Issue_13_2017

Science View is communicating science to society since 2008, sharing a vision of science literacy and science awareness.

In this issue you will read about:

Is the end nigh? Can machine evolution mark the end of humanity as we know it?

Association of Greek Chemists for climate change and the Paris agreement

A new generation of STEAM communicators!

Discover Events, Conferences, Seminars and the most recent Science News!

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Cover photos from Pixabay

The latest news and science opportunities

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SCIENCE WRITESCIENCE WRITE--UPSUPS Issue_13_2017

The very scientific and technological progress that leads to the medical achievements that prolong our lives may at the same time prove to be our demise. The path that led to humans went from simple small chemicals (see the Miller-Urey experiment) to amino acids and organic compounds, to cells to basic organisms to increasing complexity reaching today‟s world through natural selection as described by Darwin and others. When I look at the development of manmade machines I also see a path that went from single components to basic circuits to small calculators to big machines to more advanced intelligent robots. This is a non-organic man-made evolution which could eventually lead to singularity, the point when the technological products of man will reach such capabilities that they will be able to design and improve themselves independently. When this point is reached, the leaps in intelligence and complexity of machines could be dramatic and the developments too fast to predict or be comprehended by humans.

Can we survive such a new world of super intelligent technology? Perhaps the only way to avoid being driven to extinction by machines, is to become part of them. Slowly merging with machines is something already happening as technology helps us overcome medical problems and biological limitations but we might need to go further than that. Perhaps the merging will have to include uploading our minds to machines if that becomes possible. Our knowledge, emotions and personalities could perhaps transfer like packages of information and energy. Science and time will tell. We will soon see exponentially growing computing power mapping and simulating our brains to unprecedented detail, allowing us to install hardware to overcome problems but also to sort memory or accelerate thought processes. Components could be added gradually until the person's entire brain functions can be handled by artificial devices, avoiding sharp transitions that would lead to issues of identity. Perhaps in the future the human body could be treated as an optional accessory and an individual‟s existence could be transferred to any sufficiently powerful computer.

Whatever the route to a possible mind upload, persons in this state would then be essentially immortal, limited only by the machines that maintain

them. The big bet of humans is not only whether their „‟hybridization‟‟ is possible but also whether it can happen fast enough. i.e. before technological singularity. In other words the race for human survival is a race between artificial intelligence and the harnessing of technology for the human leaps. My personal view is that the former is closer to reality than the latter. It is probably a matter of decades before artificial intelligence and the singularity point is reached. Can humans advance fast enough so that our biological mortal bodies are not our limitations anymore? Immortality is possible...but we may have to erase humanity as we know it first.

Is the end nigh? Can machine evolution mark the end of humanity as we know it?

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SCIENCE IN ACTIONSCIENCE IN ACTION Issue_13_2017

Athens 7-6-2017 The Association of Greek Chemists (AGC), as a state consultant in Chemistry issues, has a duty towards society to protect the environment, to advise the State and to inform strictly in scientific terms.

Only recently, two extremely worrying events, stress the necessity for AGC to make a public statement on Climate Change:

On an international level, US President D. Trump‟s announcement of his intention to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement and

On a national level the announcement of the Workers‟ Union of the Public Electricity Company, which, on the basis of the Trump statements, characterizes the data for climate change a result of ambiguous economic interests.

THE AGC EVALUATION FOR CLIMATE CHANGE The AGC considers that the available scientific evidence, as well as the observations on climate change around the world, both indicate that human activity has led to real and serious climate change, due to global warming as a result of the greenhouse effect. THE CONSEQUENCES OF GLOBAL WARMING Climate change will lead to: • An increase of extreme weather events, such as floods alternating with periods of drought and an increase in the number and intensity of hurricanes and storms. • Ice melting in the Arctic and Antarctic, which will cause a significant increase in sea levels, causing both material damage and desertification in an essential number of areas around the world, creating a new category of immigrants, climate immigrants. • Reduction of biodiversity, degradation of ecosystems and natural resources, affecting the availability of food and water at the expense of economies, societies and and human health. FACTORS AFFECTING THE CLIMATE The ongoing uncontrolled greenhouse gas emissions, with carbon dioxide being the most prominent, will accelerate climate change. This phenomenon is self-sustaining because the increase in the average temperature on Earth will reduce the capacity of the oceans to absorb carbon dioxide due to its solubility decrease. This will result to side effects such as the increase of forest fires, reducing both the oxygen produced and the carbon dioxide absorbed.

