Here you can find all TEDxNTUA talks since 2015!

Art is directly intertwined with the notion of the ephemeral, a concept that has preoccupied artists for thousands of years. From the cave of Lascaux to Jan van Eyck's famous Arnolfini Wedding and Damien Hirst's impressive shark, the ephemerality of human nature seems to be the driving force of creation. Fotis Floros is 22 years old and studies Theory and History of Art in the School of Fine Arts. At the same time, he is the creator of the community science project "The Dandy", a page that aims to bring the world closer to art through social media. Through interesting and strange stories, he tries to make his science more accessible to the public and prove that art is something that belongs to everyone. He searches for the faces and stories behind famous works of art and reintroduces them to the world through a new lens.

How long can a news story live before it is lost and replaced by the next one? Dr. George Pleios analyzes the life cycle of a report, while taking us on a journey through the media history of humanity. George Pleios is a Professor at the Department of Communication and Media Studies, School of Economics and Political Sciences of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He is a member of the coordinating committee of the Refugee and Migration Studies Hub, while he is also the coordinator of the "Revive" program Jean Monet Erasmus+: The Future of Displaced People under the EU auspices in the n the Post Pandemic Era - Lessons learned and new challenges.

Languages have so many rules, grammatical or otherwise! Then why is it that they change all the time? In this talk, Dr. Spyridoula Varlokosta will take us through a journey, explaining the ephemeral nature of languages through time, space, and our part in it. Spyridoula Varlokosta is a Professor of Linguistics in the Field of Linguistics of the Department of Philology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She is an active researcher, investigating the language-mind relationship and the cerebral bases of speech. She has also dealt with the language development of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (developmental language disorder, Down syndrome, etc) and the interaction of language with other mental functions, such as memory and attention. Her research interests also include the study of the verbal and cognitive skills of adults with acquired speech disorders, such as post-stroke aphasia and various forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease, with the aim of designing effective intervention programs to improve their quality of life in vulnerable groups.

Can the acceptance of the ephemeral help us react more flexibly to changes and find inner peace and balance in life? Join Dr. Georgios Lyrakos on how to embrace this transient nature and build a better life through it. Georgios Lyrakos is a Clinical Health Psychologist, Doctor of the Medical School of Athens and CBT Psychotherapist. He works at the Psychiatric Clinic of G.H. of Nikaia since 1998. In 2009 he started teaching, as a scientific associate, in the Medical Schools of Athens and Ioannina, at the University of Peloponnese and at the University of Western Attica, until today. He is the author of 3 books and has published over 100 research studies in international journals and conferences.

The refugee crisis in the Mediterranean has been in the news for more than a decade, with debates about what should be done about it and why it is happening, rising all around Europe. A refugee rescuer lets us have a glimpse into his experiences at sea, while trying to save human lives. Iasonas Apostolopoulos has studied Civil Engineering at the NTUA and has worked as a hospital construction engineer with Doctors Without Borders in missions in Africa. He started getting involved in refugee rescues in 2015 in Lesvos, co-creating the organization "Platanos Refugee Solidarity Lesvos". Since then, he has actively participated in search and rescue operations in the Aegean Sea and in the Central Mediterranean. Currently, he is the rescue coordinator of the Italian humanitarian organization “Mediterranean Saving Humans”, onboard the Mare Jonio rescue vessel. Most of his public interventions refer to the issue of border violence and pushbacks from Greece and Italy. He has been awarded internationally for his humanitarian action, while his articles and interviews have been featured in the Greek and international press, including the BBC, the Guardian and Le Monde.

Sustainability and self expression, two seemingly incompatible ideas in fashion, are not so incompatible in the eyes of Nassia Philipidi. But how can someone dress with respect to the environment in such an ephemeral world? Nasia Filippidi is the founder of the Greek sustainable fashion brand, MUSA Collection, as well as the co-founder of the 360 Boutique Marketing Agency, The Philosophies. With studies in Marketing and professional experience in Greece and abroad, she decided to follow the path of entrepreneurship through "projects" and "actions" that have a purpose. With a vision and a guide of innovation and sustainability, he created the MUSA Collection with the aim of changing the attitude of consumers towards ecological fashion and to investigate more deeply the relationship between fashion and the psychology of the consumer.

This speech serves as the Prelude to the upcoming sixth release of Rapsodos Filologos: "ETAT II: Elegy of an Obsession." All the events described in this speech are true and non-fiction. It is part of the broader audiovisual narrative that precedes the release, which takes place and unfolds on the Instagram profile of RF from August 2023 and will continue until the album's release in early 2025. This is the Elegy of an Obsession. Alexandros Ptinis, also known as Rapsodos Filologos, was born on 15 August 1985 in Cholargos and grew up in Galatssi. He is a psychologist, a psychotherapist and a lyricist. He received his degree from the University of Greenwich on Psychology, and continued with postgraduate studies on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and various postgraduate seminars on Clinical Psychotherapy. In the artistic field, he started his musical career in 2004 with the band "Diarriktes" and later as a member of Ladose. Currently, he counts 5 solo albums, among which is "Egkefaliko Tet A Tet" and with most recent "Alexandreia", while still, he scores 5 albums with Ladose and another 2 with Diarriktes.

