Science and Research

Prof. MUDr. Pavel Bravený, CSc.
Vice-Rector

In 1997, the MU Academic Council met five times. In terms of time spent, the most demanding part of the Council's work proved to be professorship proceedings (13 proceedings in total). At its January meeting, the Council discussed and approved 14 projects for the "Strengthening of Research at Schools of Higher Education" programme - five of which were successful in the final selection.

The Academic Council considered proposals for the accreditation of postgraduate studies (Faculty of Education, Faculty of Economics and Administration, Faculty of Arts), and proposals for the awarding of honorary academic titles, memorial medals and Ministry of Education awards.

The Academic Council discussed repeatedly issues concerning the opening of the new Faculty of Social Studies, the university budget, the structure of this, and non-budget financial sources. The Council also expressed its opinion on the pending Higher Education Act, on which it was regularly informed by the Rector.

In 1997, the MU Academic Council considered 13 candidates for professorships, all of whom were conferred with the degree of Professor:

Doc. MUDr. Daniela Kotulová, CSc. (IPVZ Bratislava) - microbiology

Doc. MUDr. Vladimír Kreméry, DrSc. (University of Trnava) - internal medicine

Doc. RNDr. Vladimír Sklenář, DrSc., Faculty of Science - physical chemistry

Doc. MUDr. Jarmila Sieglová, DrSc., Faculty of Medicine - physiology and pathological physiology

Doc. MUDr. Nataša Honzíková, CSc., Faculty of Medicine - physiology and pathological physiology

Doc. RNDr. Pavel Peč, CSc (Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc), Faculty of Science - biochemistry

Doc. RNDr Miroslava Vicherková, CSc., Faculty of Science - plant physiology

Doc. PhDr. Zdenka Rusínová, CSc., Faculty of Arts - Czech language

Doc. MUDr. Anton Kollár, DRSc., Faculty of Medicine - otorhinolaryngology

Doc.MUDr. Zdenik Lukáš, CSc., Faculty of Medicine - pathology and forensic medicine

Doc. MUDr Jan Buček, CSc., Faculty of Medicine - pathology and forensic medicine

Doc. MUDr Eva Češková, CSc., Faculty of Medicine, psychiatry

Doc. PhDr. Marie Kremová, CSc., Faculty of Arts - Czech language

A more detailed description is presented in table 1a. Remarkable is the high number of women on whom professor's degress were conferred. Only one professor's proceeding was completed at a faculty (Faculty of Science).

 Table 1a - Proceedings towards the conferring of the degree of Professor

Table 1b - Proceedings towards the conferring of a postdoctoral degree

Table 1b shows the structure of proceedings for the conferring of postdoctoral degrees as completed successfully at individual faculties. Half of the total number of postdoctoral proceedings was held for other universities and schools of higher education. For the Faculty of Education, this counted as 100%. Three proceedings did pass out of the faculties. In comparison with the previous year, the average age of candidates at the Faculties of Medicine and of Arts was significantly lower.

Table 1c - Proceedings towards the conferring of Professor's and postdoctoral degrees

Postgraduate studies

Postgraduate studies (table 2a, 2b) are at the centre of the University's interest. In 1997, positive trends were maintained in terms of the total number and overall proportion of internal postgraduate students. There are, however, great differences between individual faculties: postgraduate students (internal and distance, students from home and abroad) account for 2% of all regular students at the Faculty of Education compared with 17% at the Faculty of Science and 14% at the Faculty of Arts. The small number of graduates is puzzling. This is a matter which should be considered by faculties more deeply, together with the number of graduates who - on completion of their postgraduate studies - stay on at their faculties as academic support.

In 1997, a new postgraduate subject - Environmental Chemistry - gained accreditation at the Faculty of Science.

