What If Fest: The Eugenides Foundation’s two-day Science Festival concludes with a strong response from the public
With science, technology and critical thinking at its core, the event attracted visitors of all ages
The Eugenides Foundation’s What If Fest concluded on 18 and 19 September with a strong response from the public, following two days dedicated to science, technology, experimentation and discovery.
Visitors of all ages embraced the event and actively participated in the programme’s various activities, which, for two days, transformed the Eugenides Foundation’s premises into a vast field of scientific exploration. Experiments, STEM workshops, robotics, technology demonstrations, scientific discussions and space tours at the Planetarium brought the public closer to science through participation, experimentation and discovery.
The event was held as part of the celebrations marking the Eugenides Foundation’s 70 years of contribution to education, knowledge and skills development, highlighting in a different way its longstanding mission to keep knowledge open and accessible to all.
With “It Wasn’t Always Like This” as its central message, What If Fest brought to the forefront the ways in which science has changed how we perceive the world, as well as the importance of curiosity, observation, experimentation and critical thinking.
“Do We Believe What We See? From the Earth to the Moon”
A special place in the What If Fest programme was held by the discussion “Do We Believe What We See? From the Earth to the Moon”, which focused on a particularly timely issue: how we distinguish scientific knowledge from misinformation, and the role of critical thinking in an environment where information circulates at unprecedented speed.
Taking as its starting point questions that continue to appear in public discourse, such as “Did we really go to the Moon?” or “Is the Earth round?”, the discussion highlighted the importance of observation, experimentation, evidence and the scientific method as fundamental tools for understanding the world and evaluating information.
The discussion was preceded by opening remarks from Professor Ioannis Golias, Governor of the Eugenides Foundation, and Professor Manolis Pleionis, former President of the National Observatory of Athens and Science and Technology Advisor to the Eugenides Foundation.
Referring to the importance of the event and its connection with the broader mission of the Eugenides Foundation, Mr Golias noted: “The goal is not an audience that memorises answers, but people who know how to ask the right questions. This is what we strive for at the Foundation. This is why science education cannot be limited to the transmission of knowledge. It must cultivate critical thinking skills. It must teach us to question what we hear and see. To ask for evidence and sources and to ask: how do we know this? What data supports it? Can it be tested?”
For his part, Mr Pleionis referred to the importance of scientific thinking and evidence-based knowledge: “Science is perhaps the most powerful tool that humankind has developed for precisely this purpose. Not because it possesses some immutable and absolute truth, but precisely because it has mechanisms to test its hypotheses, identify its mistakes and revise its conclusions when the data requires it.”
The discussion featured Giorgos Pleios, Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Social Research on the Media at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Dr Manos Saridakis, Research Director at IAASARS, National Observatory of Athens, and Dr Alexandros Chiotelis, Research Associate at the National Observatory of Athens and coordinator of the international experiment “Sea the Curve – The Geosphere Experiment”. The discussion was moderated by journalist Eleonora Orfanidou.
Two days of science, experimentation and discovery
Critical thinking, observation and the active participation of the public ran throughout the What If Fest programme.
On Friday, 18 September, the first day was dedicated to major scientific ideas, exploration and experimentation. At the Science and Technology Centre, visitors took part in interactive workshops on DNA, black holes, robotics and optical fibres, discovering through experiments concepts and phenomena connected both to everyday life and to some of the biggest questions in modern science.
At the same time, the Planetarium presented three different journeys into space exploration — “From the Earth to the Moon”, “The Great Adventure” and “The Future in Space” — tracing the journey from humanity’s first steps towards the Moon to questions surrounding its future presence on the Moon, Mars and beyond our Solar System.
On Saturday, 19 September, the Eugenides Foundation’s indoor and outdoor spaces were transformed into a large interactive field of science and technology for the whole family. Live tours of the Universe, guided by Planetarium Director Manos Kitsonas, a treasure hunt, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence demonstrations, and The Eugenides Quiz Show gave visitors of all ages the opportunity to participate actively and explore different scientific concepts through play and discovery.
Science also moved into the Foundation’s outdoor spaces, with activities focusing on sound and music, volcanoes and earthquakes, 3D printing and underwater robotics, while Robot Battles brought participants into the arena with their own robotic “fighters”. “The Science of Explosions” brought Physics and Chemistry to the forefront through a science show featuring live experiments, while the two-day festival concluded with the DJ Set Closing Event, where music met scientific experiments.
Bringing science closer to visitors of all ages
The high attendance and warm response from the public to the two-day programme highlighted the interest of visitors of all ages in a more direct, participatory and experiential engagement with science. What If Science Fest took place in a milestone year for the Eugenides Foundation, which in 2026 celebrates 70 years of continuous and multifaceted contribution to education, knowledge and the development of young people’s skills.
For two days, science came closer to the public through questions, experiments, dialogue and participation. The high attendance and response from visitors of all ages represented the most meaningful impact of the event.
What If. It wasn’t always like this. And who knows what comes next?