THE PARIS AGREEMENT The Paris Agreement was signed on December 12, 2015 by 197 countries and was ratified by 147, including Greece. This Agreement was made possible as the Global Community became increasingly worried about climate change. It predicts (i) the adoption of energy policies in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and (ii) the replacement of fossil fuels - for energy purposes - by sustainable and renewable energy resources, which in turn will contribute to a sustainable future. The agreement includes an action plan to keep global warming under 2°C and continue its efforts to limit it up to 1.5°C. THE PROPOSAL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF GREEK CHEMISTS The AGC has repeatedly raised issues related to both environmental protection and management of natural resources, in particular non-renewable such

as fossil fuels, arguing that it is necessary to redesign both the country's energy profile and the economic development, serving the following objectives: • The rational management of natural resources, in other words, avoiding their use for energy purposes • The development and adoption of Green Chemistry techniques and the exploitation of country comparative advantages, aiming at the gradual decrease of use and finally the

replacement of polluting lignite units with renewable energy sources, • Financing research to develop green energy technology. Our Association believes that environmental policies will create new jobs - in the medium term - for trained middle and high-skilled executives and provide the conditions for sustainable economic growth. A possible withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement will encourage various centrifugal forces to act in the same motif; for this reason the international scientific community will have to set forth a coordinated campaign to inform the global public opinion (especially citizens of the USA) and accelerate the implementation of the policies of the Agreement before 2020, in order to avoid inertial phenomena.

Association of Greek Chemists for climate change and the Paris agreement

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SCIENCE IN ACTIONSCIENCE IN ACTION Issue_13_2017

Is STEAM the answer to effective science communication?

Following the success of the previous year, STEAM summer school once more marched towards nurturing a new generation of science communicators!

During 3-13 July, at Marathon, Athens, an international group of 51 delegates attended the innovative training scheme that was formed within the STEAM European project, where 7 partners (UoM, EUSJA, HHU, RWU, SV, UoE, and EUPA) shared their best practices and inspired students to stand out in the science communication field!

A variety of sessions was realized with topics such as:

-Create and act: using art to communicate science more effectively in an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach.

-Present & Moderate: presentation skills and conveying public event moderation skills.

-Manage and Monitor: ways of delivering a scientific presentation to different audiences in formal and informal settings.

-Engage: public engagement with research

-Dialogue and Deliberation: the process of dialogue and deliberation methodologies - definition, theory and some techniques to enable group discussions and deliberation for effective decision-making.

-Online and social: the most relevant drivers for change in the media landscape and the information behavior of both laypeople and professionals.

-Media & Journalism: overview of current media landscape and analysis of news cultures in the context of presenting turmoils and national issues. Disseminating information to various sources ranging from an individual to a large organisation.

-Advocate & Influence: making data and research accessible to the public, creating informative and effective campaigns that not only inform of the beneficial aspects of the research, but with enough public support creates a precedent for legitimizing that research.

All the above sessions included interactive workshops providing a fully immersive experience on science communication theory and practice!

The quality of the project work produced was elevated by the expertise of the candidates proving once more that the STEAM approach is highly

recommended for effective science communication. The key of success in this summer school lies in the fact that various disciplines are connected and operate in favor of the common objective (communication of science).

Artists, researchers, scientists, PhD students, journalists and entrepreneurs collaborated to bring into existence innovative outcomes as a response to the experience they gained through the sessions:

THUNDER THURSDAY

The first public event of the summer school was a blast! Science theater and STEAM lab came together on stage, entertaining the audience and presenting science in the most communicative way. With only 2 days to prepare, everyone was amazed by the final event!

