The international study programme Digital Society, Social Innovation, and Global Citizenship, which is being developed within the Euridice project, has successfully started the accreditation process. It will be implemented at UP under the auspices of the Faculty of Law and will be taught in a hybrid way in collaboration with the Universities of Innsbruck and Naples. Members of the project met in September at the Vienna University of Technology, where they also presented an online teaching platform and learning modules with microcertificates.
The joint Master’s programme, taught in English, will equip students with digital competences, legal knowledge, and related civic knowledge. Its graduates are expected to hold senior positions in business, politics, and society and have a comprehensive understanding of digital society. The Euridice project is largely due to the existing network of European universities in the Aurora alliance, specifically its Digital Society and Global Citizenship domain. Its members last met physically in April at Palacký University to discuss the curriculum and the composition of the teaching team. This time, their meeting was hosted by the Vienna University of Technology.
Representatives of the University of Naples Federico II announced the successful launch of the accreditation process of the study programme, which will be joined by the University of Innsbruck and Palacký University Olomouc. The University of Naples is also in charge of setting up the Collaboratorium – the platform on which the teaching will take place. Here, students can find a digital library and a space where they can meet and communicate with each other. At the same time, they are responsible for ensuring that students always have facilities on their campus for hybrid learning as well as for their independent work and projects.
Hybrid learning and the use of digital tools are key features of the project. “ UP students will attend lectures and seminars taught full-time at the law school, and students from Innsbruck and Naples will join these classes online. Other times, the host universities will switch, and Olomouc students will join the classes online, for example in Naples,” explains Markéta Šemberová, Euridice project coordinator, who attended the meeting in Vienna on behalf of UP.
Experts from the field as well as from other host institutions, such as Lusófona University in Portugal and Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Slovakia, will contribute to the teaching. The study programme will also be enriched by summer schools, the first of which, the introductory one, will provide networking and familiarisation with the study programme, while the second one, after one year of study, will be dedicated to the choice of a specialisation.
Participants of the Vienna meeting also took part in a workshop on the implementation of hybrid learning organised by University of Barcelona, one of the partners of the project, and discussed the technical and organisational aspects related to the planned publication of a course catalogue, which should offer training modules for students, academics, and professionals on the official Euridice website starting in 2025. The focus will be on the development of digital competences, AI, and digital humanities, and the training will be acknowledged with microcertificates from participating partner institutions.
Michal Malacka, UP Vice-Rector for Strategy and Regional Affairs, is the main investigator of the Euridice project. “The emerging study programme is a huge opportunity for us that we would have missed without the involvement of the Aurora university network. I am delighted with how much work we have managed to do since the launch of the project earlier this year – you can see huge advancements at each of our meetings. It is through these specific results that we are fulfilling all the aims and ambitions of the European university alliance,” he concludes.
The progress of the Euridice project has been covered in the UP Journal here and here. You can also follow it on the euridice.eu website or on LinkedIn.
The progress of the Euridice project has been covered in the UP Journal here and here. You can also follow it on the euridice.eu website or on LinkedIn.
Dear Students and Colleagues,
Today the new academic year begins for the university as a whole, into which I would like to welcome you, and wish you an invincible good mood and the desire to manage the daily challenges of studies and work here at Palacký University. After the summer holidays, Olomouc has come back to life as a university town, and while everyday responsibilities are surely in store for us, so too are pleasant and inspirational encounters.
At the same time, I would like to ask that you take a moment to think about your fellow students and colleagues who have been recently affected by the disastrous flooding. Together, we wish them strength and energy – let’s support them in their efforts to cope with difficult life situations as best as they can, so that they can return to our university community. At the same time, I would like to thank our students and employees for their willingness to help out via the UP Volunteering Centre. Whether you have personally helped clean up the damage in the affected areas or have provided financial or material support for people affected by the floods, any and all help these days is welcome and needed.
The start of the academic year is also the time to welcome our new first-year students. I heartily wish that you will really enjoy your time at Palacký University, and that you will soon find your bearings here and connect with university life. And finally, I would like to wish all students and employees all the best at the start of this new academic year.
I’m looking forward to all my meetings with you, and I firmly believe that the new energy and strength which you have been recharged with over the summer will serve you well throughout the months to come.
Martin Procházka
UP Rector
Starting Monday, September 23, classes will begin at all eight Palacký University (UP) faculties, and Olomouc will become a vibrant student city again. Unlike many other schools and institutions, Olomouc’s university was almost unaffected by the dramatic floods that swept through the Czech Republic in recent days, and everything will be business as usual. The faculties are looking forward to the return of their students and first-year students, the dormitories are open, and the canteens are operating without restrictions. Everyone at UP is thus focused on the possibility of volunteering or otherwise helping the flood-affected areas or their students and workers affected by the flooding.
