The U.S. Embassy in Athens and Greek nonprofit organization SciCo, are organizing for the first time in Greece, the STEM STARS GREECE competition with the aim of supporting, highlighting, and rewarding 14 to 18-year-old students with a special inclination towards science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). The winners of the competition will receive special prizes, including the opportunity to represent Greece at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the largest international science competition, which will be held in Anaheim, California from 10 to 15 May 2020.  The competition is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs.

Participation in the competition is free. Students who attend public or private schools in Greece and are between 14 and 18 years old (High School 3rd Grade – Lyceum 3rd Grade) on the date of the competition are eligible to participate.

All projects must be submitted online between December 16, 2019 and February 16, 2020.

For more information and detailed participation requirements, please visit: U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Greece

ACS Athens students had to meet strict safety, size, and mass criteria in order for their experimental apparatus, containing ouzo, petimezi, electronics, and their 3D-printed container (designed and prototyped by one of the students) to be approved for a space flight, familiarizing themselves with real-world S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) investigations. Jaeho Nam, ACS Athens student and member of the spACS 2 team said: "I was fortunate to be a part of the spACS 2 team, and I personally think this experience not only provided me the opportunity to attain essential skills for a career in engineering but to learn the true meaning and value of teamwork." 

The international team of ACS Athens, formed in 2018, consists of High School students, their educators - Dr. Antonios Karampelas, Dr. Ioannis Kerkines, Ms. Victoria Poulou, Mr. Spyros Arsenikos, and Dr. Liana Tsigaridi - and external collaborators (Mr. Panos Mazarakis, Mr. Ilias Botsios). As Dr. Karampelas, Principal Investigator, stated: "I am proud of my students who managed to complete such a challenging task and excited to have seen ouzo and petimezi flying into space for the first time in history." 

More information on the conclusions of the experiment will follow, as they become available. 

The video of the launch is available by Blue Origin
The ACS Athens team first presented the spACS experiment during the 2019 Athens Science Festival
To learn more about the experiment click here
To learn more about Blue Origin click here

• Vangelis Harissopoulos
• George Iliadis
• George Karamanlis
• Kinthia
• Maria Koufomanoli
• Lefteris Koulonis
• Nefeli Louizou
• Vaggelis Moularas
• Stavroula Pabst
• John Papadopoulos
• Kanelli Scalcoyiannis
• Odysseas Deniz Ürem
  
  

Other Greek emergency numbers are:

• 100 - police
• 199 - fire brigade
• 166 - emergency medical service
• 108 - coast guard
• 197 - emergency social assistance

Tom Hanks has been awarded Greek citizenship as Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos signed an honorary naturalization order allowing the actor to claim citizenship, his office told The Associated Press on Friday.

Tom Hanks and his wife, actress and producer Rita Wilson, often spend their summer vacations in the house they own on the Greek island of Antiparos. The couple have also produced several films in Greece; In 2002 they produced the hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and its sequel that was released in 2016. Hanks was also the executive producer of the 2008 musical "Mamma Mia!" and the 2009 comedy "My Life in Ruins."

In Greece, honorary naturalization is granted to people “who have provided exceptional services to the country or whose naturalization serves the public interest.”


To read this article in full, please visit: nbcnews.com