The Municipality of Rhodes, through the Rhodes International Center for Writers and Translators (ICWR) and the Department of Education and Youth, is implementing the educational and scientific initiative “The Hipparchus Experiment” on an international level. The initiative enables students and teachers from schools on the island to participate in a scientific collaboration program from October 2026 through July 2027.
The municipality’s participation is an initiative of the Deputy Mayor for Education and Lifelong Learning, Stamatia Gianneli, who stated: “Education cannot be confined to the walls of the classroom. We must create opportunities for our children to learn, discover, collaborate, and open themselves up to the world. We want every student in Rhodes to have access to activities that broaden their horizons and foster a love of knowledge, science, and culture.”
The program links ancient Greek astronomy with modern scientific methodology, focusing on measuring the distance between Earth–Moon using the parallax method, which is based on the work of Hipparchus. Students are introduced to the experimental methodology, make observations, collect data, and collaborate with student groups from various countries to analyze it.
The activities include:
- Online professional development sessions for teachers
- Provision of educational and support materials
- Guidance for student groups
- International observations and data collection
- Data exchange between schools
- Processing and presentation of results
This initiative is part of the efforts of the International Center for Writers and Translators in Rhodes, broadening the scope of its educational activities and connecting the local school community with an international network of scientific collaboration.