UC Irvine Chancellor Dr. Michael Drake and BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi discussed the fields in which they hoped to encourage collaboration and faculty exchanges including hydrology, earth sciences, nanotechnology and more.
We are very happy to be here, Drake said at the signing ceremony, "Our relationship with Israel is very important and BGU is a wonderful place for collaborations."
Drake visited BGU in 2008 as part of a Project Interchange program and had fond memories of his previous visit.
The two compared the consistent rise of each university despite the global financial crisis and role their universities play in developing the region where they are located.
The things we are achieving are very similar. Maybe as smaller, younger universities, we dont take ourselves for granted and work harder to achieve, Carmi offered.
UC Irvine and BGU were founded within five years of each other in the late 1960s and now boast world-class researchers, laboratories and student bodies of over 20,000.
In addition to the more general MoU signed by Drake and Carmi, a second separate MoU was signed between the BGU Faculty of Health Sciences Dean Prof. Gabi Schreiber and UC Irvine School of Medicine Associate Dean for Clinical Operations Prof. Zeev Kain. Kain was a resident at Soroka University Medical Center and worked with Dr. Carmi, while earning his medical degree.
In addition to Kain, Drake was accompanied by Dean of Engineering Prof. Greg Washington, Dean of Physical Sciences Prof. Ken Janda and Larry Gold, special assistant to the Provost. BGU Rector Prof. Zvi Hacohen also signed on behalf of BGU.
Lft. to rt.: BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi, UC Irvine Chancellor Dr. Michael Drake, BGU Rector Prof. Zvi Hacohen.
