We started our day by heading to the UNIC Athens campus for a lecture from Dr. Yiannis Sarigiannis about peptides, motivated by their use in antivenoms, how they have developed over time, and where current research stands. I would say I generally don’t enjoy chemistry as much as other subjects, but I found this lecture very fascinating and it gave me more interest in the field. The range of uses of peptides is wide, and the use of biological antivenoms as a source of “inspiration” for products like anticoagulants was cool to see. He also introduced how using peptides to make materials like glass is beginning to be studied, which I found incredible. Again, as someone who does not particularly enjoy chemistry, I found this fascinating.

We then took a break for lunch in Kolonaki and headed to the Benaki Museum after. Every museum we visit makes me wish I had a good refresher on my ancient +/ world history beforehand, but in any case seeing all the artwork along with the development of the technique is super inspiring and provides a great perspective for future work.

Finally, we headed up Mount Lycabettus which is the highest point in central Athens. The view was beautiful, and was a great way to close up the day.