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Dear employees,

there's only one more newsletter to come and it's Christmas. But there's still plenty to do before then, just check the university calendar to see why it's going to be so busy on Friday - the university will open its doors to prospective students for an open day (in Czech). The next fortnight will also see a meeting of the UP academic community and extraordinary session of the Academic Senate of UP, in the newsletter you will also find invitations to workshops, lectures and cinemas, as well as tips for gifts.

The President of the UP Academic Senate convenes an assembly of the UP academic community in connection with the consideration of the proposal to dismiss the UP Rector, in accordance with the provisions of Article 4 of the Statute of Palacký University in Olomouc. The assembly of the UP academic community will be held on Monday, 5 December 2022 at 10:00 a.m. in the large auditorium of the Faculty of Education on Žižkovo náměstí. The assembly will include a discussion with the Rector of UP in the context of the proposal for the dismissal of the Rector of UP dated 8 November 2022 submitted by the President of the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Science of UP. The assembly will be streamed on UP YouTube channel. Upon the request of the President of the Academic Senate of UP, the Rector of UP has granted a Rector's leave of absence for the duration of the Assembly for staff and students of all units, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Not only Olomouc squares, but also the courtyard of our Armoury will once again smell of punch. We cordially invite you to an informal pre-Christmas meeting of the university management and staff, which will take place on Friday, 2 December - on the same day as the UP Open Day (in Czech), which will take place again after three years. From 2 pm to 5 pm, small treats will be prepared for the employees in the courtyard of the Armoury in the form of bread with crackling and tvarůžky spread and scented punch for everyone in alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions. The representatives of the university management and the organizers of the event from the UP communication office are looking forward to meeting you.

Palacký University has prepared two workshops for its employees under the Fair University banner focused on preventing interpersonal conflicts in the workplace and on recognizing and dealing with various forms of bullying at universities. They will take place on Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 December, and are free of charge, with prior registration only. Details, annotations and links to registration can be found in this news (in Czech).

Do you already have a project in the works, or just an idea, and you're looking for a place to start? Try applying for the 14th year of the student grant competition at UP, which the Rector of the University announces precisely so that the implementation of interesting projects does not fail for lack of funding. Students of the doctoral programme where UP is the training institute or academic staff of UP can be the project's researchers. Applications are to be submitted only electronically until 16 January 2023 at 16:00. For the terms and conditions of the competition, application instructions and information on funding limits or priority topics, please see this PDF (in Czech).

The last screening of this year's Academia Film Olomouc festival will take us from the Metropol cinema hall right into the middle of the forest. The documentary The Heart of the Oak is a riveting story about the king of the forest and his faithful friends, starring none other than jays, squirrels, weevils, mice and ants. The world of a 200+ year old oak tree will be revealed on Monday 19 December at 17:30 in the Metropol cinema. The screening is free for UP employees, but you must reserve a seat in advance.

Get in the Christmas spirit with your children and come to the British Centre of the UP Library. After two years, a Christmas workshop is again planned here. In addition to making paper Christmas decorations, children can also enjoy Christmas English songs and learn some new English words. The workshop will take place in the British Centre of the UP Library on the ground floor of the Armoury on Wednesday 7 December from 16:00 to 17:30. There is no charge to attend, but you must book a place in advance. More information on the UP Library website (in Czech).

More than 2 billion people in 80 countries suffer from chronic water scarcity. 1.2 billion people do not have access to drinking water. In addition to water scarcity, the quality of the world's water continues to deteriorate, not only on land but also in the world's oceans. How can we address this growing water stress? Bohumír Jánský, the Czech hydrologist and geographer who discovered the Amazon springs, will talk about this in his lecture Water stress in the world and in the Czech Republic. Registration will take place on Monday, 5 December 2022 at 13:00 in the auditorium of the Faculty of Science of UP. Reserve your place via the registration form.

Today's society between the ages of 20 and 75 is made up of four main generations. Research by the Department of Psychology of the Faculty of Arts of UP is now investigating how Baby Boomers, X, Y and Z differ in their value systems and whether their values are influenced by the use and exposure to cyberspace. You can participate in the research here, and more information is on the Department of Psychology's Personality Characteristics Lab website.

How to use this truly exceptional plant in agriculture, industry or health care? This is what researchers and experts on cannabis will be discussing in the Fort Science. The main topic of this year's event is the legalization of the recreational use of cannabis, which will be discussed by the person most responsible for this topic, the National Drug Coordinator Jindřich Vobořil. He and other guests will also discuss the use of cannabis as a superfood and material of the future. The discussion is free and open to all (in Czech) and takes place on 12 December at 7 pm in the Laudon Hall of the Fort Science.

You can enter yourself or someone else for the Werner von Siemens Prize in just a few days – until Sunday 4 December to be precise. The prize is aimed at students in engineering, science and medicine and helps them to get the results of their work out into the world. If you don't want to enter yourself, you can still win a prize. The financial reward is, of course, linked to the awards themselves: this year, CZK 1,000,000 will be distributed in eight categories. Further information and application forms are available on the award website (in Czech).

Why donate socks when you can donate science? If you're thinking of wrapping a pair of socks for your loved ones under the tree, stop for a moment. In fact, a smart book might be a better option. We asked AI why it thinks it's better to give a science or popular science book for Christmas than socks. Here are the top 15 answers and reasons. (in Czech) If the bulletproof arguments convince you, take a look at the Christmas book tips from UP Publishing. Until the end of the year, you can also use the 15% discount code darujteznalost on the e-shop.