10/2004

Academic bulletin 10/2004

EDITORIAL
This year marks a rather exceptional edition of the Descartes prize. The award ceremony will be taking place in the city of Prague, in the context of the European enlargement; it is also the fifth anniversary of the Descartes prize for outstanding research through trans-national cooperation.

TOPIC OF THE MONTH
On the road to the Big Bang
Fifty years ago today, representatives of twelve founding Member States of CERN signed the Organization’s convention, paving the way for the establishment of the world’s leading fundamentals physics research institution. An interview with Prof. Jiří Niederle, President of the Committee for Collaboration of the Czech Republic with CERN.

SCIENCE AND RESEARCH
Pilgrimages in European culture
The state of research on pilgrimage as a particular phenomenon, in which the spiritual life of the population is reflected, has reached a point at which the results of Czech research should be synthesized and reviewed as well as compared with results attained internationally.

Hectic mathematical weekend in Prague
The European Mathematical Society (EMS) organizes series of smaller, more frequent, meetings in specific areas of mathematics: the EMS Mathematical Weekends. They offer a chance for European and other mathematicians working in related areas to get together and interact on a more permanent basis. The last was hold at the beginning of September in Prague.

Robotic telescopes BART and BOOTS
Recent and future activities in the wide-field sky imaging and monitoring of the High Energy Astrophysics Group at the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic includes also optical monitoring and analyses of selected targets with robotic telescopes.

Marimon’s Report
Evaluation of the effectiveness of the new instruments of Framework Programme VI.

NEWS FROM THE ACADEMIC COUNCIL
Report on the 50^th session of the Academic Council of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

PORTRAITS FROM THE ARCHIVES
Conservationist Václav Wagner
Václav Wagner is the symbol of the preservation of the heritage fund, whose historic, artistic, aesthetical and emotional importance as well as its utility and other values are intrinsically irreplaceable.

CULTURE AND THE SOCIETY
I am yours in the heart
Famous anthropologist Dr. Aleš Hrdlička was most widely known Czech in America. He received his medical education in the United States, where he began to organize the division of physical anthropology at the national Museum in Washington and was its curator from 1910 to 1942. He was very proud of his country of birth.

ACADEMIA
Specialized books from Academia Publishing House

AWARDS to leading Czech and foreign scientists

RESUME

NEW BOOKS