News from UP

At its November meeting, the Palacký University Academic Senate has launched nominations for the post of UP Rector for the term of office from 1 May 2025 to 30 April 2029. The election of the new highest representative of the university will take place on 22 January 2025. Members of the academic community may submit proposals for candidates until 6 December 2024.

Palacký University Olomouc will elect a new rector. The UP Academic Senate (UP AS) has initiated the nomination procedure for the highest UP representative and announced the election schedule. It stipulates that the academic community of the university can submit written proposals of candidates through the UP AS Office until 6 December 2024 at 3 pm.

The adopted election schedule further states that the collected proposals will be verified by a special election committee of the UP AS. Senators approved the following members: students Kateřina Kaprálová (Faculty of Law) and Barbora Uhmanová (Faculty of Health Sciences), and academics Veronika Tomoszková (Faculty of Law), Jaroslav Franc (Sts Cyril and Method Faculty of Theology), and Jiří Langer (Faculty of Education), who will chair the election committee.

The alphabetical list of the candidates will be published on the university’s official notice board by 16 December 2024, and their election statements will be published on the Palacký University Academic Senate website on 6 January 2025. The public presentation and debate of potential rectors with members of the UP academic community will take place on Wednesday 15 January 2025. One week later, on 22 January 2025, the candidates will present themselves before the UP Academic Senate. On the same day, the first, second, and third rounds of the election will take place. According to the established rules, a candidate for UP Rector needs to obtain at least 13 votes in the election, i.e. a simple majority of all 24 members of the UP Academic Senate.

During the November meeting, the UP AS also discussed the nomination of a member of the UP Internal Evaluation Board for a term of office, to be made by 1 July 2025 at the latest. They voted and decided to nominate Tereza Marková, a doctoral student at the UP Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, to be appointed by the UP Rector. The senators were also informed that Pavel Flekač (Faculty of Education) has been nominated as a student representative to the UP Ethics Committee on behalf of the UP AS student chamber. They also hosted a presentation by the director of the UP Computer Centre, David Skoupil, who announced the IT Development Strategy at Palacký University for the period 2025+. The UP AS acknowledged the presented strategy and the opportunity to comment on it until the end of November, after which it intends to return to the topic. The list of resolutions adopted by the UP AS is available here. More information about the UP AS can be found here.

You can find all the information you need about the election here.

Prof Ondřej Novák from the Palacký University Olomouc Faculty of Science and the Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences has succeeded in a demanding international competition and won one of the most prestigious scientific grants of the European Research Council (ERC). His STARMORPH project, entered in the Synergy Grants category, was supported with €10 million and is focused on research into the role of the plant hormone auxin in plant growth and shaping.

Over the next six years, Prof Novák will be working on the project together with project coordinator Stéphanie Robert from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, Jürgen Kleine-Vehn from the University of Freiburg, and Alexander Jones from the University of Cambridge.

“The composition of our international interdisciplinary team is exceptional, aiming to describe the complexities of plant morphogenesis in a way that no one has been able to before,” said Prof Ondřej Novák from the Laboratory of Growth Regulators, a joint workplace of the UP Faculty of Science and the Institute of Experimental Botany at the Czech Academy of Sciences. The knowledge gained from the project can be used in the future to increase crop yields, which can contribute to improved food security and sustainability.

“Receiving the ERC Synergy grant is a huge success for my colleague Ondřej Novák as an undisputed expert but also for our entire institute. It confirms that the institute is on the world’s leading edge in the field of plant hormone research. It is also a promise of new discoveries that have the potential to contribute to solving global problems brought about by climate change,” said Jan Martinec, Director of the Institute of Experimental Botany at the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Scientists in the STARMORPH project are using thale cress as the model plant to study the development of its apical hook, which plays a key role in the plant’s further growth and development after germinating from seed. The apical hook is the curved part of the stem near the top of the plant that allows the plant to emerge safely through the soil. The hook is formed by suppressing cell growth on the inside of the emerging stem. As soon as the seedling penetrates the soil to the surface, the cells on the inside start to elongate again and the hook unfurls. “This trait makes the apical hook a unique model for studying how a plant can regulate processes to suppress or promote cell growth. This is a very important topic to investigate because if we understand how to regulate plant growth, we could reprogramme this process in a targeted way,” said Prof Novák.

The phytohormone auxin, which will be the main focus of the STARMORPH project, plays a major role in differential growth, when different parts of plant organs grow at different rates. Depending on the concentration of auxin and its localisation in the plant tissue, cell elongation can be slowed down or accelerated, cell division can be stopped or promoted, and cells can be forced to specialise or allowed to return to an undifferentiated state.

Auxin signature

“The results of our research should reveal how the phytohormone auxin, mechanical signals, and developmental programmes interact together at multiple levels. The project introduces the concept of an ‘auxin signature’ which involves the dynamics of auxin within the plant cell in response to mechanical signals. For decades, scientists have focused on understanding the multiple roles of auxin, concentrating on its cellular and intercellular dynamics as well as auxin signalling through receptors in the cell nucleus. Most recently, new findings have emerged suggesting that auxin is perceived by different mechanisms in the nucleus, outside the nucleus, and in the space outside the cell,” said Novák.