Physics, through entropy, tries to describe the ephemeral in the ever-changing universe. But can entropy also be used to describe human behavior? In his talk, George Panagiotakopoulos discusses the ephemeral nature of existence, the significance of entropy in understanding order and chaos, and the implications of our relationship with the environment, urging awareness of how our actions can affect the balance of our "home" - planet Earth. George Panagiotakopoulos studied Physics in the University of Ioannina and he has been a secondary education physics teacher for over 30 years. In the last 20 years, he has written many Physics books intended for students preparing for their exams, explaining Physics concepts and methods used in solving their corresponding problems. He has attained two Master's Degrees in the field of education, including Digital Teaching and Learning from the University of Edinburgh and Educational Psychology from the University of Nicosia. One of his favorite activities, is the research and dissemination of efficient ways of learning through the ever-changing disciplines of the field.

Konstantinos Kotios as he analyzes these questions and explores whether it’s ever too late to take your life in your own hands and pursue what you truly love. Dr. Konstantinos Kotios has been contributing scientifically and entrepreneurially in the field of education for the past 20 years. He graduated from the Department of Philosophy and Education of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with subsequent postgraduate and doctoral studies, and is currently working in the fields of Career Guidance, Career Strategy and Lifelong Education, through his new project, LABORA Education Consultants. He maintains a strong online presence, where he provides free content to students and parents on study and career choices. He has contributed to the education sector with several innovations and dozens of published research papers.

What we observe in the cosmos is fleeting and transient, and by looking at the stars we can glimpse the past of our universe. Follow Dr. Jason Spyromilio as he explains how our entire universe, along with its components, is ephemeral, but also how through astronomy we are allowed to observe its beauty. Dr Jason Spiromilio is an astrophysicist at the European Southern Observatory. He studies supernovae and their use in cosmology. He has served as director of the La Silla Paranal Observatory in Chile and has been awarded the Gruber Prize for Cosmology and the Breakthrough Prize for Fundamental Physics as a member of the High-z team that discovered the acceleration of the universe's expansion. He led the design study for the 39m diameter European Extremely Large Telescope (ELT).

Gazing up at the night sky, we can’t help but wonder whether we are alone in the cosmos. Certainly, our existence is infinitesimally small compared to the vastness of the Universe. But how can we leave our mark to this world? How can we preserve the memory of humanity? In this TED Talk, Dr. Krimigis narrates the journey of the two Voyagers, the only human-made spacecrafts that have ventured beyond the limits of our solar system, now traveling through interstellar space. Alongside them, they carry the Golden Record, a phonograph record that encapsulates the memory of humanity, or at the very least the portion of it that we have chosen to share. Stamatios Krimigis, Vice-President of the Academy of Athens, is a distinguished physicist renowned for his work on NASA space missions, including Voyagers 1 & 2. Holding a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, he has been associated with Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory since 1968. Honored with numerous awards, including recognition from the US Senate in 2018, an asteroid was named 8323 Krimigis in his honor.

Embark on an illuminating journey into artificial intelligence's memory complexities with Xenia Miscouridou.In her TEDx talk, Xenia unravels the intricate interplay of memory and intelligence in AI systems. Exploring how AI remembers and forgets, she delves into the crucial link between memory, attention mechanisms, and time's transformative role. Xenia prompts critical reflections on AI's selective retention, re-education challenges, and the impact of flawed data on learning - an insightful exploration reshaping our perception of AI's memory dynamics. Xenia Miscouridou, a lecturer in Statistics and Machine Learning at Imperial College London, was recognized for her contributions, she was listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 in Europe in the Science and Healthcare sector.

With the increasing use of the term “artificial intelligence”, a concern has started to arise: What exactly is “intelligence” and why is the human mind so special? A globally recognized leader in standards development and intellectual property, Dr. Konstantinos Karachalios, highlights the unique nuances of human memory as opposed to binary machines. Dr. Konstantinos Karachalios, Managing Director of IEEE Standards Association and an influential figure in global standards development and intellectual property, has led efforts to expand IEEE's presence in strategic emerging technology fields. Under his guidance, IEEE has become a focal point for debates on crucial issues such as a trustworthy and inclusive Internet, emphasizing ethical considerations and the rights of minors.

Ever pondered the intricate interplay between personal memories and the captivating world of acting? Enter Myrto Alikaki, a distinguished Greek actress who seamlessly bridges these two realms. Myrto, with her remarkable presence on both stage and screen, has embarked on a journey that traverses her cherished personal memories and the profound art of acting. In this Talk, she unravels the fascinating connection between memory, emotion, imagination, and the craft of acting. Myrto Alikaki, born in Paris in 1972, is a highly accomplished figure in the realms of theater, cinema, and television. Graduating from the Greek Art Theatre Karolos Koun in 1993, she has since collaborated with notable directors in both classical and contemporary theater productions. Her cinematic performances have earned her acclaim, including the First Prize for Female Role at Thessaloniki’s Film Festival in 1998 for Black Out and recognition at Cyprus’ International Film Festival for The Tree and the Swing.

