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Dear students, 

on Monday the new semester started in full swing and the first snow fell on Praděd. Therefore, in addition to news from university life or course offerings, we also bring you some tips on how to cope with this unfortunate way of summer – you can go to the university sauna or see the volcanic lovestory.

First of all, we would like to welcome you to the new academic year and wish you a lot of success and interesting experiences, so we would like to join the words of the Rector of UP Martin Procházka for the opening of the academic year. After you read it, don't forget to come back to the rest of the newsletter. We look forward to seeing you again in two weeks.

Palacký University in Olomouc usually awards the František Palacký Prize once every two years. It honours personalities who have achieved outstanding results in the field of science or culture, thus contributing to the prestige of the Czech Republic and Palacký University in Olomouc. Nominate your candidate this year! He/she should be a prominent Czech or foreign personality from any scientific field or from any field of cultural activity. Send your proposals by 15 October 2022 to prorektorkaVaV@upol.cz; a short justification must be included in the proposal. More details here. 

On Friday 30 September you will be able to taste, smell, feel, listen and experience the university through and through. It – and with it the Olomouc University Hospital and countless other places across the country – will be dominated by the Czech European Researchers' Night (Noc vědců), this year with the theme All the Senses. Take a look at the programme (in Czech) and head out between 4pm and midnight for lectures, exhibitions, various experiments, creative workshops, guided tours, film screenings or tastings.

Are you unsure about how to approach your classmates with disabilities or what an inclusive university looks like? The Centre for Students with Special Needs has prepared short courses (1 hour) focusing on the specifics of different types of disabilities. All of them are free of charge for UP students and staff. For more information and registration options, please visit the Centre's website (in Czech) or the Lifelong Learning Portal (in Czech), where various other courses are also available.

Have you ever needed to send a 500GB file to someone? It may not happen every day, but just in case, Filesender can transfer even those giants quickly and for free. It's provided by CESNET, the association of universities and the Czech Academy of Sciences, which is behind, among other things, the academic network eduroam. It also offers 100GB of backup space or a web conferencing platform. You can find an overview of the services on the CESNET website, logging in with your university identity.

Cold and autumn full moon? Luckily, the Akademik Fitness gym and sauna (in Czech) open at the beginning of the semester and various semester-long sports and exercise classes begin under the Academic Sports Centre banner. On offer are group classes (yoga, gymballs, dance, zumba, tabata, self-defence), indoor sports (floorball, volleyball, basketball, badminton), canoeing, archery or jiu-jitsu – as well as long-term regular courses (tennis, equestrian, swimming). A summary of information is here (in Czech), for reservations and registration use the portal sportuj.upol.cz (in Czech). Students and employees of UP have a discount on ASC UP activities.

How to balance parenthood and student or working life at university? An unavoidable question that no parent – current or future – will miss. We would like to make the confluence of these two worlds as easy and natural as possible at our university. Help us, and ultimately everyone else at UP, to break down as many barriers and pitfalls as possible. Don't keep your suggestions to yourself even if you don't have children (yet). The survey is open to all.

Throughout the week until Sunday, you can come and see our university's showroom in the largest shopping centre in the centre of Olomouc – we have joined the Šantovka star(t)s project (in Czech), presenting novelties from local companies and organisations. Look forward to presentations about the study, products from UPoint, games, puzzles, a relaxation zone, a weekend workshop with Palacký University Press or a science show with the Fort Science. You can find us on the first floor next to the Maxidesign store from 1 to 7 pm.

AFO never sleeps! While the next edition is in the works (if you already have an academic diary, it will be April 25–30, 2023), we have individual AFO Cinema coming up throughout the year. This year's season will kick off with Fire of Love, an incredible but true story of two volcanologists' love for volcanoes and each other. Breathtaking archival footage and photographs of Katia and Maurice Krafft are complemented by a fluffy soundtrack and emotional voiceover. You can look forward to the screening on Monday, September 26 at 7:00 p.m. at Kino Metropol, followed by an after party at Bistro & Bar Konvikt.

Are you going to a conference to present a poster but don't know how to do it? Or have you already presented a few, but it's still not right? You can try your poster presentation at the workshop that will take place on 25 November – the second day of the UP Interdisciplinary Doctoral Conference. The workshop will have two parts. In the first one you will learn useful tips and advice on how to create an engaging and impressive poster. In the second part, participants will get feedback on their submitted posters. Registration deadlines and further instructions can be found on the PhD website.

The University Science Centre Fort Science is located on the premises of the Korunní pevnůstka. While the building of the Fort Science belongs to the university, the outdoor space, where concerts, theatre performances and festivals are often held, is run by the Olomouc Fortress Museum, z. s. The university and the Fort Science therefore have no detailed information about the events there and have no influence on their course. Therefore, if you have any questions about the programme at the Fort Science, please contact the organisers or the site manager. At the same time, please excuse any restrictions that may arise when visiting the Fort Science.