{"id":13619,"date":"2025-04-10T17:07:29","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T14:07:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacyprus.org\/?p=13619"},"modified":"2025-04-10T17:07:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T14:07:29","slug":"sci-tech-challenge-in-cyprus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacyprus.org\/en\/sci-tech-challenge-in-cyprus\/","title":{"rendered":"Sci-Tech Challenge in Cyprus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Defining the Future through Science and Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n

Junior Achievement Cyprus and ExxonMobil Cyprus are pleased to announce the implementation of the Sci-Tech Challenge programme for the <\/strong>fifth<\/strong> consecutive year. The programme is a collaboration between JA Europe and ExxonMobil which counts 1<\/strong>6<\/strong> years with the participation of more than 62,000 students from all over Europe.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Science and technology play a critical role in advancing our understanding of the world and creating new technologies that improve the quality of our lives. Without scientific research and technological innovation, we would not have many of the benefits we enjoy today, such as modern medicine, advanced communication tools, and efficient transportation systems. By studying science and technology, we can develop the knowledge and skills needed to create innovative solutions to complex problems.<\/p>\n

The aims of the programme are to inspire students to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses at higher education levels and to enable them to understand the wide variety of careers that can be pursued through STEM education while leveraging their talents. It is a fact that the number of students studying these subjects is decreasing both internationally and in Cyprus, while the projected number of jobs in the field is increasing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The programme was implemented this year in 10 schools bringing 330 students face to face with the real challenges facing the world and our environment. Volunteer mentors from ExxonMobil played a key role in the programme, as through classroom visits they served as role models for a career in the STEM field while introducing students to the main energy challenges.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then, 10 student groups from the schools that took part in the programme with a total of 50 students participated in the National Sci-Tech Challenge Competition held on April 08, 2025 between the hours of 09:00 \u2013 18:00 at the POED premises.<\/p>\n

The winner was the team<\/strong> from Kykkos B Lyceum with its clever idea for the production of PETase enzymes, through genetic engineering and recombinant DNA, which break down difficult to recycle PET plastics into monomers. Monomers are separated by distillation and crystallization, while enzymes function without emissions and under mild conditions. Congratulations to the members of the team Alexandros Samoutis, Filios Memstoudis, Marina Constantinou, Marielena Neophytou and Dimitra Petraki along with their dedicated teacher, Kypros Loizidis.<\/p>\n

The winning team will represent Cyprus in the European Sci-Tech Challenge 2025 organized by ExxonMobil Europe and Junior Achievement Europe, and will take place in May in Brussels. The students as employees of a company were asked to choose a non-recyclable plastic product and develop an innovative solution, through chemical recycling, to make it more circular .<\/strong><\/p>\n

The second place<\/strong> was taken by the team from Archbishop Makarios III Lyceum Dasoupoli, which proposed the Flash Joule Heating (FJH) technology which efficiently converts plastic waste into valuable products, such as graphene and hydrogen, heating carbon-rich materials to ~3000 K within milliseconds, reducing waste, natural gas emissions and enhancing the circular economy. The team consisted of Andreas Kaourmas, Haris Tapakoudis, Marios Georgiadis, Andreas Pafitis and Andreas Georgiadis with their teacher Elena Kostara.<\/p>\n

The third place<\/strong> was taken by the students from the American Academy Larnaca. Their proposal for dark pyrolysis of polyolefins derived from plastic bags can efficiently recycle them into oil, natural gas and wax\u2014offering a sustainable large-scale solution for plastic waste management. Congratulations to Yuxin Zhang, Vasilis Kostas, Nikolas Papaevripidis, Nefeli Stavrou and Fotini Nicolaou as well as to their teacher, Sergios Nicolaou. For more information you can visit www.jacyprus.org\/sci-tech or contact info@jacyprus.org.<\/p>\n

For more information, you can visit www.jacyprus.org\/sci-tech<\/a> \u00a0or contact info@jacyprus.org<\/a> .<\/p>\n\n