Category: GREECE

News about Greece

  • The ‘smart city’ of Trikala and the future of Greece

    The ‘smart city’ of Trikala and the future of Greece

    A visit this week to Trikala and meetings there with government and business leaders has reinforced my optimism about Greece’s future and this country’s rich endowment of human and natural resources. Trikala has the distinction of being the first “smart city” in Greece – integrating technology-powered solutions into the daily life of the municipality and delivering government services to citizens through e-governance. From free Wi-Fi service throughout the city to tele-health care for the elderly, from driverless buses to the e-Dialogos platform where citizens can participate in the public life of the city and its decision-making, Trikala is using technology to increase transparency and improve citizens’ lives. I was deeply impressed by the way Mayor Papastergiou and e-Trikala CEO Odysseas Raptis have embraced technology as a means to bring government closer to citizens and to streamline delivery of services. Trikala is leading the way as a 21st century model for other Greek cities looking to partner with American companies to put technology to use for democracy.

    With technology playing such an important role in the city, Trikala was the perfect venue for our CodeGirls 2.0 program. I had the opportunity to attend the graduation ceremony for the 40 girls who completed the two-weekend course to advance their computer programming skills. CodeGirls is a program sponsored by U.S. Embassy Athens and our partner, the Greek NGO Mataroa, to teach girls the fundamentals of web development. We have organized the CodeGirls program in three other cities in Greece – Kozani, Kalamata, and Patras – and we will look for ways to expand to other cities in the future.

    I was blown away by what these young people have accomplished. I hope that the technology skills the CodeGirls participants learned during this course will serve them well in the future and show them that there are no barriers to what they can achieve. I have already met CodeGirl graduates who have told me how this program changed their lives. One young woman now attends the American College of Greece and was offered a competitive internship with a technology company following her participation in the Kalamata CodeGirls program. Examples like this convince me that Greece’s talented youth will drive the country’s growth and prosperity.

    The tech-savvy spirit of Trikala is also inspiring and supporting entrepreneurship. During my visit, I met with Dimitris Dimitriadis, creator of the EasyBike system. EasyBike is the first bike sharing system to be developed and successfully implemented in Greece, and it now operates 30 active bike sharing systems in various cities with more than 2500 bikes, including here in Athens. This initiative promotes sustainable mobility and is an example of how tech entrepreneurs can be successful in Greece working with local government. Entrepreneurs and startups can really take off when they have this kind of government support at the local and national levels. It was a pleasure to see how bicycle-friendly Trikala is, and even to ride around the city a bit with Mayor Papastergiou. I am very grateful for his hospitality.

    I loved my tour of the Tyras dairy complex, led by CEO Dimitros Sarantis. This is the largest feta production facility in Greece, and I saw cheese and yogurt being produced for groceries all over Europe and the United States. This is a world-class facility, with state of the art technology and new investment in environmental sustainability; a great example of Greek resilience and entrepreneurial spirit.

    My travels around Greece have shown me how much potential there is in this beautiful country, and I am committed to using the resources of the U.S. Embassy to support entrepreneurship, including the range of exchange visits we support between Greek and American entrepreneurs. Aside from the entrepreneurs I met in Trikala, I’ve recently had meetings with members of the startup community in Thessaloniki and with the scientific pioneers at the Foundation for Research and Technology in Heraklion, Crete. I am very encouraged by the innovation and growth in Greece’s knowledge-based economy. Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy and I know that they can also become the launch pad for Greece’s economic recovery. Combining the entrepreneurial spirit I have seen in so many Greeks with the advantages of e-governance, I am enthusiastic about Greece’s potential for growth in the coming months and years.

    (www.ekathimerini.com)

  • Greek Culture Minister allocates €2.5 million for Amphipolis Tomb project works

    Greek Culture Minister allocates €2.5 million for Amphipolis Tomb project works

    Recently appointed  Greek Culture Minister Lydia Koniordou announced that 2.5 million euros have been allotted for restoration works executed at Kasta Hill, the excavation site of the Amphipolis tomb.

    During a press conference this week, she clarified that the funds will be made available immediately for the restoration of the site in northeastern Greece, where a huge grave from Alexander the Great’s era was unearthed.

    The so-called Kasta Tomb, also known as the Amphipolis Tomb is an ancient Macedonian tomb that was discovered inside the Kasta mound (or Tumulus) near Amphipolis, Central Macedonia, in northern Greece in 2012 and first entered in August 2014. The first excavations at the mound in 1964 led to exposure of the perimeter wall, and further excavations in the 1970s uncovered many other ancient remains.

    The recently discovered tomb is dated to the last quarter of the 4th century B.C. The tumulus is the largest ever discovered in Greece and by comparison dwarfs that of Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great, in Vergina. The excavation team, based on findings unearthed at the site, argued that the tomb was a memorial dedicated to the close friend of Alexander the Great, Hephaestion.

