ISSI 2023 Guest Blogger Emanuel Bor
Each year we ask UK students who have taken part in the Dr Bessie Lawrence International Summer Science Institute (ISSI) to write a guest blog to reflect on the month they spent in Israel working as part of a research team alongside scientists at the Weizmann Institute. Outside of lab time students explore Israel while forming friendships that will last a lifetime. Emanuel Bor was on a Gap year in Israel after going to City of London School.
Emanuel Bor's ISSI experience
ISSI was an incredible month! I made deep (and hopefully lifelong) friendships, learned about a broad range of scientific research and discovered the varied cultures that make up the tapestry of Israeli society. I would like to share some of the experiences that stood out the most to me.
The first three weeks of the programme were focused on our research projects, which we carried out in small international groups. I worked with a German and a Brazilian. During the last few days in the lab, a PhD student asked if she could present her project to us. This student explained that the discoveries we had made in this short time had made the goal of her PhD much more achievable. We were all thrilled and this was furthered when our mentor told us that we would be published in a major journal in the coming years! Seeing the impact that our research had on the lab greatly inspired me, and this has fuelled my aspiration to become a researcher.
We also went on many trips all around Israel including a 5-day tour in the desert. Whilst these trips provided an opportunity to cement friendships, many of the trips also had an educational focus. We were exposed to different cultures by visiting the Bahai gardens and by enjoying meals with Druze and Bedouin people. We were also able to learn about scientific research in the desert. We visited a kibbutz harbouring the local semi-arid environment to create technologies that have global affects. These included algal technologies and a model village looking at how to improve quality of life for people living off-grid. The highlight of all the trips, however, was our night sleeping outside in the desert. I remember everyone lying on the ground admiring the beautiful stars whilst trying not to think too much about what animals could be nearby or our 3.30am wake-up, which was rapidly approaching. I will never forget that night!
These trips were all amazing, but it was the people on the programme that made all the difference. The 70 of us came from 15 countries and we all had so much to share and discover. During Country Presentations during the first week, we all shared our traditional national foods and music. Our delegation from the UK gave everyone a masterclass in the art of tea-making. As you would expect, it was very entertaining and broke down country barriers right from the start.
The facilities in the Weizmann institute are fantastic and everyone made the most of them. There were people swimming at 6am whilst others played tennis or football or frisbee. In the evenings, there would be a never-ending stream of music being created by talented ISSI participants. These musical talents were really demonstrated at a recital we had on the second week. People played a wide range of instruments including the piano, guitar and oud, and we even had some hip-hop dancing! The range of skills people had was extraordinary, but it was their willingness to share their interests and include others that made ISSI such a wonderful environment.
None of this could have been possible without all the amazing staff involved in organising and running the programme. Thank you so much for the opportunity of a lifetime!
More information about the Bessie Lawrence Summer Scheme.