After the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Faculty of Education, and Faculty of Health Sciences, which have already started classes, the remaining five faculties of Palacký University will start full-time classes on Monday. All lecturers consider their students' absences justified by the direct impact of the floods on their households in these difficult days.
If those studying or working at UP have been affected by the events of the previous days more than they can cope with, psychological and psychotherapeutic counselling can be accessed on campus.
From the very first days of the semester, there will also be social and educational events for all, the first of which will be MEET UP on Tuesday, September 24, which has been affected by a single logistical measure due to the floods, namely the move from the originally planned venue on the Morava River embankment to the premises of the Armoury (Zbrojnice). On Friday, September 27, the Long Night of the Scientists will take place at dozens of locations at the University, and is free to all.
Other university and faculty events are published on the web in the UP Calendar, and the critical dates of the winter semester and the whole academic year are on its timetable.
Sts Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology (CMFT)
The semester at the Faculty of Theology in Olomouc is starting as planned. The Vice Dean for International Affairs, Dominik Opatrný, even personally welcomed two students from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (link to CMFT Facebook). Some of the Faculty's employees are providing crisis intervention to those in need in cooperation via the UP Volunteer Centre.
The Faculty keeps its students and workers informed on its website, Facebook and Instagram, and it also has an anonymous Comments and Complaints box.
Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry (FMD)
The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, which started classes last week on Monday, is excusing its students affected by the floods.
The Faculty is keeping its students and workers informed on its website, Facebook and Instagram. It also offers psychological counselling in case of difficulties.
Faculty of Arts (FA)
The Faculty of Arts will start the winter semester as scheduled on Monday, September 23; the Dean of the Faculty made an announcement to its students and staff on Monday, September 16, and updated it on Wednesday, September 18, due to the drop in the water level in the region (link to FA Facebook). Reasonable absences due to flood-related issues will be excused at the Dean’s discretion. Combined studies classes at FA UP on 20 and 21 September 2024 are being transferred to online mode due to complications in many locations outside Olomouc, and some specific courses will be rescheduled. Students affected will be informed about the details.
The Faculty keeps its students and workers informed on its website, Facebook, Facebook group and Instagram.
Faculty of Science (FS)
The Faculty of Science, one of the most water-prone Faculties, survived Tuesday’s high water on the Morava River unscathed and is looking forward to Monday’s start of the semester as per the current schedule. The Faculty had installed flood barriers at critical points ahead of time to protect the building from any possible spillage of the Morava River. There were no complications on the premises of the Olomouc-Holice campus. The Faculty of Science also has technical facilities for the hybrid form of teaching and in case of students’ requirements, teachers can use these possibilities in most theoretical subjects.
The Faculty keeps its students and staff informed on its website, Facebook and Instagram, as well as in the regular Faculty of Science Newsletter.
Faculty of Education (FE)
The Faculty of Education started classes on Monday of this week, with most of its students having already moved into their dormitories. However, the Dean of the Faculty in a statement on Sunday also urged all those affected by the flooding to stay safe and make individual arrangements with their lecturers for safe arrival.
The Faculty keeps its students and staff informed on its website, Facebook, Instagram and social network X or in the regular FE Newsletter. The website also summarises practical information for first-year students, and important for all is the information on the renovation of the building at Žižkovo náměstí 5, which will begin this semester.
Faculty of Physical Culture (FPC)
On Monday, September 23, full-time classes will also begin at the Faculty of Physical Culture according to the current schedule. Students who are in a complicated situation due to the floods are excused from the block classes, which are already taking place this week at the Faculty of Physical Culture, and were informed of this by e-mail on Sunday afternoon. Another change caused by the flooding is the cancellation of the introductory camp at Pastviny; the Faculty will announce its replacement on this page. In previous days, FPC offered those affected by the flooding asylum in the FPC buildings in Neředín (link to FPC Facebook).
The Faculty keeps its students and staff informed on its website, Facebook, and Instagram. A guide to studying at FPC is also available to students on the website.
Faculty of Law (FL)
The Faculty of Law issued an update on the flood situation on Tuesday, September 17, with classes scheduled to start on Monday, September 23, according to the academic year schedule. Students who will not be able to get to Olomouc due to physical reasons can attend hybrid classes online by prior arrangement with the instructor. Over the weekend, the Faculty already published guidelines for the winter state final exams due to the flooding.
Starting Monday, September 30, the Student Legal Aid Office at the UP FL will open. It will also offer free legal assistance to people affected by the flood. Appointments can be made by phone or e-mail from September 23.
The Faculty keeps its students and staff informed on its website, Facebook, and Instagram; it also uses an electronic bulletin board, and next Wednesday its news bulletin will be published.
Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS)
The Faculty of Health Sciences has postponed classes for two days due to the extent of the emergency situation that has affected not only its students but also its academics, with classes running as scheduled from Wednesday September 18.
The Faculty is keeping its learners and staff informed on its website, Facebook, and Instagram, and a study guide is available for first-year students.
Palacký University Accommodation and Dining
Accommodation in any of Palacký University’s halls of residence is not limited by the events of the previous days and is taking place as standard according to the valid schedule of places and dates for key collection. The last day for proper accommodation is Sunday September 22 from 2 pm to 5 pm. In justified cases, which are now more likely to be anticipated, arrangements for later check-in can be made individually with the Registrar or Head of the relevant dormitory; contacts are on the website.
On Monday September 23, the Palacký University canteens and bistros will be open again after the holidays, and will be fully open to students and workers during normal opening hours.
Any news, changes or notifications about the operation of the dormitories and canteens are published on the website of UP Accommodation and Dining, as well as on their Instagram and Facebook.
Help those affected, become a volunteer!
Despite, or perhaps because, Palacký University itself was not significantly affected by the current dramatic floods, it is devoting almost all of its energy these days to getting volunteers to areas that were not so lucky.
The UP Volunteer Centre, in cooperation with the Olomouc Region and the Czech Red Cross, is gathering people interested in helping in the affected areas 24 hours a day and sending buses to the affected areas, with dozens of them departing every day.
The need is for crisis intervention, manual labour, and identifying specific needs household by household.
Dear colleagues, students,
I would like to provide you with some information on the current situation related to the floods that have hit the Czech Republic these days.
Perhaps the most important thing is that the more pessimistic versions of the scenarios have not yet come true in relation to the city of Olomouc and its inhabitants. According to available information, Olomouc is expecting the so-called 20-year water. Further information is continuously updated, especially on the city's website, where you can also find basic advice on how to keep yourself safe. If this information is not sufficient, it is possible to obtain more by calling the city's contact line at 800 606 800.
I am aware that some of our faculties are already starting classes for the new academic year. At this time, I have been informed by the deans that the start of the semester will follow the original academic year schedule for the time being. The only exception is the Faculty of Health Sciences of UP, which is cancelling classes on Monday and Tuesday 16 and 17 September due to the complications brought by the flood, and the organisation of classes would be very difficult in the first days due to the situation of some students and teachers.
Of course, we all understand that for some of our students it may be difficult to get to Olomouc and start full-time classes in the next few days due to the events in their region and the related measures. I can therefore promise that we will be more lenient with apologies for absences for these or similar reasons. Students who are objectively unable to attend classes can also contact the secretariat of their department or their lecturer by e-mail, contact e-mail addresses are available as standard on the department's website.
For those of you who have been or will be significantly affected by the flood, I wish you every strength to overcome and cope with the situation. I am confident that our campus community will provide much more than words of comfort.
On the other hand, if your situation permits, you and the University Volunteer Center can help those who were or are not so fortunate. The UP Volunteer Centre, in cooperation with the Integrated Rescue System of the Olomouc Region and the Czech Red Cross, is looking for volunteers to join the crisis intervention team, evacuation centres and to help with damage clearance. Calls and links for volunteer registration can be found on the DC UP Facebook page here.
Surely we all need to think of our safety first and foremost. But I also ask all of you, as we remember the experience of the 1997 floods, to respect the concerns and needs of others and not be tempted to visit the affected areas, i.e. the infamous "flood tourism." Not only is this activity unsafe, but it also complicates the work and lives of those who least of all need further complications.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I am confident that together we will get through this.
Martin Procházka, Rector of UP
The international project Visegrad Choral Bridges III – Folklore Inspiration, financed by the Visegrad Fund, brought together four university choirs from Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, represented by the Ateneo Mixed Chamber Choir of Palacký University Olomouc. In addition to the final concert at Olomouc’s Red Church, a CD was also produced, which is now available for free on YouTube.
The university choirs set out to celebrate and preserve the richness of the national folk traditions of the Visegrad Group region (V4). The CD therefore contains a joint recording of choral arrangements of folk songs in the original languages of all participating countries, conducted by the choirmasters of each choir. Thanks to this project, singers and listeners can get acquainted with the unique musical roots and traditions of the V4 region via carefully selected and elegantly rendered compositions.
“Our goal was not only to convey the beauty and depth of folk music but also to strengthen cultural awareness and connections between our nations,” said Pavel Režný, the main organiser of the project and choirmaster of Palacký University’s Ateneo. “The joint recording on CD is a tangible result of this unique cooperation, which brings joy not only to the singers involved but also now to the general public,” he added.
The recording took place at the last joint meeting of the four choirs in April this year in Olomouc, after which the editing, mixing, and remastering of the recordings followed. The recording can now be listened to for free on the Ateneo Choir’s YouTube channel, making the results of the project widely and sustainably available to all interested parties. The project builds on successful collaborations from 2010 and 2017 and is a testament to the power of music to transcend borders and unite nations.
A new method for simple and fast analysis of plant hormones has been developed by scientists from CATRIN, Palacký University and the Olomouc Crop Research Institute. They have developed and validated a procedure that uses a less common type of chromatography (HILIC), which can analyse several different groups of hormones at once, without the need for complex sample preparation. Combining this method with large-scale plant phenotyping provided a new tool for studying plant-environment interactions. They published the results of their research in The Plant Journal.
Plant hormones, which influence almost every aspect of the plant life cycle and also control plant responses to the environment, are involved in complex signalling networks. These can be more easily deciphered through complex analytical methods capable of capturing information on several groups of plant hormones simultaneously. Previously used methods for this purpose were mostly based on reversed-phase (RP) liquid chromatography and detection by mass spectrometry. Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) is an alternative chromatographic method that is increasingly being applied in the analysis of biological samples.
“That’s why we developed and validated the HILIC method for comprehensive analysis of plant hormones, including a rapid sample preparation procedure. It allows the screening of 45 different plant hormones. This method is faster and more efficient because it does not require derivatisation or fractionation, which are usually time-consuming steps in hormone analysis. In addition, the new approach is more sensitive and can detect even very small amounts of these growth regulators. However, this publication does not only discuss the new chromatographic method, but also highlights the great potential of linking it to phenotyping of plants exposed to a multifactorial combination of stresses to study plant interactions with the environment in which they are usually exposed to different types of stresses simultaneously. This will allow us to better understand how plants respond to stress conditions such as salinity or nutrient deficiency, which may have practical applications, for example, in agriculture to improve plant resistance,” said corresponding author of the paper, Petr Tarkowski.
He said the researchers also placed great emphasis on making the method consistent and reliable, factors that are often lacking in HILIC methods.
In the paper, the authors demonstrated the potential of the method with a case study that combined hormone analysis with high-throughput non-invasive phenotyping to examine the responses of three Arabidopsis ecotypes to salinity, low nutrient availability, and a combination of the two. The results suggest that the simultaneous determination of several groups of plant hormones could be a valuable tool for a deeper understanding of the networks, interactions and dynamics of plant hormones in complex plant-environment interactions.
A friendly environment, help, service, empathy, professionalism. Any of these words could be used to describe a certain building in Olomouc’s Vodární Street. Just a few dozen metres from the city centre down a side street at no. 6 is a university building – the home of the UP Welcome Office (WO).
Officially speaking, it is the UP contact and information point, providing help to international students, employees, and other visitors in the areas of administration, studies, accommodation, visas, health insurance, and more. Less officially, it is a place where foreigners can find all the services they need so as not to feel lost at the university and in the city. “One of our key tasks is active support in the field of visas and residency permits. As the head of the office, I am the contact person between the Asylum, Migration, and Integration Department of the Ministry of the Interior, and the university. We provide comprehensive assistance in filling out application forms, preparing and checking documents, and everything that entails,” said Alena Vyskočilová, the head of WO.
To illustrate what sort of agenda such a university office has, where a thousand foreign nationals visit yearly, let us take a look at a few numbers: last year, our team had 567 personal appointments with international students and employees regarding visas and residency permits, more than 250 international students came to the office for information, and another 50 received assistance outside the office. This year, they took interested parties on some three dozen town tours. And who are “they”? “In the office, we have a team of four experienced and trained assistants who are prepared to provide personal assistance in the field,” added Vyskočilová.
The basic principle behind this type of office is having the ability to communicate. The number of languages spoken at WO is impressive: in addition to Czech, they speak English, German, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Polish, Italian, and Slovak. Another important emphasis is communicating on social media and the internet. “During 2023, we completed a redesign of our web page, which contains extensive information for both academic and personal life for the international community, all fully accessible in English. We also maintain a presence on a wide variety of social media, thanks to which we can quickly and dynamically react to happening events and at the same time support information transfer between the members of the university’s international community,” said the head of the Welcome Office.
And if it seems that the WO would have no time for anything else, far from it: “We try to actively contribute to creating an internationally friendly environment at the university, which is why we prepare various events for international students and staff during the year. Important ones are for example orientation days for newly arriving students of degree programmes and for new employees. Another example was at the request of students and faculties – in the spring semester we prepared a series of lectures called “Welcome to Wellbeing: A Journey to Your Mental Harmony”, added Vyskočilová.