According to Novák, the STARMORPH project uses an interdisciplinary approach combining plant physiology, cell biology, genetics, biophysics, synthetic biology, and bioanalytical chemistry. Four scientific teams will work together to investigate how changes in auxin distribution and concentration affect plant morphogenesis, i.e. plant shape and growth. “We will develop new chemical and bioengineering methods to map auxin inside cells and monitor its dynamics over time and space,” added Novák.

They will also try to understand if and how mechanical stimuli are linked to the auxin phytohormone. “This goal includes a detailed study of the mechanical properties of the cell wall and its influence on plant growth. Using genetics and biochemical methods, we will try to understand how mechanical signals and auxin dynamics together control morphogenesis at different levels, from cells to whole organs,” Novák said.

ECR Synergy Grants

ERC Synergy Grants are intended for multidisciplinary projects involving 2 to 4 research teams. Projects must demonstrate that the synergy between the scientists involved and their disciplines is central to the project and has the promise to deliver breakthrough discoveries. The total budget for this grant call in 2024 was €570 million. Out of the 540 projects evaluated, 56 were supported. Founded by the European Union in 2007, the ERC is Europe’s leading organisation for funding cutting-edge research.

An interview with Prof Ondrej Novák is available on the ECHO Přírody (Nature’s Echo) podcast on YouTube or Spotify.

Prof. Mgr. Ondřej Novák, Ph.D.
Ondřej Novák, a graduate of the Faculty of Science at Palacký University Olomouc, specialises in the biosynthesis and metabolism of plant hormones using the highly sensitive analytical method of mass spectrometry and the relationship between the chemical structure and biological activity of plant hormones. He has long been involved in the use of new modern bioanalytical techniques and simplification of extraction methods for the isolation of biologically active substances from complex biological samples. For six consecutive years, he has been one of the few scientists in the Czech Republic ranked among the top one percent of the world’s most cited scientists in the list of Highly Cited Researchers, published by Clarivate Analytics in the United States.

Czech children do not like going to school. Their sense of satisfaction is affected by unsatisfactory relationships with their peers and low degrees of support from their teachers. The demands of the school environment and the associated stress are also reflected in their attitudes. This is based on the latest findings by the Palacký University Olomouc team collaborating on the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. The latest report also examines other aspects of children’s lifestyles, including the link between school satisfaction and social network use.

Only 9% of Czech children and teenagers actually look forward to school. This puts the Czech Republic among the countries where children least look forward to school compared to Europe and the world. Nearly 4 out of 10 children do not enjoy going to school very much… or not at all. The proportion of schoolchildren who dislike school increases significantly with age. More than a quarter (28%) of 11-year-olds do not enjoy school, while for 15-year-olds it is almost half (46%).

“The findings of the HBSC study highlight critical areas where we need to focus our efforts to improve the health and well-being of Czech children. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is committed to working with Czech authorities and institutions to implement measures that will improve peer/teacher relationships and reduce school-related stress, ultimately strengthening the mental and physical health of our youth,” said Zsofia Pusztai, WHO Representative in the Czech Republic.

The international HBSC study also tracks long-term trends. At the beginning of the millennium, the popularity of school was rather on the rise. However, over the last 10–15 years, children’s attitudes towards school have been deteriorating, regardless of gender and age.

Children who are very excited about school. Comparison between 2010 and the last survey from 2022

11 y.o.

21% → 12%

13 y.o.

16% → 7%

15 y.o.

16% → 8%

 

“The deteriorating relationship with school is not a new phenomenon. We do not take the long-term trend lightly and, together with experts, we are asking ourselves what to look for behind the negative evaluation of the school environment and, above all, how to reverse the trend,” says Michal Kalman, Olomouc University Social Health Institute (OUSHI) at the Sts Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology at UP, head of the study’s research team.

Relationships with peers, teachers, and stress

What is behind the low evaluation of the school environment? The Olomouc researchers focused on the three arguably most important links – relationships with peers, relationships with teachers, and school stress.

Less than half of 11- to 15-year-olds think that their classmates like being together and that they are nice and ready to help. Only 37% of boys, and only 30% of girls, think that they have high degrees of “student support” (i.e. peer support, an indicator used in the international HBSC study to assess classroom climate). This finding is even more pessimistic when compared to other countries – Czech schoolchildren perceive relationships with their classmates as the worst of all 45 countries where the HBSC study surveyed the situation.

Only half of 5th–9th graders in the Czech Republic (52%) say they trust their teachers. Only two out of five (40%) feel that teachers care about their pupils. The perceived degree of support from teachers decreases significantly with increasing age. Between the ages of 11, 13, and 15, it drops from 50% → 35% → 30% among boys, and even more steeply 51% → 26% → 22% among girls. The low relationship scores are also reflected in the European context: the Czech 43rd position out of 45 countries surveyed in the HBSC study is alarming.

I had to learn things that I do not understand (2022)

27.3% / 46.7%

13 y.o.

