01/2001

Academic bulletin 01/2001

Report from the 17^th Assembly of the ASCR, which was held on December 14, 2000.

A Word on the Preparation for the National Program of Oriented Research and Development of the Czech Republic

Unfortunately information about the current level of preparation for the National Program of Oriented Research and Development is still only partial and this lack of news about it is noticed in the science community. The article describes the usage of its financial sources for projects of particular research organizations or specific projects included in NPORD programs in 2001 - 2004.

Research and Development Council of the Government of the Czech Republic

Report from the 140^th session of the Czech Government's Research and Development Council.

Science - Research - Society

Professor Rudolf Zahradník's Address to the 17^th Assembly of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

The President of the ASCR in his discourse summarized the main results of research activities that have been achieved since the ASCR's foundation. He expressed his position on general questions such as the educational process, promoting science, ethics and the responsibility of scientists and mankind as a whole. An important part of his allocution emphasised internal problems of the Academy related to Ph.D. courses, the grant system of financing and organising lectures, workshops and courses for the public.

Race for Nobel Prize in CERN?

The Czech company TESLA SEZAM, located at Rožnov pod Radhoštěm recently was introduced at the European Laboratory of Small Particles known as CERN in Geneva. Our reporter took the occasion to visit this largest facility for research in physics of elementary particles in Europe. Academic Bulletin interviewed the Czech representative in CERN Professor Jiří Niederle and asked him for some details about the detection of so called Higgs particles - research running just now on the accelerator LEP.

General Assembly of the European Science Foundation in Strasbourg

Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and the Grant Agency of the CR have been full members of European Science Foundation for two years. ESF evaluates its activities regularly every year during the last week of November. This year the assembly was remarkable for several reasons: ESF elected its new president; lectures were focused on the relation of biological disciplines, ethics and society; topics of new initiatives Eurocores (European Collaborative Research Programs) were announced and the Slovak Academy of Sciences was voted into membership of ESF.

Possibilities and Hopes

On November 7 - 8, 2000 the Institute of Philosophy of the ASCR, namely Dr. Jiří Nosek of the Department of Analytic Philosophy, organized the conference "100 and 1000 years of Philosophy".

Science on Screen

Academic Bulletin interviewed Dr. Petr Jakeš, well-known promoter of science in the Czech Republic. Dr. Jakeš, a geologist, in the '60s worked in the Institute of Geology of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and later studied in Australia and Japan. In 1970 he joined the research program of lunar samples in the Lunar Science Institute in Houston, U.S., returning there at the beginning of the decade of the '90s. Dr. Jakeš is the author of several books and the winner of the ASCR Award 2000.

Czech Science and the Prague Spring

The Research Center for the History of Science, joined institute of the Archive of the ASCR and the Historical Institute - Archive of Charles University, in co-operation with the Society for History of Sciences and Technologies organized the fourth year of a conference devoted to a project titled "History of Science in 20^th Century".

Innovation 2000

The seventh year of a "Week of Science, Research, Development and Innovations in the Czech Republic" was held on December 5 - 9, 2000. This traditional event is organized by the Association of Innovative Business, the Association for Youth, Science and Engineering, the Academy of Engineering and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

Adam Michna of Otradovice - Interdisciplinary Conference

A conference about Adam Michna of Otradovice focused on the 400^th anniversary of his birth. Musician, composer and poet of the Baroque Age Adam Michna is a rather well-known person in the history of Czech culture but there are still many unanswered questions about his work.

Stories of Materials

The Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague has completely changed its image. Two years ago Dr. Helena Keonigsmarková developed a new concept for the exhibition of art. The scenario of the exhibition, "Stories of Materials", is based on her philosophy of "one room - one collection".

Vincenc Kramář - from Old Masters to Picasso

Assistant Professor Vojtěch Lahoda, director of the Institute of Art History of the ASCR, and Dr. Olga Uhrová of the National Gallery are presenters of an exhibition devoted to Vincenc Kramář, an important personality of 20^th Century Czech culture and art history. Kramář was a great historian, collector, art expert and the director of the Gallery of Society of Patriotic Friends of Art in Bohemia.

International Fair Vědma 2000

The seventh international Fair of Education, Qualification, Science and Culture, "Vědma 2000", was held in November.

News - Announcements

Topical Supplement

Change of Ages - Shepherds, Do not Sleep!

The co-operator of the Center of Theoretical Studies, Professor Zdeněk Neubauer of Charles University, cogitates about the changing times using the example of Christ's birth in Bethlehem.