Memory, the cornerstone of our identity, holds secrets waiting to be unveiled. In this talk, Dr. Nektarios Tavernarakis takes the stage at TEDxNTUA to delve into the intricacies of memory, aging, and the human brain. Through this exploration, he uncovers the profound influence of memory on our sense of self and presents cutting-edge research on memory-related challenges. Join him on this captivating journey into the world of memory as he delves into the enigmatic realm of our minds. Nektarios Tavernarakis, Professor of Molecular Systems Biology at the University of Crete, is a distinguished figure in the scientific community. Additionally serving as Chairman of the Board at the Foundation for Research and Technology and Research Director at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, his leadership extends to the Neurogenetics and Ageing laboratory. A member of prestigious scientific organizations, including EMBO and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Tavernarakis has made significant contributions to molecular biology, particularly in necrotic cell death, neurodegeneration, cellular metabolism, and aging.

Thousands of villages around the world are facing the issue of depopulation and are threatened to be forgotten. Can a seemingly “dead” village be reborn? Meet Eleni Mami and Haris Vasilakos, co-founders of the Vamvakou Revival project who have dedicated their lives to this purpose.Representing an organization founded by a group of friends with strong ties to the village of Vamvakou, Eleni and Haris take the TEDxNTUA stage determined to their mission: to give new life to the village, based on its memories and history. Eleni Mami & Haris Vasilakos are both co-founders of the Vamvakou Revival, which was established in August 2018 with vital support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Their team’s mission is to breathe new life into the village of Vamvakou by fostering sustainable development. They seek to attract residents by creating jobs and improving living standards. Key pillars include tourism, innovation, agri-food, culture, and entrepreneurship. The goal is to transform Vamvakou into a vibrant community, serving as a pioneering model not only in Greece but also internationally.

Ever wondered how one's memories can shape their path in life? Meet Sever Zolak, a visionary photographer and prolific producer, whose remarkable journey is interwoven with his powerful memories and unique photography style. In this Talk he shares his story, revealing how memories have played a pivotal role in crafting his artistic identity. Sever Zolak, born in 1986 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is a renowned photographer and producer with a career in fashion and commercial photography. His passion for photography ignited during his early years and starting with analog cameras his work gained recognition with publications in Svet magazine. After studying in Novi Sad and honing his skills in New York, he collaborated with global fashion houses, appearing in the British and Russian Vogue.

Apostolos Apostolakis, a tech entrepreneur turned into an investor, knows that success doesn't happen overnight. He is considered one of the strongest figures in his field, guiding and supporting the Greek entrepreneurship & innovation. From e-shop, the first online store in Greece, to Beat (Free Now), one of the best taxi and ride-hailing apps of the world (acquired by Daimler), and from building efood, Greece's biggest food delivery app to leading InstaShop (both acquired by DeliveryHero), among his many others entrepreneurial and investment ventures. Apostolos Apostolakis is a true embodiment of business acumen. In this insightful talk, he takes us on a journey through the milestones of his career and encourages us to discover our key attributes.

Do you believe in the power of imagination? How can a child's imagination shape the world around them? Eugene Trivizas, who with his vivid storytelling and imaginative characters, has captivated the imagination of millions of children and adults, delves into the fascinating concept of "worldplay." In his talk, he explores how a child's ability to create an imaginary world can shape their mind and have a profound impact on society, potentially paving the way for a new era. He also highlights the critical role that modern education systems should play in fostering this essential skill.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to straddle the line between two vastly different worlds? Meet Mirela Pachou, a trailblazer who embodies both the worlds of law and music. As a PhD Law graduate and one of Greece's leading young musicians, Mirela's journey takes us from Rhodes to Athens, from law to music, and from stop to play. She stands on the "borderline" between two worlds, offering a unique perspective on the power of our choices in shaping our futures. At TEDxNTUA 2022, Mirela takes the stage with a mission to shed light on this concept, sharing a speech that we will want to hear in "rePlay".

Embracing a playful mindset means accepting failure as a natural part of growth and learning. In this talk, Lena Divani takes the stage at TEDxNTUA and shares significant experiences and interactions she had through the concept of "PLAY," and how it always manages to accompany us at different stages and aspects of our lives.

In this talk, Konstantinos Gardikis explores the intriguing concept of "invisibility" and how it relates to his interdisciplinary work in science and music. He shares his insights on how his research in this area inspired him to merge these two fields, creating a unique combination that is sure to captivate audiences.

How do Olympic athletes maintain their joy and passion for the sport they used to play as kids? How do they strike a balance between their athletic pursuits and other aspects of their lives, and avoid becoming a sports-oriented person? There is no better person to answer these questions other than Anna Ntountounaki. In her captivating TEDxNTUA talk, Anna discusses the playful nature of championship, the adversities she has to face and the motivations that drive her to pursue her dreams both in and out of the pool.

Υannis Zambelis or Joza.Ink is a tattoo artist and engaged in painting. He has studied dentistry but he has always wanted to be involved in art. He studied for a while at the school of fine arts, but he dropped out. He worked as a tattoo artist initially in Greece and for the last five years, he has been moving from city to city all over the world.