24.4% / 47.2%

15 y.o.

However, this is no longer the case in terms of the stress from studying – the perceived pressure to perform school duties follows the European average. Thirty-eight percent of boys and more than half (52%) of girls report higher stress from schoolwork. Schoolchildren start to perceive stress more strongly between years 11 and 13, i.e. between the 5th and 7th grades of primary school (boys 29% → 44% and girls 34% → 62%).

“A safe, open, and positive school environment is an essential condition for quality and effective teaching and for the development of each pupil’s potential. Mutual and reciprocal respect between pupils, teachers, and parents creates a space for unified educational impact on the pupil. Every individual is different, so tolerance of different levels of aptitude in different areas as well as tolerance of different opinions is critical. International studies have long shown that the school climate is a weak point in the Czech educational system,” emphasises Karel Kovář, Deputy Chief School Inspector of the Czech School Inspectorate.

School, lifestyle, and the (online) world

The popularity of school is also related to other aspects of lifestyle. Among schoolchildren who do not like going to school or feel under a lot of pressure from school duties, there is a significantly higher risk (2–4 times) of headaches, depressive states, irritability, and nervousness. Those with problematic social media use feel particularly unwell at school. Compared to their peers who are in control of their “online life”, they are more likely to experience the pressure of schoolwork and to have negative feelings about their relationships with classmates and teachers.

The HBSC epidemiological study looks at a wide range of lifestyle aspects of children and teenagers aged 11–15 in the Czech Republic and nearly 50 other countries worldwide. It is being developed in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO). The research team from Palacký University Olomouc has been studying factors affecting the health of Czech schoolchildren aged 11, 13, and 15 for a long time. In the current research, data was collected from nearly 15,000 children in 250 schools of different types across the Czech Republic. The extensive research among Czech schoolchildren was supported by the EU under the Johannes Amos Comenius Operational Programme – Top Research.

Further details and materials for downloading

• Report on the current research on the Healthy Generation project website.
• Recommendations and activities for teaching on the Healthy Generation Academy website.
• Why I’m not looking forward to school (info poster to download)
• I love school (info poster to download)
• Schools that pupils look forward to (Czech School Inspectorate’s analytical and methodological material on promoting wellbeing in schools)

The VALOR-LIGHT Valorization of Light-Activated Medicinal Plant By-Products for Novel Biotechnologies and Edible Crop Production) project, which was successful in the call for proposals by the European university network Aurora, is intended to contribute to more efficient and sustainable cultivation of medicinal plants in controlled environments, especially in hydroponic cultivation systems. Under the leadership of the University of Innsbruck, scientists from CATRIN, Palacký University will participate in the project with other international partners.

The main task of the researchers will be to develop technologies that ensure the necessary production of medicinal plants, protect the environment and consumers from the possible negative effects of fertilisers and pesticides and comply with the principles of the circular economy. The scientists will focus on four main areas – the use of specific beneficial micro-organisms as effective bioprotectants and biostimulants to improve the production of phytoactive substances from medicinal plants, the use of waste from medicinal plants as a source of (photo)antimicrobial substances, development of organometallic networks and other nanomaterials as suitable carriers of natural (photo)antimicrobials for use in controlled agriculture and testing of plant (photo)antimicrobials encapsulated in nanomaterials as innovative light-activated pesticides in plant production. The proposed methods will be tested on mint (Mentha canadensis), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

The team will be involved in a total of three research areas. “Thanks to our unique research infrastructure in the form of phenotyping lines, we have extensive experience in non-invasive monitoring of plants in a controlled environment. We can test the effects of different biostimulants to enhance plant traits and different ways of applying them. In this project, we will focus on plants used in pharmacology and will try to increase the efficiency of production of phytoactive compounds by using different innovative approaches,” said CATRIN team leader Lukáš Spíchal.

In collaboration with colleagues from Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, they will test the effectiveness of organometallic networks and other nanomaterials as suitable carriers of natural (photo)antimicrobial agents. “The carriers developed by the Slovakian partners will be tested as carriers for light-activated pesticides. Our common goal is to reduce the amount of pesticides used and their burden on the environment. If we can get pesticides directly into plants using such carriers, their use could be significantly more efficient and environmentally friendly,” Spíchal explained.

His team will also be in close contact with the Italian University of Naples Federico II and its experts in the use of beneficial microorganisms. “These are bacteria and fungi that are not pathogenic. If they colonise the plant, on the contrary, they prevent the development of pathogens. The partners in Naples will develop these organisms and we in Olomouc will test different carriers for transporting these beneficial microorganisms in different model plants and crops,” Spíchal added. Another member of the research consortium is the University of Duisburg-Essen.

The project is based on a multidisciplinary collaboration between partners involved in the Aurora University Network. The project is a stepping stone to joint participation in large international projects such as Horizon.

An overview of all successful projects from the Aurora call is available at https://aurora-universities.eu/seven-innovative-projects-selected-after-first-aurora-call-for-incentive-and-collaborative-research-projects/. VALOR-LIGHT is one of the two projects supported in the Health & Well-being category.

