Seven academics and students from Brno’s Mendel University received the MENDELU Rector’s Awards. Photo Credit: MENDELU
Brno, 25. Sept (BD) – On Thursday, 22 September, seven academics and students from Mendel University in Brno received the MENDELU Rector’s Awards for outstanding results in their work. Among the laureates are economist Lubor Lacina, who received the award for his positive influence on students and teaching staff, František Bauer, an important personality in the field of agricultural machinery aggregation, and Markéta Luklová, a PhD student in Bio-omics.
“It is my pleasure to honour those among our employees and students who deserve it for their exceptional efforts and long-term work. I believe that they will be an inspiration to others and, together, we can move the whole institution forward,” said Jan Mareš, Rector of Mendel University in Brno.
The Rector’s Awards are given for significant and extraordinary achievements or contributions of students and employees of the university in the fields of science, education, sport, and art, and for merit in the development of civil society. Proposals for the awards are submitted by the deans or directors of university institutes and the chairman of the Academic Senate on the basis of proposals from individuals. The rector decides on the award.
Roman Plichta received the Rector’s Award for his work on monitoring networks that track the impact of climate change on Czech and foreign forests. “I appreciate the award very much and it is a positive motivation for me for the next few years. I approach my scientific work with humility and I try to find my own original way to achieve my goals as consciously as possible. However, science is a team effort, so I respectfully listen to those who are more experienced,” Plichta said.
The award was also presented to two employees of the MENDELU Counselling and Career Centre, Zdeňka Hort and Barbora Šímová, who provided psychological support to students during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are not happy about the growing number of people needing psychological or other care, not only at the university, but the fact that our client numbers are growing, and have grown several-fold during the pandemic, means that they know about us and turn to us with confidence. And that makes us both happy and committed,” said Hort and Šímová, adding that the award belongs to the entire counselling centre, whose care for students and staff continues.
According to František Bauer, who was honoured by the Rector for his long-term creative achievements, scientific work requires a lifelong focus. “Apart from health and personal values, the only real asset for a person is their knowledge, which is not only why we try to involve younger colleagues and, of course, students in our research. Because teaching together with scientific activity is a unique process and the student is an unforgettable part of it,” said Bauer.
Winners of the Rector’s Awards 2022
Natural and Technical Sciences: Award for long-term or outstanding results of creative activity
František Bauer (Institute of Engineering and Automotive Transport) focuses on increasing the efficiency of transmissions and hydraulic systems of tractors. He has been involved in the development of tractors and agricultural machinery in the Czech Republic and abroad for a long time. He has turned the results of his research into a number of national and international patents.
Natural and technical sciences: Award for outstanding results of creative activity of young people under 35
Roman Plichta (Institute of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocenology) helped to establish monitoring networks that track the response of forest stands to climate change in the Czech Republic and abroad. He is also involved in the development of microscopy methods, focusing on fluorescence, digital and electron microscopy.
PhD student award for outstanding performance
Markéta Luklová (Institute of Molecular Biology and Radiobiology) is a student of the Bio-omics programme, active in the research group of the Institute, and has contributed to eight publications. She is a researcher in the Brno Ph.D. talent project and projects of the Internal Grant Agency.
Award for outstanding or long-term results in educational activities
Lubor Lacina (Department of Finance) organises discussion meetings of students with experts from practice. He is the author of a textbook on activation methods in teaching and mentoring for teaching staff. Several of his students have won various awards.
Award for significant contribution to civil society development
Zdeňka Hort and Barbora Šímová (Counselling and Career Centre) have made a significant contribution to addressing the psychological and learning difficulties of students in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Distinguished Sports Performance Award
Dominika Šabová (Faculty of Business Administration) represents the Czech Republic in karate, which she has been doing since childhood. She is a two-time junior world karate champion in the goju-ryu category and now represents the Czech Republic in the senior category.
