The International Marco Polo Society for the Advancement of Science, Education and Society awarded the annual award for 2018 to the municipality of Herzliya and its innovative education programs and the city's science center, among other things thanks to the participation of students from various backgrounds and the periphery in the project. This is the first time that the Marco Polo Award is awarded to a body in Israel
The International Marco Polo Society for the Advancement of Science, Education and Society awarded the annual award for 2018 to the municipality of Herzliya and its innovative education programs and the city's science center, among other things thanks to the participation of students from various backgrounds and the periphery in the project. This is the first time that the Marco Polo Award is awarded to a body in Israel.
The prestigious prize was awarded close to the 70th celebrations of the State of Israel by the president of the association - Prof. Dr. Siro Polo Padolcia da Ponte, member of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, special ambassador on behalf of the UN Secretary-General, a member of an aristocratic family and the last descendant of the Venetian explorer line - Marco Polo.
In a ceremony held recently at the Science Center in Herzliya, the prize was awarded to the Municipality of Herzliya, headed by Mr. Moshe Padlon, for creating an innovative multi-age educational system to realize cooperative and multicultural values in the community, while making breakthroughs in the fields of science, technology and space exploration and passing them on to youth. The award was given in close proximity to the 70th anniversary of the State of Israel, and highlighted the achievements Israel reached during this period.
The award was given by Prof. Dr. Siro Polo Padolcia da Ponte, member of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, special ambassador on behalf of the UN Secretary General and president of the International Marco Polo Association and as mentioned the last descendant of his family.
Marco Polo worked in the service of Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, who founded the mighty Mongol Empire in the 13th century that also conquered China. The travel book that describes Marco Polo's journey introduced China and the Eastern countries to Europeans. Polo's journey also passed through the Holy Land and included Acre and Jerusalem.
Prof. Yehuda Kahana, member of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, introduced the distinguished guest, highlighting his involvement in peacemaking in his diplomatic activity on behalf of Italy and as ambassador and special envoy of the UN Secretary General.
Dr. Ciro Polo explained in presenting the award that it was given for activities that express the values of the Marco Polo Association, of which he serves as president. The values include multicultural collaborations, the advancement of society, and reaching significant achievements in the fields of culture, science, technology and space exploration.
The recipients of the award gave speeches and presented projects, which have in common the bringing together of hearts and impressive and unique technological achievements in the world, which are reflected in the innovative program of the municipality of Herzliya initiated by the head of the education department in the city, Dr. Yaakov Nahum, which addresses the community throughout the city and the science center - under the management of Dr. Rabbi Meir Ariel and in collaboration with Prof. Haim Ashad, the fathers of the Israeli space program, train boys and girls from all shades of Israeli society, including in the periphery.
The Mayor of Herzliya Moshe Padlon presented Herzliya as a city with a community vision and the great importance the municipality places on promoting education, science and social values among the residents.
Dr. Jacob Nahum, head of the education department in the city, presented the Each system developed by the department for the purpose of multi-age education for community values combining academia, technology, research and science. The model supports a holistic application that connects and brings together diverse populations, combining academia, research industries and education for values, through the development of joint creative ventures for lifelong learning ("Lifelong Learning") in a changing, complex and uncertain reality, based on moral, democratic social leadership and the realization of equal opportunities in education without Difference in nationality, religion, race, gender and socioeconomic status.
Dr. Meir Ariel, director of the Science Center presented the vision of scientific and technological education for youth in Herzliya and in seven other centers in the periphery throughout the country. Brigadier General Prof. Haim Ashad, the father of the Israeli space program, congratulated the winners.
Dr. Liora Weinbach, Head of the Unit for Ethics in Thinking and Language, International Center for Health, Law and Ethics at the University of Haifa, concluded the festive event on the topic: "Responsible speech for the promotion of social cohesion".
The students of the space studies program, aged 15 and 16, presented the tiny satellites built by the students of the science program, and launched into space to transmit the results of scientific observations to the space station they built. They presented the "Hoopoe 1" satellite built by high school students and launched into space in 1, and the "Hoopoe 2014" satellite launched in 2. Both satellites are still cruising in space. This is a world precedent in which tiny communication satellites (nano-satellites) were built, launched and are still active in space and controlled by teenagers/
The event was graced with the presence of, among others, the Nobel laureate, Prof. Dan Shechtman, and Prof. Amnon Karmi, president of the International Organization for Health Law and Ethics, Haifa University, an organization that unites 190 academic centers for ethics education in universities around the world.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
- The children overcame all the obstacles that were on the way in the development of the Dokifat 2 satellite
- "We have built a training system where the graduates train the young people entering the Dokifat 2 project
- "Not a single screw in the Dokifat 2 satellite was screwed in by an adult, and not a single line of code was written by an adult
