ILWS Steering Committee and Working Group Meeting
Prague, June 10–12, 2008
Introduction
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Hosted by: Charles University Faculty of Mathematics and Physics Malostranske Namesti 25 Prague 1 |
The oldest university in central Europe, Charles University was founded on April 7, 1348 by Charles IV, then the Holy Roman Emperor and the King of Bohemia. From its foundation, it was devoted to studia generalia and it was endowed by the emperor with all the privileges enjoyed by older European universities. In accordance with medieval conceptions of the academic range of a complete university, the newly established University had four faculties – Theology, Law, Medicine and Arts. At present, Charles University consists of sixteen faculties and educates more than 40,000 students. The faculties are centers not only for teaching, but also for research and scholarship.
Mathematics and physics were traditionally taught within the frame of the Philosophical Faculty (Faculty of Arts). In 1920, the Faculty of Natural Sciences was established and the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics (Czech abbreviation MFF UK) separated from this faculty in 1952. Among the scholars who have worked at or co-operated with Charles University and its faculties while staying in Prague were Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, Bernard Bolzano, Ernst Mach, Albert Einstein, Rudolf Carnap or Jaroslav Heyrovskı. Currently, the Faculty provides education for more than 2,200 students in fields of computer science, mathematics, and physics.