(Formerly: The Association for the Advancement of Science Education in Galilee)
In 1987 the Association for the Advancement of Science Education in the Upper Galilee was established in Kiryat Shmona at Migal, a scientific research institute. (In 2008 the name was changed to Galilee Science Education Center). About 120 scientists conduct research at Migal, in a variety of disciplines, such as molecular biology, microbiology, chemistry, medicine and agriculture. In its educational work, the Association benefits from close relationships with these scientists and from the opportunity to use their laboratories, up-to-date equipment and know-how.Mission and Goals The Galilee Science Education Center's mission is to bring the excitement and wonder of science to the youth of the Upper Galilee. This mission is being addressed by concentrating on the following goals:
- to provide quality extracurricular science programs, for both classes and individual students;
- to actively involve students in scientific research and development, not only at Migal but also at other research institutions and industries in the region;
- to offer science teachers opportunities for professional development, involving cutting-edge science as well as progressive pedagogical approaches;
- to develop innovative computer-mediated learning environments, including CD-ROMS, educational software, distance learning and the Internet;
- to integrate these and other innovative learning environments with its programs for students and teachers.
Actualizing the Mission In order to actualize its mission, the Galilee Science Education Center offers its educational programs to all youth of the Upper Galilee, assisting them with subsidies for these programs as well as for transportation. The students, from 3rd through 12th grades, arrive at the laboratories of Migal from the near-by city (Kiryat Shmona), the moshavim and the kibbutzim. In this way, the Center provides the youth of the region with opportunities similar to those available to youth living in the central region of the country, where universities and research institutes are common.
In addition to its school-based and after-school programs, the Center also provides science camps for science-oriented youth. These science camps, offered for 10th-graders during the spring and summer vacations, include a cross-section of Israeli youth: Jewish youth from religious and secular backgrounds, from development towns and established cities, and from moshavim and kibbutzim; Arab youth from Christian and Moslem backgrounds; and Druze and Bedouin youth from the Galilee and the Golan.
Another important program run by the Galilee Science Education Center is the Matriculation Research Project. We help eleventh and twelfth grade science majors conduct long-term advanced research project, taking advantage of the facilities and the researchers at Migal and other research sites in the Galilee and the Golan region. In order to encourage students to undertake such a demanding and challenging project, we also carry out a competition, in which the projects of the highest merit win prestigious prizes.
This project benefits both the participants and the region as a whole. The specific goals are to offer students scientific research opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to them in our remote region. This educational process is an exceptional and maturing experience for the youth. Through their work on the projects, excellent students have been discovered and encouraged to continue their pursuit of scientific careers.
Giving to the "GSEC" The operating expenses and programs of the Center are supported mainly by Israel's Ministry of Education and Culture as well as its Ministry of Science, the Jewish Agency and the Jewish Federation of San Francisco. The Center constantly faces financial difficulties due to two of its policies: (1) no compromise in program quality and (2) low student fees (in order to allow all interested students to participate). These policies result in a significant financial challenge. All additional financial support will help the Center continue to actualize it's mission of bringing the wonders of science to the youth of the Galilee.
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