 

 

The first open call aimed at fostering international scientific and academic collaboration, research mobilities, and thematic summer schools, was very much welcomed across the Aurora network. UP is the coordinator of one of the seven supported projects and participates in two others as a partner. It will also participate in the organisation of a summer school and will send two students for research mobilities at partner institutions.

The Call for Incentive Research Collaboration was launched earlier this year as part of the Aurora 2030 programme supported by the European Universities Initiative under the auspices of the European Commission. Applications for the next round will be open in early 2025.

Joint scientific research projects

“In the first year of the call, 26 eligible projects were submitted. These were subsequently evaluated by the Aurora Research Council, to which scientists from each of Aurora’s partner universities across the disciplinary spectrum were appointed. The results were then approved by the Aurora’s Vice-Rectors for Research. Based on the evaluation by both bodies, seven projects were awarded support totalling €104,000; Palacký University Olomouc is represented in three of them,” says Marie Jadrníčková, Aurora Research Officer at UP.

As the coordinator, UP was successful with the NUTRIAGE24 project. Its principal investigator, Romana Klášterecká from the UP Faculty of Science, will work with colleagues from Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain and the University of Iceland to address the issue of healthy ageing. They will focus on the relationship between nutrition, health, and environment in adults, taking into account their living situations and the social determinants that influence access to proper foods.

UP is also a partner in two other funded projects. The ETHICAL project, coordinated by the University of Naples, Italy, together with the University of Innsbruck, Austria, also involves Lucie Macková from the UP Faculty of Science. The main objective is to develop a comprehensive model that captures migration flows within the European Union. This study will include the broader dynamics of migration within and towards the EU and take into account the complex factors that contribute to migration trends and patterns.

The use of fertilisers and pesticides in the cultivation of medicinal plants can have adverse impacts on herbal products and extracts. The VALOR-LIGHT project will therefore seek to offer solutions through organic, self-sustaining farming methods and environmentally friendly products that protect the health of consumers. It is led by the University of Innsbruck, and brings together five partner universities, including the affiliated P.J. Šafárik University in Košice, Slovakia. Lukáš Spíchal, Head of CATRIN-CRH, will participate on behalf of UP.

 

Thematic Summer Schools

In the second key activity, the Department of Chemical Biology at the UP Faculty of Science succeeded as a partner in the CIRAGRO summer school. This is coordinated by the University of Naples Federico II, Italy, and together with the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany and the University of Innsbruck, Austria, will focus on circular economy in the agro-industrial sector.

 

Short-term scientific research mobilities

The best evaluation among the applicants from UP was awarded by the Aurora Research Council to students Tadeáš Volný and Eliška Postavová from the Department of Optics at the UP Faculty of Science. Volný will take part in a researcher mobility in Innsbruck with Prof Tracy Northup, while Postavová will head to the Department of Physics at the University of Naples.

Further information on the results is available on the main Aurora website. New calls and other opportunities for UP students and employees are also regularly published on UP’s Aurora website.

Bilateral student exchanges, sharing of experience in science and research, joint study programmes, and examples of good practice in science development strategy, project management, and curriculum internationalisation – those were among the main points of the meetings held earlier this week by Palacký University Rector Martin Procházka during his visit to the University of Minnesota. In Minneapolis he concluded his short work trip to the USA, which was also his first in his new role as President of the Aurora international university consortium.

“It was a splendid opportunity to present the research and educational activities not only of Palacký University Olomouc, but also of all universities associated in the Aurora network, where I took over the presidential duties from Jón Atli Benediktsson from Iceland in September. The University of Minnesota is one of the most prestigious and dynamic research centres, it has long been considered one of the top universities in the USA, and it is also ranked in the top 100 universities internationally. I am therefore very happy that we and our European universities can continue to count on this strategic global partner, with whom we want to develop even closer and more intensive collaboration within the Aurora network,” said Procházka.

During his visit to the University of Minnesota he met, among others, with Rachel Croson, Executive Vice President and Provost for the Twin Cities campus, attended by over 50,000 students in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Other attendees of the meetings included Shashank Priya, Vice President for Research and Innovation; Harvey Charles, Vice Provost for International Affairs; Karen Brown, Director of the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change; and other representatives of the central international office of the University of Minnesota system, the Global Programs and Strategy Alliance, which is dedicated to internationalising study programs.

“There is a lot of interest in two-way student exchanges on the part of the University of Minnesota. We also talked about the possibilities of using the COIL method (Collaborative Online International Learning), in which professors and their students from different countries work together on team activities through various online platforms. One of the joint activities could also be an online course for both our and American students focusing on the SDGs, i.e. the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations programme for improving the quality of life in member countries and beyond by 2030,” added Tereza Kalousková, Head of the Office for Partnership of the UP Division for International Cooperation, who accompanied the UP Rector on his trip to the USA.