Performance - The shy Love

A connection between Aphrodite, the goddess of love and enzymes - the biocatalyst that is essential for our body‟s function.

A new generation of STEAM communicators!

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SCIENCE IN ACTIONSCIENCE IN ACTION Issue_13_2017

Performance - Bottarela

Facing the environmental crisis, everyone should be conscious about their actions and their impact on our planet. The play followed the story of a bottle that Cinderella threw and traveled through garbage fields and the sea before being recycled ending up as her lost and found shoe!

STEAMlab

In 3 minutes talks, enthusiast delegates managed to spark the audience‟s interest on various scientific issues, talking about concepts from Biomimicry to Neuroscience and from Biology of eating to Mechanics. The stage was filled with talent and engaging presentations!

GODS SPEAK SCIENCE

For the Bright Club event of the STEAM summer school, students delivered 7‟ talks of stand up science! Bringing on their scientific expertise and

personal stories, they managed to captivate and entertain the attendants with narrations.

Last but not least, field trips were realized at the Acropolis museum, the observatory of Athens and the ancient Epidaurus theater!

For more information about the project: http://www.steamsummerschool.eu/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steammalta/

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COMMUNICATION TIPSCOMMUNICATION TIPS Issue_13_2017

In a previous article, the emphasis was on finding out as much as possible about the audience. Knowing who is coming to your presentation will help you come up with the appropriate examples and references. And then you start preparing your power point slides. Some people even prepare a set of notes / written thoughts to guide them through a talk. Regardless of the number of words you put on paper you must remember that a presentation is meant to be heard and not read. I personally lose my interest when I see presenters looking at their papers instead of the audience and reading their presentation instead of just talking to me in a relaxed manner. Looking at papers and reading slides are signs that show lack of confidence, organization or even a good grasp of the subject presented.

A presentation is meant to be heard and not read

Here are some more tips about being on stage giving a presentation. A good presenter should have the confidence, charisma and communication skills of a good artist putting up an interesting and entertaining show so it is not surprising to see that that actors and directors give similar tips to people setting up theatrical presentations such as science theatre.

-Don‟t be monotonous but fluctuate the tone of your voice to emphasize the bits you want.

-Be expressive and animated but don‟t exaggerate. A stiff, immobile presenter looks just as bad as someone who looks out of control.

-Be yourself and talk like you would with a friend, enthusiastically about the subject. Being yourself shows confidence.

-If you are using props and other objects as visual aids, get them out only when you need them and use them for a specific purpose. Having many things around or using them for multiple purposes will confuse and tire the audience.

-If you are using a power point presentation, use it in such a way that the slides accompany and complement your words and not the other way round. The slides should not contain the main body of the information or at least there should be a balance between spoken and written information. In any case, turning around and reading the slides looks very bad. Face the audience and show them that you are comfortable on stage and that you know the subject you are talking to them about.

-Don‟t overwhelm your audience with material but give them information they are ready to understand at a pace they can absorb.

Figure 1.1. A slide is supposed to complement the

presenter’s talk and not reproduce it in writing. A long

text in small fonts is definitely not attractive and will

tire the audience.

Figure 1.2. This is an example of a good slide as it

conveys the important message in a condensed way

and also aids the transmittance of the idea with

graphics without being overloaded.

Most likely your audience already has some interest in the topic otherwise they would probably not be sitting in that room. It is important to retain this interest by following the above tips that will help you be a good presenter and convey the information in a non-tiring way. Make the presentation entertaining besides interesting. Remember that this element of entertainment can be brought by using a variety of tools such as anecdotal stories, jokes or personal accounts.

