The collaborations between the institutions will also be reflected in study programs, which will include, among other things, a double bachelor's degree program - maritime studies and mechanical engineering in Tel Aviv - and special master's degree programs
A new and advanced center for the study of the Mediterranean Sea will start operating in the coming months, in cooperation between Tel Aviv University and the Rupin Academic Center in Emek Hafer. The center, established with the support of the presidents of the two institutions: Prof. Yosef Klefter and Prof. Shush Arad, will be a multidisciplinary research center that will combine biological research and geophysical and engineering research dealing with gas and oil reservoirs in the Mediterranean Sea. Other partners in the project: the Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University and the Volcanic Institute.
Today, January 28, the establishment of the center will be announced as part of a seminar held at the Rupin Academic Center. The center's future researchers - about fifty in number - from all its partner institutions participate in the seminar day. In the near future, the construction of a dedicated building will begin at the Rupin Academic Center. The center's activities, including research and fundraising, are already underway these days.
The collaborations between the institutions will also be reflected in study programs, which will include, among other things, a double bachelor's degree program - maritime studies and mechanical engineering in Tel Aviv - and special master's degree programs. Some of the study programs are scheduled to start already in the coming school year (XNUMX). They will train a new generation of experts in the field who will contribute to the strengthening of the sea-based economy, the utilization of sea resources and the protection of the sea and coastal environment in the State of Israel and in the region.
The designated director of the center is Prof. Yonatan Zohar, an Israeli scientist returning from the United States, where he founded a large institute for marine research. The center will cooperate with similar centers around the world and also with Israeli industries related to the sea. Also, about ten new researchers are expected to join the center in the coming years, who will be absorbed by Tel Aviv University and Rupin College.
"We strive to combine the academic and scientific forces in Israel and the innovative research capabilities," said the vision statement published by the institutions, "in order to deepen our knowledge and understanding of the Mediterranean Sea, for the benefit of the environment, the economy and society in Israel."