Throughout her everyday life, art in every aspect has been accompanying her. Erofili is an author and an actress. For the last years she has been active at the Athens Checkpoint of Positive Voice as a sexual health consultant. With her stories she is not aiming for self promotion. On the contrary, she is giving space to share ideas, self-examination and dialogue. The story she will narrate reminds us that what we are is influenced, not only by what others are, but also by what others want us to be. Throughout her everyday life, art in every aspect has been accompanying her. Erofili is an author and an actress. For the last years she has been active at the Athens Checkpoint of Positive Voice as a sexual health consultant. With her stories she is not aiming for self promotion. On the contrary, she is giving space to share ideas, self-examination and dialogue.

Dimitra Korokida is a disabled athlete who competes at a championship level with Para-Badminton and Wheelchair Tennis. In 2005, she was seriously injured in a car accident, leaving her paraplegic. Before the accident, she was an athlete of TAE KWON NTO and three other Korean martial arts with many participations and distinctions in pan-European and international championships. Apart from being a great athlete, Dimitra is an active person with many interests and a strong sense of social contribution and solidarity. She is a scout, founder, and coach of a Martial Arts Center and active in social welfare events. Dimitra Korokida is a disabled athlete who competes at a championship level with Para-Badminton and Wheelchair Tennis. In 2005, she was seriously injured in a car accident, leaving her paraplegic. Before the accident, she was an athlete of TAE KWON NTO and three other Korean martial arts with many participations and distinctions in pan-European and international championships. Apart from being a great athlete, Dimitra is an active person with many interests and a strong sense of social contribution and solidarity.

Dionysios Pnevmatikatos received a degree in Computer Science from the University of Crete in 1989, as well as a Master's and Doctorate in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1991 and 1996 respectively. Since September 2019 he is a Professor at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens. Also, from 2000 to 2019 he was a professor at the EMMY school of the Technical University of Crete where he was Director of the Laboratory of Microprocessors and Material and president of the respective department. He has been a Research Fellow at the Institute for Research and Technology (ITE) since 1997, has been the Coordinator for the European Research Project FASTER (FP7) and has been and is the Founding Officer for the European Research Projects DeSyRe (FP7), AXIOM, EXTRA20 ), and in several national projects. His research interests include Computer Architecture with a focus on the use of Rearranged Logic to create efficient accelerators in heterogeneous parallel systems. In addition, he has worked in the design of Reliable systems, architectures for accelerating applications in hardware or with rearranged logic, network packet processors, etc. He is a regular member of Program Committees at key conferences in his area such as ISCA, FPL and DATE in the subjects of Computer Architecture and Rearranged Systems.

Having completed his studies at the University of Sheffield in England in 2004 and graduating as a Doctor of Engineering specializing in iterative Learning Control systems, he chose to return to Greece and pursue a career in business. The beginning, as a field engineer in technical projects, was a conscious choice which enabled him to connect his theoretical studies with the natural environment of engineering and the connection of these two different worlds while offering him the bases for his subsequent presence in high executive positions of large companies in marketing, sales departments and now holding the position of general manager in a multinational technology group. The basic values that govern his career are hard work, passion and commitment to the goal which are the basic triptych of a successful career. His speech aims to highlight the strength of the team in an ever-changing environment, emphasizing how the career path of each is (co)shaped by the people around him.

Sandra Mavroidi is a teacher and a founding member of the elementary school "Trianemi". She holds a law degree and also she worked in theater. As a mother, she met Waldorf Steiner systems. She studied Pedagogy, to create a school. It is inspired by the need for a healthy school reality for children, considering it to be the main way to support their individuality and social development, but also with the hope of humanity for a better future. Sandra Mavroidi is a teacher and a founding member of the elementary school "Trianemi". She holds a law degree and also she worked in theater. As a mother, she met Waldorf Steiner systems. She studied Pedagogy, to create a school. It is inspired by the need for a healthy school reality for children, considering it to be the main way to support their individuality and social development, but also with the hope of humanity for a better future.

Marios Aristotelis Koulouris is a graduate of Sociology and holds a Master's degree in Sociology from Panteion University, specializing in the Sociology of Suicide. He is also a graduate of the Department of Psychology of Panteion University and for the last year he maintains on YouTube a social science communication channel called "soc science tube", where he presents sociological and psychological studies, always with bibliographic references and given with a critical and pleasant presentation. His talk focuses on the sociological interpretation of the Ubuntu concept, focusing on the "how" and "why" we exist through others. Marios Aristotelis Koulouris is a graduate of Sociology and holds a Master's degree in Sociology from Panteion University, specializing in the Sociology of Suicide. He is also a graduate of the Department of Psychology of Panteion University and for the last year he maintains on YouTube a social science communication channel called "soc science tube", where he presents sociological and psychological studies, always with bibliographic references and given with a critical and pleasant presentation. His talk focuses on the sociological interpretation of the Ubuntu concept, focusing on the "how" and "why" we exist through others.

Evangelos Gazis received a degree in Physics from the Kapodistrian University of Athens in 1973, as well as a Master's and Doctoral Degree at the "Demokritos" research center and the Kapodistrian University of Athens in 1978 and 1980 respectively. Indicatively, he was a Visiting Professor at the Department of Physics at CERN (2009-2011) and a Visiting Professor at the Department of Physics at Lund University in Sweden (2007 to date). He has been a Professor at the School of Applied Mathematics and Natural Sciences of NTUA since 1983. He is also a co-author of more than 640 scientific publications in international scientific journals in Particle Physics, with over 23,500 citations, and author of international monographs on the muon detection spectrometer at the CERN ATLAS Collaboration (2000) and in 11 journals.

