(This content has been translated automatically.)

Dear students, 

Thanks to longer and warmer days, we finally don't have to hide under a roof all the time. Try stopping for a while on the university terrace overlooking Olomouc, in the historic city wall ramparts gardens or in the nature park in Holice. You will also find pleasant surroundings on the banks of the Morava River or in the Olomouc Botanical Garden and Rosarium. Everywhere you go you can take your studies, work, a book or even lunch from the canteen in a new returnable box!

WHAT¨S GOING ON AT UP

At the last management meeting on Wednesday 27 March 2024, there was talk of a recommendation to use AI at UP or a sports day. Petr Konečný, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, from the Faculty of Health Sciences, has been the chairman of the Ethics Committee of UP since 15 March. Read the full summary (in Czech) (after logging in the UP Portal), we will prepare another one for you in 14 days. More detailed information will be subsequently available in the minutes of the management meeting in UPShare, as well as in the minutes of other bodies, in UP standards and documents and on other information platforms.

The UP Sports Day will take place on Tuesday 7 May 2024. The Rector's leave is announced for this day and all physical activities within the Sports Day are free of charge for UP employees and students. A rich programme is traditionally prepared by the Akademik Sport Centre, which will offer dozens of indoor and outdoor sports, team tournaments, individual disciplines or sauna. After last year's successful premiere, there will also be a chess match across the university or a hiking trip. A detailed schedule of the sports activities on offer and registration will be updated on the website in the coming days.

Need to take your lunch from the UP canteen somewhere else? Say goodbye to transferring food from plates to boxes, spilled sauce in your backpack and disposable packaging. The UP canteens now offer REboxes (in Czech REkrabička), which are made of sturdy plastic, have a leak-proof lid and are microwave and dishwasher safe. You can get them for a refundable deposit of 80 CZK. For details and ordering instructions, see the article (in Czech).

Need to earn extra money while studying? Don't know where to go after school? Wondering what kind of work you would enjoy? Or do you want to get an idea of what you can do in your field? Take a peek into the world of today's companies and come to the Okno do praxe fair, where you can meet and talk to representatives of individual companies, compare their job offers, get valuable advice, information and, above all, contacts. There will also be lectures and discussions. Check out oknodopraxe.upol.cz (in Czech)! 

Since 1994, a lecture in honour of Prof. Josef Ludvík Fischer, who was the first rector of Palacký University after its restoration in 1946, has been held in November. Any student or employee of the UP may submit a proposal for a candidate; a short justification must be included in the proposal. It should be a prominent Czech or foreign personality from any scientific field.  The selection is then decided by the Rector of UP on the proposal of the relevant university committee. Take inspiration from the list of persons who have delivered the Fischer Lecture at UP in the past.

Do you have an idea and want to turn it into a business? The Palacký University Science and Technology Park (in Czech) announces the 15th year of the Podnikavá hlava (Entrepreneurial Head) (in Czech) competition, both students and UP employees can participate. Have your business idea evaluated, get feedback from the expert jury, get to know the business community of the Olomouc Region and learn how to present yourself to investors. The winning project will receive the main prize of CZK 50,000, consultancy worth CZK 130,000, a year's lease of a workplace at Element Coworking or a discount on office rent. You can register (in Czech) until 20 May, you can find everything on the competition website (in Czech).

How to use the possibilities of artificial intelligence when studying or working at UP while maintaining ethical standards and integrity? Read recommendations to help balance the potential of AI to improve teaching, studying, research and administrative processes with the need to protect personal data, intellectual property and academic honor. Visit ai.upol.com/doporuceni (in Czech).

Fifteen is the atomic number of phosphorus, the number of stars on the Cook Islands flag and, as of April 1, a new discount on books at Palacký University Press for all students, employees and alumni. It's not April! The book market underwent a tax change at the beginning of the year, and we can now translate some of that change into a benefit for all members of the Olomouc academic community.

In the Bookshop at Zbrojnice/Armoury and in the VUP shop you can now buy all non-discounted books - both those from the UP Press and those from other publishers and publishers – with a 15% discount. 

