MENDEL news 8/2023 (eng)

8-23 The Employee Newsletter of Mendel University in Brno

This year, Brno’s official Christmas tree will be a silver fir Every year, the University Forest Enterprise traditionally donates a tree to the city of Brno. On 16 November it will be trucked into the city from Bílovice nad Svitavou. The tree is growing near the village of Olomučany. This majestic fir stands 18 metres tall, and its crown measures approximately 8 metres at its widest point. Foresters estimate it to be about 50 years old. It will be the 34th tree that the university forest will have donated to the city via the Czech Red Cross.

MENDELU highlights

MENDELU vs MUNI On 15 November, the Brno round of the Czech University Basketball League will be held in Vodova Hall, where MENDELU will take on Masaryk University. The game is certain to be a thrilling one for fans of both schools. A fan parade will be held before the game.

As part of the pre-game ritual, the rectors of both universities will take a shot at the hoop. After the match ends, the festivities will continue at a student after party.

What newsletters can you subscribe to at MENDELU? Newsletters summarize all the latest information and goings-on at the University. They cover various topics ranging from research and development to social events. Here is an overview of all the newsletters available at MENDELU and links to websites where you can subscribe to them: • Libraries and Open Science Centre – zde • Project Centre – zde • International Relations Office – zde • HR Management Office – zde

2023 MENDELU employee satisfaction survey launched We have launched a survey mapping employees’ opinions and needs in the areas of ethics and professionalism, staffing, working conditions, and education and development. The findings from this survey will be used for creating a human resource management strategic plan at MENDELU for the 2024–2026 period in line with the rules for awarding the HR Excellence in Research Award and to win this award again. You will find the survey in your in-box.

You have until 15 November 2023 to fill it in. Your feedback is much appreciated. Thank you for your cooperation and for contributing to the growth of our University.

Experts to discuss teaching quality at Czech universities On 30 November and 1 December 2023, a public conference will be held in the hall of the Rector’s Office Building of Mendel University in Brno to mark the completion of two centralized development projects: Teaching Quality Standards at Czech Universities and Internal Evaluation Boards – Experiences, Development, and Organization: An Analysis of Current Practice and the Further Development of the Activity of Internal Evaluation Boards. The conference is being organized by Mendel University in cooperation with Masaryk University and Charles University.

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Library News •

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The library has joined the REMOBIL campaign as part of Giving Tuesday, a global day of generosity and good deeds. Bring your old mobile phones, tablets, and chargers to any Library branch in Brno or Lednice. Link here and here.

Veterans Day is celebrated throughout the world on 11 November in commemoration of the end of World War I. Poppy flowers, which covered the graves of soldiers who fell on the Western Front, are the symbol of this holiday. You will be able to purchase a flower at the MENDELU Library and thus show your respect for veterans and contribute to helping veterans and freedom fighters. The collection will run from 1 to 30 November 2023.

The Library has opened an Evening Study Hall for students.

This space contains three study rooms that are open from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. You can find more information and a map on the Library’s website.

MENDELU highlights SUSTAINABLE MENDELU

We thank everyone who actively participated in the HR Award roundtables

Sustainable development week at MENDELU At the end of September, European Sustainable Development Week was held, and our University took part by organizing several activities. In Building Q, an exhibition titled “Sustainable MENDELU” was installed, which presented examples of good practice at our University from the beginning of 2023. THE MENDELU Party included a clothing, book, and dish swap, the proceeds of which went to the Veronica Foundation. MENDELU also helped out Mary’s Meals, a charity organization that sets up school feeding programmes in primarily developing countries.

We would like to thank all employees and PhD students who expressed an active interest in improving the working environment at MENDELU. Over the past six months we have held seven roundtables focused on issues related to implementing a human resource management strategic plan in line with the principles and fundamentals contained in the European Charter for Researchers.

The information we have acquired will help us identify areas in which we can further improve conditions for conducting research and academic work, and thus the overall quality of our University.

You can find presentations made at the roundtables at here in the section Zapojení zaměstnanců do implementace HRS4R.

Christmas punch with the rector in support of EMIL OPEN You are cordially invited to the Emil Foundation’s Christmas market booth by the Jobst statue on Moravian Square, where on 14 December from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. MENDELU volunteers will be helping out. The Emil Foundation, working in cooperation with MENDELU, aims to help Adventor, an association that runs a rock-climbing club for children and adults with autism. Let us be inspired by this opportunity for volunteering, getting involved, and spreading holiday cheer. We look forward to your being there and making a positive change together.

