Fotis Giasemis, 16, from St. Anne’s High School in Euboea, and Eleni Tsaprazi, 17, from Mantoulides High School in Thessaloniki, were selected to participate in this year’s NASA Space Camp program taking place in Huntsville, Alabama.
Both high school pupils have more than once participated in the relevant contest organized by the Astronomy and Space Society in Volos and finally were lucky this time to travel to the US, where they will spend seven days at the end of July learning about the solar system and the life and work of astronauts close to highly trained staff.
The NASA program is almost similar every year and the two pupils are getting ready for their big journey, anxious to learn as much as possible. The two contest winners will be hosted at the Camp without their escorts for the week and then will return to Greece.
The two youngsters now aim at excelling at the fourth phase entitled PTOLEMAEUS of the Greek National Competition, which will allow them to enter the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) in 2013. This year’s IOAA will be actually held in the cities of Volos and Larissa from July 27 to August 5.
“We are particularly proud of our city that such an important scientific event will take place in Volos, especially during these harsh economic times for the country” noted Lukas Zachilas, general secretary of the Greek Astronomy and Space Society.
Greece will have the opportunity this year, as a host country, to participate with two teams and 10 students in the IOAA, in contrast to previous years where only a group of five would take part. “The fourth phase PTOLEMAEOS of the National Competition will be held on April 20-21. From the 18 pupils that will participate, the Greek delegation for IOAA will be selected” underlined Zachilas.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
