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Dear employees,

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.

University benefits have been extended by a new partner – UniCredit Bank. Have your salary sent to your UniCredit Bank account and get a bonus of up to CZK 500 per month for one year if you actively use the account. In addition, more advantageous loans, investments or insurance are offered. Details can be found on the UP benefits website.

Do you follow international rankings? Are they a functional criterion for you or your colleagues from other universities? Has it ever happened to you that someone refused to cooperate with you based on UP's results in the rankings? A survey by the Strategy and Quality Office of UP is seeking the views of those working at UP on international rankings. Share your opinion by 31 October – you can contribute, for example, to setting up communication on the topic of international rankings within the university.

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).

Until the end of October, proposals for the award of the Rector's Honorary Recognition of Palacký University in Olomouc to students of doctoral study programmes (in Czech) for a professional article can be submitted through the respective vice-deans. Honorary recognition can be awarded for professional articles from the current or previous year. The proposal may be submitted only by the vice-dean or vice-dean responsible for the agenda of doctoral studies at the faculty where the author of the professional article proposed for the award is enrolled for study. The award is associated with a financial reward in the form of an extraordinary scholarship.

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.

Do not hesitate to sign up for the first employee volunteer day (in Czech) in the history of UP. There are no more places at the zoo and the hospice at Svatý Kopeček, but you can still go plant trees in the peaceful surroundings of the forests near Šternberk and Mírovo. If you don't want to go that far, head to Flora and help improve the greenery in the university town. In case of active participation (in Czech), you will get a rector's leave, necessary tools and snacks, transport is also provided. 

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.

Want to know how to encourage students to engage in a variety of extracurricular activities that help them develop their skills, interests and values, as well as make and maintain social connections? Sign up for an online seminar to gain insights from a Europe-wide survey, practical recommendations and inspiration from good practice examples. You will also learn about some successful student activities, such as student peer support in mental health. The event will take place on 17 October, register here.

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: In the vicinity of which monument – a 13th century building – will trees be planted for the Archbishop's Forests and Estates Olomouc during the employee volunteer day?