Julianne Winters Graduate Student COAS – Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science (BEES) 21st International Congress of Zoology – Haifa, Israel I just returned from the International Society of Zoological Sciences’ 21st International Congress of Zoology in Haifa, Israel! I could not have dreamed of a better scholarly trip abroad. The entirety of my adventure was enlightening, to say the least -­‐ both academically and culturally. I arrived in Haifa on September 2nd, 2012 to an incredibly warm reception from Dr. Abraham Haim and the rest of his organizing staff at the University of Haifa. Over the next six days, 200+ zoologists and myself were exposed to five inspirational plenary talks, two ‘field trips’ to local ecological sites of interest, one banquet under the stars, four poster sessions, and many lunches over falafel where collaborations were born. I’ll never forget my first night in Haifa, as Abraham lead myself and eight other colleagues to the local restaurant for a beer. Sitting amongst everyone, I took a deep breath and reflected on what was happening around me. There I sat with two South Africans, a German, a New Zealander, a Chinese woman, a French man, an Australian, and an Irishmen discussing teaching evolution in school, the implementation of citizen science, and breakthrough molecular techniques’ ecological applications -­‐ All of us from such different cultures but sharing the same passion, drive, and conflicts within our shared field. As we held our beers high -­‐ “L’Chaim!” -­‐ I was immediately grateful for the opportunity to experience such an insightful collision of worlds. These new colleagues quickly became friends, as was made evident on the last day for my talk. Despite the simultaneous ‘hot topic’ talk on light pollution, flights leaving shortly after, and the momentum of the conference waning overall, I had a phenomenal audience for my talk. As one of the only students presenting at this prestigious meeting, I received a large amount of feedback from my new friends about both my research and my presentation style. Again, the opportunity to receive international perspectives about my research in this way was priceless. Since returning to Drexel, I have stayed in contact with may of the scientists I met at ICZ Haifa -­‐ Sharing relevant papers, discussing Middle Eastern politics, swapping photos, and -­‐ most importantly for me -­‐ passing along job postings! As I approach graduation, being able to consider positions on a global scale expands my potential immensely. In fact, I’m currently considering a post-­‐doctoral position to work in South Africa with a PI I met in Haifa. Thank you Office of International Programs for the monetary support to make this trip possible. It has extended the breadth of both my academic and cultural knowledge more than a single report can describe. Israeli feast under the stars Standing at the conference podium
Snorkeling in the Red Sea Sunset over Jerusalem -­‐ My last night in Israel