Final curtain comes down on the 1st ‘We Are UoA’ Festival of the University of Athens

The final curtain came down on the 1^st ‘We Are UoA’ Festival of the University of Athens. The Festival opened its doors on 19 October in a festive atmosphere and continued with zeal and intense symbolism on 20 and 21 October at the Propylaea, the NKUA’s historic main building (30 Panepistimiou St, Athens). The end of the programme of events was marked by a Reunion Party on the square in front of the Propylaea on Monday, 21 October, featuring the talented ‘Music Odyssey’ ensemble of the NKUA’s Department of Music Studies together with the Greek singer-songwriter and lyricist Nikos Portokaloglou.

On the occasion of the 1^st ‘We Are UoA’ Festival, the Rector of the University of Athens, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, stressed, among other things, that: ‘This Festival was more than simply a series of activities. It was rather a strong move that brought our University family together. Throughout these three days of events, we opened our doors to society. Current and prospective students, academics, administrative staff, graduates, and the general public from across the city were allowed to get to know our work and vision, discuss, and get inspired. This Festival’s planning was a striking example of collaboration and our shared vision of a University that fosters knowledge, research, creativity, and social contribution.’

The 1st ‘We Are UoA’ Festival distinguished itself by its Open Days for prospective students, their families, and the wider community, who all had the chance to speak with faculty members from the NKUA’s forty-two (42) Departments and get information about the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programmes of Study, as well as its Career Days, organized in collaboration with the NKUA’s Career Office (https://career.uoa.gr) to provide current students and graduates with a unique opportunity to connect to over 40 top companies across various sectors.

The programme of events included on Monday 21 October the ‘Researcher’s Day’ with the Deans of the University of Athens presenting the research work of their Schools. The necessity of modern research is evident in every aspect of our lives. It serves as the foundation for sustainable development and creates a brighter future for human beings. Contemporary research is critical to the growth of science, technology, and society as it forms the basis for understanding new phenomena, creating innovative solutions, and improving our quality of life.

Coordinating the event was the journalist Tania Mandouvalou. For the ‘Researcher’s Day’, please click on the video link below:

As part of the Festival, a highly symbolic event took place, namely the awards ceremony for the candidates who were the first in terms of score to enter each of the NKUA’s Departments, held on Saturday, 19 October 2024, at the Great Hall of the NKUA’s main building. For the awards ceremony, please click on the video link below:

Also, as part of the Festival, a new institution was launched, the Great Talks ‘Dialogues – Διάλογοι’ under the theme ‘Links – Συνδέσεις’. The ‘Dialogues’ of the University of Athens are an inspired action that also serves as a real-time discussion platform. Their goal is to provoke thought and promote the exchange of views among speakers from various fields, who share their ideas, stories, and innovative insights, encouraging the University of Athens community to interact with new concepts and thus foster innovation, creativity, and extroversion. Participating in this year’s ‘Dialogues’ were: Efstathios Efstathopoulos, Professor of Medical Physics at the NKUA’s Department of Medicine and Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation at the University of Athens, Ioannis Tigelis, Professor of Electronic Physics and Systems at the NKUA’s Department of Physics, George Vakondios, Managing Director at Lavrio Port Authority, Efthimia Basdra, Professor of Biochemistry-Biomechanics at the NKUA’s Department of Medicine, Spyridon Vlachopoulos, Professor of Public Law at the NKUA’s School of Law, Theofanis Mylonas, General Manager and Head of Wealth Management at Eurobank, Efthymios Lekkas, Emeritus Professor of Dynamic, Tectonic, and Applied Geology at the NKUA’s Department of Geology and Geoenvironment, Spyros Gianniotis, Olympic medallist in open-water swimming, Theodoros Papakostas (Archaeostoryteller), Archaeologist, Costas Demetzos, Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Syrago Tsiara, Director of the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum, Dimitris Katsianis, Deputy Chairman of GRNET SA and faculty member at NKUA, and Pantelis Tzortzakis, Chief Executive Officer at the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation HCDI SA  and Member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Development Bank HDB SA. Moderating the ‘Dialogues’ were the journalists Dimitra Efthimiadou and Makis Provatas. For the ‘Dialogues’, please click on the video link below:

The first day of the ‘We Are UoA’ Festival concluded with a powerful party—a welcome event for the first-year students at the University of Athens on the square in front of the Propylaea featuring an amazing DJ Set by Alexandros Christopoulos & Izo Darko. The second day closed with a graduation party on the same square. It was an evening full of tunes from the Greek musical tradition performed by the Department of Music Studies with the participation of the Dance Section of the Students’ Cultural Club of NKUA.

The Students’ Cultural Club of NKUA (POFPA) had a dynamic presence at the event.

The Festival featured the following activities:

Saturday 19/10/2024

12:00 Opening of a photography exhibition at the Propylaea.

13:00-16:00 Open shooting by the Cinema Section of the Students’ Cultural Club of NKUA.

14:00-15:30 Presentation of Greek traditional costumes from the cloakroom of the Dance Section of the Students’ Cultural Club of NKUA at the educational and cultural hall ‘IRIDA’.

15:00-19:00 Open theatre workshop by the Theatre Section of the Students’ Cultural Club of NKUA at the small theatre located in the basement of the ‘Kostis Palamas’ Cultural Centre.

16:00-19:30 Open class of Greek traditional dances by the Dance Section of the Students’ Cultural Club of NKUA in the basement of the University Club (15 Ippokratous St, Athens).

18:00-21:30 Open class of photography by the Photography Section of the Students’ Cultural Club of NKUA. Participants got shots of people at the Festival to print and present them at the photography exhibition.

Sunday 20/10/2024

12:00-15:00 Analogue printing workshop in the darkroom of the University Club and exhibition of the prints at the Propylaea. The whole event was based on the shots taken during the open class on Saturday 19 October.

12:30-14:30 Presentation of a filmed theatre performance by the 1^st Group of the Theatre Section of the Students’ Cultural Club of NKUA at the educational and cultural hall ‘IRIDA’ (the recording and editing had been done by the Cinema Section of the Students’ Cultural Club of NKUA).

15:00-18:00 Cyanotype workshop at the inner courtyards of the NKUA’s main building and exhibition of the prints at the Propylaea.

15:00-19:00 Open theatre workshop by the Theatre Section of the Students’ Cultural Club of NKUA at the small theatre located in the basement of the ‘Kostis Palamas’ Cultural Centre.

 

Monday 21/10/2024

12:00-14:00 Screening of the film ‘Death of a Bureaucrat – La muerte de un burocrata’ (Comedy, 1966) by the Cinema Section of the Students’ Cultural Club of NKUA at the educational and cultural hall ‘IRIDA’.

14:00-17:00 Screening and presentation of the film editing process by the Cinema Section of the Students’ Cultural Club of NKUA at the University Club.

17:00-19:00 Presentation of a filmed theatre performance by the 2^nd Group of the Theatre Section of the Students’ Cultural Club of NKUA.

Finally, during the Festival, there were guided tours of the Propylaea to introduce everyone to this magnificent and imposing neoclassical building of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Designed by Danish architect Hans Christian Hansen, with the foundation stone being laid on 2 July 1839, the Propylaea aimed from the very beginning to serve as the central point of the then newly established University of Athens.