Em. Prof. Yannis A. Phillis, School of Management and Production Engineering
“Urban Sustainability”
The first guest speaker for the Winter Semester 2017 English Talks Series was Em. Professor Yannis Phillis who spoke on the issue of “Urban Sustainability” demonstrating the need for a global shift in the approach to urban development. Factors impacting urban sprawl within a potentially catastrophic scenario for the future included deforestation, population growth, over-consumption and the burning of fossil fuels.
Prof. Georgios Karatzas, School of Environmental Engineering
"My own academic journey"
Professor George Karatzas, second guest speaker in the English Talks Series for the Winter Semester 2017, reflected on his own academic journey from a young undergraduate in Thessaloniki to a graduate student at Rutgers, New Jersey, then on to stints at Princeton University and the University of Vermont, until finally becoming a professor at the Technical University of Crete in the School of Environmental Engineering. Professor Karatzas' personal narrative served to demonstrate that persistence beats resistance and that students should work hard with an aim to pursue a satisfying career.
Mr Li Jiajun, Guangxi University, China
"The Past, Present and Future of Chinese Culture"
On behalf of the Language Centre, we would like to thank Mr. Li Jiajun for his presentation entitled "The Past, Present and Future of Chinese Culture". With over 140 students in attendance, the lecture featured aspects of Chinese tradition including, food, weddings, calligraphy, and the arts.
Prof. Michail Lagoudakis, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
"Team Robocup Kouretes"
Another guest speaker for the language Centre English Talks Series - Winter Semester 2017, was Professor Lagoudakis who gave an engaging presentation on his research activities related to Team Kouretes, whose ongoing objective is to build a competitive robot soccer team. He explained that the challenges faced included many issues such as visual object recognition, motion uncertainty, complex motion skills and coordination. Team Kouretes is an undergraduate group that has participated in many competitions, winning a wide range of distinctions from first to eighth place.
Ass Prof. Panagiotis Partsinevelos, School of Mineral Resources Engineering
"Drones Unleashed"
Ass. Professor Partsinevelos, School of Mineral Resources Engineering was the last guest speaker for the Winter Semester English Talks Series 2017. In "Drones Unleashed", Professor Partsinevelos presented an overview of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), one of his areas of research at the SenseLab Research Group. He shared not only the impressive capabilities of drones but also the humanitarian contribution that can be made by optimising that capability.
