This year we commemorate the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia to expand Christianity. On this occasion various projects have been prepared including two international conferences organized in spring 2013. The second symposium, The Cyril and Methodius mission and Europe — 1150 Years since the arrival of the Thessaloniki brothers in Great Moravia, was held at the Velehrad on June 13-17, 2013. and František Čajka a Martina Chromá.
The Union of Czech Mathematicians and Physicists celebrated the 150th anniversary of its foundation. On the occasion of this anniversary on March 28, 2012, the Union at Karolinum, the seat of the Charles University, a festive ceremony, attended by outstanding personalities headed by the President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Klaus. The Union was founded in 1862 as the Association for Free Lectures in Mathematics and Physics. From the beginning, its goal was the improvement of the teaching physics and mathematics at schools on all levels and of all types and further, to support and promote the development of those sciences. As a consequence of patriotic efforts, the Association was enlarged in 1869 into the Union of Czech Mathematicians and Physicists. In the early 1950s, the Union had to transfer its property to the newly established Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (CSAV) and it became a learned society affiliated with CSAV. The mathematical part of its library became the basis of the library of the Mathematical Institute of CSAV, and is located there at present. Today, the Union has about 2,800 members. The Union itself, or in collaboration with universities and research institutes, organizes national as well as international conferences, symposia, seminars, and Summer or Winter schools. The Union follows the teaching of mathematics and physics in schools and proposes improvements. It encourages talented students and participates in the organization of the Mathematical and Physical Olympiad and other student competitions. Czech Post has issued a stamp commemorating the 150"i Anniversary of the Foundation of the Union of Czech Mathematicians and Physicists. and Martina Bečvárová.
The neo-renaissance historical building of the Academy of Sciences was severely shattered on the morning of April 29, 2013 by a gas explosion, which occurred in the building two blocks from the side section of the Academy. A massive pressure wave smashed window panes and defaced parts of the interior not only the whole length of the building facing the explosion but also broke the glass of the windows toward the courtyard and some towards Narodni trida (National Avenue). The greatest damage occurred in the Library and Head Office of the ASCR. and Marina Hužvárová.
The Academy Assembly, the highest body of the ASCR responsible for the uppermost priority decisions related to the ASCR, held its XXXV Meeting on December 15, 2007. President of ASCR Jiří Drahoš censured the Government Council for Research, Development and Innovation for changes it made in the method of support for science. The Academy expressed objections to the new scheme as unbalanced in its decreased subsidies for the ASCR. Czech president Václav Klaus told the Academic Assembly that state financial support of science must be perceived within the whole economic situation and is obliged to be part of a society-wide discussion. and Marina Hužvárová.
The Academy Assembly, the highest body of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic responsible for the foremost priority decisions related to the ASCR, held its XLI Meeting in the Municipal House in Vinohrady December 13. 2012. By a secret ballot. Professor Jill Drahoa was reelected by the Academy Assembly as the new candidate for the presidency of ASCR for the period 2013-2017. The president of Czech Republic will ratify this election and the nominee will be inducted as the new head of Academy at the XLII Meeting of Academy Assembly on March 19. 2013. and Jiří Drahoš.
The Academic bulletin and its Editor-in-chief Marina Hužvárová (the Czech EUSJA representative) organized the European Union of Science Journalists' Associations (EUSJA) General Assembly, held in Prague on March 13-17, 2013. On a two-day Study Trip, journalists from 22 European countries visited the headquarters of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic including its Lysolaje Campus. During the first day they were taken on a tour of the Academy of Sciences Library and heard a lecture on popularization activities in the Centre of Administration and Operations of ASCR. The day ended with an evening concert in the beautiful setting of the Czech Museum of Music. Led by EUSJA President Barbara Drillsma (Great Britain), the journalists were welcomed at the Institute of Geology (IC) by the ASCR PresidentJiří Drahoš, IG director Pavel Bosák, IEB director Martin Vágner and Ivan Kašík on behalf of IPE director. Following that they were given an overview of that institute's work and that of the Laboratory of Optical Fibers of the Institute of Photonics and Electronics. During the afternoon, the group explored the Institute of Experimental Botany (IEB) and the Institute of Chemical Processes Fundamentals (ICPF), where two guidesd tours were arranged. A description of the institute's research activities by the director of ICPF Miroslav Punčochář was followed by a visit to the Institute's laboratories of basic and applied research. and Marina Hužvárová.
