The programme “Educational Trip” is organised by Corallia and the Student Association of Stanford (Hell.A.S), Berkeley (Hestia), MIT (HSA of MIΤ), Georgia Tech (Georgia Tech Hellenic Society) and UC San Diego (HSAUCSD).
CORALLIA
Corallia is the first organisation established in Greece for the management and development of Innovation Clusters, in specific sectors and regions of the country, aiming at boosting competitiveness, entrepreneurship and innovation, in knowledge-intensive and exports-oriented technology segments, where Greece has the capacity to build a sustainable innovation ecosystem.
To date, 3 highly-specialised clusters have been developed in knowledge-intensive thematic sectors with a strong exports-orientation: the mi-Cluster (nano/microelectronics-based systems and applications) established in 2004, the si-Cluster (space technologies and applications) established in 2009 and the gi-Cluster (gaming and creative technologies & applications) established in 2011. Corallia has performed preparatory actions and largely contributed to the kick-off of clusters in other sectors as well.
Additionally, Corallia promotes the hyper-concentration of industrial members of clusters in the network of thematic InnoHubs, in order to boost innovation exhibited in Greece and abroad. It currently operates three InnoHubs, in Athens and in Patras: the α1-innohub established in 2007 as the innovation and cutting-edge technology node in Maroussi – Athens, the π1-innohub in operation since 2011 as the innovation, research and high-tech bridge in Patras – Western Greece and the α2-innohub, which opened in 2014, also hosting Corallia’s headquarters, positioned as the innovation, networking and high-tech ring in Maroussi – Athens.
Corallia also implements a series of initiatives to stimulate and promote Youth Entrepreneurship, in collaboration with high-profile partners and supporters in Greece and abroad and organizes programmes to accelerate youth entrepreneurship including the most prominent accelerator programme currently operating in Greece, the egg – enter.grow.go, in cooperation with Eurobank. Among other actions, it is responsible for the programme Educational Trip, co-organized with the student associations from Stanford, Berkeley, MIT, Georgia Tech and UC San Diego.
Aiming at achieving transnational and interregional cooperation, Corallia demonstrates a strong engagement in European cluster policy bodies and has established key-strategic International Collaborations with all innovation stakeholders, regional and national development offices around the world with the ultimate goal to ensure a strong impact on cluster development in the participating countries (and beyond).
Corallia’s activities are financed by the private sector, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and National funds under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship, the Regional Operational Programmes, the Hellenic Public Investments Programme, the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, the South East Europe Transnational Cooperation Programme and donations from the private sector, foundations and other benefactors. More information: www.corallia.org
HELL.A.S – STANFORD
The Hellenic Association at Stanford (Hell.A.S.) aims to bring together not only people from Greece but also members of the Stanford community who are interested in Greek culture. Having as an ultimate goal the development of a substantial relationship among its members and the understanding of Greek culture, the Association organizes various social and cultural events throughout the year.
The Educational Trip program holds a special place among the Association’s activities. By giving the opportunity to students from public universities in Greece to visit Stanford, the Association hopes that the participants will form a more comprehensive view on education and academics, which will then be translated into practical action to improve the educational system of our country. Beginning as a collaboration of Hell.A.S. and Corallia in 2010, Educational Trip was transmitted to other Greek student organizations in many US institutions.
During this program the Hellenic Association at Stanford has hosted over 25 students from different departments and academic institutions. The experience gained by the participants has led to significant steps towards improving the academic reality in their universities. Illustrative examples are the formation of the group Co.Mv.oS, aimed at activation and the promotion of student initiatives across Greece, the organization of a series of thematic lectures and activities (such as Patras Game Expo and Team Fair AUTH), the creation of student groups with specific scientific interests (e.g. BAT, Path, Chemecon) and the general transfer of experience and expertise in various other organizations across Greece both in student teams and startups.
The positive experiences of the students who participated in the program highlights the will and needs of Greek students to raise motivation and hope. It is a common belief that if Hell.A.S. works collectively, taking initiatives responsibly and developing substantive proposals, then we can fight for a better future for our country.
Stanford University is a private research university, based in Stanford, California, USA. Founded in 1885 by former governor of California and US Senator Leland Stanford and his wife, Jane Lathrop Stanford, in memory of their son, Leland Stanford Jr., who died of typhoid fever in Europe a few weeks before his 16th birthday. Each year, about 6700 undergraduate and 8000 graduate students enroll at Stanford. The university’s location in the heart of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, has enabled several of its graduates to found companies in the area. Many of these companies are very successful, such as Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Nvidia, Yahoo!, Cisco Systems, Silicon Graphics and Google. More information: www.hellas.org
HESTIA – UC BERKELEY
The HESTIA (Hellenic Student Association at Berkeley) aims to inform and increase the awareness of the UC Berkeley campus community on cultural issues related to Greece. Its members are students, faculty, staff and alumni of the University of California at Berkeley, as well as people who live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area and share an interest in the greek culture. HESTIA organizes regularly social, cultural events and recreational activities in order to communicate the greek spirit.
Being fascinated by the vision of Educational trip, HESTIA got involved in the program in 2011 and expanded to UC Berkeley the effort that had begun one year earlier at Stanford University. Since then, HESTIA participates in the Education Trip every year and has hosted 20 students from greek universities.
University of California at Berkeley is a public institution that was founded in 1868. The University of California at Berkeley, often referred to as Cal, is situated overlooking the San Francisco Bay. There are more than 1,200 student organizations on campus, ranging from political groups to a hang gliding club and everything in between. Berkeley is comprised of 14 schools and colleges, including a number of graduate and professional schools such as the Graduate School of Journalism and College of Environmental Design. Other graduate programs are the highly ranked Haas School of Business, Graduate School of Education, College of Engineering, School of Law and Goldman School of Public Policy. More information: http://hellenic.berkeley.edu/
HSA – MIT
The Hellenic Students’ Association (HSA) of MIT is among the oldest and most active hellenic associations in the greater Boston area. It is comprised of more than 50 members, all of which are MIT students of Greek or Cypriot origin. The main goal of the association is to promote fellowship among members of the Greek/Cypriot student community by organizing cultural, social and educational activities. Furthermore, the HSA welcomes and helps out the newly admitted students and serves as the representative of the Greek/Cypriot student body of MIT as a whole. It also plays a significant role in the communication between Greek/Cypriot students in Boston beyond the limits of the MIT campus.
Having undertaken several actions, both independently and in collaboration with other associations, to connect with students in Greece, the Association enthusiastically joined the family of the Educational Trip in 2012, becoming the third university partner, following the Hellenic students’ associations of Stanford and UC Berkeley.
MIT was founded in 1861 and is a private research university, located in Cambridge, MA. It is routinely ranked as one of the top universities worldwide and is associated with numerous Nobel laureates, recognized scholars, entrepreneurs and astronauts. From the work on computers, radars and inertial guidance during WWII to the diverse research portfolio of the present, MIT’s five schools and one college are home to more than 1,000 academic staff members and more than 11,000 students. With a commitment to education, a strong entrepreneurial culture as well as a breadth of activities (including but not limited to “hacking”), life at MIT is indeed “like drinking from a firehose”. More information: hsa.mit.edu
GTHS – GEORGIA TECH
The Georgia Institute of Technology (which also goes by its nicknames “Georgia Tech” or “GT”) is one of the USA’s top research universities, distinguished by its commitment to improving the human condition through advanced science and technology. Since its inception in 1885, its student population has grown from an initial 85 to more than 21,000 undergraduate and graduate students (plus more than 900 full-time faculty).The university’s campus occupies 400 acres in the heart of the city of Atlanta, GA. Over the years, Georgia Tech has firmly established itself as both a national and international leader in scientific research. This is particularly demonstrated by its $800 million research budget, 2 billion endowment and its estimated $3 billion annual impact on the metro Atlanta economy (2011).
Facts and Rankings: Georgia Tech consistently ranks among the top research universities in the country, particularly when considering that it is a public school. Besides the departmental rankings, it is especially interesting to note that Georgia Tech is the No. 1 Top Degree Producer (2012) to all ‘All Minority Students’ at both the Bachelor’s and Ph.D levels. Also, it ranks no. 1 in return investment, which means that the ratio of the cost of degree to the first average salary is the best in country. It ranks no. 4 in graduate engineering college No. 5 undergraduate.
