Visit The Cyprus Institute researchers and learn about their fascinating projects!
Researchers in charge: Team: Efthymia Nikita, Evi MargaritisNames of participating team members: Panagiotis Koullouros, Despoina Markou, Georgia Kasapidou, Simeon Gkinoudis, Gkampriella Selempa, Andreas Bertsatos, Anna Spyrou
Bioarchaeology examines organic remains, i.e. seeds, human and animal bones, from archaeological excavations. These remains could be said to be ‘unsung heroes’ because they give us unique information about the lives of our ancestors, but they often go unnoticed in excavations, even in museums, where the emphasis is usually on material culture. But how can seeds and bones help us better understand our history?
Guided by Archaeologists-Researchers from the Cyprus Institute, we will explore how ancient seeds and animal bones can shed light on diet, environment and economy in the ancient eastern Mediterranean, from prehistory to recent times. We will also see how the human bones we find in an excavation can shed light on how our ancestors lived: What age could they have reached? What diseases did they suffer from? How difficult were their daily tasks? The present action takes us on a journey to the roots of the Mediterranean populations, from the Neolithic period to the present day. Therefore, we invite elementary school students for a trip to the past with our guides, the ‘unsung heroes’ of the excavation.
Abstract:
“Zephyr is a miniature supercomputer designed to make the complex world of supercomputing accessible and engaging for young learners. Made from 18 Raspberry Pi computers, it showcases the power of collaboration in computing through interactive games and visual indicators. At our science fair, children can explore real-world problem-solving through hands-on activities, demonstrating the immense potential of teamwork in technology. Zephyr brings the concept of supercomputing to life, offering a unique educational experience that inspires curiosity and innovation.”
What is Zephyr?
Imagine a supercomputer so big it fills up an entire room with its many parts! That’s what Cyclone is. But, it’s too big to bring to our science fair. So, we have something special called Zephyr – a mini supercomputer that’s just as cool but small enough to fit in a suitcase!
How Zephyr Works:
Zephyr is like a tiny supercomputer family, made of 18 little computers called Raspberry Pis. These Pis can talk to each other and work together to solve big problems, just like the giant supercomputers do!
– Tiny but Mighty: Each Raspberry Pi is super tiny, not much bigger than a deck of cards, but they can do a lot! They have brains (CPUs) that can do four things at once.
– Seeing the Action: Zephyr uses colourful lights to show what it’s doing – like thinking hard or keeping cool.
– Talking to Each Other: The Raspberry Pis pass secret messages through cables to share what they know, just like passing notes in class!
– Power Up: It needs more juice (power) than a laptop, but don’t worry, it has its own magic power box to keep it running.
Inside Zephyr:
We’ve put Zephyr in a see-through case, so you can see everything happening inside. It’s like looking into a bee hive and seeing all the bees working together!
Games on Zephyr:
Zephyr isn’t just for show; it has cool games that let you solve real-world puzzles!
- Design an Aerofoil: Become an airplane designer! Use sliders to change your airplane wing’s shape and see if it can fly high without using too much fuel.
- Coastal Defenses: Play the role of a hero saving a town from big waves! Decide where to put sea walls to keep the town safe without breaking the bank.
Why Zephyr is Awesome for Science:
Zephyr shows us how supercomputers help scientists solve big problems, from making airplanes fly better to keeping our coasts safe. And it does all this in a way that’s fun and easy to understand!
Come join us at the science fair to explore the tiny yet mighty world of Zephyr. You’ll see how even the smallest computers can solve huge problems when they work together!
Through a digital game, visitors can create their own scenarios for implementing nature-based solutions and understand both the environmental impact of their decisions and the associated construction and maintenance costs. At the same time, they can learn about the contribution of their choices to society, the local economy, nature, and the urban environment. This action promotes the participation and inclusion of youth in decision-making processes.
Β_Green is funded by the Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) partnership. The project focusses on “bringing nature back into our lives” and combatting biodiversity loss through naturalization measures in urban space. B_Green examines the biodiversity in the historic centres of four mediterranean cities – Cuenca, Spain; Coimbra, Portugal; Naples, Italy, and Strovolos, Cyprus, and develops tools and scalable action plans for biodiversity through Urban Living Labs (ULLs). As part of this the Cyprus Institute team develops a 3D GIS-enabled digital platform. This platform will act as both a knowledge hub, integrating data for stakeholder engagement and incorporating citizens sensing, and as a ULL toolkit, facilitating co-design and co-monitoring activities and allow the building and assessing of intervention scenarios.