Yahal Sofer Rimelt, a graduate of the bachelor's degree track in physics and neuroscience at Bar Ilan University and currently at the Weizmann Institute, specializes in the design of observation systems in astrophysics

Meet Yahel Sofer Rimelt, a scientist and doctoral student at the Weizmann Institute in the field of experimental physics, who specializes in designing observation systems in astrophysics and in her free time mentors young students. Yael, a graduate of the bachelor's degree program in physics and neuroscience at Bar-Ilan University, was selected to Forbes' list of the 30 most promising young people in Israel under the age of 30 in 2024.
"Ever since I can remember, I have loved nature, and especially space. Questions like - 'What is at the end of the universe', or 'How does the moon not fall on our heads?' occupied me from a young age," she says, "I served in the army as a teacher -Soldier. Towards the end of the track, I got the urge to study, and even though I never studied physics, I remembered the initial excitement I had for science and I really liked to study this track in the physics department in Bar-Ilan - This is a small and very special department, a place where the lecturers come to lectures with a genuine desire to educate and teach. It was clear to me that this was what interested me the most. These were three difficult and satisfying years, after which I continued to study for a master's degree at the Weizmann Institute and for a doctorate."
These days, Super Rimelt is part of a research group that designs and builds instruments to make astronomical observations. "When people ask me what I do in life, I like to say that I'm looking for aliens. Well, that's not exactly true. But at least it's much closer than the majority of the population," she says, "We focus on designing devices that are designed to discover new planets outside the solar system, to characterize And for their learning. I have the privilege of taking part in extraordinary and exciting projects. Among them, the new observatory that we are building these days, as well as a project that was built in partnership with the largest universities in the world. It is an innovative and largest telescope in the world These are in Chile."
At the same time as her studies, Super Rimalt made sure to contribute to society. "Among other things, I taught physics in a pre-military preparatory school for members of the Ethiopian community at Bar-Ilan University," she says, "I taught a group of students from the physics and mathematics division in the railway neighborhood in the city of Lod, and I even taught and tutored students preparing for matriculation in chemistry at the urban high school in Jaffa. These days I tutor high school students excelling at the Davidson Institute and practicing a course in designing optical systems at the Feinberg Midrash."
Like many in Israel, the last period is particularly complex for Super Rimalt. "My little, beloved and brave cousin, the late Eli Bar Sade, fell on 7.10 in a battle at the Zikim base. The world collapsed on me. I found refuge and meaning, in a meeting around science with students I educate. I believe that this is our role in the fragile historical framework in which we currently live - to educate and influence our environment."
More of the topic in Hayadan: (Beresheet is the Hebrew name for the book of Genesis)