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08_2017

Science View is communicating science to society since 2008, sharing a vision of science literacy and science awareness.

In this issue you will read about:

The colour of Earth at night

Discover Events, Conferences, Seminars and the most recent Science News!

Subscribe here if you want to receive monthly these interesting news!

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Cover photos from ScienceNews & Pixa-

bay

The latest news and science opportunities

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SCIENCE WRITESCIENCE WRITE--UPSUPS 08_2017

In the eyes of an observer in space, the light from cities at night is the only evidence of our existence and the lighting technologies are the only visible hu-man products. A global picture of these lights, as composed by the satellite reveals the most devel-oped places on the planet in terms of economic and industrial activity.

The technologies have certainly changed over time. From burning oil and gases we moved to the incan-descent lamp when electricity penetrated our lives. The next technology that was adopted for outdoor lighting was the one based on mercury (low pressure fluorescent in the 30s and high pressure in the 50s). But the light sources that dominated outdoor lighting due to their record high efficacy values were the sodium vapour discharge lamps. The low pressure version reaches 200 lm / W as its monochromatic yellow emission at 589 nm is near the peak of the human eye photopic sensitivity curve and high pres-sure versions can reach more than a 100 lm / W. On the other hand most mercury vapour lamps reach values well below 100 lm / W.

A look at all these photos from space verifies the known fact that sodium is the undisputed king of out-

door lighting and that the light source technologies based on this element dominate the adorned face of the earth at night and of almost every major city.

Today there are good arguments for the use of metal halide (MH) or LED systems for outdoor spaces with one of them being the need for bluish emissions (cool white) that aid peripheral and mesopic vision and another being the sturdiness and long lifetime of solid state technologies.

It is also true that light reaching the skies signifies waste and a kind of pollution that affects the lives of all living things so the pressure is on by various groups to minimise this waste for both economic and envi-ronmental reasons. Perhaps in future decades this will be achieved and light will be directed towards our activities and living spaces but not upwards. But what another fascinating thought is triggered by this about the time we live in. A couple of hundred years ago and a couple of hundred years from now the planet did not and will not look like that at night.

The colour of Earth at night

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EVENTS EVENTS BEEN THEREBEEN THERE 08_2017

In the event that was organized by the 3rd Gymnasi-

um of Glyfada, on the 18th of January 2017, science

activities and projects were presented that followed

the principles of inquiry based learning approach.

Inspired by the framework of well-known European

projects such as ISE (Inspired Science Education),

ODS (Open Discovery Space), CREAT-IT (www.creatit-

project.eu) and based on the framework of CREA-

TIONS (http://creations-project.eu/) a multifaceted

approach was analyzed part by part through the

presentations of projects and initiatives implemented.

The presentations that took place highlighted the

ongoing effort of opening the school to the society

through creative and innovative approaches. Repre-

sentatives of the Local Authorities, the Mayor of Gly-

fada and members of the Local Educational Com-

munity highlighted the importance of the realization

of activities within the schools, involving students in

creative and innovative ways of learning science so

they can be able to understand and explain every-

day life‟s phenomena. The importance of science

literacy was highlighted and they all emphasized the

need of the school collaborating with society as a

hub for spreading scientific literacy, with the students

as the main actors.

Science View was honored to be invited to this event

and its President, Menelaos Sotiriou, presented the

ongoing action Learning Science Through Theater

which, in its 3 years of implementation has managed

to involve and engage almost 2.500 students and

150 teachers from almost all the regions of Greece,

bringing science closer to everyone.

At the end, the 2015-2016 awarded theatrical sci-

ence play “The water goes around” was performed,

entertaining and teaching everyone, renewing the

school‟s participation in this year‟s Learning Science

Through Theater 2017 event with a new play!

More about the event:

http://to-dialeimma2.blogspot.gr/2017/02/3.html

Creativity and Innovation in sci-ence teaching

How can science be taught in a different way than usual, so that children are inspired and engaged in meaningful activities and at the same time enjoy it? For the educa-tional community this is a constant enquiry. For the 3rd Gymnasium of Glyfada it‟s an ongoing adventure in which creative and innovative activities and project are imple-mented.