Table 2a,b - Postgraduate studies at MU in 1997

Tab. 2b

For direct opponent proceedings, financial means are provided for selected projects for different time periods (FR VŠ, the shortest grant, for 1 year; GAER for 3 years; the longest "Support" grant for 5 years). There remain great differences between grants awarded to individual faculties, even when we consider the varying number of academics at these faculties. (The range is from 0.07 of a grant for an individual at the Faculty of Education to 0.58 at the Faculty of Science, with the average at Masaryk University being 0.26.)

The number of grants has remained practically constant when compared to the previous year; in terms of financial extent, however, it is no greater than in 1995. For many reasons, 1996 seems to have been an extraordinary year, and today's economic situation suggests it is quite unrepeatable.

Five projects from last year's "Support for Research at Universities" programme (which, in general terms, may be described as very successful) were joined in 1997 by another five:

- Analyses of biologically significant molecular complexes (RNDr. Jiří Fajkus, Faculty of Science)

- Plasma sources laboratory for chemical analyses (Doc. RNDr Vítězslav Otruba, Faculty of Science)

- Laboratory for the processing of natural language (Doc. PhDr. Karel Pala, Faculty of Informatics)

- Use of image analyses in diagnostics and prophylaxis of human illnesses (Dr. Stanislav Kozubek, Faculty of Informatics)

- Laboratory for the research of children and young people (PhDr. Vladimír Smékal, Faculty of Arts)

At the end of the year, a large-scale three-year project in the INFRA "Brno Academic Computer Network" programme was successfully defended in final opponent proceedings (Ing. O. Dostál, Institute of Computer Science).

Table 3a - Grants at Masaryk University in 1997

Table 3b -Grants awarded at Masaryk University 1992 - 1997

In comparison with 1996, overall publishing activity increased by 25%, to the greatest extent in the publication of books and contributions to journals. Regarding the latter item, it is interesting to compare the proportion of papers published at home with those published abroad: the average proportion of written works published abroad for the whole university is 33%. It is gratifying to recognise that teachers at all faculties are not neglecting the popularization of science.

Tab. 4

* of which 10% in foreign languages
** of which 35 in book form
*** reviewed and excerpted

Two faculties - the Faculties of Education and Arts - performed a remarkable amount of creative work; the Faculty of Arts may take pride in 2 works of fiction, 6 works of music, and 26 recordings for TV and radio.

The Faculty of Education held more then 100 concerts at home and abroad, took part in 18 collective exhibitions, and organized 8 solo recitals.

A list of lectures and study trips shows that it is still the case that we go abroad more to be taught than to teach others. Nevertheless, the number of invitations to present papers at foreign institutions indicates that - on average - every third teacher at MU has received one.

Much the same as the way in which publication activities differ as per academic subject, the organization of academic work varies at individual faculties: the Faculty of Medicine concentrates on the activities of subject-oriented societies and conferences, the Faculty of Arts organizes academic visits abroad, whilst members of the Faculty of Education frequently present their papers within our republic but outside our university. It is perhaps somewhat surprising - in consideration of its high academic standards and great output of academic work - that the Faculty of Science seems quite modest in this evaluation criterion.

Tab. 5

* of which 1 abroad

Prizes and awards

In 1997, Masaryk University conferred two honorary academic degrees: The Dr.h.c. title in medicine science was awarded to Miroslav Dave Poulik, Emeritus Professor of immunology, microbiology and biology, USA, whilst the Dr.h.c. title in biological science was awarded to Frank Alois Pitelka, Emeritus Professor of the University of California.

