Participation of ACS Athens Academy Students
Grade 11 & 12: Biopsychology of Generosity
Academy students in Grades 11 and 12, along with members of the ACS Intersection Club: Where Biology Meets Psychology, proudly participated in the Athens Science Festival 2025, hosted at the National Music Conservatory in downtown Athens on December 19, 2025.
Contributing to the festival’s Christmas Lab theme, students brought interdisciplinary learning beyond the classroom through student-designed, hands-on experiences. Centered on the Biopsychology of Generosity, their activities engaged visiting school groups in exploring the neurobiological mechanisms behind gift-giving behaviors, highlighting the role of key hormones in fostering human connection and prosocial action.
Through collaboration, creativity, and strong student initiative, this experience demonstrated how rigorous academic concepts can be transformed into meaningful, engaging learning opportunities for the wider community—allowing both participants and facilitators to conclude the year energized, inspired, and deeply connected through science.
Club Advisors, Supervisor Teachers, and Division Chairs of Social Studies and Science respectively: Ms. Angela Chamosfakidis and Dr. Elina Prodromidi
Participating students:
Amaryllis Christou, Fotini Dimitrakopoulos, Vasiliki Drakou, Joanna Karageorgis, Katerina Logan, Lea Meitani, Celia Mihailidi, Nora Myers, Avra Petrou, Niki Saridaki, Melina Tsouropli
Grade 10 Science Demonstrations: Christmas Meets Biology
Grade 10 ACS Athens students presented experiments that blended the magic of Christmas with the power of science. Through dazzling demonstrations involving light, color, and natural processes, students revealed how biology is intricately woven into the festive atmosphere.
One highlight addressed the question:
“What is the effect of peppermint, lavender, and aloe vera oils on the growth of Escherichia coli K12 bacteria?” Using real bacterial cultures, students vividly demonstrated the bactericidal properties of natural herbs, allowing participants to observe the results firsthand and deepen their understanding of applied biology.
Supervisor Teacher: Dr. Natalie Mitchell
Participating students: Apostolos Adamopoulos, Natalia Papadoglou
ACS Athens CanSat Team – SMALL Sat III
The ACS Athens CanSat Team (SMALL Sat III) showcased their student-designed miniature satellite mission, inspired by real projects from the European Space Agency (ESA).
Festival visitors learned how the team designed, built, and programmed a CanSat to collect environmental data such as soil moisture and conductivity, while integrating mobility and data-transmission systems. Through hands-on demonstrations and discussion, students illustrated how space engineering, physics, and programming converge in a real-world aerospace challenge.
Supervisor teacher: Mr. Aristotelis Thymianos
Participating students: Niko Attilakos, Evgenia Bakamitsos, D.F., S.K., Ifigeneia Mihailidi, Allen Li, Shangze Li
ACS Athens Aerial Drone Competition (ADC) Team
The ACS Athens Aerial Drone Competition (ADC) Team presented their competition drone and introduced visitors to the fundamentals of drone design, piloting, and stabilization. Students explained the engineering principles behind unmanned aerial systems, emphasizing safety, physics, and real-world applications.
A highlight of the experience was the opportunity for festival attendees to pilot the drone themselves under student guidance, offering a firsthand look at the precision, skill, and excitement involved in competitive drone flight.
Supervisor teacher: Mr. Aristotelis Thymianos
Participating students: Peter Dryden, V.S
Participation of ACS Athens Middle School Students
The Middle School Science Club presented a workshop titled “Jingle Bells and Volts of Nature” at the Athens Science Festival 2025. Students guided visitors through the fascinating world of electricity using a variety of hands-on experiments.
Working collaboratively, students:
- Generated electricity from soil
- Built a Voltaic pile and a lemon battery
- Created an Arduino-powered fruit piano
Visitors not only experienced these electrifying demonstrations, but also left with ideas for creating their own light-up Christmas cards, combining holiday creativity with scientific discovery.
Supervisor teachers: Ms. Christina Bakoyannis, Ms. Vicky Poulou. Ms. Eva Theofilou
Participating students: Leah Adeeb, Shacked Ariav, Yihan Chen, Ziyu Guo, Alexis Katsimperis, Zhanlin Luo, Paniz Najafisarpiri, George Nomikos, Ren, Junwei, Tsakou, Danae, Vasileiadis, Theodore, Wang, Wenqi, Zhang, Xuanrui
Participation of Students from ACS Athens Elementary School
Fourth and fifth grade students proudly presented “A Greener Christmas: Hydroponics vs. Soil – Which Uses Less Water?” at the festival. This hands-on, six-week investigation compared hydroponic systems with traditional soil planting to explore sustainable ways of growing herbs during the winter months.
Students explained how they:
- Grew mint plants over several weeks
- Measured plant growth
- Carefully tracked water usage
Using side-by-side photos, charts, and simple graphs, students demonstrated how hydroponics can significantly reduce water waste by limiting evaporation and runoff. Through this project, young scientists showcased strong measurement skills, critical thinking, and environmental awareness, helping families see how small choices can support sustainability during the holiday season.
Lab Specialist, Supervisor and Coordinator of Science: Ms. Eleni Sousounis
Participating students: Nadeem El Sayed, John Gasparino, L.H, Jinhua Luo, Melina Mamas, Daniel Pennings, Lydia Tsakou
Sincere thanks to the Middle School/Academy Lab Specialist, Mr. Dimitris Konstantopoulos, for his invaluable support in preparing the materials used for the activities presented at the Festival