(This content has been translated automatically.)

Dear students,

almost exactly one year ago the teaching at UP went fully online. Fortunately, this year it is not so, thanks to the responsibility of each of us. However, in order to maintain the current situation, it is necessary to respond to the increasing number of infected people by adjusting the measures in force. Among the most important ones, students are now required to wear respiratory protection during classes. The regulations for examinations or mass events have also been amended – all of which can be found on the university's coronaweb. You can also download and print the "Wear a respirator" sign. And if you're not vaccinated, we'd be happy if you’d take part in a quick survey.

Are you the first generation of college students in your family?

We are asking all first-year undergraduate students and "long" (non-continuing) master's students – to answer (in Czech) this one question. You can answer here (in Czech) – it shouldn't take you more than a few seconds to complete and will be a very useful indicator for us in the international evaluation of our university. Please do not forget to submit your answer. The survey is anonymous and will close on 9 November 2021.

Weak password? Spam or phishing? – Watch the Security in Cyberspace educational series

The online world, like the real one, is full of pitfalls as well as pleasant things. We can see this not only in our email inboxes, where, despite all the filters, sometimes a strange email arrives, demanding, for example, that we enter our password. A series of short animated educational videos from the Communications Office and the Computer Centre will advise you how to avoid these pitfalls. In them, you will learn how to create a secure password, what to do in case of a cyber-attack or why not to mindlessly click on every link. Details and other tips can be found in the University Journal article, and the videos themselves can be found on the University's YouTube (in Czech) or UPstream (in Czech) platform.

Water, all water: myths and reality

During this year's holidays, you may have heard that Czech scientists have managed to produce metallic water (in Czech). Behind this achievement is a team led by Prof. Pavel Jungwirth, a Czech physical chemist at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS and a lecturer at Charles University in Prague. We at UP will have the opportunity to hear his lecture on the occasion of the 127th anniversary of the birth of Josef Ludvík Fischer, the first rector of the restored Palacký University. These lectures are held once a year, the first time being in 1994, when the 100th anniversary of J. L. Fischer's birth was celebrated. The lecture will take place on 11 November at 11 a.m. in the auditorium of the Faculty of Education on Žižkovo náměstí and will be open to the public.

Will you volunteer or not? And why? Join the survey

Recent months have shown the importance of volunteer work for society. But what are the benefits of volunteering for those who give their time and energy selflessly to others? And what drives them to do so in the first place? This is what the CMTF UP Department of Christian Social Work is interested in in the current questionnaire survey (in Czech) aimed at university students and employees. The questionnaire is also aimed at those who have never volunteered, so filling it out (in Czech) can be the first step to getting involved – tips can be found on the UP Volunteering Centre website (in Czech). You can respond until the end of November here (in Czech).

Help improve waste sorting with Udržitelný Palacký

One of the challenges that Sustainable University (in Czech) addresses is waste and the circular economy on campus. The Udržitelný ("Sustainable") Palacký (in Czech) association, which has made waste sorting bags available for several years, is now organising a survey (in Czech) specifically about waste sorting in dormitories. The aim of the survey is to help make sorting more sophisticated overall, for example, to make it possible to sort more types of waste, even in kitchens or corridors. You can fill in the short questionnaire (only 6 questions) here (in Czech).

And to make sure that those who do not live in the dormitories do not miss out, we have an invitation for everyone – to a series of streams called World in Context, prepared by the Olomouc organisation ARPOK. First up on Wednesday 3 November will be Anna and Eliška Víravová, known as Sisters in Action for Life. More information on the website of the Sustainable University (in Czech).

How to approach classmates with disabilities?

Do you know what an inclusive university looks like or how to approach classmates with disabilities? The Centre for Students with Special Needs has prepared a long-term course (40 hours) focusing on the specifics of different types of disabilities. The course is completely free of charge. For more information and to sign up, please visit the Center's website (in Czech).

How to dive into business and not drown?

Every successful business started as a fleeting idea. How to achieve such a transformation will be advised by several entrepreneurs, mostly from the Olomouc region, who will share their inspiring stories and experiences of building and growing a business. For all young entrepreneurs, startups and innovative teams, the ninth edition of the UP Business Camp (in Czech) conference will take place on Saturday, 20 November. It is organized by the UP Science and Technology Park and includes a competition, the winners of which will get the opportunity to present their project in front of investors, Czech startup mentors within the Startup Club. More in the article of the UP Journal (in Czech) and on the conference website (in Czech).

Aurora Alliance broadens horizons

UP's involvement in the Aurora Alliance brings many opportunities not only for the university as a whole, but also for individuals, both students and employees. In addition to the expanded offer of student and work placements or the possibility of obtaining international grants (in Czech), there are also webinars and lectures by experts from the participating universities. They focus mainly on Aurora's profile topics, such as climate change, social responsibility and sustainability, the digitalisation of society or cultural diversity and identity. In the currently upcoming online events, you can get to know the universities involved in Aurora (and where you can possibly go) or learn how to organise your time more effectively. Find out more here and at aurora.upol.cz.

Publish your master's thesis in book form

Do you find it a shame that only a handful of people have read your master's thesis? Then don't hesitate and start your publishing career right away with Academia publishing house. You can enter your thesis until Sunday 31 October in the student competition (in Czech) – and if you win, your work will be published in book form. In the categories of Life and Chemical Sciences, Life and Non-Life Sciences and Humanities and Social Sciences, not only factual accuracy but also readability and the ability to engage the reader are judged. The application form and the published works can be found on the publisher's website (in Czech).

AFOKINO: Helios

Until recently, many scientists assumed that we would not learn much new through solar eclipses. In fact, there was no way to capture the sun's corona in sufficient detail. Professor Miloslav Druckmüller, a Czech mathematician, amateur astronomer and passionate photographer, has solved this problem after years of hard work. His personal and scientific story is brought to us by Academia Film Olomouc (in Czech) in an exclusive preview of Helios. The screening will take place on Wednesday 17 November at the Metropol cinema and will be attended by the film's protagonist, alongside the director and screenwriter Ondřej Sovík.

Scientific and artistic documentary The Inner Telescope

The French Institute in Prague and the Metropol cinema are preparing an interesting screening of the documentary Inner Telescope on Wednesday 3 November with the participation of the director Virgil Novarina. The screening will be followed by a debate between the director, Jan Lukačević, Ambassador of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, and Jakub Ráliš, Director of the AFO Festival. The film traces the realization of a unique scientific and artistic project – from the creation of an artistic artifact in the Chicago studio of Eduard Kac to its rendition by Thomas Pesquet in orbit 400 km from the Earth's surface (as part of the Proxima mission organized by the European Space Agency). Tickets can be obtained at the Metropol cinema ticket office and website (in Czech).