Marios is a postdoctoral researcher at Delft University in the Netherlands where he is researching scalable data management problems. He has a PhD in main memory data analysis technologies from the Management Science and Technology department of AUEB and a master's degree in computer science from Imperial College London. He has worked as a software engineer in the cloud computing of GRNET and in large scale data infrastructures in COSMOTE. Marios has published in leading conferences and journals in the field such as SIGMOD, ICDE, EuroSys, and IEEE TC. He teaches courses in data management, computer science, and information systems administration at AUEB and UOA (University of Athens).

Fiori is an academic and a social entrepreneur; holds an award-winning Ph.D. on Social Franchising & Social Entrepreneurship, and is Research Fellow on Combatting Human Rights Violations in Fashion Industry Supply Chains. She is the Director of the Observatory for Ethical & Circular Fashion and the Sustainable Fashion Summer School. She is the Country Coordinator of the global movement Fashion Revolution.org in Greece, the Coordinator of Raise Your Voice Festival co-organized by 56 State Bodies & NGOs to end human trafficking and act on the climate crisis.

From the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, to books and theatrical plays. How does a nuclear physicist turned writer, perceive the concept of Enigma? Michael Spengos is a writer, who previously studied and worked as a Nuclear Physicist. He received his BS from the University of Thessaloniki in Greece, a Masters of Science from the American University in Washington DC, and a PhD at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, in California (Thesis topic: “The spin of the neutron”). He then completed an one year post-doc in the University of Pennsylvania, and consequently a three-year term in Hamburg/Germany as a fellow of the German Government. In 1998, he took a steep turn in his career and after seventeen years of studying and working as a physicist, he decided to follow his dream, to become a writer. He has written seven novels, three collections of short stories, and four theatrical plays.

Does mankind have any power over the matter that surrounds it? Is it possible to create new materials with the properties and the characteristics that suit our needs? And if so, how? Marianna Diamantopoulou is a PhD candidate at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland. She graduated from the Department of Chemical Engineering in Patras in 2014, and pursued further a M.Sc. degree at ETH. Her master thesis project was funded by General Electric and conducted in Binnig and Rohrer Nanotechnology Center (BRNC), a shared facility between IBM and ETH. Before starting her journey in the research world, she also gained professional experience by working as a Chemical Engineer in Pöyry Switzerland AG.

Would it be possible to solve computational problems in mere seconds, that would otherwise require more time than the age of the universe itself? Τhe enigma of Quantum cryptography and its numerous applications. Eleni Diamanti is a CNRS researcher at Sorbonne University in Paris, France. She received her Diploma in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, in 2000 and her PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, USA, in 2006. She then worked as a Marie Curie post-doctoral scholar at the Institute of Optics Graduate School in Palaiseau, France, before joining the CNRS in 2009. Her research focuses on experimental quantum cryptography and communication complexity, and on the development of photonic resources for quantum networks.

Τhe man who rebuild the Parthenon... Manolis Korres is an architect-engineer, emeritus professor at NTUΑ, president of the Acropolis Restoration Committee and Member of the Central Archaeological Council of Greece. He has worked in the surveying and restoration of the Acropolis’ monuments. Recipient of many medals and international awards, he also has a prolific body of work to display as an author. On the stage of #TEDxNTUA2019, he will approach the topic of Enigma, starting with an acknowledgment that is rarely discussed: Unsolved problems are not only a matter of mathematics, but exist in architecture too.

How do we imagine the transportation of the future? Delft Hyperloop (https://delfthyperloop.nl/en/team) is a student team from Delft University of Technology, located in the Netherlands. With 39 engineers, they are competing in the 2019 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, a competition for student teams around the world to come up with a concept vehicle that can travel as fast as possible in a vacuum tube that is one kilometer long. Why? The transportation industry is in need of a new, innovate form of transportation: the Hyperloop. Delft Hyperloop is a student team from TU Delft, located in the Netherlands. With 39 engineers, they are competing in the 2019 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, a competition for student teams around the world to come up with a concept vehicle that can travel as fast as possible in a vacuum tube that is one kilometer long. Why? The transportation industry is in need of a new, innovative form of transportation: the Hyperloop.

RE- discovering the existing. The enigmatic never-ending process of investigating a place via drawing methods. Kastler Skjeseth Architects is an Oslo-based architectural studio founded in 2015 by Amandine Kastler and Erlend Skjeseth. The studio has extensive experience working with existing buildings and heritage environments in Norway and the UK. Prior to setting up the studio, Amandine and Erlend worked for David Chipperfield Architects London, Jarmund Vigsnæs Oslo, and OMA AMO Rotterdam. As a studio, they engage with alternative forms of preservation, utilizing existing natural, historical and social qualities of a place to shape their design practice.Through built projects and academic work, Kastler Skjeseth Architects seeks to discover vocabularies whether verbal, formal, material or otherwise, that articulate and transform these existing structures. Amandine and Erlend are currently teaching at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) in Oslo and the Architectural Association (AA) in London.