The Great Gold Medal of Masaryk University was awarded to JUDr. Jutta Limbach, Chair of the Constitutional Court of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Masaryk University Gold Medals were awarded to:

- Prof. RNDr. Jaroslav Jonas CSc. for long-year contribution to the development of the Faculty of Science after holding the office of Dean (1992 -1997)

- Prof. Alena Štěpánková-Veselá for the great merits demonstrated in the development of Brno university education on the occasion of the completion of her term of office as Rector of JAMU

- Prof. RNDr. Jozef Gruska DrSc, of the Department of Informatics of the Academy of Science of the Slovak Republic, for a major contribution to the establishing of informatics as an independent academic subject and for his efforts in the building of an academic community for informatics in this country

- Prof. Ing. Emanuel Ondrášek CSc., following his holding of the position of Deputy Minister of Education, for his contribution to the development of institutes of higher education in the Czech Republic

Masaryk University Silver Medals were awarded in 1997 to:

Prof. RNDr. Jiří Vicherek CSc - Faculty of Science, Masaryk University

Doc. RNDr. Václav Židlický CSc. - Faculty of Arts, Charles University

Prof. MUDr. Jaroslav Kos CSc. - Faculty of Medicine, Charles University Pilsen

Prof. PhDr. Jiří Frel CSc. - Emeritus Professor at UCLA, USA

The Masaryk University Rector's Prize was awarded in two categories:

- for ground-breaking academic work to Josef Válek, author of the monograph "The Moravia of Reformation, Renaissance and Baroque", published in 1995 by the Brno Society for Museums and Regional Studies; and to Josef Bejček, author of the work "The Existential Protection of Competition", published by the Faculty of Law in 1996

- for editorial activities to Jaroslav Malina, in particular for the monographs "Kurt Gödel" and "Olbram Zoubek", published by the Universitas Masarykiana Foundation in 1996

The Rector's Prize for the postgraduate students was awarded to MUDr. David Šmajs (Faculty of Medicine, molecular biology), Mgr. Martin Ivanov (Faculty of Science, geology), Mgr. Sylvie Stanovská (Faculty of Arts, German studies), and Mgr. Antotín Kučera (Faculty of Informatics, mathematical informatics).

Postgraduate student Mgr. Han Danh Than (Faculty of Informatics) received the TEX User Group award for an excellent project.

In 1997, Masaryk University teachers received many prizes and awards from abroad. Honorary membership of an academic society abroad was granted to the following MU academics:

Prof. MUDr. Jan Šmarda, Prof. MUDr. Otto Vlach, Prof. MUDr. Jindřich Lokaj and Prof. MUDr. Karel Benda (all of the Faculty of Medicine); Prof. PhDr. Jiří Fukač (Faculty of Arts); Prof. PhDr. Jiří Sejbal (Faculty of Economics and Administration).

Honorary membership of an academic society at home was granted to: Prof. MUDr. Jan Šmarda, Prof. MUDr. Petr Díti, Prof. MUDr. Jaromír Švestka, Doc. MUDr. Zdenik Boleloucký, Prof. MUDr. Pavel Bravený (all of the Faculty of Medicine); Doc. Ing. Antonín Malach (Faculty of Economics and Administration).

Prizes from universities abroad were awarded to Doc. MUDr. Jiří Veselý (Faculty of Medicine), Prof. RNDr. Jozef Gruska (Faculty of Economics and Administration) and Doc. RNDr.

Jiří Hořejší (Faculty of Informatics).

As regards Czech awards, it should be pointed out that the Ministry of Education Prize for life-time achievement in education was awarded to Prof. MUDr. Jan Šmarda (Faculty of Medicine), the City of Brno Award was received by Prof. PhDr. Zbyněk Srba (Faculty of Arts) and Prof. PhDr. Jaroslav Malina, DrSc., and the UNESCO Czech Council of Culture Prize was awarded to Prof. PhDr. Rudolf Pečman (Faculty of Arts).

The Silver Memorial Medal of the Faculty of Medicine Pilsen was awarded to MUDr. Otto Vlach. The JAMU Silver Medal was received by Prof. PhDr. Zbyněk Srba.

Non-university prizes for publication activities were awarded to Doc. MUDr. Jindoich Vomela and Doc. MUDr. Jiří Majer, both of the Faculty of Medicine, and to do. Ing. Božena Petrjanošová of the Faculty of Economics and Administration.