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BSc and asked for my advice, I would tell them to
Academy
Photography: Klaus-Dieter Liss
20 | MEgazine | Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
“Later, after I had collected ideas and had a few
look at the different advisors’ fields of research and
then reach out and talk to them. Even before that, I
would tell them to talk to the students working under
those advisors.”
Elgarisi also says that finding a good advisor is
much easier than we tend to think. “To find an ad-
visor, you should ask yourself about your interests,”
he explains. “In my case, I’m interested in energy
trends – heat transfer and fluid mechanics. I went
on the faculty’s website, found the list of professors,
and looked at what each does. I sent emails to a few
professors and found them to be very responsive,
because they are always looking for good students
for their labs. That’s how I came to the Microfluidic
Technologies Laboratory of Prof. Moran Bercovici, my
advisor.
“Looking for a professor is like looking for a job.
You’re looking for someone whose lab will be enjoy-
able to work in and whose professional field interests
you. It’s very important to talk to the members of the
group – the MSc and PhD stu-
dents – and understand how
it’s going for them, what the
professors are like, and the
lab and work environment.
And after all that, remember
that choosing an advisor is
not a Catholic wedding: there
are also those (though not
many) who switch advisors
during their degree.”
Emil Bronstein: “I contacted ten Unlike Shaulian and Elgar-
isi, Bronstein has been in the
professors, and they all welcomed faculty continuously since his
me with open arms, discussed BSc. “I personally know quite
their labs and areas of research a few professors in the faculty
with me, and offered me projects. and have worked with them
They truly care about advancing in various constellations,” he
says. “The faculty is made up
science and helping students” of excellent people. The trick
is to go talk to them.
“One of the requirements for my BSc was doing
a research project with one of the faculty members
associated with the track. I contacted ten professors,
and they all welcomed me with open arms, discussed
their labs and areas of research with me and offered
me projects. They truly care about advancing science
and helping students. They really see the person in
front of them.
cards in my hand, I chose Prof. Doron Shilo, who
heads the Micro- and Nano-Mechanics of Materials
Laboratory. It later became clear that I couldn’t have
chosen better. Doron is a brilliant scientist and a
remarkable advisor who really cares about his stu-
dents. I was lucky enough to meet and work with
quite a few other professors, so I’m sure that every
student can find at least one faculty member they
connect with in terms of interest, research field and
interpersonal chemistry.”
Taking Care of Livelihood
“I’m a student, a researcher and a teacher”
The most oft-quoted sentence from Pirkei Avot is
“Without bread, there is no Torah.” In other words,
before sitting down to study, it’s best not to be wor-
ried about our livelihood. The faculty is very aware
of this issue, and many internal graduate students
studying in research tracks make a good income
through teaching tutorials and scholarships. External
students, who study only one or two days per week,
do not usually serve as tutors.
“As I was doing a thesis, I received a research
scholarship,” explains Elgarisi. “That’s the difference
between master’s and PhD students. There are mer-
it scholarships and external scholarships (those not
given by the faculty) available, and I received both a
scholarship from the faculty and an external scholar-
ship, the Clore Scholars award. They actually pay you
to study, and I also work as a tutor. I study 20% of
the time, work in the lab 60% of the time, and teach
BSc students 20% of the time. A graduate student
is a student, a researcher and a teacher. I teach one
course on flow and one on heat transfer, which are
obligatory courses, but you can also teach specializa-
tion courses or even lead labs.”
Shaulian says she was awarded a faculty scholar-
ship. “The scholarships are very generous and defi-
nitely enough to live on,” she says. “By combining
these with tutoring, you can make a good living. The
net income is comparable to that of a beginning engi-
neer. And there are additional opportunities such as
external scholarships and merit scholarships.”
Bronstein also earns his living by tutoring and re-
ceived several internal merit scholarships. Like Elgar-
isi, he also received an external scholarship – in his
case, one of the most prestigious scholarships there
is: the Azrieli Fellowship.