Daniel Ptáček is a young medical physicist from the Department of Dosimetry and Ionizing Radiation at FNSPE. His story is somewhat unique — he was partly inspired by his family’s profession, but the decisive moment came with his father’s illness. Today he helps patients in a hospital, and he has one piece of advice for all future Jaderka students: “Go live in a dorm! Student life largely takes place there, so it’s a real shame when first-year students decide to live in an apartment and unnecessarily isolate themselves.” Read Dan’s full story!
My name is Daniel Ptáček, I’m 24 years old and I come from Luby near Cheb in the Karlovy Vary Region. Sports have been part of my life since childhood, especially golf, which I focus on the most at the moment. I also represent my faculty in small-sided football in the Strahov League. Besides sports, I also enjoy cooking — at the dorms I try to challenge the stereotype and prove that you can live on something better than just toast and sausages. I’m a goal-oriented person and self-discipline is not foreign to me, which helps me a lot in my studies.
- Why did you enrol at Jaderka?
We have two radiology assistants in our family, thanks to whom I had the opportunity to see how MRI works in practice. Even though MRI does not use ionizing radiation to obtain images of patients, I became generally interested in devices that can non-invasively image the human body, and especially in how they work from a physical point of view. Because of my father’s cancer diagnosis, I later had several opportunities to take a closer look at various imaging methods and examinations. I discovered the Radiological Technology programme at Jaderka and I was almost certain. I then attended a Jaderka event called “A Day as a Radiological Physicist,” where I confirmed my decision.
- Would you recommend studying at Jaderka? Who do you think it’s not for?
I would definitely recommend studying at Jaderka – a mathematics and physics-oriented faculty – to anyone, even those who doubt their abilities in these subjects, mainly for one simple reason: throughout my studies I have never encountered a lecturer who wasn’t willing to help me or explain something when I showed interest. It seems to me that Jaderka follows the rule “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” because it offers so much support during studies that it often surprises students from other faculties when I tell them about it. The cherry on top is the tutor programme – students from higher years who are financially supported by the faculty to help tutor students from lower years.
Jaderka definitely isn’t for people who just want to cruise through university and get a degree. The studies are demanding, but if you’re genuinely interested in the field, the faculty will definitely support you.
- What do you enjoy about the faculty and what all can you do here?
The faculty offers plenty of social and sports activities. As I mentioned, I play small-sided football for the faculty in the Strahov League – the team is part of the Tralalalala association, which was founded at Jaderka in 2006 and brings together teams from various sports (floorball, volleyball and others). Among my favourite social events are the regular Jaderka PubQuiz, Night at Jaderka, Halloween, Coffee with the Dean, the Všejaderná Fúze ball, and many others. Everyone can always find something they enjoy, and it’s also possible to join the organizers of these events.
In addition, smaller events are organized at our department. I have to mention our regular “department beer,” which takes place every first Wednesday of the month – once the siren test sounds, you know you already have plans for the evening. When the weather is nice, we also organize a department barbecue on the terrace on the second floor of the faculty building.
- Do you take part in any activities outside of Jaderka?
Because I really enjoy my field of study, I decided to look for a job where I could gain practical experience and apply my knowledge. For more than half a year now, I’ve been working as a radiological technician at the University Hospital Královské Vinohrady at the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, where I also conduct my own research.
In my free time I like reading – mostly detective stories, books on personal development, sci-fi and fantasy. I especially enjoy post-apocalyptic novels; those are my absolute favourite. As I mentioned earlier, my favourite sport is golf, but I also enjoy cycling, skating and skiing.
- What is student life like at FNSPE?
I’d say student life at FNSPE is similar to other technical universities – you’re often limited by a fairly busy schedule. However, life is what you make of it, and in my opinion it depends largely on where you live. My strong recommendation to all new students is: go live in a dorm! Student life largely takes place there, and it’s a real shame when first-year students decide to live in apartments and unnecessarily isolate themselves. I also experienced what it’s like to live with the absolute minimum dorm conditions, but thanks to that I had an incredible amount of fun. Moreover, people in the dorms face the same study challenges as you, so you can help each other. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to fully enjoy student life.