In the Bookshop, you will only need to show your employee card, ISIC or alumni card. On the e-shop, there are two ways to get the cheaper books: either register and log in with your university email (so prices will automatically be 15% lower than for other customers), or use the discount codes in the cart. You can find their wording on the staff or alumni web or UPlikace app.

The alley and staircase connecting Křížkovského Street (FF, Zbrojnice/Armoury) and Bezručovy sady park are open again, every day from 6:15 am to 7 pm. The city wall ramparts gardens are also accessible.

STUDY STAYS & INTERNSHIPS

Gain practical experience in international relations, communications, media and the preparation and organisation of diverse events. Apply for an internship at the European Commission Representation in the Czech Republic (Prague) or at the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the United Nations in New York by 15 April. Another position is offered by the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, which includes a stipend from UP in the amount of 750 euros/month.

LECTURES AND COURSES

Cities – Olomouc included – are increasingly exposed to summer heat waves. Magdalena Maceková from the Partnership Foundation will present the main causes of heat island formation and the possibilities to reduce overheating with the help of elements close to nature in her lecture City that does not overheat in summer (in Czech). The lecture will take place on Wednesday 24 April from 4 to 6 pm in the Na Hradě 5 building (room UH1, 4th floor), registration is required. Read also the annotation (in Czech).

INVITATIONS

What does television tell us about the Romany people? How do they portray them and how do they talk about them? And does the overall media image say something about the Roma, or does it rather hold up a mirror to ourselves? This and much more will be revealed by the media sociologist Renáta Sedláková (CMTF) on 11 April at 17:00 at UPoint during the next meeting in the series of author talks Pointa, organized by UP Press in cooperation with UPoint. In her book News about Them or Us, she presents a comprehensive analysis of news about Roma on public Czech television between 2000–2020.

The UP Faculty of Law and its Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law CIHOL invite you to a screening of the documentary film The Investigator followed by a discussion (in Czech). The event will take place on 9 April at 17:00 at the Faculty with the participation of the protagonist of the film, Vladimír Dzura – a Czech criminalist who served as an investigator at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague. Due to limited capacity, advance reservation is required.

The Faculty of Arts of UP cordially invites you to the Fotokavárna #2. It is a unique project that turns the café into an original photo studio. Come to the Coffee Library during the week of April 8th to 12th for something good and have your photo taken by a photographer for free. Order a coffee or tea, a sweet cake, get comfortable in a chair or at a table and the photographers will take the perfect snapshot.

Neither in a year, nor in a month, but in 20 days the next AFO - International Festival of Popular Science Films Academia Film Olomouc will start! Don't forget to get your accreditation - the basic one is free, but you can support AFO financially and get a number of benefits such as reserved seats, special merch or Sunday brunch. You can also buy a ticket for the Music is Science programme, whose line-up can be found on FB.

Come to the biggest environmental festival in the Czech Republic! Listen to talks (in Czech) about nature, society, science and their intersections and connections or visit the eco-fair with concerts by the Letní kapela, Michal Prokop & Framus Five or Bert & Friends. The programme also includes theatre, film, excursions and exhibitions. Ecological Days Olomouc takes place from 12 to 27 April and most events are free of charge.

NEW STANDARDS

• Statute of Palacký University in Olomouc – Amendment No. 11 

  This amendment to the UP Internal Regulations, effective from 27 March 2024, (in Czech) is addressed to the entire UP academic community and regulates the creation, allocation and use of the Social Fund.

   

  All UP standards, including the ineffective ones, divided by UP units, with the possibility of filtering and searching in them can be found by students and employees of UP after logging in to files.upol.cz.

COMPETITION

Palacký University is a proud partner of the Mattoni Olomouc 1/2Marathon again this year! The biggest running festival in Moravia will take place on Saturday 15th June and you have the opportunity to run the main race for free and compete for the UP Rector's Cup. We are currently competing for a registration for the main race worth CZK 2,100. Just email us the correct answer to the competition question to soutez@upol.cz by Monday 8 April and the registration can be yours. Question: What is the name of last year's winner of the UP Rector's Cup?