The summer school “THE MYTILENE PROJECT” of the School of Medicine of the University of Crete was successfully completed under the auspices of Associate Professor of Forensic Medicine, Dr. Elena Kranioti. The summer school, which was conducted as part of a broader humanitarian initiative aimed at identifying victims of refugee shipwrecks, took place from 1–31 July 2026 on the island of Lesvos, with the support of the Municipality of Mytilene and the assistance of the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University (USA).
The working group consisted of 25 professionals, recent graduates, and students from 10 different countries: Greece, the USA, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Romania, Iran, and South Africa. Nine of the participants are current students or graduates of the MSc in Forensic Anthropology and Imaging at the University of Crete.
During the project, participants had the opportunity to receive hands-on training in forensic archaeology techniques for the detection and proper recovery of human skeletal remains, as well as in the principles of forensic anthropology, including the examination of skeletal remains and the assessment of the biological profile. In addition, participants were introduced to the basic principles of photogrammetry and computed tomography (CT), as well as to the value of geophysical investigation using a total station for mapping and ground-penetratingradar (GPR).
The project achieved two major goals: the international representation and promotion of the University of Crete, together with its scientific and ethical values, and the contribution of members of the scientific and academic community to addressing a major humanitarian crisis that has affected Greece over the past decade.
Working Group
University of Crete
Helen Kranioti
Despina Flouri
Efsevia Daskalaki
Texas State University
Sophia Mavroudas
Nicholas Herrmann
Lauren Meckel
Courtney Siegert
Kari Helgeson
Rebekah Stowe
Valerie Crystal Arroyo
University of Copenhagen
Anja Simonsen
University of Iasi
Madalina Diac
Student Participants
Parts I & II
Fatemeh Parivand, Iran
Katerina Boura, Greece
Isabel Beswick, UK
Myrthe Marit Schupp, Belgium
Michaela Janse van Rensburg, South Africa
Anastasia Elizabeth Moore, USA
Angelia Cavallo, USA
Riley Rieber, USA
Part II
Emilie Berger, Germany
Pauline Scheiffele, Germany
Oline Kvamme Rostad, Norway
Natalie Tezsla, USA
Margarethe Becker, Germany
