Great Success for CyI’s 2021 Virtual sCYence Fair

The Cyprus Institute’s “sCYence Fair” aims to stimulate scientific interest and to encourage participation by young students, and support the next generation of scientists.

Following the postponement of the 2020 sCYence Fair due to the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Cyprus Institute organized on 19-20 April 2021 the innovative 2021 Virtual sCYence Fair. The event was under the auspices of the Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digital Policy of the Republic of Cyprus, the Chief Scientist for Research & Innovation of the Republic of Cyprus, and the Mayor of Aglantzia.

The event provides an opportunity for our young scientists to increase their awareness of the wonders of science, add to their knowledge, and broaden their scientific horizons. Last but not least, “sCYence Fair” shows to people of all ages and backgrounds, that science is not only about knowledge, but can also be recreational and fun.

Students got the chance to demonstrate their scientific projects to the public and to the evaluation committee, to enter a contest for the best 3 presentations in each category, and to participate in online scientific-related quizzes. Participants had the opportunity to explore scientific and technological advancements in an entertaining, innovative and interactive manner. “The aim of the sCYence Fair is the participation of society and especially young people in scientific activities, as well as the practical support of the next generation of scientists”, noted Prof. George Christophides, President of The Cyprus Institute, in his opening remarks.

The event was held virtually without any physical attendance, and was open to all school science groups, ages 9-18, from both the private and public sectors. Groups of students from Elementary, Gymnasiums and Lyceums were invited to prepare and create their own videos with maximum duration 10 minutes each, presenting innovative ideas and scientific research, using technology. The submissions by Gymnasiums and Lyceums were evaluated both by voting on Social Media (50% of the total mark) and by The Cyprus Institute’s evaluation committee (50% of the total mark). For elementary schools, due to age restrictions on social media, The Cyprus Institute’s evaluation committee exclusively selected the best 3 videos. The 2021 Virtual sCYence Fair exceeded all expectations with a total of 99 teams participating (53 teams from Primary Schools, 22 teams from Gymnasiums and 24 teams from Lyceums).

In his welcoming address, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth, Mr. Prodromos Prodromou, praised the initiative of The Cyprus Institute, emphasizing that the organization of the Science Festival enriches the experiences and knowledge of students, promoting innovation and creation that are the necessary supplies for tomorrow's citizens. “The 2021 Virtual sCYence Fair offers a special opportunity for young people to expand their horizons, discovering the magical world of innovation, technology and science” said the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Mr. Kyriacos Kokkinos congratulating The Cyprus Institute.

During the Fair, students had the chance to present and demonstrate their experiments and scientific research projects online, and participants and the wider public had the opportunity to explore these scientific and technological advancements in an entertaining, innovative and interactive manner. Additionally, participants had the opportunity to enter draws and win amazing prizes such as drones and action cameras.

The Chief Scientist of Research and Innovation, Mr. Nikolas Mastroyiannopoulos, said that “this is a wonderful journey of knowledge in the world of science, emphasizing that through the innovative look of young people, we can be inspired to find solutions and be a source of enthusiasm for progress”. The Mayor of Aglantzia, Mr. Andreas Constantinou, noted that he is very proud that the Municipality of Aglantzia is home to research organizations organizing outreach activities involving science for the younger generations, thereby giving our children an incentive to love science.

It is worth mentioning that within the framework of the 2021 Virtual sCYence Fair, in addition to the contest for the best presentation, groups of students of the 12th Pancyprian Student Conference SEMEP UNESCO participated on the thematic “Research Methods in Ecology”, as well as hosting short experiments, part of the Physics Decathlon. Finally, the organizers of the sCYence Fair shared a short-informative video about dangers on the internet, and how we can protect ourselves, entitled “Antibodies to Misinformation”, which is implemented through students from different schools in Cyprus.

The winners of the contest for the best presentation of each category (Primary Schools, Gymnasiums and Lyceums), who won vouchers of 300 euros each from Stephanis Stores were:

• Kykkos Lyceum of Paphos, for the proposal “Comparison of biodiversity between a natural and a man-made ecosystem in our urban environment”
• Hellenic Private School PASCAL Limassol, for the proposal “Studying the colors of nature”
• Primary School of Drosia KB – “Michalaki Paridi” of Larnaka, for the proposal “The experiment of Eratosthenes”

The 2^nd place awards, winning vouchers of 200 euros each from Stephanis Stores were:

• Lyceum Ethnarchi Makariou C’ of Paphos, for the proposal “Butterfly diversity standards inside and outside the network of NATURA 2000 in Cyprus and in Europe”
• Gymnasium Agiou Stylianou of Strovolos, Nicosia, for the proposal “COVID-19 in our everyday life”
• Primary School of Kaimakli of Nicosia, for the proposal “Let schools be the beginning of a green world”

The 3^rd place awards, winning vouchers of 100 euros each from Stephanis Stores were:

• Lyceum Agios Neofytos of Paphos, for the proposal “Vacation at the bee’s hotel”
• Gymnasium Dianellou & Theodotou of Nicosia, for the proposal “Εvaluation of the efficiency of the two combustion materials of the rocketstoveheater”
• Environment and sustainable development Educational Unit of Nicosia, for the proposal “Environmentally friendly buildings”

You can re-watch the 2021 Virtual sCYence Fair here:

DAY 1:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OsWG3gqOmc

DAY 2:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKC8IEnXg94

Sponsors: XM.com, CYTA, Medochemie

Supporters: Association “Friends of The Cyprus Institute”, Cyprus Computer Society, South-Eastern Mediterranean Sea Project / Environment UNESCO (SEMEP)