Scientists from Palacký University Olomouc (UP) and the Technical University of Ostrava (VSB-TUO), in collaboration with colleagues from China, have discovered a groundbreaking method for developing a new generation of antibiotics. These antibiotics not only combat a wide range of bacteria but also effectively prevent the development of bacterial resistance. By employing atomic engineering, the researchers transformed manganese—a trace element vital for human health—into a potent antibiotic by embedding it in the structure of chemically modified graphene. Tests conducted on animal models have demonstrated the material’s significant potential, particularly in localized therapies such as wound healing. The discovery has been published in the prestigious journal Advanced Materials, and the team has filed a European patent to safeguard their innovation.

“The material we developed successfully kills and inhibits the growth of all bacteria we studied, including highly resistant pathogens. It operates at low concentrations, which are completely harmless to human cells. Furthermore, bacteria cannot develop resistance to it, thus addressing one of modern medicine’s most pressing challenges. These promising results position atomic antibiotics for practical use in the near future,” said Radek Zbořil, a physical chemist and author of the research concept, who works at the Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN UP) and the Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies (CEET) at VSB-TUO.

A Frontal Attack with Manganese
In developing this antibiotic, the scientists drew on their expertise in graphene chemistry and atomic engineering, fields they have extensively studied in recent years. This time, they utilized a graphene derivative enriched with oxygen and nitrogen atoms, chemically incorporating manganese—a transition metal that is involved in metabolism, bone formation, blood sugar regulation and cellular protection against oxidative stress.   

“We chose to target one of the strongest defences of bacteria—the carbohydrates in their cell walls and membranes, which are crucial for their survival. These carbohydrates play a protective role, facilitate substance transfer, enable communication with the environment, and serve as energy reserves. By chemically binding manganese to specific carbohydrate groups, we suppressed these critical functions, ultimately causing cell death. The graphene carrier plays an essential role by ensuring the delivery of manganese ions to the bacterial surface, which enables a direct chemical attack on the carbohydrate molecules,” Zbořil explained.

Effective Against Even the Most Resistant Bacteria
The new material also shows remarkable efficacy against bacteria that existing antibiotics struggle to combat. “We observed an excellent bactericidal effect against all bacteria from the ESCAPE group, which includes highly resistant bacterial pathogens. These bacteria are particularly dangerous because they are resistant to conventional antibiotics, which complicates treatment and increases the risk of severe infections, especially in hospital settings. The atomic antibiotic was the only agent that proved effective against all resistant bacteria, compared to commercial antibiotics,” said David Panáček, the first author of the paper, from CATRIN UP and CEET VSB-TUO.

The researchers tested the atomic antibiotic’s effect not only in laboratory settings but also in mouse models in collaboration with their Chinese colleagues. “In in-vivo tests, skin infections caused by resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (golden staph) healed quickly and effectively, with all markers of inflammation significantly reduced. We are now considering its use for wound dressings or antibacterial treatments on surfaces of artificial materials. There is tremendous potential to prevent bacterial biofilms from forming on devices such as artificial joint replacements, stents, or cannulas. Given its mode of action, this new material could also help prevent secondary infections, which would have a major impact on healthcare,” said Milan Kolář, a microbiologist and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at Palacký University Olomouc, who played a key role in the research.

Atomic Antibiotics Open New Possibilities
The research team plans to continue exploring the material’s potential for systemic antibiotic treatments. “Some serious infections are now untreatable with existing antibiotics, and bacterial sepsis is becoming an increasingly common cause of death. We aim to test atomic antibiotics’ effectiveness in treating the most severe bacterial diseases,” Kolář added.

According to the United Nations, if bacterial resistance continues to rise at its current pace, by 2050 untreatable infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria could become the leading cause of death worldwide. These so-called ‘superbugs’ pose a global threat, necessitating the development of new antibacterial agents that can bypass the defence mechanisms bacteria use to protect themselves. This research, which also involved colleagues from the Faculty of Science at Palacký University Olomouc and two Chinese institutions, highlights the untapped potential of atomic engineering in addressing one of humanity’s most urgent scientific and social challenges.

Palacký University had a special opportunity to present its activities in Vienna. The University was one of those invited to an annual Saint Wenceslas Celebration held by the Czech Embassy in Vienna.

Saint Wenceslas Celebration is held every year. However, this year's event was focused on the city of Olomouc, and tight ties between the Statutory City of Olomouc and Austria, the host of the event. The guests were welcomed by his eminence Jiří Šitler - Czech Ambassador in Austria - and Miroslav Žbánek - the mayor of the city of Olomouc.

Palacký University presented itself as a modern educational institution focused on international cooperation, science, and research. “Austria is one of our main partners in the field of international cooperation. Other key projects of this cooperation are AKTION, a Czechian-Austrian program supporting bilateral research and educational activities which finances exchange students, or AURORA Alliance, an international network of universities focused on know-how exchange and innovation in the fields of research and education along with sustainability and social responsibility,” said Alena Vyskočilová, the head of Welcome Office, who, together with her colleagues from International cooperation division, helped organize the event.

Josef Strobl, a professor at the Salzburg University, who has been cooperating with professor Vít Voženílek of the Faculty of Science on the project International Joint Master's Program in Geoinformatics for a long period of time, has also accepted the invitation as one of the main guests.

