Weizmann Canada

Scholarships available

Students in the scholarship program at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel, will do hands-on research and get to know the region. (photo from Weizmann Canada)

Weizmann Canada has scholarships for seven exceptional science students from Canada to participate in the Dr. Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute (ISSI). The scholarship program – which will take place at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, from June 30 to July 25, 2025 – is open to students between the ages of 18 and 20, including graduating high school seniors, gap-year students and first-year bachelor’s degree students.

ISSI offers a rigorous scientific experience, providing students with the opportunity to participate in hands-on research. During the program, students collaborate in small research groups, guided by institute researchers, on topics matching their skills. They use the latest tools, like electron microscopes and particle accelerators. Senior scientists enhance the experience with lectures and courses. The program culminates in team presentations of group theses based on their laboratory work.

Students will also have an opportunity to immerse themselves in a diverse scientific environment at a field school located in the Judean and Negev deserts. Expert guides from the Sde Boker field school will lead hikes that focus on the ecological, geographical and archeological features of this region.

Participants selected for this program will receive a full scholarship valued at more than $10,000, which covers airfare and all expenses incurred during their stay at the institute.

For more about the program and to apply by March 1, 2025, visit weizmann.ca/international-summer-science-institute. For assistance, reach out to Weizmann Canada’s educational program officer, Morgan Leibner, at [email protected].

– Courtesy Weizmann Canada

Stilwell joins Weizmann

Left to right: Weizmann Canada national board members Dr. Rose Geist, Dr. Arthur Slutsky (chair), Myra Slutsky and Dr. Moira Stilwell at the Healing Power of Science gala on Sept. 17. (photo from Weizmann Canada)

Former BC MLA Dr. Moira Stilwell recently joined Weizmann Canada’s national board of directors. She traveled to Toronto last month for the group’s first in-person gathering since before the pandemic. While there, she attended the organization’s Healing Power of Science gala, which spotlights the vital importance of science education in building resilience in Israel and around the world.

For 60 years, Weizmann Canada has been the national philanthropic arm representing the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, which marks its 90th anniversary this year. For more information, visit weizmann.ca.

– Courtesy Weizmann Canada

Dynamic science at Weizmann

Prof. Idit Shachar, an expert on inflammation from the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel, spoke to a group of almost 70 people at VanDusen Botanical Garden on March 25.

photo - Prof. Idit Shachar — Prof. Idit Shachar (photo from weizmann.ac.il)

Shachar discussed why issues arise in the body when there is a breakdown in the cooperation, communication and mobility of the immune system. Highlights of her presentation included discussion of the dual role of the immune system, and how it is critical for defence against pathogens and critical for body homeostasis. She also spoke of how inflammation is a double-edged sword, as it is both a key weapon in host defence against infections, but also has the potential to cause severe collateral damage in tissues, causing it to be labeled “the silent killer.”

The evening was hosted and sponsored by Drs. Alisa Lipson and Charles Krieger, and the audience was a mix of academics and lay people, resulting in a dynamic question and answer session.

For more information on Shachar’s research or about the Weizmann Canada chapter in Vancouver, contact Kathryn Berkson, [email protected] or 1-877-734-5948.

Hospital hears about ASA

Dr. Ayelet Erez (photo from weizmann.ac.il)

Dr. Ayelet Erez, a visiting clinician scientist from the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel, was invited to speak at B.C. Children’s Hospital earlier this month.

The group was comprised of clinicians, researchers and clinical lab scientists. The event was organized by Dr. Hilary Vallance, a Weizmann Vancouver chapter member, who is director of the B.C. Newborn Screening Program and the Biochemical Genetics Lab within the department of pathology at the hospital.

Erez gave a talk on argininosuccinic aciduria (ASA), a rare inherited disorder caused by a lack of the functional gene necessary to make an enzyme called argininosuccinate lyase. Her talk led to a discussion with members of the hospital’s metabolic division in attendance regarding various aspects of her research and how her findings could potentially improve the practice of treating patients with argininosuccinate lyase deficiency here in British Columbia.

For more information on Erez or Weizmann Canada events in Vancouver, contact Jan Goldenberg, [email protected], or call 1-855-337-9611.