Photophysics and Falafels: Research in Israel

In June of 2019, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Israel to gain a more intimate understanding of several semiconductor materials that I synthesized here in the States. Through our collaboration with the Gidron group at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI), I was able to perform chemical analysis techniques to learn the detailed photophysic phenomenon that my semi-conductive materials exhibit.

Science aside, this trip held a lot of important personal 'firsts'. Israel was actually my maiden voyage trip outside of the US. While I can't say it was my first choice, I can say it was an amazing experience. Israel is incredibly rich in history and culture, and abundant in delicious meals. Everyone I met at HUJI was friendly and helpful, which is always a great perk to someone who is completely new at international travel. Above all, simply visiting a new terrain provided a feeling that I've never felt before. I've always heard that you never really understand why travel is so exciting until you actually go somewhere. This trip emphasized that.

I think the same principle can be applied to it's importance. From the academic standpoint, the group members I interacted with had a different way of confronting the same scientific problem, which I believe comes from a different academic environment and teaching style. Even from a personal standpoint, the views and beliefs between us had very interesting differences and similarities. The conversations helped solidify some great collaborators and awesome friends.

So two main take-away points I found from this trip:

1) Science needs more collaborative opportunities like this.

2) I will never have hummus better than what I had during this trip.