The Georgia Tech Hellenic Society (GTHS) is a student-run organization whose primary purpose is to promote fellowship amongst the Greek/Cypriot student community at Georgia Tech. Through social and cultural events, we hope to provide a “home away from home” for these students throughout their studies. Additionally, GTHS aims to provide support to prospective Hellenic students and ease their transition into GT life upon their arrival. Lastly, and no less importantly, we wish to introduce newly arrived students to the vibrant Hellenic Community of Greater Atlanta. Over the past 2 years, the Greek student population on campus has grown tremendously, with over 30 graduate and undergraduate students now studying here. The society hosts and participates in social events like the semesterly Plaka Party, cultural events like the Atlanta Greek Festival, and educational events including talks from external guests or faculty.
GTHS is a member of the NHSA (National Hellenic Student Associations of North America), the organization that connects all the Hellenic societies of America.
The Georgia Tech Hellenic Society has been proudly hosting the Educational Trip for 3 years, and many of our members are involved to make sure that the visiting students take a complete and very educational perspective of our school, the American University system and the student activities. Students are escorted to labs, classes, various organizations meetings like startup incubators and other student initiatives, as well as important entrepreneurs of the area like American Process and Georgia Power. More information: www.gthellas.org
HSA – UC SAN DIEGO
The Hellenic Student Association (HSA) at the University of California in San Diego (UCSD) was founded as a non-profit organization in September 2013. It has currently more than 40 members, mainly undergraduate and graduate students at the university but also administrative staff, faculty, alumni as well as individuals who live and work in the greater San Diego area, all of Greek or Cypriot descent. The goal of the association is to foster fellowship among its members and to promote the Greek culture in the academic community of UC San Diego. This goal is achieved by organizing activities such as welcome events for new students, celebrations of holidays and customs, leisure activities, and screenings of Greek movies or movies of Greek interest that are open to the public. Moreover, the association aims at engaging in fruitful communication and collaboration with similar associations in San Diego, the United States, and Greece.
Since a few months after its founding, HSA UCSD has sought to participate in the Educational Trip program, fully recognizing the value of such an initiative and wishing to actively contribute to the program goals by leveraging on the experiences of the association members as members of the U.S. academic and scientific community. This effort has resulted in HSA UCSD being one of the Educational Trip organizing student associations as of December 2014. The importance of the association’s participation in the program is highlighted by the fact that UC San Diego is ranked among the ten best public U.S. universities for studies in engineering and sciences. UC San Diego and its surrounding innovation ecosystem, that is dynamically evolving and world-renowned for its biosciences research centers (e.g., Salk Institute) and high-tech companies (e.g., Qualcomm), offer an exemplary prototype for the development of Greek universities. This prototype is what HSA UCSD aspires to showcase to the students from Greece who will be hosted in San Diego under the auspices of the Educational Trip program. More information: http://hellenic.ucsd.edu/
OPA – PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
The Orange Panhellenic Association (OPA) of Princeton University was founded 5 years ago by Greek and Greek-American undergraduate students wishing to continue the tradition of Hellenic cultural organizations on Princeton’s campus. The club has about 30 active undergraduate and graduate student members, as well as about 15 friends who are either affiliates from the Princeton Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies or local residents. Since October 2011, the Orange Pan-Hellenic Association has been regularly active on campus. The club organizes a weekly Modern Greek language table at Mathey and Rocky Colleges, where students and faculty have the opportunity to practice conversational Greek over a meal in the dining hall. The club also has planned on-campus cultural events and workshops. As a college member society of the Federation of Hellenic American Organizations of New Jersey, OPA participates in the NYC Greek Independence Day Parade and organizes bi-annual Greek music themed concerts.
OPA members have shown great excitement about the Educational Trip cause. The majority of our members are international students themselves who came here straight from Greece, and there is much enthusiasm about the prospect of getting more Greek students to experience a sample of life and academics at a major American university and especially at Princeton. More information: https://opa.princeton.edu/.