Giving a presentation

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EDUCATIONS CORNEREDUCATIONS CORNER Issue_13_2017

The 21st century is characterized by the rapid growth and discovery of new technological and scientific achievements. The role of the school is crucial for the cultivation of pupils‟ skills and attitudes in order to help them become responsible members of a modern society and play an active role in shaping the future and improving the quality of their lives. Student education should not be limited to the transfer of knowledge, but students should be able to use and apply their knowledge to events, phenomena and real problems of their daily life. Theoretical backround Science education should equip them with the capabilities and skills to adapt and respond to the changes of today's world, characterized by new levels of complexity and contradiction. Re-visioning education in a diverse world is part of UNESCO‟s goal and statements (2015): „The purpose of education must therefore be revisited in light of a renewed vision of sustainable human and social development that is both equitable and viable‟ Efforts to reduce the distance between science and society are also dictated by the European Union Program for Research and Innovation 2014-2020 (Horizon, 2020). Science education has a very critical role for the implementation of the new paradigm of RRI where a different relationship between science and society is to be established. „Investing in making scientific and research careers more attractive for young people improves their culture, prepares them to act as well-informed citizens and equips them with the necessary knowledge and skills to match the current and future labor market needs‟ The implementation of research topics to raise awareness and motivate students to explore aspects of society where science can play a critical role can balance the challenges faced by students when pursuing their professional careers. Implementation in school science education Specifically concerning Bio-Technology, this is one of the Scientific Areas with momentum for development & progress in the years to come. The majority of contemporary R & D taking place by Universities, Research Centers (State & Private) as well as by Pharmaceutical Companies is focusing on the combined effect of Chemical or Biological Compounds with Nanotechnology Applications. The most characteristic example is the focused action of a Chemical/Biological Compound on the targeted Organ/Tissue/Molecule level through its guided “transportation” there by nanoparticles. This may be a totally new Scientific Field called Nano-Medicine,

involving e.g. Cell Repair Nanorobots for Chromosome Replacement Therapy (Journal of Evolution and Technology - Vol. 16 Issue 1 - June 2007 - pgs 1-97). Consequently, Bio-technology studies offer significant opportunities for personal development enabling students to pursue successful careers in R & D as well as to identify opportunities for investing in start-up Companies focusing on relevant areas of activity. Methodology Orientation: Search and research with your students, topics that link science to the real world where biotechnology has an active role. Examples of successful stories could be found: http://bit.ly/1IpJsaf There are more topics to work on with your students such as:

Genetically Modified Foods.

Testing medicines to animals.

Electronic cigarettes. The topics selected could have connections with science curriculum and especially with biology. Investigation and exploring: Give students motivations to search scientific data that present the advantages and disadvantages for our lives. In this case you could organize educational visits to research centers or interviews with scientists. Conclusion: At the end of scientific progression, students take a citizen role for making decisions. It does not have to be only a presentation but also a live discussion as journalists. They exchange their evidences and cultivate science communication skills. Results Students become familiar and acquainted with the scientific field of Bio-technology and they assume the role of scientific researchers responsible for examining contemporary scientific issues. Through their collaboration and contact with scientific & technology stakeholders i.e. Research Centers, Universities as well as Companies operating in relevant fields (e.g. Pharmaceuticals), students will develop innovative strategic action plans and will be summoned to present their solutions and suggestions for applying scientific breakthroughs in a socially and environmentally sustainable context and at the same time in a financially viable modus operandi. Education, learning and teaching is a collaboration inside and outside the school that prepares students to make conscious and substantiated choices about the future of society.

Biotechnology and Responsible Research and Innovation in science classroom

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EVENTS EVENTS SAVE THE DATESAVE THE DATE Issue_13_2017

I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o n f e r e n c e o n

Sustainable Development Goals

Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain 18-19/9/2017

Public engagement: Getting started

London, UK 12/9/2017

This course will provide participants with an understanding of what public engagement is and what's in it for them. Participants will gain awareness of a range of public engagement opportunities available, and gain confidence in taking the first steps towards undertaking public engagement activities.

This course is suitable for anyone who would like to develop their knowledge, skills and confidence to take their first steps into public engagement.

This event has been approved by the Royal Society of Biology for purposes of CPD and can be counted as 18 CPD points.

