Today, after an interactive activity with Dr. Elias Yfantis, we visited the Piraeus Container Terminal. During the exploration of the terminal via bus, we saw the various machines, shipment containers, and technology involved in making shipping services possible. The massive crane-like machines that place the 20 foot shipping containers onto the vessels were of the most interest to me. Seeing this process happen was amazing. The structure of the machines had been strategically and intentionally designed. One thing of note was the small white building housed in the center to maintain balance and stability. Since the containers are lowered and raised, there needs to be a counterbalance. These concepts aligned with physics topics of force, tension, and gravity. It was interesting and unique to see all of these factors work together in a real world application. Seeing as numerous activities occur at this private port, the private nature of the piers made sense. We had to enter through security gates to get into the different piers and see all of the people and machines working to stock or unload the vessels. I was also surprised that we were not permitted to take any photos or videos to maintain the private nature of the terminal. This is to ensure that competitors cannot see the way they work so efficiently and what machines they use. Overall, the career development portion of the day was very interesting because I learned about topics I hadn’t been as familiar with previously. I look forward to spending the rest of the day in the Plaka area with my peers.