Displaying items by tag: research

The Olympics are not just about sports and the joy of winning: sociologists also look at the role that money, politics and globalisation play. “Basically, all Olympics suffer some controversy,” says Matouš Veselský, a sociologist at the Faculty of Humanities.

Friday, 11 February, marks the seventh International Day of Women and Girls in Science, celebrating the role of women in the scientific world and promoting gender equality. What do women scientists at Charles University enjoy the most about their work and what kind of challenges did they face?

The UN estimates that by 2050, there will be 9.7 billion people on Earth. Facing problems such as overpopulation and the climate crisis, some people are opting to remain childless. Šárka Stříbrská, a CU graduate student who conducted research into the reasons some people choose not to have kids.

“Our goal is to create a universal natural language generator that will be able to learn from only a few examples and will not make mistakes,” says Ondřej Dušek from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics. His work landed him a prestigious ERC grant.

The year 2021 saw no end to the pandemic, which brought numerous complications, including for scientists. Nevertheless, scientific research continued with positive results. We offer a look back at science at Charles University over the course of the year.

The Church of St. Bartholomew in Kolín is a national cultural monument and for  good reason. It is one of the most impressive examples of Gothic architecture in Central Bohemia. Among the church’s many gems are extraordinary stained glass windows. These caught Anna Bartoňová's eye.; she is a student at the Catholic Theological Faculty.

In the latest of #deeptalk series of the podcast Steppin Into Asia Petr Jandáček interviews Sigurður Gylfi Magnússon, professor of cultural history and renowned microhistorian. Sigurður Gylfi talks about his studies at Carnegie Mellon University, his first published book, his first article and his years as an independent researcher.

Charles University recently launched its new discovery service, UKAŽ, facilitating the simultaneous and smooth search of printed, digitised and electronic resources. The system was a complete redesign of its forerunner, integrating the catalogues of more than 60 CU libraries. Searching for books has never been more convenient.

Thomas F. Babor is a renowned researcher and professor of Public Health Studies at the University of Connecticut and author of more than 15 books. In the late 1980s, Prof. Babor was one of the main scientists involved in the creation of AUDIT for WHO. This week he received an honorary degree from Charles University.

Ten Czech scientists, in two main categories, received Neuron Awards on Tuesday at a gala ceremony at Prague’s National Museum. Three received the award for their lifelong contribution to science, while seven awards went to young researchers. Eight recipients have ties with, or work at, Charles University.

Tracy Okine, an American Ph.D. student and Fulbright scholar,  began her scientific and cultural exchange in the Czech Republic in January of this year, in the midst of the third wave. In Forum, she writes about what inspired her to conduct research in Prague.

“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.

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