Can nature help us develop new technologies? Could for a example, a swarm of drones develop collective intelligence? Gábor Vásárhelyi is a Ph.D. researcher in the field of collective behavior and movement of animals and drones. He studied engineering and physics in the technical university of Budapest while he completed his doctoral thesis in the field of info-bionics at the Péter Pázmány Catholic University. Today, he is the head researcher of the robotics lab of Eötvös University, while, he is also the CEO of “CollMot Entertainment”, which offers “multi-drone” entertainment services.

How do restrictions create innovation? En-Route is an international architecture team based in Athens. Founded by Hannes Livers Gutberlet and Katerina Kourkoula, they treat design as a process of analytical research, unique for every project. Hannes studied Economics in EBS University and Architecture in TU Delft, M.I.T. and ETH while he has worked for Architectuurstudio Herman Hertzberger, OMA and Urban Think Tank. He is a PhD candidate at ETH Zurich. Katerina studied Architecture at Bartlett, UCL and at the Cooper Union where she received the ‘AIA School Meda’ and ‘The Certificate of Merit’. She has worked for Buschow Henley and Lot-Ek.

Is it possible to connect our brain to an external machine? What is the future of this kind of interfaces? Fotis Liarokapis is an Associate Professor and the director of the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory at Masaryk University. Ηe has served as the Director of Interactive Worlds Applied Research Group at Coventry University and a research fellow at the Serious Games Institute. He has organised multiple conferences and workshops and he is the co-founder of VS-Games international conference.

What can be considered art? Could we create a music album that contains AI-generated poetry in the style of Kurt Cobain? Dr. Ivan P. Yamshchikov is a researcher for artificial intelligence and cognition in Max Planck Institute, in Leipzig. He popularizes artificial intelligence and its versatile industrial applications. He is also the co-founder of “Creaited Labs” - a project aimed to develop creative potential of artificial intelligence.

The Big Bang, dark matter, black holes: cosmic puzzles and human answers. Evanthia Hatziminaoglou is a Ph.D. astrophysicist at the European Southern Observatory (ESO). She studied Physics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and holds a master’s degree and a PhD in Astrophysics from the University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France. Her research focuses on active galaxies: galaxies that harbour supermassive black holes in their centres, accreting material and releasing tremendous amounts of energy, directly affecting the growth of the galaxies themselves.

How is the concept of “the Man of the Clapham Omnibus” defined in Public Law? Ioannis A. Tassopoulos is a Professor of Public Law at the University of Athens and attorney at law. He is a graduate of the University of Athens and of the Duke Law School. In tandem with constitutional law, he has studied extensively political philosophy,jurisprudence and history of the law while he displays a wealth of author work.

In her continuing thirst for information and keen interest for everything new, she tries to keep abreast of current musical trends in Greece and elsewhere. During her long career she has occasionally taken the role of the producer, introducing several young songwriters to the public. Additionally, she has written songs for other singers, as well as music for film, television and the theatre, and won multiple awards in music contests and annual festivals.

Vassilis Haralambidis is founding member, manager and artistic director of BIOS non-profit organization. Bios today operates via 3 separate venues, all located in the center of Athens.Bios pireos84 (a cultural center for performing arts and cross media), Romantso (the first Greek Creative and cultural Industries Hub) and Latraac (a social garden and sports venue). Since founding BIOS in 2001, he has been curating numerous events and performances concerning urban culture, new media and various expressions of contemporary artistic creativity. As a designer, he has received numerous Greek and European awards and distinctions. He has devoted himself to pioneering a creative based approach to new and social entrepreneurship, best practices and policy, with his main focus currently being social inclusion and regeneration through the creative and cultural industries sector. Vassilis Haralambidis is founding member, manager and artistic director of BIOS non-profit organization.

Caroline Bos has taught as a guest lecturer at Princeton University, the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam, the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and the Academy of Architecture in Arnhem. In 2012 she was awarded an Honorary Professorship at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning.

Michael Styllas was attracted to the mountains from a very young age. This, gradually led him to fall in love with the science of Geology. He holds a PhD diploma in Geology from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and his MSc in Oceanography-Marine Geology from Oregon State University. He works as an external geologist for a company with which has realized numerous geophysical, geotechnical and geoarchaeological projects, and has participated in four EU-funded projects. As an independent researcher he studied the evolution of glaciers and the climate on Mount Olympus in Greece, during a project funded by John S. Latsis Foundation in cooperation with the French National research institute CEREGE . He spends most of his time in the alpine refuge “Christos Kakkalos” on Mount Olympus. He has climbed extensively on the mountains of Greece, as well as on the highest peaks of the world. He was a member of the first successful Greek expedition that stood on the summit of Mount Everest. Michael Styllas was attracted to the mountains from a very young age. This, gradually led him to fall in love with the science of Geology. He holds a PhD diploma in Geology from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and his MSc in Oceanography-Marine Geology from Oregon State University.

Natassa Lianou and Ermis Chalvatzis are directors of Lianou Chalvatzis Architects (LC-A), based in London. Through their practice they promote their vision about “Smart Design Elegance” as they call their philosophy and design process. They design efficient architectural solutions to real-world problems, which respond and adapt to the current socio-economic environment of each place, time and constrains, connecting people and enabling social interaction. Efficiency, economy, sustainability, materiality and high-aesthetics are the key parameters in their design process. The practice’s work focuses οn commercial building projects, hotels, residential masterplans, and infrastructure schemes as well as high profile smaller scale designs, aiming to bring meaningful design to the everyday lives of a broader audience. Prior establishing their firm, they gained rich experience through their trajectory at Zaha Hadid Architects as Senior Architects.

