Charles University celebrates Bolzano Awards recipients

On January 28, 2010, during the Charles University Research Comittee meeting in the Small Hall of Karolinum, the annual Bolzano Award ceremony took place. Six students received the award for excellent theses written during their studies at Charles University. Among the criteria of the awards are the creative approach and interdisciplinary nature of the work. The awards are handed out in three categories: social sciences and humanities including theology, science, and medicine.

The decision of the Bolzano Award committee was reported by prof. Jan Bednář, prorector for student affairs: „The Bolzano Award is designated as the top award for the students of Charles University. Therefore, there is no superior award for the student community. The rules of the Bolzano Award allow for more than one award to be granted in each category, but they all have to meet the highest requirements. If the committee chooses more than one of the theses, they must consider very carefully if they are really of equal quality. The committee, serving as an advisory body to the Rector, recommended six theses for the Bolzano Awards this year, two in each of the three categories of social sciences, science, and medicine. In each category, both awarded theses are of equal merit. I had the privilege to preside the committee and I must admit we regret that many more truly outstanding theses could not be awarded. At the same time, it was a pleasure to see how accomplished and excellent theses our students handed in.”

In his speech to the recipients of the Bolzano Award, the Rector of Charles University Václav Hamps said that “it is crucial that a university of our size and importance included in their awards system awards for student researchers. One of the reasons is that it reminds us of the quality of our graduates and also of the education we give them. The Bolzano Award is important not only because of the pinnacle of the top thesis that the six of you wrote, but also because of the foundation of other outstanding thesis on which the top rests. And that is certainly good news for the university.”

Out of the 17 faculties of Charles University, 11 faculties took part in the 16^th annual Bolzano Award: the Hussite Theological Faculty with two theses, the Faculty of Law with four, the 1^st  Faculty of Medicine with three, the 3^rd Faculty of Medicine with one, the Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové with two, the Faculty of Arts with ten, the Faculty of Science with three, the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics with three, the Faculty of Education with four, the Faculty of Social Sciences with thirteen and the Faculty of Humanities with four. The total of 49 theses were submitted, out of which 36 were in the social sciences category, 7 in the science category and 6 in the category of medicine.

Recipients of the 16^th annual Bolzano Awards:

In the category of social sciences and humanities, including theology

PhDr. Tomáš Klír, PhD. Thesis: Inhabitation of Marginal Land in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period

PhDr. Lucie Storchová, PhD. Thesis: Paupertate Styloque Connecti. The Formal Mode of Discourse, the Field of Literature and the Textual Origins of the Humanistic Scholarly Community in Czech Lands

RNDr. Robert Vácha, PhD. Thesis: Molecular Simulations of Surfaces of Aqueous Solutions

RNDr. Tomáš Vitha, PhD. Thesis: Bone-seeking Lanthanide(III) Complexes of Macrocyclic Ligands Bearing Bis(phosphonate) Pendant Arm

MUDr. Eva Al Taji, PhD. Thesis: Pathophysiology of primary congenital and early-onset non-autoimmune hypothyroidism

Mgr. Martina Živná, roz. Kublová Thesis: A Study of Molecular Foundation of Familiar Hyperuricemias

(Marie Kohoutová)

Translation: Jaroslav Švelch