Ron Blonder
professor
Dr. Karl and Leila Ribstein Center for Information Technology, The Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel)
Biography
Prof. Ron Blonder earned her BSc in chemistry, with distinction, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1993. She then completed her doctoral studies in chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Prof. Blonder joined the Weizmann Institute as a Research Associate in the Department of Science Teaching in 2006, and joined the faculty in 2011. She became the Educational Director of the Rothschild-Weizmann Program for Excellence in Science Teaching in November 2019.
The goal of Prof. Blonder’s research is to bring the chemistry of tomorrow into high school chemistry lessons of today. Her research addresses three issues: nano-scale science and technology education; science teachers’ self-efficacy; and chemistry teachers’ professional development. Her research has shown that in order to integrate advanced content into a school successfully, in addition to teachers’ knowledge, it is essential to enhance the belief in the ability to teach the material. Thus, her research examines methods, mechanisms, and opportunities for science teachers—and in particular, chemistry teachers—to expand their knowledge and adapt it for use with their students. Her professional development work has reached a large number of chemistry teachers via the National Chemistry Teachers’ Center, the Rothschild-Weizmann program, the professional community network for chemistry teachers, and the Israeli Chemical Society.
Prof. Blonder has received several awards and recognition for her devotion to science teaching, including the Materials Research Society’s 2015 Foundation Grassroots Grant for Educational Innovation. She has served as a member of the Israeli Ministry of Science’s committee on regional science laboratory centers for youth (since 2008); on the Israel Ministry of Education’s Chemistry Committee (since 2011); and on the Research and Information Committee of the Meital – Learning Technologies Center (since 2018). She also has been a representative of Israel at the Division of Chemical Education of EuCheMS, the European Association for Chemical and Molecular Sciences (since 2016).
Rachel Mamlok-Naaman
Coordinator of the Chemistry Group
Department of Science Teaching, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
Biography
Dr. Rachel Mamlok-Naaman is the Head of the National Center of Chemistry Teachers, and a previous coordinator of the chemistry group at the Department of Science Teaching (until June 2016). In addition, she is the chair of the division of education, the European chemical society (DivEd EuChemS). She was a leading partner in several European projects: PARSEL, PROFILES, TEMI, and an external evaluator of ARTIST project. Her publications focus on the topics which are related to students’ learning (cognitive and affective aspects of learning), and on teachers’ professional development. She got several awards: Two from the Weizmann Institute – 1990-Bar-Ner (for teaching, and 2006-Maxine Singer (for PD of science teachers); ACS award (2017) for sustainable development in science education. She has been selected as a 2018 Awardee for the ACS-CEI Award for Incorporation of Sustainability into the Chemistry Curriculum. More recently she has been awarded the IUPAC 2021 Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering.
Ron Naaman
Professor
Department of Chemical Physics, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
Biography
Professor Ron Naaman is an eminent scientist in Experimentalist in Chemical Physics. His research is highly interdisciplinary and combines hybrid organic-inorganic systems with sophisticated physical measurements that are often applied to systems containing bio-molecules. Published more than 300 reviewed papers. Was involved in initiating new research fields like the Coulomb Explosion Imaging, scattering atoms and molecules from surfaces covered with self-assembled organic monolayers, developed the Low Energy Photoelectrons Transmission (LEPET) spectroscopy, and recently the Chiral Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS) effect. Co-inventor of several technologies, the Microsphere based electrons amplifier (produced by El-Mul Ltd.), the Novatron- a submicron vacuum tube (Produced by Novatrans SA), and the Molecular Controlled Semiconductor Resistor (in collaboration with Given-Imaging). New method for enantioseparation (Kiralis). In SciCar he takes the responsibility of organizing staff visits to science laboratories and job shadow. He will help to overcome contradiction between science and social science research in education.
CV: Ron Naaman