    It is not yet known who is buried in the tomb, but the initial public speculation that it could be the tomb of Alexander the Great, because of its size and estimated cost of construction, was dismissed by the experts community when commenting on the published findings, as the available historical records mention Alexandria in Egypt as the last known location of Alexander’s body; it has been supported instead, that a likely occupant could be either a wealthy Macedonian noble or a late member of the royal family.

    The skeletal remains of five people were unearthed within a corresponding tomb, in the lower levels of the third chamber in November 2014. The dead of the burial are: A woman at the age of 60, two men aged 35–45, a newborn infant and a fifth person represented by minimum fragments. Further examination is underway with regard to the dating of the skeletal remains, as well as DNA cross examination between the dead of the burial as well as other skeletons from the neighboring tombs in the area.

    Monogram of Hephaestion

    At a press conference in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greek archaelogist Katerina Peristeri revealed the existence of three inscriptions apparently linking the tomb to Hephaestion, nobleman, General and close friend of Alexander the Great. The ancient Greek word “ΠΑΡΕΛΑΒΟΝ” (it means “received”) is written in the inscriptions and next to it the monogram of Hephaestion.

    According to the Culture Minister, the resources will also be allocated for works to unify the archaeological sites of Amphipolis and create specially designed trails for visitors.

    Ms. Koniordou  also revealed that other current projects of the Greek Culture Ministry include the upgrade of five more ancient Greek theaters, Ancient Gitana Thesprotia, Ancient Ambracia, Nikopolis, Kassopi and Dodona that are all connected through the Epirus cultural route.

    Furthermore, the Culture Ministry plans to hire 1,314 museum and archaeological site guards for the season and they are expected to be in their positions as of early April.

    Finally, she noted that the e-ticket access will initially run as a pilot program at the Acropolis, Mycenae, Knossos and Messina sites.

    (www.tornosnews.gr)

  • Antetokounmpo: ‘Whatever I do, I have Greece behind me’

    Antetokounmpo: ‘Whatever I do, I have Greece behind me’

    Giannis Antetokounmpo had a smile on his face the entire weekend at NBA All-Star in New Orleans.
    From the moment the Bucks’ forward walked into his media availability session on Friday, he was astounded at the reception he received.
    “This is amazing. I gotta take a picture of this before we start,” Antetokounmpo said as he saw the number of journalists, including a dozen or so from Greece, waiting at his table.
    “This is crazy,” he continued. “I haven’t seen so much media in my life.”
    Antetokounmpo’s historical selection as an All-Star starter was made even more impressive when he finished his debut game as the East team’s leading scorer with 30 points − more than players such as Lebron James and Kyrie Irving − and could have even won the award as the game’s Most Valuable Player had the East been able to defeat the West. They lost 192-182.
    “You know, at the start of the game, I was just hoping I could get a bucket, to not embarrass myself and just have fun,” he said post-game. “It was fun. I told the coach I’m going to play hard no matter what. That’s the only thing I know how to do.”
    Golden State Warriors’ superstar forward Kevin Durant said that Antetokounmpo will have a presence at every All-Star game from now on.
    “That’s a big compliment coming from KD,” said Antetokounmpo when told of Durant’s comments.
    “I believe I can be here as long as I play basketball. The most important thing is that I believe it. I appreciate the compliment from KD. I’ll try to be here every year because this is fun.”
    Antetokounmpo made history by being the first ever Greek voted to the NBA’s showcase event, and his selection served a purpose greater than just basketball − it was also a celebration of Hellenism.
    He answered questions in Greek during Friday’s media session and even told the reporters from Greece that he would prefer an international gold medal to an NBA MVP award or title.
    His reason? “Because it will represent an entire country,” he said. At every opportunity he spoke of the appreciation he has for the support he has received from Greeks worldwide.
    “Whatever I do, I have Greece behind me,” he said. “I try to make all Greeks proud and I thank them for their support.”
    Antetokounmpo’s ascension from peddling bootleg CDs on the streets of Athens to being selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 15th pick in the 2013 draft to now, representing his team and country at the All-Star game − repeatedly over the weekend Antetokounmpo alluded to “living the dream”.
    “This story and this journey is incredible,” he said after the game. “A lot of people helped me. My family was right there for me.”
    Despite his impressive showing in the game on Sunday, all Antetokounmpo said he wanted to do was soak it all up with his family − older brother Thanasis, younger brothers Alex and Kosta, and his parents, Veronica and Charles.
    “The highlight for me [was] seeing my family after the game on the court, taking pictures with all the celebrities out there,” he said. “Just the smile on their faces, how excited they are to be here. I think that’s the highlight.”
    Still, even after all the adulation of the weekend, and the memories it created, Antetokounmpo is ready to get back to work and help the Bucks reach the playoffs.
    “I was talking with [Milwaukee’s assistant] coach today and I told him, ‘I can’t wait until we get back and I start practicing and playing games’.”

    (neoskosmos.com)

  • The Hellenic Centre for Marine Research: mission and achievements

    The Hellenic Centre for Marine Research: mission and achievements

    Sea research has been carried out in Greece for more than 100 years. Nowadays, it is conducted under the auspices of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR). HCMR can trace its origins to the founding of the first Greek Marine Research Institute, the Marine Hydrobiological Station, established in 1914.

