Gifted Students Environmental Education Program

Hello valued supporters!

We last reported to you on the excellent achievements of last year’s group. We would like to provide you with an overview of what the program entailed:

In September 2016, we began the program with 14 students from 8 different highschools (the program’s capacity is 15 students). The opening lecture for the year was delivered by the Israel Aquarium Education Director, Shai Ben-Ami, who also holds a masters degree in zoo studies. He provided participants with an introduction to the history of zoos and compared zoos in various parts of the world with a view to values and how these are implemented in practice according to the prevailing culture. The students then toured the Zoo and were shown how the values of nature conservation and animal welfare are promoted in each exhibit. As the Zoo was very busy on the day in question, the issue of visitor experience vis-à-vis animal welfare was also discussed. Dates were set for more in-depth behind-the-scenes visits with the managing keepers of each section to familiarize participants with the zoo and the possible research areas available.

Senior zoo staff members then identified a list of possible research topics that are of interest to the Zoo. Students do not have to choose one of these topics, however they are usually guided by the list as it represents current research areas relevant to zoos and wildlife conservation.

Once each student chose his/her research topic, a zoo staff mentor was assigned to each student and a schedule of meetings was set up with the mentor, program coordinator and research supervisor for the year. Each mentor assisted their students with setting up meetings with the keepers related to the zoo section in which they were conducting research so that they could coordinate their visits and data gathering.

Throughout the year, students were mentored, supervised and guided by the program coordinator, mentors and research supervisor.

At the end of the year, a special graduation ceremony was held during which students presented their research work before an audience.

As mentioned in our previous report, we are very proud to report on the following significant achievements for the 2016-2017 school year:

1. The year concluded with a mean average grade of 97 being awarded to research papers from this program by the Ministry of Education. These results attest to the high standard of the program and the work produced.
2. One of our students, Harel, was awarded a grade of 100 by the Ministry of Education. He also won a prize which includes a scholarship for his continuing education.
3. In addition, Harel also won a certificate of merit at the annual Weizmann Institute of Science National Science Fair.
4. The Program was nominated for the Jerusalem Excellence in Education Prize.

This Program is truly a source of pride for the Jerusalem Zoo. We thank you for your support which allows young people to fulfil their potential in the field of scientific research.