Jan Palach, Ryszard Siwiec and Sándor Bauer – a few of those who sacrificed their lives on behalf of their country or conviction. Their stories and those of other “living torches” are presented in a Charles University multimedia project. The website www.janpalach.eu was launched on January 16, 2012, precisely on the day of the 43rd anniversary of Jan Palach’s self-immolation.

The Scientific Council of the Geographical Section of the Charles University Faculty of Science awarded five graduates of the Master’s course for their outstanding academic results and Master’s theses in the 2011/2012 academic year. The laureates were presented with their awards at the council’s meeting on December 8, 2011.

Surveying the Czech consumer loan market, assessing the quality of individual lenders and offering the public an instrument that will enable them to easily compare financial institutions. Those are the main goals of the Safe Loan Navigator project created by a team headed by Prof. Ing. Michal Mejstřík, CSc., from the Institute of Economic Studies of the Charles University Faculty of Social Sciences. i-Forum discussed the project with its manager PhDr. Petr Teplý, Ph.D.

Charles University’s academic community wishes to express deep regret over the passing of President Václav Havel. Throughout his life, Václav Havel embodied the ideals that should be a given in this day and age, but they are sadly not.

Shortly after 10 am on Sunday December 11th, a crowded lecture hall at the Faculty of Arts welcomed his Holiness the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan spiritual leader arrived in Prague at the invitation of Václav Havel and the Forum 2000 Foundation to take part in a round table debate titled One Year After an Empty Chair in Oslo. The Dalai Lama and other participants of the discussion were welcomed at the faculty by its Dean doc. PhDr. Michal Stehlík, PhD., and Charles University Rector Prof. RNDr. Václav Hampl, DrSc.

Are gardening colonies a relic of the past or are they still an important part of today’s urban society? What makes people travel to the garden areas? Will city gardens still exist in the future? Answers to these questions are being sought by a research team headed by Mgr. et Mgr. Arnošt Novák from the department of social and cultural ecology at the Charles University Faculty of Humanities.

Prague, December 5, 2012 – The Charles University Faculty of Mathematics and Physics in Prague is organizing the first year of a competition film festival for young filmmakers as part of the celebration of its 60th anniversary. The aim is to motivate primary school pupils and secondary school students and raise their interest in mathematics, physics and computer science (computer animation and graphics). Entries – amateur films concerning the above-mentioned fields – can to be sent in as of December 15th. The winning films will be announced during a two-day festival in mid-June 2012 in Prague-Troja.

On Thursday, December 1, Prague’s Roxy Club hosted the first ever Miss Charles University beauty pageant. The event brought up a lot of emotions and split the academic community into its opponents and supporters. It also attracted a lot of visitors and proved that Charles University female students are simply the most beautiful and smartest of all.

He has implemented a revolutionary change in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction thus saving the lives of hundreds of people the world over. The man in question is MUDr. Petr Widimský, DrSc., FESC, head of the cardiology clinic at Prague’s Vinohrady hospital. In November, this internationally renowned specialist from the Charles University 3rd Faculty of Medicine was granted the National Government Award Česká hlava for 2011. In an interview with i-Forum, he discusses research as well as football.

The summer sports season is slowly but surely over. But don’t panic, you certainly don’t need to become a couch potato. There is plenty of choice in wintertime as well.  One such option is joining the cross-country skiing club, part of the Humanita Praha University Sports Club. Coach Eva Šeflová told us more.