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Featuring SGEC is a 2 day conference hosted annually by Science Impact Ltd. As part of an international portfolio

of Science Impact events hosted annually in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, SGEC 2017

offers delegates an opportunity to hear from and interact with thought leaders in gender equality in STEM. Attended

by leading researchers, policy makers, equality staff, the private sector, academic staff, government representa-

tives and NGOs, the congress offers a perfect opportunity to network, learn and collaborate to achieve greater gen-

der equality in STEM. To discuss attending, partnering or sponsoring the STEM Gender Equality Congress please con-

tact us: William Todd Email: williamt@stemgenderequality.com Tel: +44 117 223 0054

https://stemgenderequality.com/

EVENTS EVENTS SAVE THE DATE SAVE THE DATE 08_2017

STEM Gender Equality Congress (SGEC)

Bristol, UK 24/2/2017

Research Management Training for

Early-Stage-Researchers

Hamburg, Germany 24-25/4/2017

How to produce a winning proposal in

Horizon 2020

Hamburg, Germany 17/5/2017

A ReMaT workshop - Research management training for early-stage researcher- will take place in Hamburg on 24th

and 25th April 2017. The workshop is designed for early-stage researchers in engineering and natural sciences, par-

ticularly PhD candidates from the 2nd year onwards. The idea of European networking is very much embedded in

the concept, and we encourage participation from many different countries at the workshop. ReMaT is an interac-

tive, intensive workshop providing an introduction to research management. It involves three international trainers

and is held in English. The modules of the workshop cover exploitation of knowledge and entrepreneurship, acquisi-

tion of grants, intellectual property rights and the management of interdisciplinary projects. They are delivered in

such a way that it challenges participants to consider different perspectives on how they might use their PhD edu-

cation in a variety of career paths, and convince others to hire them.

Contact: Dr. Margarete Remmert-Rieper, TUTECH INNOVATION GMBH, ed.hcetut@krowue

https://ssl.tutech.eu/form_en/research-management-training-workshop-remat-hamburg-2/

Horizon 2020, the European Union‟s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, is one of the major areas

of EU spending offering a multitude of funding opportunities for researchers, enterprises and the public sector. The

popularity of the programme means that competition is stiff and therefore guidance in how to prepare convincing

proposals essential. This workshop will help you get up to speed with this complex programme. The content is also

transferable to other types of inter-disciplinary research grant applications. The goal of this workshop is to provide a

practical training on how to approach the preparation of a collaborative research proposal effectively. The work-

shop will provide a short „users guide‟ to Horizon 2020. We will discuss the evaluation process and what the in-

creased focus on innovation means for the design of projects. We will look at how to develop a proposal efficiently

and position it to have the best chances of winning! The workshop will cover in a compact, but nevertheless practi-

cal form the back-ground knowledge needed to prepare a good proposal and to acquire research funding. The

goal is to provide participants with a good understanding of:

• an overview of the project forms Horizon 2020 supports;

• what information, documents are essential and helpful;

• how to organise the proposal preparation to make the process efficient;

• how to build a strong consortium;

• how to produce a convincing case, particularly on impact and

• submission and follow up.

The workshop lectures will be given in English.

https://ssl.tutech.eu/form_en/how-to-produce-a-winning-proposal-in-horizon-2020/

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SCIENCE OPPORTUNITIES SCIENCE OPPORTUNITIES 08_2017

The Keck Futures Initiative

Chemistry World science communication

competition

Communication and Event Manager (M/F)

vacancy

Once again Chemistry World is opening its annual competition for new science communicators. Our finalists re-

ceive tailored mentoring from expert communicators, get their work published in Chemistry World and come to our

live final in London to impress our distinguished judges and invited audience from the media, academia and indus-

try. It‟s a fantastic opportunity show off your skills and kick-start a career in science communication. This year we are

asking entrants to tackle the role of chemistry in their local urban environment. Whether you live in a sprawling meg-

acity, a market town or a humble hamlet, we want you to demonstrate how chemistry can make your neighbour-

hood better. You can tackle any aspect of chemistry and your community, suggest a solution to a problem or high-

light something that is already using chemistry to make life better. We don‟t mind whether you talk to us about prob-

lems or successes, but it must be happening in your local area, as near to your doorstep as possible.

https://www.chemistryworld.com/culture/our-science-communication-competition/2500018.article

A program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, with the support of the W.M. Keck

Foundation – will award four $20,000 prizes in 2017 to individuals or teams (up to four individuals associated with the

creation of the work being nominated) who have developed creative, original works that address issues and ad-

vances in science, engineering and/or medicine for the general public. Nominations are accepted in four catego-

ries: Book; Film/Radio/TV; Magazine/Newspaper; and Online. The winners will be honored in the Fall 2017 and are

expected to attend in person. To be considered for a 2017 Communication Award, the work should have:

• be accessible and appeal to a broad, public audience;

• demonstrate clarity, creativity, originality, and accuracy;

• address issues and/or advances in science, engineering, and/or medicine;

• cover topics that have an impact on society; and

• have been published, broadcasted, or released in 2016, in the United States and in English.

