Every summer for nearly 50 years, high school graduates from around the world flock to the Davidson Institute of Science Education to take part in the month-long Dr. Bessie F. Lawrence summer science program. At the cusp of adulthood, just before the start of a first university degree, 80 budding scientists have a unique experience doing scientific research at the Weizmann Institute of Science.

Young, passionate, science-oriented high school graduates spend four weeks during the summer at the Weizmann Institute of Science, working with top scientists.

Weizmann Canada is proud to be able to offer this life-changing experience to top Canadian high school students with a passion for science. Each year, seven students are awarded scholarships to represent Canada and spend four weeks at the Weizmann Institute of Science working on high level research projects under the supervision of senior scientists.

Thanks to support from generous donors, the ISSI program is helping shape the next generation of scientific leaders.

Calgary Connections

For half a century, the ISSI program has been supporting our future scientific leaders, with children of past recipients now taking part in the same program that inspired their parents. In Western Canada, grant recipients from Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver have been awarded the scholarship, opening their horizons and setting them on scientific career paths.

Hearing about these wonderful student experiences, Weizmann Canada’s Calgary Chapter was inspired to do something tangible to help. As a group, they donated funds to endow a scholarship and the Institute agreed to add one more spot for Canada bringing the number of students to seven! This was no small feat, given the competitive and worldwide nature of the program, with limited space on campus. They agreed that the student would be from Western Canada, and a beautiful annual tradition was born. Special thanks goes to Dr. Marty Cole, Jamie Gelfand, Dr. Gary Gelfand, Ellen Magidson, Stan Magidson, Martin Molyneaux, Deborah Yedlin, and current Chapter President Darlene Switzer-Foster.

Lead image: Canadian International Summer Science Institute students Hannah Levit from Edmonton, Roey Borsteinas, Elisheva Eisenberg & Raphael Hotter from Montreal; Audrey Benmergui, Eli Propp & Josh Zweibel from Toronto.

Read what some of this year’s scholarship recipients had to say:

“Weizmann’s facilities are cutting edge. During my time there I made friends and contacts from all over the globe while working on a research project in my field of interest. I could not recommend the program more highly.”

–JOSH ZWIEBEL, TORONTO, ON

“Thanks to the INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCIENCE INSTITUTE, I had the unique opportunity to be immersed in a communi-ty of people with an immense love for science and a passion for research and innovation, thus fostering the curiosity in all of us and allowing us to understand the importance of using our knowledge for the benefit of humanity and the greater society. Additionally, we were able to see how all of the research done at Weizmann is applied to daily life throughout the rest of the country, while experiencing the beautiful sights and incredible people that make up Israel.”

–AUDREY BENMERGUI, TORONTO, ON

“The INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCIENCE INSTITUTE at Weizmann taught me to engage in my curiosity: to ask questions, lots of them (no matter how seemingly simple), to explore fields I may not be as strong in, and to listen to what those around me have to say, because that is some-times the best way to learn. My passion for the advance-ment of science and betterment of society will continue to motivate me throughout my future studies.”

–HANNAH LEVIT, EDMONTON, AB