Masaryk University: Legacy of a genius
Masaryk University is an educational and research institution in the Czech Republic, founded more than a century ago. It is located in Brno, the city of Gregor Johann Mendel, whose 200th birth anniversary is celebrated this year. It is also thanks to Masaryk University that the place of one of the greatest scientific discoveries has become an important research and educational hub in Central Europe.
Maintaining Mendel’s story and genius loci
The Augustinian Abbey in Old Brno still houses the library, garden, beehive and greenhouse where Mendel worked. This authentic location is also the seat of Mendel Museum, operated by Masaryk University, where visitors learn the story of the modest genius and the principles of genetics.
Hailing Mendel, the meteorologist
Masaryk University, as one of the few, has its own research facilities in Antarctica. Mendel Polar Station, a Czech research station on the coast of James Ross Island, near the northernmost tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, was established in 2007. The station pursues its own research programme and is also used for testing products and technologies in the extreme conditions of Antarctica. Those that pass the tests can receive the trademark “Tested in Antarctica” from Masaryk University.
Pursuing Mendel’s mission
Masaryk University brings science to life in Mendel’s Abbey, which is becoming a world centre of research presentation. The prestigious Mendel Lectures annually host world’s leading scientists and Nobel laureates.
Celebrate the bicentennial of Gregor Johann Mendel’s birth with Masaryk University
Also presented at EXPO
Why should you visit Mendel Museum of Masaryk University?
As close to understanding genetics as you can get! The museum exhibition provides basic information about Mendel’s experiments and findings and introduces the essentials of genetics and molecular biology. Thanks to the exhibition, you will better understand the nature of heredity, explore the genetics that is all around you or get a glimpse of modern biology studied at Masaryk University. You can get hands-on experience of genetics using applications, games or interactive elements.
What are they about?
Mendel Lectures are a series of papers given by eminent world geneticists, molecular biologists, biochemists, microbiologists, physicians and scientists in related fields, which have been held in the refectory of the Augustinian Abbey in Old Brno since May 2003. More than 120 scientists from all over the world, holders of prestigious awards and Nobel Prize winners have presented their lectures here.
What is going on at the polar station?
Researchers from dozens of disciplines work on their projects under the imaginary auspices of Mendel, who considered himself primarily a meteorologist. What is the current state of climate change and the ozone layer? How does life in the form of simple plants originate in places where glaciers have retreated? What new species of microorganisms are hidden on the white continent? What is the geology of Antarctica? These are just a few questions to which the researchers at the station seek answers
The universal nature of the research reminds of Mendel’s universality. The researchers test, for example, the durability of newly developed coatings and plastics, outdoor equipment, or the use of green energy sources and other technologies in extreme conditions for industrial and application purposes. How did the tested products and technologies perform?
The application of research and development outcomes in practice is supported by the Technology Transfer Office of Masaryk University.
