CU marks the 666th anniversary of its founding












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            Charles University in Prague today marked the 666th anniversary of its founding. On the oc

            celebration of this anniversary, University Rector Professor Tomáš Zima bestowed the Milos
            Prize for Presentation of the University and the Bedřich Hrozný Prize for Creative Accompl
            were awarded to teams from the CU Faculty of Social Sciences, the CU Faculty of Medicine i

            CU Faculty of Mathematics and Physics.



            Celebrations, which take place on 7 April every year, include a ceremonial assembly in the
            the historic Carolinum building, and this year included lectures by University Rector, Pro

            Zima, and Professor Jiří Kuthan from the Catholic Faculty of Theology. The ceremonial asse
            attended by the Lord Mayor of the City of Prague, RNDr. Tomáš Hudeček, Ph.D.
            In his speech the Rector [ URL "http://www.cuni.cz/UKEN-297.html"] recalled the historical

            Charles University for the education of society at the time and the major role played by t
            the modern education process. He stated that this was a process involved not only educatio
            work, but also the so-called third role of the University, on which greater emphasis shoul

            “I understand this role as being that of the university’s relationship to society in the b
            the word, that is, the preservation of the university as a public corporation and an insti
            a substantial contribution to major societal processes. A university is, and must be, a fo

            plurality and the exchange of opinions, a place for critical, open discussion and the bear
            intellectual trends, while primarily emphasising the fostering and guaranteeing of ethical
            the Rector, Professor Tomáš Zima.

            In his lecture, Professor Jiří Kuthan focussed [ URL "http://www.cuni.cz/UKEN-298.html"] o
            milestones that have marked the history of Charles University in Prague from its founding 
            day. He emphasised that Charles University could not and cannot, either in the past or tod

            of itself; Responsibility for directing society and the country along the right path has a
            particular to the university community, even in difficult times, and for this it often pai
            and this continues to apply, with no less urgency, today.

            The Miloslav Petrusek Prize for the successful presentation of Charles University was best
            the Rector on a group of students led by PhDr. Denisa Kasl Kollmannová, Ph.D., from the In
            Communication Studies and Journalism of the Faculty of Social Science. The prize was award

            group’s ‘Změna paradigmatu: Kouření v restauracích lidem vadí’ (‘Changing the paradigm: pe
            smoking in restaurants’) campaign. The group prepared, in cooperation with the Ipsos resea
            a survey on the subject of smoking in restaurants, which they were subsequently successful

            the Czech media and on the Internet.
            The Miroslav Petrusek Prize for the Presentation of Charles University is awarded for achi
            have a major effect on the creation of a positive image of CU to the broader public. The p

            awarded to individuals or groups irrespective of whether they belong to the academic commu
            University or not. The winner receives a financial sum.
            The Bedřich Hrozný Prize for Creative Accomplishment was awarded to a group from the CU Fa

            in Plzeň for its discovery of an innovative means of determining the coagulability of bloo
            body circulation machines and dialysis and the related patenting of the method and equipme
            realisation. The second winner was a group from the CU Faculty of Mathematics and Physics 

            in the newly-created field of opto-spintronics (a branch of electronics that uses magnetic
            spin – of charge carriers for the storing and processing of data), which have been publish
            prestigious international journals.

            The Bedřich Hrozný Prize for Creative Accomplishment is awarded on an annual basis for maj
            original creative accomplishment, e.g. for specialist publication in journals or books, wo
            organisation of exhibitions or realised patents. The chief criteria for the granting of th

            originality, quality and importance of the creative accomplishment. A financial sum is awa
            with the prize.
            The ceremonial assembly concluded with some pieces by Bedřich Smetana, the father of moder

            this year we also mark the 190th anniversary of his birth and the 130th anniversary of his
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