Ioanna uses the startup mentality to reimagine how social impact can be achieved. In 2015, she became involved in the refugee crisis in Greece as a volunteer aid coordinator. She then launched Campfire Innovation, an organisation building an ecosystem to develop more innovative solutions for refugee aid, from the grassroots up.

Romy Lorenz is a cognitive neuroscientist with a multidisciplinary background in psychology and biomedical engineering. Currently, she is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Lab (C3NL) at Imperial College London. Her research interest lies in developing brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and artificial intelligence (AI) using different neuroimaging techniques and by applying machine learning. Rather than looking at BCIs through the lens of assistive technology though, she is passionate about using BCIs as a new experimental paradigm in cognitive neuroscience.

Dr. Sapsis is the Doherty Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, where he has been a faculty since 2013. He received a diploma in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from National Technical University of Athens, Greece and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. Before becoming a faculty at MIT he was appointed as Research Scientist at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University.

Dr. Aimilios Chalamandaris is a co-founder and CEO of Innoetics. He holds a BA and a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the NTUA, as well as a master’s degree in Telecommunications and Digital Signal Processing from the Imperial College of London. He has authored more than 30 original scientific papers, and is one of the founding members of the team, which developed one of the world’s leading synthetic speech technologies. From 2008 until today, as CEO of the company, he has led to the establishment of Innoetics as one of the most important companies of synthetic speech internationally, culminating in its acquisition by Samsung Electronics in 2017. Dr. Aimilios Chalamandaris is a co-founder and CEO of Innoetics.

Vassilios Makios has served as President of the Research Center Athena. In 2006, he co-founded the Hellenic Technology Clusters Initiative-Corallia. He plays an instrumental role in the design and implementation of interventions introduced by Corallia with a vision “to sustain a Greek environment with the right framework conditions to allow sciences, innovation and entrepreneurship to flourish again” and ultimate goal “to establish the brand Innovation Designed in Greece”.

Dionysis is a PhD student in cryptography and blockchain technologies at the University of Athens. He holds an Electrical and Computer Engineering degree from the National Technical University of Athens. He is a security and software engineer by training. His professional experience includes working for DeviantArt in Los Angeles, the Incident Response Development team at Google in Zurich and the Product Security team of Twitter in San Francisco. He has founded several start-ups in various fields from social networking to video game development. He is the co-founder of OpenBazaar, the first cryptocurrency-based anonymous decentralized marketplace.

John Kalogerakis is the CEO and main speaker of JMK, with a long academic experience and a significant career as a senior corporate executive. His name is synonymous to the Anthropocentric Human Resource Development and he is well known in the market for his direct style and unique stage presence. He studied Naval Architecture (BSc 1982) at Strathclyde University in Scotland, then Production Management & Technology (MSc 1983), and Applied Industrial Robotics (PhD 1988). During his 7 year work at Swan Hunter Shipbuilders in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, he came to realize that Management equals Applied Psychology.

Sotiris Kokkinos, along with his brother, Charilaos, founded FEAC Engineering in 2014. By combining their academic and professional experience in the field of digital computing (Sotiris Kokkinos-MSc Electrical Engineer) and electromechanical simulation (Charilaos Kokkinos-MSc Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineer-CERN FEA Analyst), they created a consulting startup. FEAC offers services in the field of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) operating in the global market. The challenges faced by an engineer in the contemporary academic and industrial environment can’t be solved analytically. This is when heuristic methods, such as Finite Element Analysis (FEA), are used in order to obtain answers. These methods take advantage of the computational power of digital computers and therefore can solve highly complex problems, e.g. the way heat is transferred in a Thermoelectric Power Plant or the way the blood flows inside the human body.

Sissy Nikolaou is a practicing earthquake engineer with more than 20 years of experience. Her education includes a Diploma from the NTUA, Greece and MSc and PhD degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB), where she is now an Advisory Board member of the Dean of Engineering. She is a Multi-Hazards and Geotechnical Engineering Principal at WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff in New York City, where she oversees the organization’s multi-hazard resilience engineering practice. She sees earthquake engineering as an art form that can be used to create future cities and sustain existing communities. Her goal is to find solutions to the challenge of transforming humanity’s desire for resiliency and sustainability into quantifiable terms and incorporate these solutions in engineering design frameworks.

Edward Perello is a molecular biologist who is passionate about synthetic biology and its impact on the world. Edward holds a BSc in Bioveterinary Science from London’s Royal Veterinary College and a MPhil in Bioscience Enterprise from the University of Cambridge. He is a 2015 SynBio LEAP fellow and has formerly worked with the European Union on science policy and VERTIC on arms control. He is co-founder and CBO of Desktop Genetics, a UK-based bioinformatics company building an AI for CRISPR genome editing. Using the CRISPR technique, which was originally discovered as part of the CRISPR/Cas9 defense system in prokaryotic cells, and the recently launched Deskgen Platform, he aims to revolutionize the way genetic research is conducted. Edward looks forward to building a world where biology is used as widely as technology, treating what are now considered terminal illnesses.

