STEM STARS GREECE: We’re looking for Greece’s Science Stars

The U.S. Embassy in Athens and the Greek nonprofit organization SciCo are pleased to announce the second year of STEM STARS GREECE, a competition that supports, highlights, and rewards 14 to 18-year-old students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The top contenders will represent Greece at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world’s largest international science competition, which will take place in May 2022. STEM STARS GREECE is funded by the U.S. Embassy in Athens and takes place under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. It also receives sponsorship from PricewaterhouseCoopers Greece (PwC Greece) and Ο3 – Out Of Ordinary.

The competition offers participants the opportunity to: dive into specific areas of interest in STEM; develop research, collaboration, presentation and communication skills; present their findings to an audience; network with people who have common research interests, including scientists and STEM professionals; and win valuable prizes.

The STEM STARS GREECE competition is one of many programs the U.S. Embassy in Athens supports to advance the "people to people” ties between the United States and Greece, which is a key pillar of our annual U.S.-Greece Strategic Dialogue. Participation in the competition is free. Students who are between 14 and 18 years of age (High School 3rd Grade – Lyceum 3rd Grade) on the date of the competition are eligible to participate.

The first step for a student or team to enter the competition is to choose a STEM area to research in depth. Research or projects can be undertaken in any of the four STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), and a project can touch upon more than one topic. There are no restrictions on the type of project a team may pursue – for example, a project can be an invention or a structure, an experiment or research towards solving a contemporary issue – as long as the approach is based on an innovative idea.

During the preparation of the project, participants will be able to address a team of mentors, which will consist of scientists, entrepreneurs, researchers, academic personnel and other professionals.

All projects must be submitted online at https://stemstarsgreece.athens-sciencefestival.gr/ between November 11, 2021 and February 28, 2022. The final list of qualifying students will be announced on the above website in March 2022.

The national finals will take place physically or/and virtually in April 2022 as part of the Athens Science Festival. This event will determine the two participants/teams to win a place at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). This is the second time students from Greece will take part in the ISEF and compete for $5,000,000 in prizes.

Last year, two teams represented Greece in the ISEF international competition. The “Feel Write” team with students, Myrto-Vasiliki Alexopoulou, Pavlina Refene, and Amalia-Christina Toutziaridi, participated under the supervision of their teacher Andreas Karabelas to develop a digital application to help students cope with the effects of the pandemic and lockdown. The “Solar Park with 3D-Printed Photovoltaic Trees” with students Maria-Eleni Batatoudi and Charikleia Moraitaki participated under the supervision of their teacher Evaggelos Kotronis, and won the following important prizes in the international competition:
1) Edison International - Second Award of $1,250
2) On-line Mawhiba Universal Enrichment Program - Award of $500
3) Ricoh Sustainable Development - Award of $10,000

Participants in the STEM STARS GREECE competition should follow the steps outlined in the image below: