During the conference, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space awarded Ilan Ramon scholarships totaling NIS 250 to doctoral students Yael Hillman from Tel Aviv University and Noa Ohana-Levi from Ben Gurion University.
Photography: Yoav Ari Dudkevich.
This morning (Wednesday) the Ilan Ramon International Space Conference of the Israel Space Agency opened at the Ministry of Science and the Fisher Institute. The heads of space agencies and senior officials from the Israeli and international space industries came to the conference to mark the 11th anniversary of the "Columbia" disaster on which the first Israeli astronaut, the late Ilan Ramon, was.
During the conference, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space awarded Ilan Ramon scholarships totaling NIS 250 to doctoral students Yael Hillman from Tel Aviv University and Noa Ohana-Levi from Ben Gurion University. Hillman won for a proposal to study the causes of the process of stars collapsing into themselves. Ohana won for her proposal to study the effect of climate change and changes in land cover on rainfall-runoff relationships in drainage basins.
The conference opened with a recorded blessing from the President of the State, Shimon Peres: "When you have a small country, it is right to remember that it also has a large space, there are no borders, no conflicts and no limitations. Our first astronaut Ilan Ramon was a pioneer in this understanding. No wonder Israel has always been drawn to space. Israel is one of the ten most developed countries in the field of space. Israel is not the richest or the widest in territory and decided to exhaust the smallest of the largest. Since we are not that rich, we decided to make spaceships that are small in area but not small in capacity. It turns out that Israel has the most effective spaceships whose price is moderate and suitable for other countries as well. We will continue this way in the future and become one of the five most important countries in space."
Bina Bar-On, Director General of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space said at the opening of the conference: "Space exploration is important to humanity and drives scientific research and technological development. Israel has been diligent for years on cultivating its human capital. Despite its small size, Israel is recognized worldwide as a leader in the fields of science and technology. In a short time we reached impressive capabilities thanks to creative thinking outside the box. The Ministry of Science trusts the foreign scientific relations and we strive to expand the texture of our international relations".
Rona Ramon, president of the Ramon Foundation, said at the conference: "11 years have passed since the Columbia disaster. When I look at the last decade, I see that the awareness of space in Israel and in the world has been developing. Today, thousands of children throughout the country are learning about space and are inspired by those dear people whose passing we commemorate today."
Assaf Agmon, head of the Fisher Institute, said in his opening remarks: "Scientific education is in decline in Israel, as in the entire Western world. Fewer and fewer high school students study mathematics, physics, chemistry and science at the highest level, these are difficult subjects that require dedication and perseverance. I see the need to remind you that in the previous reform, the "speaking reform", the technological studies were dealt a fatal blow. It is forbidden that this time the program does not put science studies in their rightful place, in order for us to continue and raise the future generation of the scientists, researchers, developers and engineers of our future."
The International Space Conference was held for the ninth time under the leadership of the Israel Space Agency at the Ministry of Science and the Fisher Institute. Agency heads, astronauts and executives from the Israeli and international space industry come to the conference. At the same time as the conference, a comprehensive professional exhibition will be presented where the leaders of the military and civilian industry in Israel will present the latest innovations in their fields.
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Point: We will become one of the three most important countries in space
If Dan Shechtman was president, we would hear practical ideas, how to promote the research and industry related to space. But at the end we heard another speech "about how good we are". Unfortunately, the next president will probably be another politician.