The largest and most innovative Science Festival of Cyprus, “sCYence Fair 2023”, was successfully co-organized by The Cyprus Institute and the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute’s Education Unit for the Environment and Sustainable Development. The event took place under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, at The Cyprus Institute’s premises, on Wednesday, 5th of April 2023.
“sCYence Fair” aims to stimulate scientific interest and to encourage participation by young students and support the next generation of scientists from Cyprus attended. The event provided an opportunity for our young scientists to increase their awareness of the wonders of science, add to their knowledge, and broaden their scientific horizons.
This year’s festival was supported by the
representation of the European Commission in Cyprus, and together with Embassies of EU Member States in Cyprus presented scientific activities, experiments and products that brought children closer to real life, modern technology.
An unprecedented number of 67 student teams from students at all levels from schools across the private and public sector in Cyprus. The students presented innovative scientific activities, while the best and most imaginative activities and presentations from Primary, Secondary and High Schools were awarded in their respective categories on the basis of the underlying science, the impact, and overall presentation of the activity.
The winners in the three categories were:
Primary Schools:
Winner: Primary School Chryseleousas: Roads in Harmony with Nature
2nd Place: B’ Primary School of Xylofagou: A vast sea of energy
3rd Place: B’ Primary School of Agios Athanasios: Addressing the problem of plastic on our planet
Gymnasiums:
Winner: Gymnasium Kokkinochorion Panos Ioannou: The Shellhive
2nd Place: Archaggelos Gymnasium: Robot Firefighters
3rd Place: Gymnasium Livadion in collaboration with Gymnasium Aradippou: Study of Insect Activities Scantius Aegyptius and Pyrrhocoris Apterus
Lyceums:
Winner: Pascal English School Larnaca: Audito: Giving a voice to the voiceless
2nd Place: A’ TESEK Nicosia: Examples of Angular Acceleration from everyday life & “Weighing the Universe” Investigating the Differences Between Mass and Weight on Various Planets Using Arduino on a Bathroom Scale
3rd Place: Laniteio Lyceum: Natural remains of P. Oceanica seagrass are converted into phosphorus absorption ally and become fertilizer
Honourable Mention: TESEK Paphos – Lyceum Kykkou Paphos: Using Educational Robotics for volumetric Analysis
The winning teams were awarded internships at The Cyprus Institute and team members will have the chance to broaden their skills and knowledge by being mentored from experienced CyI researchers.
The “sCYence Fair 2023” opening ceremony was addressed by the First Lady, Mrs. Philippa Karsera-Christodoulides, in the presence of CyI President, Prof. Stavros Malas, the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Mr. Filippos Hadjizacharias, the Ambassador of Sweden in Cyprus, the country holding the EU presidency this semester, H.E. Mr. Martin Hagstrom, and the Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Commission Office in Cyprus, Mr. Nicolas Isaris.
In his welcoming address, CyI President, Prof. Stavros Malas, stated that “sCYence Fair 2023, which has now become an institution, aims to cultivate and highlight research in Cyprus society. Progress is synonymous with investment in knowledge and research. It is obligation of the current generation to hand over to the next a better culture of research”. Prof. Malas also stated that students need to invest in knowledge, primarily taking care of the planet, which is threatened by the climate change. At the same time, he gave special thanks to the Ambassador of Sweden, whose country presides over the EU, while underlining the importance of the participation of other member states of EU with their own booths at the “sCYence Fair”.
“Initiatives such as the “sCYence Fair 2023”, contribute significantly to the development of an ecosystem of research, innovation and entrepreneurship, and promote the formation of the new generation of scientists”, stated Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Mr. Filippos Hadjizacharias. Using the words of the British writer Philip Stanhope, he indicated that if “we do not plant the tree of knowledge when we are young, it will not give us its shadow when we are old”. At the same time, he encouraged the students to believe in their abilities and become the wind of change that the country needs, because as he said, Cyprus may be a small country, but it has big minds.
In his speech, the Ambassador of Sweden, H.E. Mr. Hagstrom, noted that “sCYence Fair 2023” summarizes many of the priorities of the Swedish EU Presidency, such as the green transition, mitigating the effects of climate change and investing in innovation, which is, as he said, the means for this green transition and addressing environmental challenges, as well as the means to become more competitive. He even invited everyone to visit the Swedish booth and learn about an innovative bicycle helmet with airbags, which is placed around the neck and offers great safety to cyclists.
The Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Commission Office in Cyprus, Mr. Nikolaos Isaris, congratulated The Cyprus Institute for organizing the event which, as he pointed out, enables children to learn through experiment and play. At the same time, he indicated that digital skills and engagement with science and technology are among the main priorities of the European Year of Skills, which is being celebrated this year by the member states of the European Union.
Announcing the opening of this year’s “sCYence Fair”, the First Lady, Mrs. Philippa Karsera-Christodoulides highlighted that this initiative contributes to the development and progress of our country. “Today, it is a particularly special day because it focuses on science, innovation and progress, areas that will lead Cyprus to the next era, which will be greener, more innovative and humane”. The First Lady recalled a statement by the President of the Republic who indicated that the greatest wealth of Cyprus is its human resources and which is why, as he noted, that we must invest in education and training, in order to achieve what we all seek: progress.
The multi-collective and rich program of “sCYence Fair 2023”, included among others:
- Educational Applications of Virtual Reality
- Presentation of STEM & Robotics Programs
- The largest Planetarium in the Eastern Mediterranean for exploring the World that extends beyond what the naked eye can see
- Participation of the mobile Planetarium “Starlab” in which attendees had the opportunity to watch a simulation of the starry sky and tour distant constellations, the Milky Way and our solar system, discovering the world of the future
- Participation of the European Commission with presentation of programming activities and assembly of computers with Raspberry Pi and programming exercises with BBC Micro:bit
- The Embassies of Sweden, France, Finland, Hungary, Slovakia, the Netherlands and Spain educated the public on interesting topics such as: How kites help islands to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, how a barrow can help remove microplastics from the oceans and how magnets fight cancer
- Presentation of innovative activities by researchers of The Cyprus Institute
- Robotics Exhibition using Robots from First Tech Challenge (FTC) on a regular 4X4 meter track
- Physics Decathlon for experiential activity with ten interesting Physics experiments for young and old
- Presentation of the SEMEP International Program (South Eastern Mediterranean Sea Project), which is coordinated by UNESCO and promotes scientific study and research on environmental issues
- Exhibition of Prestigio multiboards for training and Security Dogs robots in action
Additionally, Christiana Artemiou and Sofia Proimou conveyed the pulse of the biggest science celebration, through a live link of Love FM Cyprus Radio Station.
Major Sponsors: ExxonMobil, XM, CYTA
Sponsors: Medochemie, MUSKITA Aluminium Industries Ltd, Asbis
Supporters: Cyprus Computer Society, Epiteugma Robotics Lab, Interstellar Science Education and Cultural Institute, The Cyprus Planetarium, Engino, Nutty Scientists, Decathlon Physics, Heron Digital Education & Mathisis, STS Events
Media Sponsor: Kathimerini