The celebration offered our alumni living in Austria an opportunity to meet their colleagues. “One of the Alumni who came to the event was from Brazil and took part in the Erasmus Mundus program at the Faculty of Physical Culture in 2008,” said Alena Vyskočilová.

University Press and Museum of Modern Art Olomouc prepared an exhibition Olomoučtí fotografové (Photographers of Olomouc). The exhibition presented the evolution and changes of Olomouc and its surroundings throughout the years up until the present day.

The program was further enhanced by science show from students from Fort Science where the guests could take part in various science experiments. The dominant of the garden was an inflatable model of the Earth - a symbol of Academia Film Olomouc, a science movie festival organized by the university. One of the main parts of the evening was concert of Michal Horák, student of the Faculty of Education and this year King of May.

The event was co-organised by CzechTourism and the Czech Centre in Vienna, where a press conference with Austrian journalists was held. Here, the university was presented by Lukáš Merz, the head of the American Centre of Palacký University. Representatives of the Vienna cultural scene, regional associations, the cities of Vienna, Innsbruck and Wiener Neustadt were also among the guests.

“The event was a celebration of not only Saint Wenceslas but also a showcase of the enriching and dynamic cooperation between the Czech Republic and Austria. It created space for academics, cultural representatives, Czech natives, and important people from both nations to meet. The event underlined the growing importance of international cooperation in the fields of science, education, and culture and brought further opportunities for development for the future,” added Alena Vyskočilová.

The main partners of the event were the Olomouc Region, the Olomouc Museum of Art and Palacký University. Together, these institutions contributed to a rich program which included, among other things, dulcimer music performed by the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, a presentation of regional specialities such as "tvarůžky" or dance performance by the Hanáks. Guests also had the opportunity to see a presentation of the St. Wenceslas Hill and the Central European Forum project, which was provided by the Olomouc Museum of Art.

On the occasion of World Inclusion Day, Palacký University is preparing its first annual IncluDay (InkluDen) on Thursday 10 October 2024. The day-long event will offer an informal group breakfast for UP women scientists and academics, a workshop on balancing work and personal life, an art opening, and an early evening theatrical presentation. You can find the detailed programme on the website.

The main purpose of IncluDay, subtitled Bridges Among Us, is to remind us of the importance and benefits of creating an inclusive and diverse culture. “Although the terms inclusion and diversity are often used, not everyone knows what they mean. Simply put, diversity means variety – in the context of the learning and working environment, we are talking about collectives that are diverse not only on the basis of gender and age, but also on the basis of life experiences,” said Markéta Šupplerová, head of the UP Personnel Management Office, which is preparing the event. “As for inclusion, it refers to the creation of a work or study environment where everyone is accepted regardless of their possible differences. The IncluDay activities will open up the theme of the importance of building imaginary bridges among us,” she added.

Women’s Science Breakfast

The IncluDay will commence with a Science Breakfast, which will be dedicated to women scientists at Palacký University. It will provide them with an informal space to share their experiences of what it is like to be a woman scientist and what helps in balancing personal and professional life, and more. “The reason why we decided to focus the event explicitly on women scientists is the fact that even at our university there is a persistent trend of the phenomenon called the ‘leaky pipeline’, where the representation of women decreases with increasing academic rank. At the meeting, we’d therefore like to open up the topic of common barriers in women’s scientific careers but also to share successful strategies for coping with difficult moments,” explains Šupplerová. Irena Smolová, Chair of the UP Academic Senate, has promised to deliver the opening words at the Science Breakfast.

The Work-Life Balance

An educational workshop on balancing work and life and the tools to support it, entitled The Work-Life Balance, will be offered to managers and HR staff from the university. The workshop will be led by Klára Čmolíková Cozlová, who works at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague as the head of the Department for Gender Equality, Inclusion and Diversity, and Dita Jahodová, ombudsperson at the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University in Prague and expert guarantor for the 22% Towards Equality project at the Czech Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

Art opening and Mumcabaret play

To make IncluDay open to everyone on campus, there will be an opening of the Together in Diversity art exhibit at UPoint, and at the end of the day, a free theatre performance, Mumcabaret, about the joys and sorrows of parenthood, will take place in the Convictorium Theatre. “Many of our current activities focus on the work-life balance and the needs of parents. In order to lighten up the topic a bit, we decided to include this entertaining performance in the programme, which could also be of interest to ‘non-parents’, whether they be students or employees,” explained Veronika Fousková from the UP Personnel Management Office, adding that the performance is also of particular affinity to Palacký University because it is written and played by its graduates.

Palacký University Rector Martin Procházka met with university officials, diplomats, politicians, businessmen, and representatives of cultural life in Iowa during his short official visit to the United States. At the end of last week, he attended the 50th anniversary celebrations of the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library (NCSML) in Cedar Rapids, a long-standing partner of the university.

The dozens of distinguished guests from the USA, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia also included Czech President Petr Pavel and his Slovak counterpart Peter Pellegrini. During the celebrations, the university was given a unique opportunity to officially inaugurate, in the presence of the Czech president, the Josef Jařab Scholarship Fund, which aims to support mutual exchanges of students and academics between UP and American universities.