Christos Raftogiannis is the CEO and co-founder of CityCrop, a Greek startup that has designed an automated indoor farming device. Along with his co-founder Evriviades Makris and their team, they are here to provide the global market with CityCrop, a smart device that enables the user to grow fresh food all year round in a controlled and fully automated environment. CityCrop uses Hydroponics to grow plants fast and efficiently without the need for soil or pesticides, combining nature and technology in the most original way. CityCrop was awarded first place in the “Start Tel Aviv 2016” competition amongst 75 Greek startups. CityCrop’s goal is to change the way we grow and consume our food and make agriculture and healthy diet a part of the modern urban lifestyle.

Anezina Solomonidou is a postdoctoral fellow at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). She concluded her undergraduate studies in the Department of Geology at the University of Patras and her postgraduate studies in the University College of London (UCL), in the field of planetary geology (Master’s Degree). After that, she obtained her PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics in the Observatoire de Paris in France. Her research focuses on planetary geology and more specifically on the geological study of the frozen moons of the outer solar system (Titan, Enceladus, Europa etc.). By comparing the limited data available from the various space missions to the abundant geological data for Earth, she aims to understand the evolution and the current geological activity of these celestial bodies and even determine the possibility of the existence of life on these frozen worlds.

Yannis Ampelas, member of the Fooolish design agency presents us NEWSLEXIA, a pioneering project that aims to inform and spread the news, not through articles and reports, but with images, visualising news and thrusting reporting into the future.

GovFaces CEO Jon Mark Walls delivers an amazing talk on how the immediacy of social media helps form political trends and how it can help spark a dialogue with modern politicians

Thanos Vlastos referred to the use of bicycle and public transportation in Greece. Through examples from European cities in contrast with Athens focuses on the necessity of designing an alternative urban field in order to transform Greece to a bicycle friendly country.

Andrianos Golemis describes his experience in the Antarctic Station of Concordia as medical doctor and researcher. He refers to the conditions of living there and how was his past 12 months in this isolated continent

Dimitris fouskakis refers to statistics as a study of uncertainty and the way to measure it. He focuses on Bayesian statistic, a subset of the field of statistics, in which the notion of probability is affected not only from external facts and information but also is expressed in terms of degrees of our own belief.

Daphne Becket describes two projects that both contributed in their way to the realization that we all have the power to change our world through the choices we make as individuals and as communities. Regardless of what we think our worth is, or our level of skills, or our strength, we all have this power and consequently have a profound responsibility to use it to built a new, everyday, to create a world to be proud of.

Ashley Dove-Jay is a PHD researcher in “green” morphing aerospace technologies at the University of Bristol. He is a graduate of the University of Liverpool and the International Space University, reading Aerospace Engineering and Space Policy, Law and Economics. Ashley had led various NASA/ESA-related projects: from spacecraft radiation hardening to space weather disaster mitigation. Most notably, he led an extensive astronauts-on-Mars Desert Research Station in collaboration with more than two dozen scientific and academic institutes. He will demonstrate his latest project “Terraforming” and the notion of making Mars a suitable space for humans to live in.

Founder of HELIC, Yorgos Koutsoyannopoulos, speaks on creating a successful high-tech company in Greece. Acknowledging the value of mistakes that he also made when managing his enterprise, he moves on presenting us the basics steps of building a successful business.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become." With this phrase, Dr. Kouvelas invites us to dive into the majestic studies of the brain. Conscious and unconscious, thought and action, time and matter, are all aspects of his recent studies that focus on the relationship between brain and consciousness.

Professor Tassios speaks on Technology, Science, their interelation and the moral responsibilities of the contemporary technician. Driving through his research on an ancient invention he goes on to pose a critique upon the Greek and global lifestyle in today's world.

Ignatios Fotiou is a Mechanical engineer and founding member of TOBEA, a newly-established enterprise who deals with innovations in subjects who facilitate / make easier the daily routine of people with mobility impairments. He presents us Seatrac, the brainchild of his team and he focuses on three subjects: the trend to provide technical knowledge to susceptible groups, the creativity and the required passion in order to achieve our dream projects.

Athina Pitta is a diethnologist and founder of the startup Glossopolis, an e-learning platform, providing Greek language courses for foreigners who want to visit Greece. Through her speech, she presents the importance of assuming responsibility through entrepreneurship and incentives who could force us to help improve our society and ourselves.

Engineers of the Earth is a non-governmental, non-profit organization , founded in Athens in 2008. Basic goal of the organization is the constant technical supply as well as the transfer of technical knowledge in developed countries and in non-governmental, non-profit organizations, inside and out of Greece’s borders. Katerina Zoumboulaki and Nikos Mamassis, members of this organization, attempt to present the plan of action such as the search of technical solutions oriented at each given local treaty with respect towards the environment. Their speech is concentrated in their provided help in Gaza, Kongo and Tanzania.

Israerl Dejene presents us "Megabiskate”, a skateboarding movement, created to engage and inspire the children in Ethiopia to stay positive and keep them away from the troubles on the streets. He speech proves how skateboarding and playing in general can nurture a child with joy and zest for life.