Issuu

8-24

The Employee Newsletter of Mendel University in Brno

Christmas punch with the rector in support of EMIL OPEN

This year we would like to once again cordially invite you for a Christmas punch with the rector at the Emil Advent stand on Moravské náměstí by the Jobst statue. On Thursday, 12 December, from 9:00 a.m. to 9 p.m. volunteers from Mendel University in Brno will be working at the Emil Foundation’s stand. This year we will be focusing on supporting the World Deaf Beach Volleyball Championships project, which aims to raise support for young and talented deaf athletes. Last year’s rector’s punch was a pleasant event, and we hope this year will be the same. Come and have some hot punch, soak up the Christmas atmosphere, and contribute to a good cause. We look forward to seeing you there!

MENDELU highlights

Erasmus Days at MENDELU: A celebration

of international cooperation

Erasmus Days, a worldwide celebration of the Erasmus programme, was held on 16 October at Mendel University in Brno. Many students took part in the celebration and enjoyed the diverse array of events planned by ESN MENDELU, IRO, Eurocentre Brno, Europe Direct Brno, and Brno for You. Visitors had the opportunity to try out virtual reality, play games, relax in the sun, and listen to music. Many students came to find out more information about opportunities for Erasmus placements. The meeting was extremely enrichening and joyful for all involved. We are already looking forward to other events being planned by the IRO in collaboration with each faculty’s international relations officer, the first of which will take place on 27 November 2024.

International Week

On 21 October 2024 International Week kicked off at Mendel University in Brno. We welcomed dozens of international guests. This year’s theme was Universities for Gen Z: Modern Tools for Education and Research. During the week, several workshops and events were held, providing an excellent opportunity for discussions, sharing experience, and finding inspiration.

The first day commenced with a panel discussion about modern tools for education and research, followed by workshops focused on practical experience from the USA, artificial intelligence, and the challenges associated with teaching Generation Z.

Uncorking St. Martin’s wine

We would like to invite you to a tasting of this year’s first young wines on 11 November at 11:00! You can look forward to a selection of St. Martin’s wines recommended by our winemaker and light refreshments. Enjoy the unique fresh taste of young wine and celebrate with us the beautiful holiday of St. Martin’s Day in our newly opened wine bistro, DODNA.

MENDELU highlights

SUSTAINABLE MENDELU

NEW ESG COURSES AT MENDEL UNIVERSITY IN BRNO: FACULTY OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESPONDS TO DEMAND FOR EXPERTS

As part of the NPO project “Supporting green skills and sustainability at MENDELU”, the Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies of Mendel University has introduced new courses focused on sustainability and social responsibility (ESG). It has done so in response to the growing demand for experts in the field and to new EU legislation. The first course “The ESG reporting framework” is running now in the 2024/2025 winter semester. Students who successfully complete the recommended courses will receive an “ESG Specialist” certificate. More information is available on the faculty’s website.

MENDELU charity market

The MENDELU Dobrotrh market, a traditional event held by Mendel University in cooperation with the Séva organization, is coming! From 23 to 29 November an online auction will take place on dobrobot.cz. On 4 December from 10:00 to 4:00 you can look forward to stalls selling refreshments and various items in front of Building Q. The proceeds will go towards five-year-old Arianka, 14-month-old Meliska, and the Čtyřlístek pro hafany animal shelter. We would like to thank everyone who will help not only them but also our students working on the project as part of the Management Skills Seminar.

Interesting November concerts free for MENDELU students and employees

The Stará Pekárna music club is offering MENDELU students and employees free tickets for select concerts. In you are interested in attending a concert for free, write to brno@jazzdoregionu.cz with the term “MENDELKA” in the subject. In the body of the email, write the name and date of the concert and the number of tickets you would like.

MENDELU Academic Community Meeting

The meeting will take place on Thursday 14 November 2024 at 15:00 in the Aula. On the agenda will be information about the activities of the MENDELU AS, information about the university leadership and discussion. Due to the meeting, a Rector's leave will be announced.

University basketball derby

On 13 November in the small hall of Starez Vodova Arena in Brno two universities celebrating their 105th anniversaries will take to the court. As part of the Czech University Basketball League, Mendel University will take on Masaryk University. You can purchase tickets for the symbolic price of 105 Kč here.

Occupational safety and health

You can stay up to date about current restrictions, construction work on the MENDELU campus, and other plans on the website.

Unrivalled 40 % discount from BUSHMAN

In cooperation with the BUSHMAN company, specializing in outdoor and leisure clothing and gear, we have prepared for you a discounted offer of clothing and accessories. You are entitled to a 40 % discount on already non-discounted items. This offer is only valid for purchases made on the e-shop. Everyone is entitled to one discount code that can be applied to an entire order. The code can be used only once. If you are interested in getting a discount code, send an email to libuse.zajickova@bushman.cz. Write the following in the subject line: MENDEL_24. The code is valid je from 1 to 30 November 2024.

