Isra-Tech | april 2023

Photos: Tel Aviv University TAU's Porter School of Environmental Studies Building Graduates of the program will be able to seize on the growing global “thirst” for climate experts in all walks of life, from city and harbour planning to housing and public spaces and industry that must all now take climate change into account, he said. “Everyone is looking at climate,” said Rabinowitz, who is the former head of TAU’s Porter School of Environmental Studies and a leading voice in Israel and abroad on the social impact of the climate crisis. “Climate change is a systemic, global process with a far-reaching impact on literally everything.” A Veteran in Environmental Studies The new Social and Policy Aspects of Climate Change program will run in addition to the existing MA in Environmental Studies that TAU has been offering, also in English, for the past 12 years. This one-of-a- kind multidisciplinary program brings together experts from a host of TAU’s faculties, including life sciences, engineering, biotechnology, philosophy, and economics. “Based on the crucial understanding that environment professionals must be both international and interdisciplinary, the curriculum has been designed to equip its participants with the broad knowledge and perspectives they need to meet the complex challenges ahead,” said Prof. Blass, who heads the studies. Courses cover basic scientific content necessary for understanding wide-ranging environmental problems, as well as general content related to the legal, ethical, physical and health issues related to the environmental world. Topics such as urban sustainability and water policy are tackled from a holistic perspective. Each course delves into the core issues currently challenging our natural world: environmental policy, climate change, and sustainable energy, to name a few. Graduates of the MA in Environmental Studies go on to have a real, positive impact at the governmental, industrial, societal, cultural, and corporate levels, Prof Blass added. “The programbrings together people from the developed and developing world,” she said. “In recent years we have more students coming from Africa and South America keen to learn what Israel is doing and see what knowledge they can take back home”. Advancing Tech Solutions TAU also hopes its programs will prod tech entrepreneurs to pivot their expertise to tackle climate change. To that end, the university has set up its Capsula TAU accelerator program t o foster startups in smart mobility, energy, new materials, drones, and pollution detection, among others. “We help startups that have a working prototype bring their product to market by helping them validate their technologies, and connect to the best researchers, companies and funding,” said Julia Shteingart, Capsula TAU’s managing director. “We also help them look at climate from a much wider perspective”. Shteingart believes TAU’s multidisciplinary approach can be used by Israel and the world as a model to address the daunting climate task ahead. "By arming its researchers and entrepreneurs with the multidisciplinary approach, Israel and TAU can lead the global push for cutting edge solutions to help ease the environmental pain”. For further information on Tel Aviv University’s English-led academic programs, please visit the Lowy International School: international.tau.ac.il