October 28, 2015
IMAGINE THIS: You have just finished high school and you choose to spend part of an Israeli summer working alongside world-class scientists to develop a strategy against cancer that will trigger the body’s early detection of tumors. Or you may wish to study the behavior of semiconductors. Or perhaps you want to help to build a computer program that simulates neurotransmitter release.
At the Dr. Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute (ISSI), high school graduates from around the globe are exposed to projects such as these, working alongside Weizmann scientists to gain hands-on experience in cutting-edge fields of international research.
In support of the curiosity-led approach to research that is inherent at the Weizmann Institute, you will be able to choose the field of laboratory work that most interests you – from biochemistry, biology, chemistry, mathematical and computer sciences, and physics.
You will also be encouraged to develop your independent research skills and lead seminars on subjects of your choosing. Whilst this may appear daunting to some students, the Weizmann Institute has a long history of nurturing its students, encouraging each student to take well-supported steps to develop their own ‘scientific personality’.
Once your lab work is over, you will give written and oral presentations alongside your peers, recounting the findings in your work. Finally, after three weeks at the Institute, you will transfer to a field school near the Dead Sea where you can study Israel’s unique ecosystem and wildlife up close, and hike through its millennia of history and archeology.
Throughout your time at the Institute you will also enjoy thought-provoking lectures conducted by senior Weizmann scientists (in English), who will take your mind on a journey through topics such as robotics, gene therapy and neurological research. You will also be invited to tour the Weizmann Institute and beyond – alongside 70 high school graduates, who are all as enthusiastic about science as you are!
This experience will undoubtedly be memorable, certainly inspirational and quite possibly life changing for so many budding scientists across the globe.
Three Australian students participated in the 2010 ISSI experience – to read Shaanan Cohney’s first-hand account, ‘The month that changed my life’, click here.
Seventy-nine participants came from the following countries to attend the 2010 International Science Summer Institute: Australia, Belgium , Brazil, Canada, France , Germany, Hungary, Israel, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Romania , Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, UK and USA.
