|
Bridging the Rift Foundation Newsletter
March 6, 2007
Dear All,
The year 2006 was the most productive year ever for BTR. Despite the
regional climate, in the past 12 months BTR has initiated more
collaborative scientific research projects in the fields of
Microbiology, Ecology and Bioinformatics than ever before. In the year
2006 BTR expanded the circles of involvement in all of our programs
and recruited new partners at all levels. This increase in
participation has resulted in new projects and stronger initiatives.
The new programs initiated in 2006 include fellowships, exchange
programs and extended research visits. The expansion in programs and
participants was made possible through the leadership of our existing
academic, scientific and organizational partners. It is the continued
excellence of the BTR programs that attracts scientists from the
Middle East and the U.S. to our initiatives, and provides the
tremendous momentum for 2007.
Here are some of the highlights of 2006:
-BTR held over 20 cross border events and joint research
activities, a rate close to 1 every 2 weeks.
-The BTR Ecology/Biodiversity Project was launched.
-The first BTR -Stanford University fellowships were awarded to 4
post doctoral fellows from Jordan and Israel.
-The 1st Dead Sea research cruise to sample water on both sides of
the Jordanian-Israeli border was initiated.
-At Cornell University, BTR launched the School of Bioinformatics,
a week long series of lectures and lab work.
-At Stanford University Jordanian scientists visited and performed
research work under the BTR Microbiology Project.
-5 top Jordanian universities approved joining the BTR Foundation
in our partnerships and programs with Israeli universities.
-BTR partnering scientists co-published their joint research on
microbiological life in the hot springs of Jordan and Israel.
-In Dubai and Cannes the design of the BTR Center was awarded top
honors for its design.
Warmest Regards,
Mati Kochavi
The BTR Center Awarded Top Honor for Environmental Design in Dubai
in December
On December 4, 2006 in Dubai during the Cityscape International
Property event, the design for the BTR Center was honored for its
excellence in incorporating the local desert environment in which the
project will be built. The design, created by Skidmore, Owings and
Merrill, was honored along with projects that have been built or are
in the planning phases in Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Lebanon,
Egypt, Kenya and Jordan. This award, like the MIPIM Award given last
spring in Cannes, was co-sponsored by Architectural Review magazine.
The BTR Center is now being recognized throughout the Middle East and
the world for the innovation of its purpose and the excellence of its
design in the physically unique desert area of the region.
The Year 2006
In the past year BTR has expanded all of its programs in the fields of
Bioinformatics, Ecology and Microbiology. Each project is run by a
joint team of Jordanian, Israeli and American scientists working
together to initiate all aspects of the research and each activity.
Events such as the School of Bioinformatics held at Cornell University
and the BTR – Stanford University fellowship broke new ground for BTR
by providing opportunities in the U.S. for Middle Eastern scientists.
Both programs brought students and researchers to work at American
universities for extended periods of time so that extensive learning
and exchange could take place.
The BTR-Stanford postdoctoral fellowship, which engages each
scholar for a two year program in either Ecology or Microbiology, is
the first long term educational initiative for BTR. Each of the first
generation fellows (2 from Jordan and 2 from Israel) spent over a
month studying at Stanford this past fall. Since completing their work
in California the fellows have returned to their home universities in
Jordan and in Israel to continue the work of their joint research
projects.
The School of Bioinformatics at Cornell University was also
groundbreaking for BTR. The program was a first ever chance for a
group of Jordanian scientists to participate in a week of specialized
lectures from some of the world's most renowned computer and
biological scientists.
The Activities of 2007
Joint meeting at Tel Aviv University under the Microbiology and
Ecology Projects
In preparation for the activities of 2007, BTR held a planning meeting
in January which included the Jordanian and Israeli teams from each
scientific project as well as BTR Foundation Academic Committee head,
Prof. Marc Feldman. The meeting was held at Tel Aviv University and
its main objectives were to share the accomplishments of 2006 as well
as jointly develop a concrete plan of work for the first half of 2007.
The meeting was highly successful and laid the groundwork for the
numerous activities that have taken place in the first months of this
year. This meeting also included the detailed discussion of plans to
recruit new post doctoral fellows for the BTR- Stanford Fellowship.
These fellows will begin work during the 2007-2008 academic year.
Research Visit to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Scientists from Jordan and Israel who have been working together for
over two years on the BTR Microbiology Project were able for the first
time to work side by side in the same laboratory. In addition to their
regular field work together, earlier this year our BTR partnering
scientists at Hebrew University acted as hosts for their Jordanian
colleagues in a 3 day visit to Jerusalem. This event marked the first
extended visit for the purpose of continued laboratory work between
Jordanian and Israeli scientists in the region. Unlike any educational
or exchange program, the BTR researchers all left this visit with
concrete research outcomes and a basis for their continued scientific
work together. This event exemplifies the vision of BTR, scientists
working together through borders, despite cultural and physical
boundaries. This begins a series of working visits that will solidify
the relationships between partnering scientists and lay the ground
work for success of the planned BTR Center.
Preliminary Ecology Survey
BTR launched research activities under the Ecology/Biodiversity
project at the end of January. This project focuses research on the
biodiversity of the shared desert environment of the Wadi Araba/Arava
regions of Jordan and Israel. This project held its first survey over
5 days on both sides of the border and included the participation of
senior scientists as well as two of the BTR-Stanford fellows and
research assistants. Collaboration on this project had already begun
during the month the fellows spent at Stanford University, and a
concrete work plan was developed during a December joint meeting in
Tel Aviv. The goal of this survey was to identify sites for continued
exploration as the project progresses. Participants in the survey
conducted interviews with local farmers and made initial assessments
of the land and its biodiversity.
Second Dead Sea Cruise
On February 15, 2007, BTR held a second Dead Sea research cruise.
Following the success of the first Dead Sea cruise, BTR has supported
a joint team of microbiologists as they continue to conduct the
already unprecedented research into the life forms that inhabit the
Dead Sea. The samples taken from the Sea are now being analyzed within
BTR funded laboratories.
The work of this event will allow the joint team of researchers to
supplement their initial findings as well as prepare the ground for
the next stage of research which will involve the sequencing of the
genomes of the organisms found in the Dead Sea. This activity will lay
the groundwork for continued research into the genetic structure of
the microscopic organisms of this unique environment.
|
