission, which will be part of Vast’s first commercial astronaut mission to the ISS, is scheduled for 2027. Transportation will be provided by SpaceX using a Dragon spacecraft launched by a Falcon 9 rocket. Aleš Svoboda would thus become our second astronaut in history after the Czechoslovak Vladimír Remek, and also the first Czech to travel to the International Space Station (ISS).

The PUMR-B device is a self-contained experimental module designed for operation aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in the ICE Cubes Facility. Inside, it contains a special growth unit (SGPU) divided into two parts—one for plant growth and the other for their roots. The experiment itself will last 12 days.

Palacký University plans to dedicate this September to its alumni. Under the title “Alumni September,” it will offer a series of events at the faculties and in the centre of Olomouc, designed to remind former students of their university years while showcasing the current state of the country’s second-oldest university. This year, the university is also commemorating the 80th anniversary of its reestablishment. The highlight of the programme will be a gathering of alumni over the weekend of September 11–12 at Horní náměstí and the UP Arts Centre at Konvikt.

“Alumni September is a month full of events prepared especially for our graduates. The faculties and other university departments are opening their doors and inviting former students to graduation ceremonies, gatherings, lectures, guided tours, and informal events where they can make new connections or reconnect with old ones,” said Michael Kohajda, UP Rector.

The programme will take place throughout the month at individual faculties, but the main focus is on the second weekend of September. Horní náměstí will be transformed into a venue for a large alumni gathering, featuring a musical programme by the Olomouc-based New Street Band and singer Marcello, who is also a university graduate.

Konvikt will become a hub for cultural and social events. Visitors can look forward to the O.li.v.y improv show, the UPportunities discussion, screenings of this year's winning films from Academia Film Olomouc, and an evening programme featuring DJs. A relaxation zone designed for informal gatherings of former students will also be available.

Families with children will also find something to enjoy. The programme will include a family zone with a bouncy castle, face painting, and the unique experience of making ice cream using liquid nitrogen. The accompanying programme will also feature a pub quiz in the main cafeteria on 17. listopadu Street and a special selection of university merchandise at the UPoint store on Horní náměstí.

“The September reunion, which we are already preparing intensively, will be an opportunity not only to return to places associated with one’s studies, but also to establish new professional and personal connections. The university values its graduates, seeks to strengthen mutual ties, and wants to remind both former and current students that one remains a member of the academic community long after receiving a diploma,” added Matěj Dostálek, Vice Rector for Communication and Social Responsibility.

Of course, individual faculties will also play a significant role in the September Alumni Homecoming 2026 programme. Graduates will be able to attend the annual graduation ceremonies at the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Science, tour the new buildings of the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, and the Faculty of Health Sciences, or participate in department meetings and other faculty events. In addition, the Faculty of Arts will award the Dean’s Prize for promoting the good name of the Faculty of Arts at Palacký University.

The university-wide gathering will also coincide with the 40th anniversary celebrations of the University of the Third Age. Furthermore, the traditional European Heritage Days will take place in Olomouc during the same period, opening up a number of historical and cultural landmarks in the city.

The university invites its alumni to confirm their participation via the registration form published on the UP Alumni website. The complete programme of all events is available on a special website dedicated to September Alumni Homecoming 2026.

A special photocatalytic material based on graphitic carbon nitride, developed at the University of Ostrava and VŠB - Technical University of Ostrava can effectively break down antibiotics and other pharmaceutical substances that commonly used wastewater treatment technologies are generally unable to remove, meaning drug residues end up in waterways via the sewer system. This is the conclusion of research conducted in collaboration with experts from the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the Faculty of Science, Palacký University.

The study’s results were published in the international journal iScience. The scientists will continue to test the potential use of the photocatalytic material in wastewater treatment.

The research team focused on the efficiency of photocatalysis, a process in which a special light-activated material triggers chemical reactions that break down organic pollutants in water. The graphitic carbon nitride used contains no metals, is chemically stable, and works not only under ultraviolet radiation but also under ordinary visible light.

“Laboratory experiments showed that within two hours, the material was able to remove more than 95 percent of the antibiotic ofloxacin and the drug diclofenac. In the case of caffeine, the efficiency reached approximately 80 percent,” said Petr Bednář from the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the Faculty of Science.

The experts also described the degradation mechanisms and, using liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry, identified the intermediates formed during the ongoing reactions. The results suggest that most of these substances pose a lower environmental burden than the original drugs. “Without modern analytical methods, we would not be able to determine whether harmful substances actually degrade safely and what chemical processes occur during water treatment. Analytical chemistry therefore plays a crucial role in the development of new environmental technologies,” noted Petr Bednář.

The study, titled “Photocatalytic degradation and transformation of pharmaceuticals using exfoliated metal-free g-C3N4,” was published in the journal iScience by Cell Press.