Our most special project is the Matriculation Research Project. We help eleventh and twelfth grade science majors to conduct a long-term advanced research project.The students are offered a list of topics to choose from, generally related to current research in Migal, Northern R&D or other area institutions that we are connected with, like the Ziv Government Hospital in Safed.
Our goal is to offer students scientific research opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to them, in our remote region. Normally, a student who undertakes such a Matriculation project works only under supervision of a teacher from his own school. In our program the supervisor is a scientist, at the least a Ph.D. candidate, but more often a leader in his field, including scientists of international repute. Supervision is close and constant, with continual coordination with the student's school. The student works in the laboratories of a science institute, participating in work which is at the cutting edge of current scientific research. The student makes use of the most sophisticated and advanced instrumentation and facilities which no high school can offer. Hence, the student is aware that he is involved in real, up-to-the-minute research of genuine scientific value. Consequently, motivation is very high, with a positive effect on standards and negligible drop-out rate.
A mechanism has been set up to deal with any special problems that the student may face, whether in his research, his contacts in the Institute or personal.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, once they have completed their term of military service. All participants acquire a thorough grounding in scientific methods and ways of thinking.