MIT initiates scholarship programs for welcoming Israeli scholars
It's been a frickin' year and a half since the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict has taken its toll worldwide, and in response, a faculty-led initiative known as MIT-Kalaniyot has sprung up to offer support to students and staff at MIT. This initiative aims to build a diverse community that transcends religion, ethnicity, and political viewpoints.
Originating from a flower that blooms along the Israel-Gaza border, MIT-Kalaniyot initially hosted weekly community luncheons that now draw around 100 participants. These events have garnered attention from other universities seeking strategies to help students navigate challenging times, with some universities even replicating MIT's model on their campuses.
Scholars at Israel's nine state-recognized universities can now compete for MIT-Kalaniyot fellowships, which offer opportunities for Israel's top researchers to collaborate and train at MIT, thus promoting research and fostering a better understanding of Israel.
The MIT-Kalaniyot Postdoctoral Fellows Program is intended to support postdoctoral researchers, likely focusing on interdisciplinary fields like biophysics and bioengineering. These fellows engage in groundbreaking research, contributing to publications in esteemed journals like Nature Communications and the Biophysical Journal.
Meanwhile, the MIT-Kalaniyot Sabbatical Scholars Program provides faculty and researchers with two-term fellowships at MIT. While specific details about this program aren't provided, Sabbatical Scholars Programs generally offer academics a break from their regular duties to focus on research, writing, or other scholarly activities.
In response to the fellowships, there's been an overwhelmingly positive reaction, with an outpour of emails expressing curiosity, gratitude, and excitement about such a forward-thinking initiative.
"It feels like a breath of fresh air during a time of so much negativity," says Or Hen, the Class of 1956 Associate Professor of Physics and associate director of the Laboratory for Nuclear Science, who co-founded MIT-Kalaniyot with Ernest Fraenkel, the Grover M. Hermann Professor in Health Sciences and Technology.
Hen reports an enthusiastic response not just from potential program donors but from the general public as well, expressing interest in supporting both MIT and Israeli science.
MIT-Kalaniyot is a faculty-led initiative that took shape organically in an effort to navigate the challenges faced by MIT during difficult times for both the US and Israelis and Palestinians. Initially gaining momentum, conversations focused on positive actions faculty could take to help MIT fulfill its mission and contribute to the world. Through MIT-Kalaniyot, faculty aim to humanize the Israeli community, fostering deeper connections within the global academic community.
President Sally Kornbluth of MIT emphasizes the Institute's commitment to bringing people and cultures together, nurturing new ideas and understanding through positive collaborations. The fellowship programs are open to applicants in various fields, including humanities, architecture, management, engineering, and science, with the goal of embracing Israel's diverse demographics.
Ernest Fraenkel, who co-founded MIT-Kalaniyot with Or Hen, points out that Israeli universities mirror the country's diversity and expects candidates from a wide range of backgrounds, including Israeli Arabs, Palestinian citizens of Israel, and others, to apply and be selected for MIT-Kalaniyot fellowships.
In addition to the fellowship programs, MIT is expanding its Global MIT At-Risk Fellows Program (GMAF) to bring Palestinian scholars to campus in the fall. MIT's relationship with GMAF-Palestine director Kamal Youcef-Toumi, a professor in MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering, is key to these efforts.
GMAF, like the Kalaniyot programs, seeks to rise above post-Oct. 7 differences and refocus on the Institute's core research mission, bringing in outstanding talent from the region, including Jews, Israelis, Arabs, and Palestinians, to collaborate in research. The goal is to focus on academic excellence and foster collaboration among scholars across disciplines.
MIT plans to bring four MIT-Kalaniyot Postdoctoral Fellows annually for a term of three years, as well as four MIT-Kalaniyot Sabbatical Scholars, amounting to 16 visiting Israeli scholars at any given time. The hope is that, after their fellowships, these scholars will maintain their research ties with MIT through seed grants, enabling ongoing collaboration beyond the term.
- The MIT-Kalaniyot initiative, founded by Or Hen and Ernest Fraenkel, aims to create a diverse community at MIT, welcoming students and staff from various religion, ethnicity, and political backgrounds.
- Originating from a flower that blooms along the Israel-Gaza border, the initiative hosts weekly community luncheons that attract around 100 participants, which has gained attention from other universities seeking strategies to support students.
- MIT-Kalaniyot offers fellowships to scholars at Israel's universities, providing opportunities for Israel's top researchers to collaborate and train at MIT, promoting interdisciplinary research.
- The MIT-Kalaniyot Postdoctoral Fellows Program supports postdoctoral researchers in fields like biophysics and bioengineering, with the aim to contribute groundbreaking research and publish in esteemed journals like Nature Communications and the Biophysical Journal.
- The MIT-Kalaniyot Sabbatical Scholars Program offers two-term fellowships to faculty and researchers, giving them the opportunity to focus on research, writing, or other scholarly activities.
- The faculty-led initiative fosters a better understanding of Israel and its diverse culture, with President Sally Kornbluth of MIT emphasizing the Institute's commitment to bringing people and cultures together.
- MIT plans to bring four MIT-Kalaniyot Postdoctoral Fellows and four MIT-Kalaniyot Sabbatical Scholars annually, amounting to 16 visiting Israeli scholars at any given time, with the hope that these scholars will maintain their research ties with MIT after their fellowships.
- MIT is also expanding its Global MIT At-Risk Fellows Program (GMAF) to bring Palestinian scholars to campus, promoting collaboration among scholars from various cultural and religious backgrounds in the pursuit of academic excellence.
