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Snorkeling Through Science and Self: Two Weeks in Greece

Snorkeling Through Science and Self: Two Weeks in Greece

Saroosh Zahid is a rising junior at Georgetown University-Qatar, pictured above third from left.

As I walk down the most recent lane in memory town, I can’t help but smile at the thought of two  wonderful weeks I spent with a brilliant group of people in Greece. I was part of the Earth Commons’ summer course in Greece: Sensing Marine Ecosystem Health & Climate Impacts from Space. This was a joint initiative between Georgetown University (GU) in Washington, DC, Georgetown University-Qatar, and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), with five students from each of the participating institutions. This 5+5+5 formula turned out to be the “secret sauce” which gave this course so much flavor!

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We received academic tutelage under professors Jesse Meiller and Dionysios Raitsos, with the logistical brilliance of Katerina Downward of the Earth Commons-Greece keeping everything running smoothly. The course consisted of two parts: the first in Athens at the NKUA biology department and the second in Andros with the Andros Research Center. As a student of International Economics at GU-Q, this course was somewhat distant from the normal scope of my academics. So far, I have been privy to more of the policy discussions around environmental science, and I have consistently felt a lack of scientific knowledge informing environmental policymaking. This course offered me a way to snorkel (somewhat literally and intellectually) in the waters of science-proper while expanding the colors on my academic palette.

Over the first week in Athens, we learned the fundamentals of marine biology, starting with phytoplankton and thermoclines and all the way to oceanographic equipment used to collect in-situ data. In the second week, we put our new knowledge to practice by collecting samples from the ocean using niskin bottles, secchi disk, and sea surface samples from the Andros port and from a few kilometers into the Aegean. We then studied the samples under the microscope, observing the phytoplankton, zooplankton and, unfortunately, quite a few microplastics in the water. Nearing the end, we worked in pairs to prepare a research report about primary productivity of any interesting oceanic region around the globe using satellite data from ESA & NASA and presented our findings on the last day of course.

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As exciting and fun as the academic experience was for me, it was the shared meals, quiet conversations and slow weaving of trust that gave our learning deeper meaning, reminding us that science, at its best, is a profoundly human endeavor.

As I look back on the two weeks, I find it very hard to pick and choose a particular memory because every moment is so special to me. However, something that is evidence enough of the beautiful human experience is that although we were able to have several meals on our own, there was barely a Mediterranean meal that we had solo. Even after spending the whole day together, our cohort would get together to grab dinner and be out late, laughing, sharing, and being excellent humans deep into the night.

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At the precipice of my undergraduate years, I would like to use the knowledge I gained and the relationships I’ve built in Greece to inform a mindful life that embodies a respect for the world I’ve been entrusted with, to act for preserving life—both microscopic and macroscopic—and to advocate for science-based environmental policy at every policy discussion I get to be a part of.

To my mentors and colleagues: thank you all for creating and sharing this experience of a lifetime with me!

Civic engagement activities of Gerodontology NKUA for the Academic Year 2024-25

Civic engagement activities of Gerodontology NKUA for the Academic Year 2024-25

The Discipline of Gerodontology of the Dental School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), continuing a 14-year-long effort to promote the oral health of older citizens, especially those in vulnerable groups, has successfully completed its educational and civic engagement activities for the academic year 2024–2025. These activities were organised and carried out […]

Snorkeling Through Science and Self: Two Weeks in Greece

Snorkeling Through Science and Self: Two Weeks in Greece

Saroosh Zahid is a rising junior at Georgetown University-Qatar, pictured above third from left. As I walk down the most recent lane in memory town, I can’t help but smile at the thought of two  wonderful weeks I spent with a brilliant group of people in Greece. I was part of the Earth Commons’ summer […]

Department of Geology and Geoenvironment unveils new palaeontological discoveries at Vatera

Department of Geology and Geoenvironment unveils new palaeontological discoveries at Vatera

Vatera, a region on the island of Lesbos known for its remarkable palaeontological finds, has once again attracted scientific interest following discoveries that shed light on its geological past. Recent palaeontological research is deepening our understanding of the animals that once roamed the area millions of years ago. One particularly exciting discovery is that of […]

School of Medicine and School of Law top the admission scores

School of Medicine and School of Law top the admission scores

For another consecutive year, the School of Medicine and the School of Law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens have maintained their pre-eminence and appeal, securing top spots in the admission scores of the ‘Panhellenic Exams’. In addition, the Departments of Pharmacy, Dentistry, Psychology, Biology, Chemistry, and Informatics have proven exceptionally popular, continuing […]

‘NKUA in the City’: Overview of activities, 2024-2025

‘NKUA in the City’: Overview of activities, 2024-2025

The series of educational, cultural, and artistic activities titled ‘NKUA in the City’ was introduced by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens—following a proposal by the present author—and officially launched on March 21, 2024. The events are co-organized with the Municipality of Athens based on a Memorandum of Understanding that was mutually agreed upon […]

Faculty members of the Department of Public Law meet online with representatives of the Sino-German Legal Cooperation Programme and GIZ—the German Agency for International Cooperation

Faculty members of the Department of Public Law meet online with representatives of the Sino-German Legal Cooperation Programme and GIZ—the German Agency for International Cooperation

On Monday, 14 July 2025, an online meeting took place between two faculty members of the Department of Public Law at the School of Law of the University of Athens, namely Associate Professor and Head of the Department, Dr Aikaterini Iliadou, and Assistant Professor, Dr Nikolaos Simantiras, on the one hand, and, on the other, […]

University of Athens

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, which was inaugurated on May 3, 1837, was initially housed in a renovated Ottoman building on the northeastern side of the Acropolis. This building has since been restored and now functions as the University Museum. Originally named the "Othonian University," after Otto, the first king of Greece, it consisted of four academic departments and 52 students. As the first university of the newly established Greek state, as well as of the broader Balkan and Mediterranean region, it assumed an important socio-historical role, which was pivotal in the development of specific forms of knowledge and culture within the country.

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