    HCMR mission is to research, develop and implement marine and maritime services and products such as the recently presented GeoMAREA and the Nautilus documentary series which advance our understanding and protection of the seas and inland waters, creating a sustainable life on Earth.

    HCMR is a unique governmental research organization at the heart of scientific and technological research of the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Red Sea. It comprises three Research Institutes: the Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, the Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters and the Institute of Oceanography .

    The HCMR building facilities are distributed in three strategic areas: in Attica, in Crete and in Rhodes. HCMR’s fleet consists of three research vessels and underwater vehicles. HCMR owns and operates a wide range of advanced scientific laboratories, fully-equipped biogeochemical laboratories, innovative genetic laboratories, micro CT scanner for biodiversity research, aqua labs state-of-the-art aquaculture farming technologies.

    HCMR maintains large research infrastructures like Poseidon network and operational monitoring forecasting and data collection system. Poseidon is based on network observatory buoys which collect and transmit every three hours online meteorological and oceanographic data used for making 72-hour forecasts. HCMR owns and operates aquariums in Crete and Rhodes islands with more than 500,000 visitors per year. Τhe HCMR aquariums provide unique experiential events and educational opportunities advancing people’s knowledge for a sustainable management of the Seas. HCMR participates and plays a key role in the establishment of the large-scale European research infrastructures, such as LIFEWATCH, European multidisciplinary water column and seabed observatories, Euro-Argo, and European Marine Biological Resourse Center.

     

    HCMR work covers the entire spectrum of marine and inland water research with specific focus on the integrated coastal zone management marine spatial planning and seabed mapping, integrated marine observation and forecasting of the scenes functioning of inland waters coastal and marine ecosystems, impact of global change.

    HCMR also focus on human pressures and hazards on the aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity, marine geo-hazards and geo-resources, fisheries dynamics ecology, modeling and management, marine technology and biotechnology, aquaculture. HCMR scientists and engineers having implemented more than 100 of EU projects are ready to tackle the challenges and opportunities of the Horizon 2020 on blue growth: the sustainable exploitation of marine bio resources but innovative bioactive compounds the marine and Maritime Services the societal challenges contribute to the sustainable development of regional economy within the framework of EU’s DG REGIO strategies and tools implement the marine maritime strategy through European environmental policies promote a cross-sector interdisciplinary dialogue with the industry and socio-economic communities, enhancing marine technology biotechnology and innovation, emerging the hidden European cultural heritage.

    Looking into the future HCMR strategic plans include building a new ocean’s research vessel, the creation of aquarium in Attica region, the development of marine techno parks, to extend the research activities to the Atlantic Ocean and polar seas. HCMR’s focus will be to advance its position among the global leaders in marine and maritime research and to educate future generations in achieving a sustainable future for our planet.

    The GeoMAREA system

    Recently, the output of the cooperation between ITO LTD, the Marine Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (MERL-HCMR) and the Laboratory of Nuclear Physics of the National Technical University of Athens (LNP-NTUA), is the successful completion of the project “Research and development of an in-situ underwater gamma-ray spectrometer for low-level radioactivity measurements” (Code: 12CHN212), in the frame of a bilateral Greece-China cooperation. The project was co-funded by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology (GSRT), Greece, under NSRF 2007-2013.

    The final product of the project is the GeoMAREA system (Gamma-ray spectrometer for in-situ MARine Environmental Applications).The sensor was developed for measuring in- situ the activity concentration of gamma-ray emitters in the marine environment. It is characterized by: capability to offer free-of-error continuous functionality down to 600 meter water depth; pluggable watertight cabling system for real time data transmission in case of operation at a buoy; high efficiency due to the minimum gamma-ray absorption in the enclosure material. Read more about the radioscopio here.

    Explore Nautilus: the first interactive TV series about our seas

    The beauty and mystery of life beneath the surface of the seas of Greece, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea is brought to the screen in “Nautilus” : a documentary series introduced by HCMR, SKAI and Cyta which depicts the complexity of the marine ecosystem. The marine scientists’ research team and crew of “Nautilus”, divers and filmmakers with the “captain” Dr. Vaggelis Papathanasiou sailed across Greek seas in order to record exclusive videos about underwater fountains, sperm whales, caretta–caretta, dolphins, red shrimps, Aegean volcanoes, climate change and shipwrecks.

    “Nautilus” is an impressive production with 3 years of shooting and over 80 sailing days in the seas of Greece, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Since September 2007, in cooperation with HCMR, over 50 Greek researchers and 25 members of crew have boarded on the “Aegean” ship. Researchers from the Institute of Oceanography and the Institute of Marine Marine Biological Resources of HMRC  have participated in most of “Nautilus” missions.

    Moreover, during this journeys, HCMR cooperated with researchers from the University of Patras, the National Marine Park of Alonnisos Northern Sporades and “Pelagos” Cetacean Research Institute.

    (www.greeknewsagenda.gr)