The Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI) participated with great success in the Athens Science Festival 2023 │ “Shape your future,” which took place on October 10-12, 2023, at Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens. During this year’s Event, six research projects supported by the HFRI were presented in the framework of the 3rd Call of the Action “Science and Society” entitled “Research, Innovation and Dissemination Hubs.”

Each Action attracted the interest of visitors of all ages, especially students and teachers, who visited Technopolis as part of planned school visits. At the Interactive Exhibition, they had the opportunity to use “ELEFYS, an Illustrated School Science Dictionary” and, through its illustrations, interactive and multimedia content to better understand physics terms. During the three-day Event, they were informed by the research team of the Project “Mind your Mind” about the multisensory nature of the brain and how it contributes to learning by participating in multisensory perception and attention activities. Young and old alike also learned the timber of their voice, built digital musical instruments and played their tunes within the virtual reality “EpiSTEAMusic.”

In addition, children and teachers enjoyed the presentation of the Project “Wisdom @ School,” which proposes in an interactive, playful and entertaining way the teaching of Philosophy on an extended scale, seeking to familiarize young students with the philosophical way of thinking. In the Children’s Laboratory, high school students “traveled” to the extraordinary world of Molecular Biology, where they were informed about DNA and pharmacogenomics, and with the help of the research team of the modern educational tool “BioSTEM” they participated in educational laboratory exercises, such as collecting DNA from a saliva sample and preparing it for analysis. HFRI’s participation in the Athens Science Festival 2023 was concluded with the Demonstration Experiment “Discovering the Sun with a Helioscope” in the framework of the Project “Discovery Space.” With the helioscope, the visitors of the Festival observed the formations of the solar surface and attempted to measure the sun’s height.

HFRI’s participation in the Athens Science Festival, for the second consecutive year, reflects the Foundation’s interest in contributing to connecting science with broader society. At the same time, it is an important opportunity for the research teams of the HFRI-funded projects to share knowledge, exchange experiences, and develop relationships that, among other things, will strengthen the scientific and research community.

Highlights from the HFRI’s participation in the Athens Science Festival can be found here

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