MENDELU highlights

Clearance sale before central warehouse closes

Until 10 December, the central warehouse will be holding a clearance sale where you will find paper goods and promotional items Promotional items bearing the university’s original logo, including vests, sweatshirts, t-shirts, shirts, and folders, will be on sale for 50 Kč each. Payments for these heavily discounted goods will be accepted only in cash, and it will not be possible to invoice them to individual departments. Also, 10 December 2024 will be your last opportunity to buy paper goods from the central warehouse before it closes. With each order, you will receive a free notebook with the university logo. The central warehouse’s opening hours until 10 December 2024 are as follows: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9:00 – 11:30, Building Q, basement After 10 December the central warehouse will be permanently closed. From then on, paper goods will by purchasable only through the Marquet service, and promotional items that can be invoiced will be available in the MENDELU Shop, which will be launched at the beginning of 2025.

Taking and transferring leave

As the end of the year approaches, we would like to remind you of the regulations regarding taking time off at MENDELU. According to the Labour Code, an employer is obliged to grant paid time off to an employee in the same year in which the employee is entitled to such time off. In some statutory cases, such as obstacles to work on the employee’s part (illness, maternal or parental leave) or due to urgent business needs on the employer’s part, leave can be transferred to the following calendar year. At MENDELU, employees can transfer at most two weeks of leave to the following calendar by submitting a written request. We would therefore like to ask all employees to check how much leave they have already taken and plan how to use the rest. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact the Department of Human Resources Management. For more information

Discussion forum: Equality begins at home

We cordially invite all employees and students to a discussion on fair parenting and fair households. We will examine topics such as how inequality in the division of household chores affects not only family life but also the career opportunities of men and women and the importance of active fatherhood today. The following speakers have been invited to attend:

• Martina Dvořáková, founder of the Fair Household project

• Martin Matušek, psychologist

The discussion will be moderated by Martina Rašticová

When: Wednesday, 4 December 2024, from 3:30 to 5:30

Where: MENDELU, Building E, Lecture Hall E02

How to use types of flexible employment in a university environment

We cordially invite all MENDELU managerial staff to attend a round table where we will discuss whether and how flexibility can help improve working conditions, increase productivity, and better employee work-life balance. The main discussion points will be remote work, part-time employment, and flexible working hours. We will also discuss the challenges posed by flexible working forms and how flexibility can be balanced with the needs of the organization. The main guest will be Blanka Plasová, an assistant professor at the Department of Social Policy and Social Work at FSS MUNI, who specializes in labour market issues, work-family balance policy and flexible forms of work.

When: Wednesday, 4 December 2024, from 3:00 to 5:00 Where: MENDELU, Design Lab – 1st floor. Please register for the event. We look forward to seeing you there and your contributions to this important debate.

MEDIA HIGHLIGHT

2.OCTOBER – Vyškovský deník – Emergence of exotic butterflies: HERE

3.OCTOBER – Novinky.cz – Dating wooden churches in Ukraine: HERE

14.OCTOBER – Lidovky.cz. Hemp seed oil press cakes as carp feed: HERE

23.OCTOBER – Brněnská drbna – 100th Christmas tree to be fir: HERE

From the world of science and research

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

WORKSHOPS – BLENDED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AT MENDELU AND CREATING STUDY AIDS

Until the end of 2024, four workshops will be held in cooperation with the Department for Education and the Department of Information Systems.

Participants will learn about the general concepts of and opportunities for blended and remote learning at MENDELU, using Moodle to create electronic learning aids, and other tools that can be used for remote learning, such as e-learning tools, MS Teams, and MS Office. Information about workshop times and dates are available on the website of the Department for Education.

Reward for secondary-school advisers on the theme of

water

Since 2021, MENDELU has organized the Czech national round of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition, an international contest for high schoolers focused on protecting and researching water. Students submit a research paper to the competition. It is often a paper also submitted to the Students’ Professional Activities (SPA) competition held for Czech high schoolers. Mendel University in Brno has decided to reward advisers of papers written for the SPA competition on the theme of water that are submitted to the Czech national round of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. They will receive 10,000 Kč. For more information about the conditions for applying for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, contact Filip Červinka from the MENDELU Communications and Marketing Office.

Results of the internal GA GJM grant competition

The following projects won the Grant Agency of Gregor Johann Mendel of Mendel University in Brno internal competition:

• Category A – Interdisciplinary internal research projects

Ing. Andrej Bátik, Ph.D. (Faculty of Agrisciences) – The dynamics of the microbiome of cattle mammary glands before and during mastitis and developing new types of antibacterial substances for treating it

• Category D - Applied research projects

Robert Majewski, Ph.D. (Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology) – Root system active zones estimator and detector (RAZT) - upgrade from TRL5 to TRL6 Prototype system Congratulations!

Seminars with Technology Centre Prague introduce Horizon Europe programme

The Project Centre in cooperation with the Technological Centre Prague held a series of seminars focused on key aspects of the Horizon Europe programme. The first seminar was about writing project proposals. Participants learned about the programme’s structure and gained valuable advice for writing successful applications. The second seminar focused on the implementation of Horizon Europe projects with particular attention paid to financial issues and the most frequent complications. We would like to thank everyone who took part. We firmly believe that these seminars will contribute to the success of ongoing and future projects!