Professor Milena Králíčková, the rector of Charles University, is one of the most influential women in the Czech Republic. She is ranked 36th on the list of the most influential women published annually by the Czech edition of Forbes magazine.

On 26 and 27 May, Rectors from LERU and CE7 universities met at Charles University, Prague, at the invitation of CU Rector Milena Králíčková. The meeting was the first of two planned this year, with the second scheduled in Warsaw in September.

My guest is Petr Witz, a Postdoc researcher from the Dept. of Public and Social Policy at the Institute of Sociological Studies at CU. As a researcher, Witz worked with the largest cross-border infrastructure project in Europe - the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link.

This Tuesday, Charles University welcomed a delegation from the University of Passau in neighbouring Germany, in a shared effort to deepen existing ties and establish plans for future cooperation.

Václav Smil is a world-famous author, science communicator and graduate of the Faculty of Science of Charles University. This week he made a special appearance at his alma mater and the Czech Geographical Society. Attendees gathered at a crowded auditorium.

“Any country should be able to draw upon its assets. Since we do not have mineral deposits, we must focus on education,” says top Czech economist Jan Švejnar, based at Columbia University in New York and at the CERGE-EI Economic Institute in Prague.

The traditional Rector's Sports Day at Charles University offered a prime opportunity for competing students to measure sport skills and get to know each other across faculties. Teachers also were also able to take part at facilities in Prague, Hradec Králové and Plzeň.

The last World University Winter Games were extremely successful for Czech athletes, who brought home 12 medals. The first, a silver, was won in snowboardcross by Jakub Žerava, a student at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport of Charles University.

Last month saw the publication of a much-anticipated new monograph titled Little Berlin in Big Prague by artist and academic researcher Lenka Kerdová. The basis for the book was fascinating research examining Prague architecture in the interwar period. 

Miroslav Bárta from the Czech Institute of Egyptology at CU has received great international recognition, invited this year to join the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The AAA&S has existed since 1780: George Washington himself was a member.

A year-and-a-half since it was launched into orbit 1.5 million kilometres from Earth, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has proven to be an overwhelming success. The infrared observatory has stunned viewers from the get-go with images of unparalleled precision.

The Bolzano lecture series, organised by the Learned Society of the Czech Republic and the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, returned to Charles University this week. The guest lecturer invited to speak this year was German-born astrophysicist Reinhard Genzel, co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2020.

It's one of the signature features of the Great Hall at the Carolinum: a 5 x 8 metre tapestry adoring the front wall of the aula. On it? An image of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV with St. Wenceslas and symbols of the university's faculties. 

Petra Guasti is a highly-respected sociologist and political scientist at Charles University. In this episode of Forum Radio, she discusses some of her main topics of interest: populism, polarisation and radicalism in Czech society through the prism of the recent presidential election.

Charles Games has launched Beecarbonize, a new educational game about the climate crisis. “Through the game you explore the new technologies, protect nature and modernise industry to reduce carbon emissions,” says developer Ondřej Trhoň.

The challenges of recent years bring mental health issues to the forefront of all science fields, including economics. In the most recent episode of Talking Economics guest Dr. Liyou Borga discusses long-term mental health trends.

Thousands of dead and wounded, millions of people in exile, destroyed infrastructure. The war Russia unleashed has affected Ukraine immeasurably; it will take generations to recover, says Veronika Bílková of the Faculty of Law.

How is sleep related to quality of life? This question was the focus of research by the brother and sister team of Michaela and Aleš Kudrnáč from the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University. The results were published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Do humans cooperate with one another when facing extremely low survival chances? Do pre-existing social ties increase one's chances of survival in life-and-death situations? Štěpán Jurajda discusses recent findings in Talking Economics. 

March 14 is Pi Day, a day of celebrating mathematics worldwide. At Charles University, that means a pretty good reason to try either Slušné or Pěkný číslo referring to successful new beer brands referencing Pi at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics.