Czechs last week who followed the outcome of the election at iRozhlas.cz as the results came in, benefitted from a predictive model designed by Associate Professor Marek Omelka and Ondřej Týbl from Charles University. The system they developed helped the scientists determine failry early on who had gained a majority in the lower house.

This month, Charles University became the first stop for a traveling exhibition about the Vienna Circle from the University of Vienna. The show was accompanied by a conference on the lasting influence of the group – which included philosophers and scientists such as Moritz Schlick and Otto Neurath.

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.

Recent graduates may already have been lucky to hear the newly installed pipe organ at the Carolinum; additional invited guests will have the pleasure on Tuesday, 5 October, at a concert including works by Bach and Mozart. The new pipe organ in the Carolinum’s Great Hall has been described as a “resonant jewel”.

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.

“It’s not so much about gaining knowledge. For me it’s mainly about participants outperforming themselves. It’s an experiential course in which students are pushed beyond their comfort zones,” says Jan Veselý. He’s guiding a cohort of creative students – his sixth round already – and “toughening them up.”

Charles University hosted the representatives of key European university networks on Friday, at a special meeting aimed at tackling challenges faced by institutions of higher learning. The meeting took place the Patriotic Hall in the Carolinum, and was opened by Rector Tomáš Zima.

Thomas Hylland Eriksen is a world-renowned anthropologist whose research has taken him around the globe. The author of the seminal Tyranny of the Moment: Fast and Slow Time in the Information Age was honoured by Charles University this week.

With vaccines widely available in Europe, it is easy to forget, even just a year-and-a-half later, the urgency with which they were developed. Duncan Matthews, an expert on IP law at Queen Mary University of London, was a key guest at the WIPO Summer School at Charles University. One of his lectures focused on the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

“At Kampus Hybernská we are offering all Charles University faculties and components a common space to meet each other as well as city partners or others in the application sphere,” says Marcel Kraus, project manager of Hyb4City since January of this year.

The last year-and-a-half brought many changes and challenges for the education sector, given little choice but to adapt - as quickly and effectively as possible. Many enrolled at Charles University reassessed their aims with new vigour. Tracy Okine writes about two foreign students who took stock of the situation and persevered.

The last three weeks brought about a dramatic turn of events in Afghanistan with the collapse of the central government and the return of the Taliban. How did the US get into such a position after almost 20 years’ involvement? Forum discussed the situation with Jiří Pondělíček of Charles University’s Department of North American Studies.

“Riding an electric bike is a euphoric experience. You no longer feel the bump of cobblestones or curbs. You can just pedal and revel in the speed,” says Forum’s Jitka Jiřičková. The new bikes should be available to staff at CU in September. Two of our vice-rectors, Radka Wildová and Jan Royt, tried the bikes ahead of time… as did our reporter.

Tomáš Vokáč completed a Ph.D. at Charles University in 2012, focusing on language in modern French theatre. Over the years, he has held top posts in management. He is the executive director of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Czech Republic (DofE).

“We both have degrees in international relations and we like to talk about what’s going on in the world, so we decided to record our conversations. Let’s see what’s next door,” is how Barbora Chaloupková and Hana Martínková explain their podcast Za Humny (Not far from home) which examines international relations and public affairs.

In French, it’s known as terrain vague – vague terrain, as in a wasteland or empty lot. But in reality it is any disused or largely inaccessible space, sometimes wild, sometimes industrial, where form and function stop. Social anthropologist Radan Haluzík and a group of fellow researchers and artists made vague terrain their subject of study for years.

Jan Jehlička is a pioneer of the new 21st century discipline of exobiology. Together with colleagues, and using advanced devices such as Raman spectrometers, he searches for answers to questions such as: Does life exist beyond planet Earth? Did it exist in the past? Last year he won Charles University’s Donatio award.

Over the last few years, more and more young people in the Czech Republic have taken up longboarding, a hobby and sport related to skateboarding but different in many respects. Longboards, as the name suggests, utilise a longer deck but feel very different, offering a more stable ride on softer polyurethane wheels.

Charles University’s Centre for Knowledge and Technology Transfer is partnering with WIPO to hold an online Summer School this September. The school is an opportunity for participants to earn a prestigious credential from WIPO - a specialized agency of the United Nations.

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.