“The presidential visit was scheduled down to the minute, so I am very grateful that President Pavel found a moment in his busy programme for Palacký University. Thanks for this goes to the director of the museum, Cecilia Rokusek, who’s been helping us with the implementation of the fund and with whom we could briefly present our idea to the President. Josef Jařab, Rector Emeritus of our university, tirelessly developed Czech-American relations, especially at the academic level, so he fully deserves to have the President of the Czech Republic at the birth of the scholarship bearing his name,” said Rector Procházka.

During his visit to Iowa, he also met with Thomas Feld, Rector Emeritus of Mount Mercy University. “He was a very good friend of Professor Jařab; he fondly remembers his visits to Olomouc and meetings with our students. They had worked together in the early 1990s and it was he who gave us the idea to implement such a project some time ago. Therefore, I am happy that we have managed to fulfil this vision and that we have received support for our scholarship from influential personalities of American academic life,” said UP Rector.

The other distinguished guests with whom Rector Procházka met during the celebrations in Cedar Rapids were, among others, the Czech Ambassador to Washington Miloslav Stašek, former Czech Ambassador to the USA Martin Palouš, and former Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Pavol Demeš, with whom he discussed the possibilities of cooperation between the Czech, Slovak, and U.S. academic environment. The UP Rector also discussed practical applications with representatives of the Czech Chamber of Commerce and representatives of the manufacturing sector, as a large Czech business delegation arrived in Iowa along with the presidential visit. With representatives of American universities, he discussed the possibilities of developing scientific collaboration and supporting student and academic exchanges.

The celebrations in Cedar Rapids culminated in the launch of the astronomical clock, which the local museum built after the model of the Prague astronomical clock. Instead of the twelve apostles, however, figures symbolising the professions and everyday lives of the first Czech and Slovak immigrants can be seen parading there every hour. The ceremony was attended by the Presidents of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. During the celebrations, Rector Procházka also met with the Czech and Slovak makers of the astronomical clock and another local cultural representative, Katelyn Bouska, an American pianist, musicologist, and teacher with Czech roots.

Martin Procházka, Rector of Palacký University Olomouc, visited Iowa and Minnesota. This was his first trip to the United States in his new role as President of the international university consortium Aurora, which he has taken on with the new academic year. At the start of his week-long trip, he was in Cedar Rapids to attend the culmination of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library (NCSML). Also attending the celebration were Czech President Petr Pavel, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, and many other distinguished guests.

“We are grateful to the Cedar Rapids museum and library for the opportunity to launch a scholarship fund that will allow us to support reciprocal exchanges of students and scholars between our university and universities in the United States. Iowa has been home to a strong Czech community for more than a century, and the museum’s partners and sponsors also support our fund named after Rector Emeritus Josef Jařab. In doing so, we are successfully fulfilling the legacy of our first post-communist rector, who helped Olomouc’s university to open cooperation with American schools three decades ago,” explained Martin Procházka.

The distinguished guests to meet the UP rector in Iowa included representatives of the University of Nebraska at Kearney, most importantly Rector Emeritus Douglas Kristensen, who developed and continues to support cooperation with UP – especially with the Faculty of Arts, but also with the Faculty of Law and Faculty of Health Sciences – for more than two decades.

In the second part of his short visit to the USA, the UP rector travelled to the neighbouring state of Minnesota, where he visited the University of Minnesota, with which European universities cooperate within the Aurora network international consortium. “The University of Minnesota is a prestigious and very dynamic research university. Its approach and focus on the same themes that we focus on in the Aurora Alliance is very beneficial for us and our European partners. As the president of the consortium, I am presenting the University of Minnesota management projects carried out in cooperation between the nine European universities involved in our network; we will also discuss possibilities for further cooperation,” said Procházka.

Aurora Alliance

The Aurora Alliance was established in 2020, bringing together nine top research universities from Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, and Iceland. Palacký University became a fully-fledged member of this global consortium two years ago. The member universities, together with other affiliated universities, have a strong commitment to social impact and community engagement, collaborating in student and academic exchanges, and striving to increase the societal impact of their research activities.

National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library

NCSML focuses on Czech and Slovak history and culture and on Czech and Slovak emigrants and their descendants in the United States. The museum was founded in 1974. After the Velvet Revolution, Czechoslovak-American contacts expanded rapidly, and the museum began a project to build a new, larger building near the “Czech Village”, a local settlement populated by Czech emigrants since the 19th century. In 1995, the building was inaugurated by U.S. President Bill Clinton, Czech President Václav Havel, and Slovak President Michal Kováč.

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota is a public research university in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The Twin Cities campus is home to over 50,000 students. It is one of the most prestigious public research universities in the USA and has long been ranked in the top 100 in international university rankings. Founded in 1851, it offers studies in engineering, medicine, law, veterinary medicine, and agriculture.

The preparations for the establishment of the Josef Jařab Scholarship Fund, which should be available to its first students and academics this year, are described here.

