Midreshet Ben-Gurion
Encyclopedia
Midreshet Ben-Gurion also known as Midreshet Sde Boker, is a communal settlement
in southern Israel
. Located near Sde Boker
in the Negev
desert, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ramat HaNegev Regional Council
. In 2010 it had a population of 1,200.
Building at the site began in 1962, with the first residents moving in to the site in 1963. It was initially a Field School, and was inspired and guided by David Ben-Gurion
's vision of building a thriving Jewish culture in the arid Negev. Ben-Gurion and his wife Paula Ben-Gurion
are buried on the cliff overlooking the Zin valley.
The village developed into an educational centre and as well as the field school, now hosts the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (part of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
); the Ben Gurion Heritage Institute, which is charged with the study and the dissemination of his writings and offers visitors a multi-media program about the man and his work; as well as a high school
where the curriculum emphasizes environmental studies.
, has a solar energy
research programme that has developed some interesting demonstrations of how the extremes of heat and cold experienced in the desert can be mitigated through efficient storage of heat during the day for release at night.
Among these are an inhabited adobe
house that has rational fenestration
, with small windows in the northern side and heat collecting concrete prisms in the windows of the south facing wall. The prisms are situated in the rooms. They absorb heat during the day and can be rotated to allow the heat to discharge into the rooms at night. The "chimney" is actually part of an evaporative cooling system that maintains the temperature of the house during the day at bearable levels.
There is a double skin greenhouse
that uses copper
sulfate
solution as a heat screen during the day. The liquid is pumped between the two skins, protects the interior from ultraviolet
rays and collects heat. At night the liquid is recirculated returning the heat to the greenhouse.
Dr. David Faiman
of the Solar Center has made advancements in the realm of concentrator photovoltaics CPV
. Dr. Faiman has produced a CPV unit capable of producing energy at a factor of up to a thousand more than conventional units.
and sustainable agriculture. The STRS1 and STRS2 genes, master controller genes in stress responses, discovered by Dr. Simon Barak and his students in 2006, helped to elucidate some of the more important genes involved with abiotic stress responses [].
Director of the institutes, Avigad Vonshak, made headlines for his discovery, together with Prof. Sammy Boussiba (also of the institutes) of astaxanthin
accumulation in green algae http://pcp.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/32/7/1077. Astaxanthin is an extremely valuable poly-unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) which is valued for its use as a pigment, nutritional value, and possible use in bio-diesel.
Communal settlement (Israel)
A community settlement is a type of town in Israel. While in an ordinary town anyone may buy property, in a community settlement the town's residents, who are organized in a cooperative, can veto a sale of a house or a business to an undesirable buyer....
in southern Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Located near Sde Boker
Sde Boker
Sde Boker is a kibbutz in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Best known as the retirement home of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ramat HaNegev Regional Council.-History:...
in the Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
desert, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ramat HaNegev Regional Council
Ramat HaNegev Regional Council
Ramat Negev Regional Council is a regional council in the Negev desert in Israel. The largest regional council in the country, its headquarters are located on Highway 40 between Mashabei Sadeh and Tlalim.-Places:...
. In 2010 it had a population of 1,200.
Building at the site began in 1962, with the first residents moving in to the site in 1963. It was initially a Field School, and was inspired and guided by David Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion
' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
's vision of building a thriving Jewish culture in the arid Negev. Ben-Gurion and his wife Paula Ben-Gurion
Paula Ben-Gurion
Paula Ben-Gurion was the Russian-born wife of David Ben-Gurion the founding Prime Minister of Israel. They had three children together: Geula, Amos and Renana....
are buried on the cliff overlooking the Zin valley.
The village developed into an educational centre and as well as the field school, now hosts the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (part of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is a university in Beersheba, Israel, established in 1969. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has a current enrollment of 17,400 students, and is one of Israel's fastest growing universities....
); the Ben Gurion Heritage Institute, which is charged with the study and the dissemination of his writings and offers visitors a multi-media program about the man and his work; as well as a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
where the curriculum emphasizes environmental studies.
Solar Energy Research centre
The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, a faculty of the Ben-Gurion University of the NegevBen-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is a university in Beersheba, Israel, established in 1969. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has a current enrollment of 17,400 students, and is one of Israel's fastest growing universities....
, has a solar energy
Solar power in Israel
Solar power in Israel and the Israeli solar energy industry has a history that dates to the founding of the country. In the 1950s, Levi Yissar developed a solar water heater to help assuage an energy shortage in the new country. By 1967 around one in twenty households heated its water with the...
research programme that has developed some interesting demonstrations of how the extremes of heat and cold experienced in the desert can be mitigated through efficient storage of heat during the day for release at night.
Among these are an inhabited adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
house that has rational fenestration
Window
A window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
, with small windows in the northern side and heat collecting concrete prisms in the windows of the south facing wall. The prisms are situated in the rooms. They absorb heat during the day and can be rotated to allow the heat to discharge into the rooms at night. The "chimney" is actually part of an evaporative cooling system that maintains the temperature of the house during the day at bearable levels.
There is a double skin greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
that uses copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
sulfate
Sulfate
In inorganic chemistry, a sulfate is a salt of sulfuric acid.-Chemical properties:...
solution as a heat screen during the day. The liquid is pumped between the two skins, protects the interior from ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
rays and collects heat. At night the liquid is recirculated returning the heat to the greenhouse.
Dr. David Faiman
David Faiman
David Faiman is an Israeli engineer and physicist. He is a world expert on solar power. He is the director of the Ben-Gurion National Solar Energy Center and Chairman of the Department of Solar Energy & Environmental Physics at Ben-Gurion University's Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert...
of the Solar Center has made advancements in the realm of concentrator photovoltaics CPV
Concentrated photovoltaics
Concentrated photovoltaic technology uses optics such as lenses to concentrate a large amount of sunlight onto a small area of solar photovoltaic materials to generate electricity...
. Dr. Faiman has produced a CPV unit capable of producing energy at a factor of up to a thousand more than conventional units.
Agriculture and Biotechnology
Researchers at Midreshet Ben-Gurion have made breakthroughs in agriculture and biotechnology relevant to drylandsDrylands
Drylands is a Miles Franklin Award winning novel by Australian author Thea Astley. This novel shared the award with Benang by Kim Scott.-Awards:...
and sustainable agriculture. The STRS1 and STRS2 genes, master controller genes in stress responses, discovered by Dr. Simon Barak and his students in 2006, helped to elucidate some of the more important genes involved with abiotic stress responses [].
Director of the institutes, Avigad Vonshak, made headlines for his discovery, together with Prof. Sammy Boussiba (also of the institutes) of astaxanthin
Astaxanthin
Astaxanthin is a carotenoid. It belongs to a larger class of phytochemicals known as terpenes. It is classified as a xanthophyll, which means "yellow leaves". Like many carotenoids, it is a colorful, lipid-soluble pigment. Astaxanthin is found in microalgae, yeast, salmon, trout, krill, shrimp,...
accumulation in green algae http://pcp.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/32/7/1077. Astaxanthin is an extremely valuable poly-unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) which is valued for its use as a pigment, nutritional value, and possible use in bio-diesel.