“My respect for the novel coronavirus grew proportionately the more we learned,” recalls Dr. Milan Trojánek from the Second Faculty of Medicine and Bulovka University Hospital. He admits there were many aspects of the virus that caught the medical profession by surprise.

Karolína Bartošová is a student at Charles University who was accepted for a six-month internship at Australia's Macquarie University. She had a fabulous time and told Forum not only about what studying there was like but also about travel and adventures in the Australian outback.

The Coimbra Group Annual Conference began on Wednesday, this year hosted online by Charles University. Among the main topics are sustainability, post-pandemic cooperation, and help for students. The Coimbra Group brings together 41 universities from 23 countries.

“Genetic testing makes sense in combination with other biochemical markers and various sensors for individual training. But there is no way it should lead to conclusions such as if you don’t have a sprinter’s genes, give up running,” says Associate Professor Miroslav Petr from the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports.

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is on a four-day visit to the Czech Republic. The leader was invited to Prague by the speaker of the Senate, Miloš Vystrčil. On Monday afternoon, she and her team met for talks at Charles University. On the agenda: ways to help students and to support democracy in Belarus.

Three brothers, all slalom canoeists; two have competed for the Czech Republic. That's the Hegers. Vojtěch, the middle brother, clinched a spot in canoe slalom for the Czech Republic in the upcoming Olympics. But he won’t be heading to Tokyo this summer.

“We expected the biggest changes in vegetation to be at the end of the Ice Age. Instead, we were surprised they were in the last four thousand years," says paleoecologist Petr Kuneš of the Faculty of Science. Kuneš and fellow experts' findings were published  in the prestigious scientific journal Science.

“Is there anything nicer than walking out onto the course at 6 am and taking in the sight of the dew-covered grass?” psychologist Lenka Šulová of the Faculty of Arts wonders. Fifteen years ago she fell in love with golf, a sport she cannot imagine being without in her free time or on travels in Europe and further abroad.

Charles University saw important changes over the last year-and-a-half, among them the relocation of student/employee services, CU Point, to Celetná 13. It is a central hub including the CU Staff Welcome Centre, helping foreign researchers with work stays.

Turtles originated more than 200 million years ago but three-quarters of turtle species today are endangered. Jindřich Brejcha, a zoologist at the Faculty of Science, told us more about the fascinating reptile and efforts to help.  May 23 was World Turtle Day.

“Pharmacy is unique because it both opens a door for students to learn more about the natural sciences and provides the stability of a good career,” says the dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Tomáš Šimůnek. in the following Forum interview, he discusses not only life at the faculty but also vaccines against the coronavirus.

From outside it has barely been audible but the last few weeks the historic Carolinum has echoed with the sounds of construction. Not just hallways but also a part of the Great Hall itself is being renovated, ahead of the installation of a new pipe organ. 

Stunning landscapes, diverse in languages, home to different cultural traditions: all that and more are the Caucasus bridging Western Asia and Eastern Europe. The region has long been the focus of Faculty of Arts’ Associate Professor Petra Košťálová.

Last month, the rectors of the 4EU+ Alliance established a new legal entity. The association, based in Heidelberg, aims to strengthen cooperation among all six member universities, says Charles University’s Vice-Rector for European Affairs Lenka Rovná.

As a little girl, Lucie Korecká received a copy of The Hobbit and was enchanted by J.R.R. Tolkien’s world, explored further in fantastic detail in The Lord of the Rings. The work was influenced by Icelandic and Norse mythology and later Korecká pursued her passion for Old Norse at the Faculty of Arts, where she is completing her PhD.

For viewers of public broadcaster Czech TV, he is both a trusted reporter and a familiar face: Charles University graduate Lukáš Dolanský. The reporter began in domestic affairs 11 years ago but has focused on foreign affairs for the last four or so, reporting as Czech TV's man in Belgium.

Getting back in shape after the Covid pandemic was the topic of a live webinar hosted by Charles University on Thursday with a panel of experts discussing the impact of the virus on public health. A drop in physical activity among those who worked from home, as well as lingering post-Covid symptoms among patients, were looked at.

As a scientist Lukáš Petera is interested in whether the bombardment by asteroids and comets in the early days of the solar system led to the start of life on Earth. For his thesis on the subject he received the prestigious Werner von Siemens Award in March.

“When I started, the chances of curing the most common types of paediatric leukaemia were around 20 percent – today it is up to 90 percent. Not every doctor gets to live to see that,” says Professor Jan Starý, a paediatric haematologist at Charles University’s Second Faculty of Medicine and Motol University Hospital. 

“Of all the countries I have visited, Israel is among the most exceptional. It’s admirable that in such unfavourable conditions – both natural and political – they’ve built such a well-functioning society,” says hydrogeologist Zbyněk Hrkal, who has travelled to an incredible 79 countries around the globe.