FEBS MPST 2009
July 11-16, 2009, Patras, Greece, Conference & Cultural Center, University of Patras
Conference & Cultural Centre
The centre is located almost in the centre of the University campus in the main junction of Polytexneioy and Ippocratous Streets. It provides 500 parking places and appropriate facilities for disabled persons.
The University of Patras
The University of Patras (www.upatras.gr) is a major international centre for highest tertiary education with a proven track record not only in teaching but also in research. The 22 academic departments offer a wide range of undergraduate courses leading to the Ptychio or the Diploma, as well as an expanding range of taught and research-based postgraduate degrees. Facilities for academic work are excellent and opportunities for social life are varied and exciting.
The University is located, just outside the lively city of Patras, on a self-contained campus of about 600 acres. The campus has a lot of open-spaces, tree shaded areas and Mediterranean olive groves.
It lies at the foot of Mount Panachaikos with a view over the Gulf of Corinth to the mountains of central Greece across the water. People who come to Patras, whether for a short conference or an extended study period, tend to want to stay and usually come again and again.
The City of Patras
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The City of Patras is a varied and exciting place to live in, redolent of historical events and yet vibrating with the present times. Its history can be traced back to prehistoric times to the second millennium B.C. It is the capital of the prefecture of Achaia, which is named after the historically oldest people in Greece. The city took its name from Patreus, who was the leader of the Acheans in the 12th century B.C. In the 3rd century B.C., the Acheans formed the famous Achean league, which was the first form of representative government found in Greece. In the 1st Century A.D. St. Andrew came to Patras. It was here that he was martyred and ever since he has been the patron saint of the town. During the Greek struggle for independence in 1821, the region of Achaia played a vital role bringing about the independence of the Greek state from the Ottoman Empire. During the 19th century, Patras became an import commercial and industrial centre, functioning especially as a centre for the export of dried fruit to Western Europe.