Material primarily intended for children, reference books, and textbooks are not eligible for consideration. Candi-

dates are individuals or teams of not more than four people. Academies‟ employees are not eligible and posthu-

mous awards are not permitted. This award is not for lifetime achievement; the work for which a candidate or team

was nominated must have been published or broadcasted in 2016.

http://www.keckfutures.org/awards/nominate.html

Winning The Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), situated in Grenoble, France, is Europe's leading research facility for scien-

tific research using neutrons. We welcome over 2000 visiting scientists per year to carry out world-class research.

Within the framework of a European project (FILL2030) to develop the long-term sustainability of the ILL by raising

awareness of the innovation capacity of neutron methods and increasing visibility of the science performed at the

ILL, we are looking for a successful and enthusiastic Communication and Event Manager (M/F) to promote the Insti-

tute‟s impact in existing and potential member countries using today‟s communication media and to produce

events from conception through to completion. Missions: To work together with selected, high-level, ILL scientists,

local universities and research organisations in particular countries in order to initiate events to enhance and broad-

en customer trust. Existing and potential new user groups will be targeted through web pages and social media

and research areas will be addressed via dedicated roadshows and workshops. In addition, you will develop web

pages to promote the overall benefit of being a member of the ILL and being able to use its infrastructure. Last but

not least, you will participate in publicising and disseminating the achievements of FILL2030.

closing date for submissions: 05/02/2017 Ref. #: 17/01

Further information on www.ill.eu

https://www.ill-recruits.eu/generator.php?id=479

Continued on next page

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SCIENCE OPPORTUNITIES SCIENCE OPPORTUNITIES 08_2017

The Food Sustainability Media Award

CERN/FACT science communication

competition

Geneva/ Liverpool, 16 January 2017. Today Arts at CERN and FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology)

announce its international call for artists to enter submissions for the COLLIDE International Award. This is the second

year of this successful collaboration between CERN and FACT. Last year over 900 artists, from 71 countries applied

for the award. The COLLIDE International Award is a partnership between CERN, based in Geneva, and FACT, based

in Liverpool, that promotes dialogue between artists and scientists from all over the world. In its sixth edition COLLIDE,

the two-month residency programme will grant the winning artist a prize of CHF 15,000 and a fully funded residency

for artistic and scientific research at one of the largest science laboratories in the world, CERN.

http://arts.cern/collide-international-award-0

http://press.cern/update/2017/01/collide-international-award-now-open-entries

Contact and information

arts.collide@cern.ch

Arts at CERN arts.ch/cern

CERN home.cern

The Food Sustainability Media Award aims to recognise the work of professional journalists and emerging talent from all over the world for excellence in reporting and communicating issues related to food security, sustainability, agri-culture and nutrition. Food sustainability is a global concern, and we believe the media has a key role to play. By informing and shedding light on today‟s food paradoxes, the media at large can engage consumers so that – in turn – they can contribute to the creation of a more equitable and sustainable future, starting from their food choic-es. Entries to the Food Sustainability Media Award will be judged in the following three categories: written journalism, photography and video. •For each category we will award both one published and one unpublished piece of work. •Winners awarded for their published written, photography and video work will receive a €10,000 cash prize. •Winners awarded for their unpublished written, photography and video work will receive an all-expenses paid trip to attend a Thomson Reuters Foundation media training course on food sustainability. •All winning unpublished entries will be distributed via the Thomson Reuters Foundation and the BCFN websites. •The winning unpublished written work will also be distributed through the Reuters newswire, reaching an estimated 1 billion readers. www.goodfoodmediaaward.com

ERC Consolidator Grants: € 605 million to 314

ambitious researchers The European Research Council (ERC) has recently announced the awarding of its Consolidator Grants to 314 top

researchers in Europe. The funding, worth a total of € 605 million, will give them a chance to have far-reaching im-

pact on science and beyond. The grants fall under the „ Excellent Science‟ pillar of Horizon 2020, the EU‟s research

and innovation programme. The ERC has evaluated 2,274 research proposals this time, out of which 13.8% have

been selected for funding. Twenty – eight percent of grants were awarded to female applicants. The grants will cre-

ate an estimated 2,000 jobs for postdocs, PhD students and other staff working in the grantees‟ research teams.

