AIES Night

Despite the conflict raging 200km north of here, life has to go on. And our instructors haven't let us forget that. We're coming to the end of the semester, so final projects, papers, and exams are happening. We have plenty around here to keep us distracted from what is going on around us. Probably one of the best, though, was AIES night.

The students who did independent research projects and those pursuing a master's degree had the opportunity to present their findings to faculty, staff, and kibbutz members. It was really great to see the variety of projects and how creative people can be in their presentations. It was also really nice just to be able to watch and not have the pressure of showing my work as well.

You never know what to expect with Joel, and he didn't let us down this time. He started off the night as a coral. He has been diving all semester in the Gulf of Aqaba and trying to figure out how to best transplant soft corals so that a new reef can be built. He was so entertaining to watch, though, wearing a bright orange curtain and a red, pointy hat. As usual, he got lots of laughs from the crowd.

Sarit worked with compost. She tried to use a method that theoretically speeds up the time it takes for waste to breakdown into usable compost. It wasn't successful, but she has another semester to try. She passed around some good compost and a sample from her compost pile. Who would've thought that so much goes into have a good compost pile?

People talked about biogas, embodied energy, growing plants with hypersaline water, and how the desert ecosystem is affected by the date orchards. Two graduate students are doing their research on the Red Sea-Dead Sea Conduit, a proposal to take water from the Red Sea and pump it to the Dead Sea. The idea is that the water can be desalinated and used primarily by Jordan (which has very little drinkable water), that the leftover water can replenish the shrinking Dead Sea, and that it can act as a peace-building measure between the two countries to make the treat signed in 1994 more than a piece of paper. There are numerous concerns over the ecological and environmental impact of such a project, but it's an interesting idea.

We were also treated to organic snacks during the coffee break including some delicious feta cheese, homemade date bread and seed and nut bread, olives, halva, carrot cake, and cookies. I was so not hungry for dinner afterwards.

The entire evening was really fun and inspiring; a good pick-me-up after a few depressing weeks. Hopefully this is a sign that we're ending on a high note.