We present an interview with Robert lzzard whose doctorate is from Cambridge University and who has been awarded an Intra-European Fellowship for Career Development which is a part of Marie Curie Actions. His research at l'Universite Libre de Bruxelles is focused on the evolution of binary stars. and Andrea Khudhurová.
The Tiebori Department of Phototrophic Microorganisms of the Institute of Microbiology received a donation from the Operational Programme, Research and Innovation for Development, for construction and operation of a new scientific research Centre of algal biotechnologies. The implementation phase (begun January 1, 2011) aims to develop new cultivation equipment and algal biomass processing practices for the production of biofuel, animal feeding, food supplements and for the isolation of valuable substances. The project will also focus on research in the area of photosynthesis, developing new measuring devices and educating students in these areas. and Ondřej Prášil a Petra Pfeiferová.
Dr. Ľubomíra Balková of the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering of Charles University is one of three winners of the L'Oreal - UNESCO for Women in Science, organized annually. Academic bulletin presents her winning research project on the application of combinatorics in cryptology and its practical applications, such as the security of credit cards. and Ľubomíra Balková.
An atmospheric station in Křešín by Pacov was launched June 17, 2013 on the occasion of observing the 25th anniversary of the global environmental observatory in Košetice. The stations of Košetice and Křešín by Pacov have been consolidated and it is a major research and monitoring infrastructure in the Czech Republic and Central Europe. It consists of two components — the observatory at Koetice, operated since 1988 by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute and the atmospheric station Křešín by Pacov, which began operations in June of this year. The atmospheric station was built and is administered by CzechGlobe, the Global Change Research Centre of the ASCR, and is situated 100 meters from the observatory. and Mirka Šprtová.
We feature an interview with Professor Eva Za2imalova, a member of the Academy Council and the head of the Laboratory of Hormonal Regulation in Plants at the Institute of Experimental Botany of the ASCR. From 2007 to 2012 she was director of this institute. Her research is in the fields of auxin and cytokinins (mode of action of auxin. auxin binding site(s), regulation of levels of auxins and cytokinins in relation to cell division and elongation and themechanism of polar transport of auxin). and Marina Hužvárová.
The BIOCEV project was launched October 31 at an official ceremony at the headquarters of the ASCR, with the inauguration of the first research program, Functional Genomics. BIOCEV is one of six major approved projects that are to become centers of scientific excellence in the Czech Republic and Europe. BIOCEV's research program is focused on two current and rapidly changing scientific fields - biomedicine and biotechnologies - and combines primary and applied research. The results of the scientific research are expected to be used to develop new medicaments and diagnostic processes. The new center is funded by the European Commission's Operational Program Research and Development for Innovation through a grant won by the Czech Academy of Sciences and Charles University Prague. and Luděk Svoboda.
The Swedish Royal Technology Mission 2012, which included King Carl XVI Gustaf, met on May 9, 2012 at the headquarters of th n n the ASCR with the representatives of Academy of Sciences. At the opening, President of the ASCR Jiří Drahoš briefly introduced the ASCR and its role in our system of science and research, including international cooperation projects. The Swedish delegation then was acquainted with the Tokamak COMPASS project, the PALS system and with the future superlaser ELI. The day before, the Swedish guests were welcomed at the Institute of Botany in Průhonice, where the Swedish King also inspected and expressed great interest the complex of Průhonice Park. The purpose of the Royal Technology Mission visit was to acquire more detailed information of the strategies, initiatives and opportunities in countries of the EU that have industrial, technological and scientific traditions similar to Sweden's. Of the new members of the EU, the ČR is the second largest trading partner of this advanced Scandinavian country; approximately 200 Swedish companies operate here. While in the ČR, the Royal Technology Mission discussed cooperation particularly in three key areas in information technology, nanotechnology and medicine. and Petr Zuna.