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Opportunity to use Moravian Karst House of Nature MENDELU is a founding partner of the Moravian Karst House of Nature, a modern visitor centre with indoor and outdoor interactive exhibits and a 3D cinema. MENDELU employees and their family members have free entrance to the House of Nature (upon presenting an employee card). Employees can also use the 3D cinema for presentations or work meetings free of charge. For more information and contacts, see here.

MEDIA HIGHLIGHT 8 October – S eznam zprávy – Znevýhodnění žen na trhu práce: HERE 12 October – B rněnský deník – Plýtvání potravinami u generace Z: HERE 13 October – i Rozhlas.cz – Nápoje z echinacey: HERE 25 October – B rněnská drbna – Vánoční strom pro Brno: HERE 28 October – B rnan.cz - Úspěch v soutěži Park roku: HERE 29 October – E kolist.cz – Písečná duna v Mongolsku: HERE

MENDELU highlights MENDELU scores success in international university rankings

International Week hosted participants from 13 countries International Week was held at Mendel University in Brno from 16 to 20 October 2023. This event brought 48 people from 13 different countries to the University who participated in a broad range of events, lectures, and workshops. This year’s topic was strengthening international cooperation and creating strong strategic partnerships though European university alliances and cooperation within consortiums and projects.

As part of International Week, a meeting of the HEROES consortium, of which MENDELU is a member, was held. As part of this consortium, MENDELU will apply for support for the European University Alliances project, which could bring new opportunities for innovation in education and research and help create a learning environment that will be better prepared for the challenges of the 21st century.

At the end of September, the British company Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) published the QS World University Rankings 2024: Top Global Universities, in which MENDELU appears for the fourth

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time. This year, our University was ranked 901–950 out of 1,500 universities. Sixteen Czech universities were included in the rankings, and our University came in eighth place at the national level. Charles University was the highest rated Czech university, ranked 248th globally. This year QS also published the first edition of the regional QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, where MENDELU ranked 336th (out of 688 European universities).

At the national level, our University was ranked eighth (out of 17 Czech universities).

September also saw the publication of the THE World University Rankings 2024, where MENDELU appeared for the fifth time, ranking 1,201–1,500 (out of 1,904 schools from 104 countries). Eighteen Czech universities were included in these rankings, and MENDELU came in ninth place at the national level. These international rankings judge universities in five areas: teaching, research, citations, international outlook, and industry income. Our University is traditionally strongest in the area of international outlook. You can find more information about MENDELU’s ranking here. In late October, the latest edition of the THE World University Rankings

by Subject was released. Our University appeared in five subject rankings: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Business & Economics, and Engineering.

For more information about the methodologies used to produce these rankings and our placement in other international rankings, see the website of the Department of Strategy and Analysis.

From the world of science and research The results for funding from the SIGMA DC2 programme The Technology Agency of the Czech Republic has announced the results of the SIGMA DC2 programme for beginning researchers. Four projects from MENDELU were awarded grants: • The development of new milk thistle formula in equine nutrition (Hana Dočkalová, Faculty of AgriSciences) • Identifying management zones in precision agriculture by combining optical and radar satellite monitoring of field crops (Beáta Šusliková, Faculty of AgriSciences) • Detecting significant fungal pathogens of red clover roots and their correlation with mycotoxin content (Mária Neoralová, Faculty of AgriSciences) • Richly structured mixed stands as a key form of adapting forest management to ongoing climate change (Martin Kománek, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology) We would like to congratulate all the successful applicants!

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Pictures of new employees For more MENDELU job offers click here.

Kwadwo Gyapong Agyenim-Boateng, Ph.D.

Ludmila Fröhlichová

Bc. Ludmila Jordánková, DiS.

Ing. Svetlana Malyugina

výzkumník projektu Ústav molekulární biologie a radiobiologie (AF)

strážná Vnitřní správa Lednice (ZF)

účetní Oddělení finanční účtárny (REK)

výzkumnice projektu Ústav výživy zvířat a pícninářství (AF)

Ing. Marie Pasnišinová

Šimon Pávek

BcA. Dominika Prášková

administrátorka veřejných zakázek Oddělení veřejných zakázek (REK)

fotograf Audiovizuální centrum (ÚVIS CP)

fotografka Audiovizuální centrum (ÚVIS CP)

Ing. Katarína Tokarčíková

Ing. Jan Žákovský

výzkumnice projektu Ústav morfologie, fyziologie a genetiky zvířat (AF)

technik pro výzkum Ústav zakládání a pěstění lesů (LDF)

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