Source: https://erc.europa.eu/

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SCIENCE NEWS RDuke researchers genetically modified Salmonella typhimurium to fight one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer: Glioblastoma. Lab tests in rats with extreme cases of glioblastoma showed an astonishing 20 percent survival rate, with the tumors going into remission over a peri-od of 100 days. http://bit.ly/2ilUUjL

SCIENCE IN A NUTSHELL SCIENCE IN A NUTSHELL 08_2017

Continued on next page

Stanford researchers created a human-powered centrifuge made from simple components: paper, twine, and plastic. Using nothing but the motions created by its operator, the device can spin at speeds up to 125,000 rpm and exert forces of 30,000 Gs. http://bit.ly/2kiJWeS

A team of scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the Univer-sity of Pennsylvania found a way to get skin to regenerate using fat cells. According to the researchers, the secret is to regenerate hair follicles first – the fat will regenerate in response to the signals from those follicles. http://bit.ly/2i1A98G

Researchers were able to make carbon nanotubes temporarily stiff by channeling flowing water into them. This device was used to successfully implant nanoelectrodes in mice, which didn't seem to damage the mice's brains. http://bit.ly/2kF6TWU

Researchers discovered UV radiation and the sun's plasma can cause the particles to spring above the moon surface creating the "horizon glow." http://bit.ly/2kiww29

As of the first of January this year, all public transport trains in the Nether-lands are being powered by renewable energy, namely from wind pow-er. There's currently a total of 2,200 wind turbines across the country, which generate enough power to sustain the equivalent of 2.4 million homes. http://bit.ly/2jp8Llt

Α drug that was previously used in Alzheimer‟s clinical trials, appears to improve the tooth‟s natural ability to heal itself. It works by activating stem cells inside the tooth's pulp centre, prompting the damaged area to regenerate the hard dentin material that makes up the majority of a tooth. http://bit.ly/2iZ5OZB

Cancer Statistics 2017, an annual report released by the American Can-cer Society, noted that cancer deaths have dropped 25 percent in 20 years in the United States. http://bit.ly/2j2TZnN

In about five years, two stars will collide briefly becoming one of the brightest objects in the sky. http://bit.ly/2k8rHXf

SCIENCE IN A NUTSHELL SCIENCE IN A NUTSHELL 08_2017

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Manganese exposure puts welders at risk of Parkinson‟s, even at low lev-els according to researchers at Washington University in Missouri, US.

http://bit.ly/2kK4Mon

A team of researchers at MIT has designed one of the strongest light-weight materials known, by compressing and fusing flakes of graphene, a two-dimensional form of carbon. The new material, a sponge-like con-figuration with a density of just 5 percent, can have a strength 10 times that of steel. http://bit.ly/2hZlda9

Chemists confirm carbon links to six other atoms in unusual molecule, exceeding the four bond link. http://bit.ly/2iORDbR

Michigan State University researchers have discovered that a chemical compound, and potential new drug, reduces the spread of melanoma cells by up to 90 percent. http://bit.ly/2hQOtA8

NASA Plans to Build a Gigantic Space Telescope from 2 Tiny CubeSats and the distance between the satellites would serve as the telescope‟s focal length. http://bit.ly/2kJT1hE

Researchers have just developed an instrument, called the “Na-Nose” that could detect up to seventeen diseases just by analyzing a patient‟s breath. The study was published in the nanotechnology journal ACS Nano. More testing is needed before the device can become a reliable diagnostic tool but it could play a part in the early detection of some cancers, significantly increasing survival rates. http://bit.ly/2i1A98G

A new study from the George Washington University's Center for the Ad-vanced Study of Human Paleobiology (CASHP) found that whereas brain size evolved at different rates for different species, especially during the evolution of Homo, the genus that includes humans, chewing teeth tended to evolve at more similar rates. The finding suggests that our brains and teeth did not evolve in lock step and were likely influenced by different ecological and behavioral factors. http://bit.ly/2ir7Ymv

A study now online in the February issue of Earth and Planetary Science Letters links the rise in oxygen to a rapid increase in the burial of sedi-ment containing large amounts of carbon-rich organic matter. http://bit.ly/2izP6m8

