Panos Mylonas

Panos Mylonas was born on 12 July 1982 in Athens, his native city, where he lived with his family.

Panos was a charismatic personality and stood out for his diligence, his moral standards and dependability, his smile and love of life.

He completed the 4^th Lyceum (Senior High School) of Marousi and in the year 2000 began to study in the Department of Engineering and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Patras. He was a fourth-year student and had opted to do his specialization in the area of Energy and the Environment, while his final thesis, which he had begun but failed to complete, had to do with Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles.

At school he always obtained the highest grades and was awarded merits and distinctions by the Ministry of Education and Religion, Union of Journalists, etc. Furthermore, he stood out for his friendliness, exceptionally high moral standards, positive approach to life and creativity. At a young age – from Primary School – he began to show an interest in model making and then in go-kart racing. Then, while still a child, he began to write articles, first for the magazine ‘Modeling’, for which at the age of 13 he began to write about models and their capabilities as well as model races. While in Junior High School (Gymnasium) he also showed an interest in car technology and engineering and travelled to other countries where he had the opportunity to visit museums and related events-presentations (Germany, England, Finland, etc.)

Along with his studies he worked as an editor in the magazine Auto Moto and Sport, which he frequently represented at events held in Greece and abroad, and was in fact the youngest journalist in Europe in the WRC. His love of cars and Engineering, his knowledge and enthusiasm to learn combined to make him, even at his young age, a fully-fledged and creditable professional and one of the most promising people in the area of technology and journalism. Being a writer for a car Magazine meant that he had even greater driving experience and knowledge about how to drive carefully and safely. Unfortunately, however, this was not enough to save him from the poor condition of the road and the unprincipled behaviour of certain drivers.

In memory of Panos Mylonas it was decided to support activities related to Engineering, Road Safety and Road Culture as well as matters related to study, research and technology, promoting and commending actions and activities in these areas. To encourage student research projects in Schools of Engineering, the subject area indicatively focuses on areas such as: Internal Combustion Engines, the Aerodynamics of Vehicles, the Passive Safety of Vehicles, the Active Safety of Vehicles, Road Safety, the Dynamic Analysis of Vehicles, the Interior and Exterior Design of Vehicles, Alternative Source of Energy for Vehicles and Vehicle Production.

In his writing, Panos not only regarded the car as a technological achievement but also as a means to enhance the mobility of human kind with inanimate mechanical devices acquiring the characteristics and personality of a living organism, with the car also taking on some of the peronality of its creator-manufacturer and also of the one who chooses it. Because of the abundance of work, despite his age, Panos had published in magazines and on the Internet on the subject of the car and go-karting, attempts are being made for a publication to take place specifically with the aim of publishing/presenting work related to areas in which Panos was active during the last years of his life as an engineering student and as an editor-writer for the specialist car Press (covering races, international events, trying out and presenting cars, etc).

The University of Patras decided to establish a scholarship in the name of Panos Mylonas. It was also decided that a foundation should be set up whose aim would be to support matters relating to road safety, road culture, study, research and technology in the area of cars and above all the prevention and reduction of traffic accidents.