Please see the event webpage for further info and booking: https://www.rsb.org.uk/events/event_publicengagementgettingstarted

If you would like to make a group booking please contact training@rsb.org.uk

SCANZ Conference 2017

Auckland, New Zealand 4-5/12/2017

The national conference will be held December 4th and 5th, 2017 in beautiful Auckland. This year‟s conference will be a much more focused 2-day event. We‟ll have workshops in the morning, invited talks in the afternoon, and plenty of networking.

https://www.scanz.co.nz/2017-conference/?mc_cid=18b0612b6d&mc_eid=65fb43ffde

17 goals to change the world! The International Conference on Sustainable Development Goals: Actors and Implementation is a leading international meeting aiming to create a permanent and multidisciplinary knowledge network on implementation of SDGs, where all stakeholders will learn from each other: universities, governments, cities and public and social agencies.

Held in Barcelona, Catalonia, from 18th to 19th September 2017, it will gather multidisciplinary experts and high-level practitioners from around the world to exchange knowledge, ideas, experiences and expectations around the challenges involved with the SDGs. Through a combination of keynote presentations by renowned experts, round tables and parallel sessions, the conference wants to open a debate among the different stakeholders on solutions for a sustainable development to transform society at local and global level.

The International Conference is one of the activities organized by the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi) as part of the International Summer School on Higher Education and Research Leadership activities. It aims to provide intellectual guidance and scientific evidences to the challenges of SDGs, with a humanist and critical thinking, promoting research and education to build a fair global community and more sustainable societies.

http://www.guninetwork.org/activity/international -conference-sustainable-development-goals-actors-and-implementation

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SCIENCE OPPORTUNITIESSCIENCE OPPORTUNITIES Issue_13_2017

Special bursary for Queenstown Molecular

Biology (QMB) 2017 QMB 2017 is hosting a special session on science communication this year, and

SCANZ is teaming up to offer a special bursary worth $800.

If you want to attend QMB 2017 send an email by June 28th to hello@scanz.co.nz with the subject line "QMB 2017

bursary".

The SCANZ Excellence in Science

Communication Award The SCANZ Excellence in Science Communication Award is awarded biennially by the Science Communicators

Association of New Zealand to recognize outstanding communication of New Zealand science to a non-scientific

audience.

The entry must include a description of the project and results attained, and may also include a portfolio of

communications materials (written or audio visual) to demonstrate delivery of the project.

Any New Zealand-based individual SCANZ member or team where one or more individuals are SCANZ members is

eligible to enter the awards.

The chosen project must have been completed in the 2 years prior to the closing date.

A selection committee will assess all entries and determine award recipients based on submitted information only.

Awards will be presented at an event to be decided by SCANZ.

The winner will receive a cash prize of $1000, plus registration for two people to attend the 2017 SCANZ

conference.

Entries should be submitted via the SCANZ website by 31 July 2017.

West African Fisheries Reporting Grants

Internews' Earth Journalism Network is offering a series of reporting grants to support

fisheries and environment journalism in West Africa as part of a wider and recently launched capacity building

project in the region. Deadline for applications is 6 July 2017 at 5 pm EDT.

With the overall goal of improving journalists‟ ability to expertly tackle the often overlapping issues of overfishing,

illegal fishing, food security and ocean governance, the project aims to further explore the economic and social

consequences of overfishing on coastal communities, through stories and investigations.

The two-year project reflects the goals of Target 14 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG14) adopted in

2015 by the UN General Assembly to “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for

sustainable development.”

http://earthjournalism.net/opportunities/west-african-fisheries-reporting-grants-bourses-pour-les-journalistes-

disponibles-pour-des-reportages-relatif-a-la-peche-en-lafrique-de-louest

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SCIENCE IN A NUTSHELL SCIENCE IN A NUTSHELL Issue_13_2017

SCIENCE NEWS Researchers discovered that caffeine helped sleep-deprived mice deal with pain better than traditional pain-relievers. This suggests that enabling people with chronic pain to get better rest could in turn ease the pain itself. http://bit.ly/2rckRCe