The UP Faculty of Science (UP FS) has improved its position in the prestigious ranking of the two percent of the world’s most cited scientists, compiled by Stanford University in collaboration with Elsevier. While last year the ranking included two dozen scientists from UP FS, this year there are four more. The ranking is based on how the researchers perform throughout their careers and what their results were last year.

In the “career long” category (citations during one’s whole career), 21 representatives from UP FS, who have listed Palacký University as their affiliation, were among 217,097 scientists from around the world. The highest ranked is Prof Jaromír Fiurášek from the Department of Optics. He is followed by Radim Bělohlávek, Miroslav Strnad, Pavel Pospíšil, Dušan Lazár, Zdeněk Hradil, Radim Filip, Zdeněk Dvořák, Jan Peřina, Aleš Lebeda, Anatolij Dvurečenskij, Zdeněk Bouchal, Petr Smýkal, Karel Weidinger, Tomáš Opatrný, Jozef Šamaj, Viktor Brabec, Ondřej Novák, Ondřej Šráček, Aleš Panáček, and Lutfun Nahar.

In the “single year” category (citations in 2023 only), 19 experts from UP FS were among the 223,152 scientists. Prof Pavel Pospíšil from the Department of Biophysics did the best. The others were Radim Bělohlávek, Miroslav Strnad, Ondřej Novák, Lutfun Nahar, Jaromír Fiurášek, Petr Smýkal, Dušan Lazár, Zdeněk Dvořák, Danuše Tarkowská, Zdeněk Hradil, Aleš Panáček, Viktor Brabec, Radim Filip, Jozef Šamaj, Aleš Lebeda, Zdeněk Bouchal, Jana Kašpárková, and Robin Kundrata.

The public database provides standardised information on e.g. total citations, citations without self-citations, h-index, co-authorship-adjusted hm-index, citations of articles in different author positions, and composite indicator (c-score). Read more here.

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.

An international symposium of experts specialising on court society in the Middle Ages took place from 22–24 August at the Palacký University Faculty of Arts. The interdisciplinary conference entitled Courtly Experiences in the Pre-Modern World, c. 1200–1800: Cultural, Material and Sensory Experiences in the World of the Court was held in Olomouc for the first time.

Throughout pre-modern history, royal and princely courts around the world were epicentres of activity, interaction, exchange, and modes of cultural production that not only defined the environments of various courts but also shaped the encounters that took place within different court cultures. The Olomouc conference explored the intersections and nuances of courtly experiences, both from the physical and material as well as the sensory world.

“Four dozen scholars addressed a very wide range of material and sensory experiences at court in their conference papers. Among other things, they delt with the role of gifts, secret codes, exotic animals, games, conspiracies and scandals, clothing, scents, flavours, recreation, and sports. For example, Dustin Neighbors from Helsinki talked about early modern hunting as a multisensory experience that was meant to amaze and build a space for social interaction. Cecilia Aneer from Uppsala looked at the use of cloths and furs in Swedish court dress as an indicator of social status. Marc W. S. Jaffré of Groningen compared the material and sensory experiences of visitors to the French and Japanese courts in the 17th century; hospitality was a very important form of representation at the time, and any mistake was damaging to the reputation of the monarch. Jack Dykstra-McCarthy of Cambridge highlighted the complexity of descriptions of the culinary experiences of English envoys at the Ottoman court. Surprisingly, they did not focus on flavours but rather on the spatial and social aspects of the encounter,” said Patrik Paštrnák from the Department of History at the UP Faculty of Arts on behalf of the conference organisers.

The conference, organised by the UP Faculty of Arts Department of History with the support of the Centre for Research on Courts and Residences at the Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences, was commenced in the Corpus Christi Chapel by the UP Faculty of Arts Vice-Dean Kristýna Solomon. The first keynote lecture was then delivered by Prof Karl Kügle (Oxford/Utrecht University).

“Professor Kügle, a leading expert on medieval music, spoke about acoustic physiognomies, that is, how music and sound perceptions helped to build and reinforce the identity of courtiers and court participants. The second keynote address was made by Oxford art historian Leah Clark, who focuses on cultural exchange between Italy and the Islamic world in the 15th century. In her lecture, she talked about the transcultural experience gained from visiting early modern courts,” commented Paštrnák.

He emphasised that the three-day prestigious Olomouc meeting was part of an interdisciplinary research on pre-modern monarchical courts. It included both historical disciplines (social and cultural history, art history, material culture and architecture, archaeology, etc.) and broader humanities and social sciences (anthropology, theatre studies, musicology). It aimed to analyse the phenomenon of the monarchical courts as a dynamic organism and a key instrument for the construction of power and social status. Courts could use a variety of means to do so.

“We conduct research on courts at the UP Department of History, occasionally collaborating with colleagues from other departments or faculties. This three-day event was the annual conference of the Society for Court Studies, launched in 1995 in the UK. Today it has branches in Europe and the USA,” concluded the UP historian.

In 2022, the conference was held in Helsinki, Finland, and last year in Madrid, Spain. This prestigious interdisciplinary meeting was held in Olomouc for the first time.