A San Francisco-based organization is preparing to send continuous messages to nearby planets thought most likely to harbor alien life. Mes-saging Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (METI) has already set its sights on dis-patching coded signals to a rocky planet that orbits Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to our Sun, by 2018. http://bit.ly/2kLg5IR

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ABOUT SCIENCE VIEWSABOUT SCIENCE VIEWS 08_2017

Science View is a science journalists‟

association based in Athens. Science

View attempts to strengthen Science

Journalism in Greece. SV also pro-

m o t e s s c i en c e c om m u n i c a -

tion activities between the scientific

community and the wider public by

implementing events, video produc-

tions and scientific documentaries,

science communication trainings and

e-learning courses, printed and elec-

tronic publications, newsletters, online

magazines, websites, information por-

tals and brochures. Meet the SV team

and check out our projects and our

services.

Science View is a member of the Euro-

pean Union of Science Journalists‟ As-

sociations (EUSJA) and European Sci-

ence Events Association (EUSEA)

2 Misaraliotou str,11742 Αthens Gr Phone: +30 210 9231955 Fax: +30 210 9231956 E-mail: info@scienceview.gr

GET IN TOUCH WITH SCIENCE VIEW

ABOUT SIENCE VIEW

“Science Views” is a monthly bulletin published by Science View, that focus-es on EU and Greek R&D, policy, sci-ence and innovation news. The views expressed in Science Views are those of the individual writers, and not neces-sarily those of Science View. Unsigned articles come from selected press re-leases from scientists, research institu-tions and the EU.

Publisher

Menelaos Sotiriou

sotiriou@scienceview.gr

Chief Editor

Spiros Kitsinelis

kitsinelis@scienceview.gr

Content & Layout Editor

Koukovinis Alexandros

koukovinis@scienceview.gr

Copy-editing / Proof-reading

Grigoriou Valia

grigoriou@scienceview.gr

ABOUT Science Views

Dr Spiros Kitsinelis is a physical chemist and former associ-ate professor at Ehime University in Japan. He has worked as a researcher at various universities and companies in Britain, Japan, the Netherlands, Greece and France. Since his participation in the international competition Famelab (in 2007) where he received both the audience

and the judging committee‟s first national awards he has been a very active science communicator. He is the co-founder of the first scientific theater group in Greece (SciCo), judge and presenter for the Interna-tional Science Film Festival of Athens (ISFFA by CAID), author of books and articles on various scientific topics for the general public (www.the-nightlab.com, Protagon.gr, Sciencenews.webs.com), speaker of public scientific events in Athens with the most recent being his talk at TEDxA-cademy and guest science presenter on major Greek TV and radio sta-tions (Alpha TV, SKAI radio). Currently he is collaborating with the Universi-ty of Athens (NKUA) and the science journalism organization Science View (www.scienceview.gr) delivering science communication courses at various European universities.

Publisher‟s CV

Chief Editor‟s CV

Mr. Menelaos Sotiriou is a science writer and communi-cator. He was the editor of the official Research and Technology online magazine in Greece, E&T (www.et-online.gr) that was published from the General Secretari-at of Research and Technology. He started his profes-sional career by developing various Management Sys-tems, mostly in the field of Education as well as Health

Care and Telecommunications, in over 40 public and private Organi-sations. He is a certified auditor and has realised over 50 audits, mostly in the field of Quality Management Systems and Assurance. The last twelve (12) years he is running (project management) and organising European and national projects for several institutions (including re-search institutions) mainly in the areas of new and innovative technolo-gies (ICT). He has been involved in more than 30 EU projects in the are-as of SiS, SSH, ICT, Research for the Benefit of SMEs. He has vast experi-ence in networking activities as the project Coordinator of EUROSiS Pro-ject that is the Network of the Science in Society NCPs. (Greek NCP for SiS Programme). During this project he has organized a lot of broker-age events as well as info days / trainings concerning the participation of institutions in the specific programme. He is holding the position of President of Science View (www.scienceview.gr) a nonprofit, non gov-ernmental organization that has expertise in Science Communication and Science Journalism. He is specialised in science communication, organisation of events (science cafes, conferences, science festivals, exhibitions, science weeks), publications, science writing, outreach activities for young students (mainly in the fields of mathematics, phys-ics, astronomy and health), and creativity in science education (Introduction of creative ways to provide science education like sci-ence theatre, music and science). Finally, he is included in the Evalua-tors‟ Data Base of theEuropean Commission for the HORIZON2020 and of the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and also he had participated in several EC meetings as an expert in Science Communication and Journalism issues.