Taking advantage of a rare orbital alignment between two of Jupiter's moons, Io and Europa, researchers have obtained an exceptionally detailed map of the largest lava lake on Io, the most volcanically active body in the solar system. On March 8, 2015, Europa passed in front of Io, gradually blocking out light from the volcanic moon. Because Europa's surface is coated in water ice, it reflects very little sunlight at infrared wavelengths, allowing researchers to accurately isolate the heat emanating from volcanoes on Io's surface. The infrared data showed that the surface temperature of Io's massive molten lake steadily increased from one end to the other, suggesting that the lava had overturned in two waves that each swept from west to east at about a kilometer (3,300 feet) per day. http://bit.ly/2t8jxlY

Weizmann Institute of Science researchers recently uncovered thousands of human genes that are expressed—copied out to make proteins—differently in the two sexes. Their findings showed that harmful mutations in these particular genes tend to accumulate in the population in relatively high frequencies, and the study explains why. The detailed map of these genes, reported in BMC Biology, provides evidence that males and females undergo a sort of separate, but interconnected evolution. http://bit.ly/2u6jG9H

The World Health Organization (WHO) is now one step closer to achieving their goal of eliminating malaria by 2040. Last week, WHO announced that one of several potential malaria vaccines in development has made it through a crucial phase in trials and is now ready to be field tested. http://bit.ly/2pQjRWE

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Researchers have developed a method to turn skin cells into pluripotent stem cells which are then reprogrammed to become microglia cells. These brain cells play a crucial role in the development of neurological diseases, like Alzheimer's disease. Studying them could help scientists discover new treatments. http://bit.ly/2pxxFXh

Doctors have spotted cancer coming back up to a year before normal scans in an "exciting" discovery. The UK team was able to scour the blood for signs of cancer while it was just a tiny cluster of cells invisible to X-ray or CT scans. It should allow doctors to hit the tumour earlier and increase the chances of a cure. They also have new ideas for drugs after finding how unstable DNA fuels rampant cancer development. The research project was on lung cancer, but the processes studied are so fundamental that they should apply across all cancer types. http://bbc.in/2pA9Z4n

Britain had its first 24-hour stretch of entirely coal-free power generation this week. It is likely to be the first of many as the U.K. progresses toward its goal of shutting down its remaining coal power plants by 2025. http://bit.ly/2ooqpfW

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SCIENCE WRITESCIENCE WRITE--UPSUPS Issue_13_2017

A researcher has created an affordable synthetic material that mimics the natural process of photosynthesis, absorbing visible light to trigger a chemical reaction that cleans the air while converting CO2 into solar fuel. http://bit.ly/2oM6SCi

Your flying car might finally be on the way as the all-electric, two-seater Lilium Jet took its first test flight this week. Lilium Aviation's prototype consumes around 90 percent less energy than drone-style aircraft and could be the transportation mode of the future. http://bit.ly/2oF5JfK

Researchers from the University of Southampton and the University of Edinburgh have found that it‟s possible that the more coffee you drink, the less likely you are to develop hepatocellular cancer (HCC) — the most prolific form of liver cancer. Analyzing data from 26 studies, which involved more than 2.25 million participants in total, they concluded that people who drink 1 cup of coffee per day have a 20% reduced risk, 2 cups per day reduces risk by 35%, and 3 cups per day decreased risk by 50%. These findings showed that decaffeinated coffee also affects your risk, but the team could not deduce the precise amount. http://bit.ly/2soEQyN

Researchers have discovered that the lungs play a far more complex role in mammalian bodies than we thought, with new evidence revealing that they don't just facilitate respiration - they also play a key role in blood production. http://bit.ly/2nQ7fz1

Announced last week, Lyrebird‟s program analyzes a single minute of voice recording and extracts a person‟s “speech DNA” using machine learning. From there, it adds an extra layer of emotion or special intonation, until it nails a person‟s voice, tone and accent—may it be Obama, Trump or even you. http://bit.ly/2tohI4r

German scientists from the Technical University of Munich have developed an imaging technology that uses Wi-Fi signals to construct 3D hologram images. This could be used to assist in search and rescue operations after disasters. http://bit.ly/2rPw24M

Rutgers University-New Brunswick scientists have created a graphene-based sensor that could lead to earlier detection of looming asthma attacks and improve the management of asthma and other respiratory diseases, preventing hospitalizations and deaths. http://bit.ly/2tHJCLq

