Israeli-German Summer School in Ein Gedi

For over 30 years the German-Israeli Cooperation in Cancer Research aimed at joining high-ranking research projects along with the development of friendships between the Principal Investigators. During the first Winter School held in 2008 in Pichl, Austria, the contacts between Israeli and German researchers were widened to include young students and post-docs. The idea of organizing a Summer School in Israel was one of the outcomes of this successful bi-lateral workshop.

The second German-Israeli Cancer Research School (Summer School) was held in Ein Gedi, Israel on November 23 – 26, 2009. There were 13 group leaders and 20 students/post-docs who attended this school.
The scientific program included a list of outstanding tutorial presentations given by group leaders from Israel and DKFZ. All sessions were followed by exciting discussions between the students and post-docs and the interactions led to new insights in new fields of research. A positive feedback was given by the participants. (See some comments below).

A special highlight of the scientific program was the outstanding Keynote lecture given by Adi Kimchi, from the Weizmann Institute. An additional presentation of great interest was given by Gideon Hadas, the Director of the En Gedi Oasis Archaeological Excavations about the archaeological development in the area of the Dead Sea.

All the participants enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and the exciting social program, which was organized by the Israeli office and included hiking through Nahal David and visiting the Fortress Masada.

The poster exhibition with oral presentations given by the students and post-docs turned out to be an important part of the Summer School. A prize of €300 was awarded to Jonatan Darr for the best poster and Maximilian Merz was awarded a prize of €100 for “Outstanding Contributions to the Scientific Discussions”.

It is planned to hold the German-Israel Cancer Research Schools annually, alternating between Pichl, Austria, and Israel.

Here is a short experience report:
The summer school in Israel was a great experience for myself with respect to get to know the very unique countryside of Israel. But also the scientific part was remarkable, because the possibility to meet outstanding researchers in such a small group is not common.
Lars Wiechert

I think that the summer school is an important experience. It gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet with cancer researchers from Germany and Israel and observe new fields of study and new techniques. I would recommend whoever has a possibility, to attend one of these conferences.
Boaz Kigel

"Besides the excellent quality of the scientific presentations and the brilliant organization, the summer school stood out for its pleasant atmosphere and its fascinating location."
Moritz Aschoff

Rising early for tours of Ein-Gedi's surrounding area, followed by many and interesting lectures encompassing a verity of issues. All in a superb location with great views, food and people.
Jonatan Darr