Planning for Israel’s maritime future

In the center of Israel’s Mediterranean coastline, on a white sandy beach, lies the marine campus of the Ruppin Academic Center. It is Israel’s only campus that has unlimited access to the sea and some of the most advanced research laboratories in the world that utilize seawater.

We arrived on a special tour of the beautiful campus of the Ruppin Academic Center in Mikhmoret. “The Israeli coastal strip is one of the most unique in the world in its beauty and the density of its uses,” says Ruppin Academic Center President Prof. Aviad Kleinberg. Israel is a coastal country, but its coastal strip is only 100 miles long.

“The Israeli story is pioneering, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit. The use of marine resources,” he continues, “is an excellent case in point. “Ruppin teaches and conducts the most advanced research in the sea and the marine environment, alongside [granting] advanced degrees focusing on sustainable and effective marine resources management.”

“Of the almost 10 million residents in Israel, more than five million live in the coastal plain,” notes Prof. Dov Zviely, dean of the Faculty of Marine Sciences and head of the master’s program in marine resources management. He has also served for many years as an adviser to the Environmental Protection Ministry on coastal and marine processes.

“Our marine research center in Mikhmoret is an almost impossible puzzle that fits together into this sandy strip – cities and agricultural settlements, ports and marinas, coastal power plants, and facilities for producing natural gas, fuel farms, seawater desalination plants, military bases, security areas, beautiful beaches, unique nature reserves, and ancient coastal cities that are thousands of years old such as Acre, Caesarea, Jaffa, and Ashkelon. Most people are not aware that the shallow waters along the Israeli coast feature the largest concentration in the world of archaeological remains from a variety of different periods and cultures that existed during the thousands of years in the Land of Israel, such as cargoes of shipwrecks from the Roman, Byzantine, Muslim periods, and prehistoric villages from the Neolithic period that are up to 9,000 years old,” he marvels.

Prof. Kleinberg says, “Our mission at Ruppin is to preserve and develop the sea, which is a tremendous and challenging resource of Israel. The sea is very important for Israel. Most of our imported goods arrive through it. It has a huge impact on our climate, and it is where most Israelis live, sail, eat, and find entertainment. For many centuries, the Roman Mare Nostrum [“our sea” in Latin] was a watery highway for goods, ideas, and people. It still is.

The Mediterranean is a historical, tourist, agricultural, energy, and security resource. We live by it. It is our duty to preserve it in the best possible way for future generations. Our goal at Ruppin is to connect with the leading forces in Israel’s maritime activity and help produce an Israeli marine agenda.”

Ruppin’s faculty for marine studies teaches diverse, world-class marine research, such as marine biology and marine agriculture, alongside marine resources management). The school also integrates traditional scientific research with other scientific aspects such as environment, archaeology, energy, engineering, and logistics as part of marine resource management. Graduates carry this unique approach into senior management positions in government and private companies in Israel and globally, making intergenerational decisions regarding the sea and the environment.

Next, we visited the laboratory of Tal Shomrat and Nir Nesher, which is engaged in the study of octopuses. “The octopus is an ideal research animal popular for comparative biology,” they explain. “It is an invertebrate that behaves like a mammal in some ways, so understanding octopus systems can provide deep insights into biological principles related to complex behaviors such as learning and memory. Its unique body structure and control over eight flexible arms offer a basis for research on motor control. Even examining octopus mucus and saliva could have potential industrial and medical applications.

“We maintain scientific collaborations with various universities around the globe. We recently received a research grant from the US Office of Naval Research (ONR) that seeks to draw inspiration for engineering solutions based on how octopuses control their arms, aiming to develop unique robotic arms.”

Continuing our tour, we meet Mustafa Asfur, head of the Department of Marine Sciences and Marine Environment and Marine Biotechnology. Asfur, who studies lightning, says that Israel’s coastline is unique and sensitive, with 30% of the world’s most powerful lightning strikes occurring in Israel.

