Two outstanding young scientists, graduates of the Master’s program in Oceanography and Management of the Marine Environment, distinguished themselves as researchers exploring the frozen waters of Antarctica.

Eleni Kytinou, biologist at the Hellenic Center for Marine Research (HCMR – Institute of Oceanography), and Dionysia-Christina Rigatou, Oceanographer at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Department of Biology), made their first dives in the icy waters of Antarctica, at a temperature of just 2°C.

The dives were conducted as part of a study of the coastal food web, near the Bulgarian base St Kliment Ohridski and the Spanish base Juan Carlos I. The project was carried out with the support of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, to whom the Department extended its warmest thanks.

The presence of Greek female researchers in one of the most extreme and demanding environments on the planet is not just a scientific achievement. It sends a powerful message to young people—especially girls—that science knows no boundaries. That dedication, knowledge, and perseverance can take you from university lecture halls to the most remote corners of the Earth.

We need such role models. Role models who inspire, who prove that the Greek scientific community is present in global challenges, and who encourage the younger generation to dream, dare, and explore.