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program, and I heard good things about it from him, ical engineering faculty in particular. “The academic
so I applied, and I don’t regret it for a second.” level here is very high, and I spent a term studying in
New York, so I have something to compare it to,” she
She says the initial adjustment was pretty easy. says. “I look at what students are learning at other
“Unlike other students, I had already been living universities and colleges around the world, and I see
away from my family for a year, so this wasn’t a new that we cover much more ground here without lower-
experience for me. I wasn’t lonely either, because ing the standards.”
I made new friends in class. We had a guide who
helped and supported us, we opened a bank ac- Blicker has no doubts about her plans for the fu-
count in our first week, the dorms where we live are
well-maintained, and I even got upgraded to a room Assoc. Prof. Amir Gat, head Assoc. Prof. Amir
with a view of the Mediterranean. The staff here is in- of the international program: Gat. “We screen
ternational too, which makes things easier. We could “The joint courses give the Israeli applicants based
really feel everyone making an effort to ensure we students an international academic on resilience and
had a smooth transition. Everyone here is so pleas- experience and introduce them psychological
ant and considerate.” profiles”
to other cultures. The program Photo by Nitzan
Despite her busy class schedule, Blicker makes also helps train this faculty’s Zohar
sure to leave time for her favorite hobby, sports: “In next generation of researchers,
Canada, I played hockey and soccer,” she shares. and we hope our graduates will Danielle Blicker.
“Now I play soccer on the Technion team and was stay on for advanced degrees” “I want to work
even on the squash team for a semester.” in the Israeli
medical device
For her, the real challenge came when the pan- industry and
demic hit. “At first, it was awful, with all the lock- eventually return
downs and quarantines,” she remembers, “but I to this faculty
was lucky to be part of an international group, and for my master’s
we were all in the same boat. We have a really great degree”
social life here, so I feel fortunate. As for school, I like Photo credit:
attending classes in person, but when cases peaked, private album
the classes moved online. It bothered me a little, but
there are upsides too – like the option to watch an ture. “I’m in the process of making aliyah,” she tells
important lecture more than once.”
us. “I want to find a job here, and I’m learning He-
Being far from her loved ones for such a long time
is not easy, she admits. “I was supposed to fly home brew in the meantime. I’m considering coming back
to Canada to be with my family last spring, during
Passover. My brother is married and lives in New York, here for my master’s. I love how warm Israeli culture
and my sister is studying economics in London, and
we had planned to get together and see each other in is; I love Israel’s beautiful nature and how advanced
person. Here in Israel, cases were going down signifi-
cantly, but the pandemic was still raging in Europe it is technologically. The medical devices industry
and America, so we had to cancel. Fortunately for all
of us, things had calmed down afterward, and we got here is amazing. That’s where I want to work when I
to see each other that summer.”
graduate. The only things that bother me are the wild
Assoc. Prof. Gat advised Blicker on her graduation
project, a model of how bistable structures react to boars roaming Haifa and how hot the summers are
external forces for a study of morph catheters. “Dan-
ielle is a brilliant student with an innate curiosity. I here, but these are minor inconveniences. I really
really enjoyed working with her,” says Gat. “She is
very talented, and I have no doubt she is going to do hope to convince my parents to join me here in the
great things.”
future.” 
Blicker finds it important to praise the academic
level at the Technion in general and at the mechan-

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering | MEgazine | 25