“We don’t yet have an explanation for this incredible natural phenomenon or why the strongest concentration of lightning strikes in the world is on the Israeli coast. Scientifically, our location is called a ‘hot spot.’ My lab is one of the few research stations globally that sit on the coast, giving us a significant advantage in various measurements and experiments.

“We share our extensive data worldwide. In fact, the study of lightning in the sea is a field with a limited number of research teams, but it could have far-reaching implications in marine agriculture and promoting green energy. Globally, there is already talk about the potential of lightning to generate hydrogen energy.”

We continue our tour and meet Ayelet Dadon-Pilosof, whose academic journey began at Ruppin 25 years ago as an undergraduate. She is now a lecturer and researcher in marine microbiology. “The marine campus of Ruppin is very special in the Israeli and even global landscape. It is a campus where students benefit from topnotch academics and diverse marine activities. One moment, you can put down your backpack and laptop and head to the sea,” she says.

“As part of their studies, our students benefit from leading research projects, advanced laboratories, and acquiring hands-on experience, sailing studies for skippers and speedboat licenses, as well as research diving training. We encourage them to go sailing, snorkeling, diving, kayaking, or stand-up paddle boarding. We have students whose love for the sea has been with them since birth, alongside those who have discovered these activities during their academic studies.

“The proximity to the sea allows students and research staff to have accessible ‘wet’ research. The connection between the lab and the sea is a key value here. Unlike [at] many universities, our graduates are known in the scientific community as ‘wet graduates,’ and their personal and research connection to the sea gives them immense added value. I think all our research staff members have diving gear, a snorkel, and fins in their office. I do, too. There’s nothing like starting the day on a paddleboard,” she adds, smiling.

“Our students have more laboratory hours during their undergraduate studies than in other institutions,” adds Kleinberg, “and they are systematically exposed to leading methods in medical, biological, and technological research, using advanced methods with the most advanced equipment. This is also why our students are highly sought-after for advanced research degrees worldwide.”

We left the impressive building designed in the shape of a ship and headed to the nearby Sea Turtle Rescue Center of the Nature and Parks Authority. There, we met Joseph Yosi Aizen, head of the marine biotechnology specialization in the bachelor’s program and the research master’s program. “We have a breeding group of green sea turtles at the Nature and Parks Authority’s rescue center,” he says. “As part of the facility, there is an artificial beach where the female turtles can lay eggs every year. Our research makes it possible to examine the reproduction and genetics of sea turtles and even predict which turtles will lay and when.

“For any marine researcher, access to the sea and its fisheries is an invaluable asset. My primary research field deals with the endocrinology and reproductive cycles of fish, which is crucial for global food resources. Our research has yielded significant results. One of our studies focuses on the barramundi fish, which reaches sexual maturity after two years. It spends its first two years as a male, and then transitions to a female. Our hormonal research succeeded in shortening the transition time from male to female, significantly impacting fish life cycles and their reproductive capabilities. We receive many inquiries from around the world for consultations on this issue. These actions can have a tremendous impact on the quantity and quality of food from the sea.”

After a brief visit to the marine equipment shed and the student lounge, which resembled an upscale sailing club, we walked across the campus to the main building, noticing a spacious lawn overlooking the sea.

“We want to expand, and we need to expand,” says Kleinberg. “It’s important for us to find partners to help steer research toward applications that meet the real needs of Israel and the world. Israel has achieved incredible things on land and in the air. The sea has been somewhat neglected. We can help identify opportunities and turn initiatives into reality. We would like to create an applied research center at Ruppin where researchers from across the country and around the world can come together to utilize our unique location. We’ve thought about a center built around projects – some of which come from the field and some which are our own initiatives. We have the sea, the researchers, the students, and even space (with building rights) for a facility on the waterfront where our innovative activities can take place, with one of the most beautiful views in Israel.

“We are looking for partners to help us shape Israel’s maritime future.”

This article was written in cooperation with the Ruppin Academic Center.