Inspiring Science Education

An overwhelming 350 schools from 37 countries participated in The Eratosthenes Experiment, organized by Ellinogermaniki Agogi’s (EA) Research and Development Department, on Friday March 21st 2014, on the occasion of the previous day’s equinox.  Participants celebrated science and education by calculating the circumference of the Earth using eLearning educational tools and simple instruments.

Students and teachers from Ghana, Canada, Chile, the U.S., China, India, Australia and throughout Europe collaborated in forming online teams, exchanging data and measurements, in order to repeat the experiment of the Greek mathematician, Eratosthenes (276 BC-194 BC). It is this experiment that enabled Eratosthenes to prove the sphericity of the Earth and to measure its circumference.

A Photo Contest is in progress, capturing a school’s involvement and teamwork in the experiment. The competition is supported by the digital platform of the European Project Open Discovery Space. A teacher from the winning school will receive a scholarship for his/her participation in the 2014 Summer Academy of the European Project, Inspiring Science Education, also organized by  EA’s Research and Development Department, on 13-18 July 2014 in Athens.

The organizers aim to turn this international educational activity into an important world event, giving students, teachers and parents from around the world the opportunity to actively engage in building online learning communities, exchanging ideas and material through innovative initiatives, such as the Open Discovery Space and the Inspiring Science Education projects.

For more information on the Eratosthenes Experiment and other innovative activities and projects under the Inspiring Science Education Project schools and teachers may contact their national contact points or visit the websites:
http://www.inspiringscience.eu 
http://eratosthenes.ea.gr 
http://www.opendiscoveryspace.eu/