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University (BGU) and the Sheba Medical Center have developed a new therapy to treat atherosclerosis and prevent heart failure with a new biomedical polymer that reduces arterial plaque and inflammation in the cardiovascular system. http://bit.ly/2tPQs1M

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ABOUT SCIENCE VIEWSABOUT SCIENCE VIEWS Issue_13_2017

Science View is a science journalists‟

association based in Athens. Science

View attempts to strengthen Science

Journalism in Greece. SV also pro-

m o t e s s c i en c e c om m u n i c a -

tion activities between the scientific

community and the wider public by

implementing events, video produc-

tions and scientific documentaries,

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e-learning courses, printed and elec-

tronic publications, newsletters, online

magazines, websites, information por-

tals and brochures. Meet the SV team

and check out our projects and our

services.

Science View is a member of the Euro-

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GET IN TOUCH WITH SCIENCE VIEW

ABOUT SIENCE VIEW

“Science Views” is a monthly bulletin published by Science View, that focuses on EU and Greek R&D, policy, science and innovation news. The views expressed in Science Views are those of the individual writers, and not necessarily those of Science View. Unsigned articles come from selected press releases from scientists, research institutions and the EU.

Publisher

Menelaos Sotiriou

sotiriou@scienceview.gr

Chief Editor

Spiros Kitsinelis

kitsinelis@scienceview.gr

Content & Layout Editor

Koukovinis Alexandros

koukovinis@scienceview.gr

ABOUT Science Views

Dr Spiros Kitsinelis is a physical chemist and former associate professor at Ehime University in Japan. He has worked as a researcher at various universities and companies in Britain, Japan, the Netherlands, Greece and France. Since his participation in the international competition Famelab (in 2007) where he received both

the audience and the judging committee‟s first national awards he has been a very active science communicator. He is the co-founder of the first scientific theater group in Greece (SciCo), judge and presenter for the International Science Film Festival of Athens (ISFFA by CAID), author of books and articles on various scientific topics for the general public (www.the-nightlab.com, Protagon.gr, Sciencenews.webs.com), speaker of public scientific events in Athens with the most recent being his talk at TEDxAcademy and guest science presenter on major Greek TV and radio stations (Alpha TV, SKAI radio). Currently he is collaborating with the University of Athens (NKUA) and the science journalism organization Science View (www.scienceview.gr) delivering science communication courses at various European universities.

Publisher‟s CV

Chief Editor‟s CV

Mr. Menelaos Sotiriou is a science writer and communicator. He was the editor of the official Research and Technology online magazine in Greece, E&T (www.et-online.gr) that was published from the General Secretariat of Research and Technology. He started his professional career by developing various Management Systems, mostly in the field of Education

as well as Health Care and Telecommunications, in over 40 public and private Organisations. He is a certified auditor and has realised over 50 audits, mostly in the field of Quality Management Systems and Assurance. The last twelve (12) years he is running (project management) and organising European and national projects for several institutions (including research institutions) mainly in the areas of new and innovative technologies (ICT). He has been involved in more than 30 EU projects in the areas of SiS, SSH, ICT, Research for the Benefit of SMEs. He has vast experience in networking activities as the project Coordinator of EUROSiS Project that is the Network of the Science in Society NCPs. (Greek NCP for SiS Programme). During this project he has organized a lot of brokerage events as well as info days / trainings concerning the participation of institutions in the specific programme. He is holding the position of President of Science View (www.scienceview.gr) a nonprofit, non governmental organization that has expertise in Science Communication and Science Journalism. He is specialised in science communication, organisation of events (science cafes, conferences, science festivals, exhibitions, science weeks), publications, science writing, outreach activities for young students (mainly in the fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy and health), and creativity in science education (Introduction of creative ways to provide science education like science theatre, music and science). Finally, he is included in the Evaluators‟ Data Base of theEuropean Commission for the HORIZON2020 and of the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and also he had participated in several EC meetings as an expert in Science Communication and Journalism issues.