January 21st marked the 150th anniversary of the death of one the most famous and influential Czech writers, Božena Němcová who was born in Vienna. When she was 17 years old, she married Josef Němec who a state customs officer and 15 years older than her. Although the marriage lasted nearly 25 years, it became an unhappy one since the married couple didn’t understand one another very well. Němcová died in poverty, estranged from her husband. Bohemian patriots arranged a dignified funeral for her. Her most popular work is the novel The Grandmother, considered a classic work of Czech literature. The book was inspired by Němcová‘s own childhood in the village of Ratibořice, where she lived with her parents, siblings and maternal grandmother, Magdalena Novotná. and Magdaléna Pokorná.
The Inauguration of Application Laboratories of Microtechnologies and Nanotechnologies (ALISI) took place May 30, 2013 at the Institute of Scientific Instruments in Brno. The aim of ALISI was to build a new research center with modern equipment achieving applicable R&D results and on a level with the world's highest ranking institutions. According to Professor Pavel Zemánek, scientific director of ALISI, the research activities are related to diagnostics and technologies using the methods of magnetic resonance, laser microtechnologies and nanotechnologies — especially interferometry and spectroscopy, measurement and processing signals in medicine, electron microscopy and lithography, electron and laser beam welding, thin film deposition by magnetron sputtering, cryogenics and construction of unique scientific instruments and systems. and Luděk Svoboda.
The European Union has allocated 31 million crowns for the professional enhancement of Czech scientists and international activities of research teams at the Institute of Scientific Instruments of the ASCR and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication of the University of Technology in Brno. The EU subsidy encompasses three years. Thanks to this financial support, Vladislav Krzyžánek, a leading Czech expert in electron microscopy, has returned to Brno after 12 years in Muenster, Germany. The EU subsidy will additionally fund training workshops, guest stays of foreign scientists, support for researchers’ mobility and the establishment of cooperation between universities and the industrial sector. and Luděk Svoboda.
Euro-Biolmaging, an EU project, aims to create a pan-European infrastructure for biological and biomedical imaging. It will consist of closely interlinked leading European imaging facilities offering to European researchers an open access to a wide range of innovative imaging technologies. These technologies are used, for example, in researching new diagnostics and curing serious diseases. The Euro-Biolmaging published a first call for future Euro-Biolmaging nodes in January 2014. In total, 71 imaging facilities from 19 countries submitted their Expression of Interest to become a Euro-Biolmaging node. The Czech Republic submitted two applications. and Pavel Hozák.
The purpose of this project, coordinated by the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the ASCR, is to support basic research in chemical biology and genetics and offers Open Access to academic researchers. This infrastructure is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that includes an integrated robotic system for highthroughput screening, a system for automated microscopic highcontent analysis and an integrated robotic system for compound storage and management. Its mission is to create a national infrastructure for chemical biology comprised of the national compound collection and the database that enable identification of research tools and probes to be used in basic research and development of potential therapeutics. CZ-OPENSCREEN is a priority project within The National Roadmap of the Large Infrastructures and will serve as a National node in the ESFRI infrastructure EU-OPENSCREEN. and Luděk Svoboda.
The project Czech Mobility Centre was established to expand a flourishing European Research Area (ERA), designed to be one of the pillars helping Europe to become one of the most competitive economies in the world by 2010. The Czech Services Centre (CSC) was established during the years 2005-2007 and it is a part of the European Services Network (EURAXESS) consisting of more than 200 Services Centres in 35 countries in Europe CSC offers, for example, information about jobs and funding opportunities in the Czech Republic, advice on "reintegration"' of researchers in their home country, help with entry conditions, family support, practical and legal assistance, etc. and Viktória Bodnárová, Markéta Doležalová.
Proba 2 is the second satellite in the European Space Agency´s series of low-cost Proba satellites that validates new spacecraft technologies while also carrying scientific instruments. The nominal duration of a mission will be two years. The second satellite was launched on November 2, 2009. Proba 2 contains five scientific instruments. Two of them are designated to measure basic space plasma properties: the Dual segmented Langmuir Probe (DSLP) Proba 2 and the Thermal Plasma Measurement Unit (TPMU); both were developed by the Astronomical Institute and Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the ASCR. and Pavel Trávníček, František Hruška.
Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Professor Petr Fiala presented the Milada Paulová Award in the historical sciences to Professor Zdeňka Hledíková, professor emeritus at Charles University in Prague. The festive ceremony took place October 16 in Liechtenstein Palace in Prague. Professor Hledíková is a prominent and internationally recognised Czech historian and university teacher. Her research con- centrates on church history and the history of the Medieval Age in general. She was allowed to get her habilitation only after 1989, and in 1996 she became a professor. At this time she was Director of the Czech Historical Institute in Rome. The Award is named after the first Czech woman to lecture at a university (1925) and to receive a professorship (1939), the late historian and byzan- tologist Milada Paulová. and Alena Ortenová.
The history of lasers at the Institute of Scientific Instruments of the ASCR in Brno (ISI) has begun 1249 days after the worldwide premiere of laser. The first to be put into operation at ISI was the He-Ne laser (16 October 1963). Highest attention was then paid to its further development making possible a large number of its applications. The He-Ne laser was followed by a ruby laser (4 March 1964), He-Cd laser (1970), and Nd:YAG laser (1973). The article presents all achievements concerning lasers at ISI accompanied by historic photos, their applications and routes to production at national companies. Nowadays many of these instruments and techniques are in use and are further being perfected, such as interferometric distance measurements with sub-nanometer resolution, methods of comparison of metrological etalons by femtosecond lasers, utilization of laser light for manipulations with micro-object combined with laser micro-spectroscopy., P. Zemánek, J. Lazar, O. Číp, L. Oprchalová, J. Kršek, D. Vavrouch., and Obsahuje bibliografii
We feature an interview with Prof. Zdeněk Herman, a renowned Czech chemist. In his research he focuses on the dynamics of chemical reactions or the collisions of ions that he calls "billiards with particles." Professor Herman studied chemistry at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University specializing in physical chemistry and radiochemistry. After completing his studies in 1957, he joined the Institute of Physical Chemistry (now J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry of the ASCR). He was Head of the Department of Chemical Physics, and Deputy Director and Head of the Scientific Council of the Institute. Only after the fall of the communist regime was he allowed to complete his habilitation and become a Professor of Chemistry in 1996 at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague. Since 1989, he has served on many ASCR committees and in the Czech Government. In 2003, he was awarded the Czech Head National Prize. Professor Herman is also a sculptor and painter. For the 50th anniversary of the Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the ASCR, he crafted a bronze bust of the Institute's founder, Professor Vladimír Bažant. and Marina Hužvárová.
The Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic has been observing the 20th anniversary of its origin. This month we feature an interview with the first president of the ASCR. Professor Rudolf Zahradnik, who merited attained international acclaim by restoring the strength and integrity of this scientific institution. Professor Zahradnik also provided the cntical impetus to not only democratize the Czech Academy but to reintegrate it within the global scientific community.
This year we commemorate the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia. Various projects have been prepared for this international event. On the national level is a historically oriented exhibition project titled, Cyril and Methodius — their time, life and work. This presents the cultural and social phenomenon of the Cyrillo-Methodian mission stressing its crucial importance for the establishment of the Czech national community. The exhibition presents historical and archaeological items collected during research lasting more than 50 years by the Moravian Museum and partner organizations and connected to the history of Great Moravia before, during and after the apostles' mission. (The saints' day is observed in the Czech Republic and Slovakia July 5.) and Petra Melichar.
Denmark began its six-month presidency of the EU council on January 1, 2012. The Danish term commences at a critical time for the Euro zone and Denmark has pledged that unity is among its central goals. Another aim is to make green issues a priority, including a fresh look at renewable energies. The Danish Presidency will work to push forward negotiations on the next generation of programmes in education, research and innovation. It believes the interconnection between the three areas must be enhanced. In this regard, institutions of higher education play a vital role as suppliers of research, education of highly qualified labour force and transfer of new knowledge to society. Similarly, strengthening vocational education and training programmes must contribute to promoting a “knowledge-based society”. The Danish Presidency program is available on http://eu2012.dk/en. and Adéla Vožechová.