Representatives of the Interuniversity Institute (IUI) of Eilat welcomed Mayor Meir Yitzhak HaLevy for a guided tour of their facilities this week. During his visit, he was briefed by the director of the Institute, Dr. Danny Chernov, who showed him the site's laboratories and briefed him on IUI's current projects.

The IUI, established in 1984, is the only academic institution specializing in research and instruction in marine life in Israel, and draws hundreds of students from all across the country. Each year, IUI offers courses for students from all the higher academic institutions in Israel. The staff includes seven senior researchers who are residents of Eilat, and another 40 researchers from all across Israel who regularly report to IUI.

Representatives of IUI report that over the last several months, they have held lectures for the public as well as classes at local schools. In addition, youth from Eilat have come to visit and learn at IUI.

Several IUI students recently received scholarships from the Jewish community of Toronto and, in return, they are offering lessons in marine biology to elementary school students in Eilat.

The staff of IUI explains that their location gives them a unique advantage for the study of coral reefs, including the basic processes of their formation in deep water and the interaction between the reef and the open sea. "The greatest advantage in the Gulf of Eilat is the immediate access it offers to coral reefs and the open sea in which they develop," explained the director of IUI. "This is what draws students of marine biology from Israel and from all around the world to Eilat."

Due to its location, the IUI also enables research cooperation with scientists from Israel's neighboring countries, such as Jordan and Egypt, as well as with international scientists who specialize in marine biology. IUI currently operates cooperative projects with research partners from Jordan, and teams from each institute meet twice a year on a research boat to collect data and samples together.