(This content has been translated automatically.)

Dear students,

in the first autumn newsletter we have again a selection of information, invitations and challenges from the university world, and we have not forgotten about the competition. We hope there is something for everyone – you will find more events in the busy university calendar. We wish you a pleasant reading!

WHAT'S GOING ON AT UP?

At the last management meeting on Wednesday, 27 September, the creation of the Josef Jařab Fund and the planting of trees at Envelopa were discussed. A methodology on artificial intelligence is also being developed. Read the full summary (after logging in the UP Portal), we will prepare another one for you in 14 days. More detailed information will subsequently be 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.

Tell your university the answer to a simple question that we have no chance of getting except with your help. We need to know if you are the first college graduate in your family, or if at least one of your parents or other people who raised you already has a college degree. This will help us communicate better with applicants and (not only) incoming students. Please complete the one-question survey by the end of October. Simply log in with the same details as you would for the UP Portal – this will ensure that everyone completes the questionnaire only once. Thank you for your help!

It is not only autumn colds that can be cured by regular exercise. Thanks to the offer of the Akademik Sport Centre UP, everyone can find their favourite activity – it is really wide (in Czech). You can sign up for individual classes, such as karate, morning yoga, self-defence, oriental and ballroom dance or Line Dance (a very pleasant dance direction for everyone of any age, which does not require a partner at the beginning). There are also long-term courses on offer (tennis, swimming, and the newest one is Argentine Tango (in Czech)). You can also visit the archery range, gym or sauna. More information on the ASC UP website (in Czech).

The Student Chamber of the Council of Universities awards the Jan Opletal Awards (in Czech) to male and female students and recent graduates of secondary schools and universities for their activities within their studies, for student and civic engagement, volunteering and other publicly beneficial activities. You can nominate someone in your area by emailing cjo23@skrvs.cz by October 27, 2023, and students can also enter a contest to design the award.

Let's get Olomouc science to the finals of the popularization competition Czech Vševěd 2023 (in Czech)! This year, our university's star is student Nina Kadášová (in Czech). She presents her research, like the other contestants, in a short video (in Czech). Check it out and don't forget to vote – only until 15 October!

INTERNSHIPS

Come and do an internship at CERN, even if you're not a physicist! The famous European Organization for Nuclear Research offers short- and long-term internships to all students. In addition to the offer for bachelor, master and PhD students focusing on natural sciences, engineering, technology or mathematics, there is also an "administrative programme" that can attract students across UP faculties. Thanks to it, you can participate in the running of CERN in a variety of positions. Internships are paid by CERN at a rate of CHF 3,300 per month. More information can be found here (in Czech).

Every December, the PAF festival – a showcase of film animation and contemporary art (in Czech) – takes place in Olomouc. Become part of the organizing and realizing team of the festival – gain experience and, depending on your field, even a recognized practice. If you are interested, come to the Great Auditorium (2nd floor of the Konvikt, Univerzitní 3) on 9 October at 19:00. Positions such as technical support, catering, promotion, production or night watch and more are on offer.

INVITATIONS

This year's Czech European Researchers‘ Night on Friday 6 October will be dominated by the theme of mystery! Don't miss the best night of science, learning and fun for all generations. The faculties, CATRIN, the Fort Science, the Science and Technology Park (including the new building at Envelopa), the UP Library, the UP University Press or the University Hospital are preparing 100 points of the programme for you. And because science will fill the whole of Olomouc, a low-floor bus line will connect the distant places. Take a look at the complete Olomouc programme (in Czech).

From 16 October, Open Science Week will take place in five university cities, a week packed with topics related to open science, research data management, open publishing, citizen science and the legal aspects of open science. In the Olomouc part of the programme (in Czech), which will take place on Friday, 20 October, we will focus on open science from the perspective of scientists and we will present citizen science – you can look forward to interesting examples of citizen involvement in research, e.g. sensory maps, recording the singing of starlings, monitoring the presence of ticks, beehives or wildlife. Register and come along or join online.

In October and November, the UP Library has prepared several training dates for all those who want to learn how to search electronic information sources for their studies or work. At the training you will learn what resources UP subscribes to, how to define keywords correctly and how to build a search query from them. You will learn how to work with the e-resources portal and be able to search effectively for e-books, articles and journals. Dates and reservations can be found on the UP Library website (in Czech).

Two weeks ago, the university building Envelopa Hub opened, which also includes the Element coworking space. The shared space is used, among other things, for meetings and talks, and student societies can actively participate in the preparation of the programme. Already on 5 October at 18:00 you can look forward to a popular science lecture by the Chemistry Society (in Czech) on the topic Drugs: curse of humanity or new hope? (in Czech) A few days later, on 9 October at 16:00, we will meet at the workshop Discovering the Treasures of AI: ChatGPT for Everyone (in Czech) organized by VTP UP in cooperation with partner IT company 3Pillar Global. Both events are free of charge, but the number of places is limited, so be sure to register.

There are so many beautiful places in the world, so go abroad for a study or work placement with Erasmus. But first, stop by the Erasmus Days, where the UP Mobility Department will introduce you to the opportunities on offer and allay your fears. Visit the booths on Wednesday, October 11 (11:00–15:00) on the ground floor of the main canteen and on Thursday, October 12 (10:00–14:00) in the gatehouse area of the Armoury (Zbrojnice).

NEW STANDARDS

• Statute of the Honorary Recognition of the Rector of Palacký University in Olomouc to students of doctoral study programmes for a professional article – amendment No. 1

  This amendment to the internal standard, effective as of 2 October, (in Czech) affects in particular students of doctoral study programmes of all UP faculties and authorised UP staff whose responsibilities concern doctoral studies. It regulates the amount of the financial reward and expands the list of persons who can submit a proposal for the Rector's Honorary Recognition.

  
  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

In today's competition you can win a hot new product from UPoint – a university thermos. We'll add two free tickets to the Fort Science, valid until the end of 2023. Just send us the correct answer to soutez@upol.cz by Monday 9 October and you'll be in luck in the draw. Question: What does Nina Kadášová, whom you can support with your vote in the Czech Vševěd competition, focus on in her research? (Just generally and briefly.)