By Jacob Kamaras in La Jolla, California
Southern California native Eliana Waghalter is spending her summer conducting research in Israel as one of 24 undergraduate students from the U.S. and U.K. who reflect Bar-Ilan University’s work to cultivate the next generation of scientific leaders.
Waghalter, who is from Los Angeles and attends Stern College for Women in New York, is interning in the Neuropsychology Lab of Prof. David Anaki at Bar-Ilan’s Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center. The research explores whether highly creative individuals differ from others in the way they organize and connect concepts in semantic memory.
“My experience working with Prof. Anaki has been incredibly valuable and informative,” said Waghalter, 20, a junior majoring in Psychology and Judaic Studies at Stern College. “I’ve gained an insider’s perspective on the experimental research process and the technical skills and methodological precision required to conduct successful studies. The opportunity to actively participate in running experiments has deepened my understanding of neurocognitive psychology research, and I’ve especially appreciated the chance to contribute to meaningful research in Israel while being part of such a wonderful group of like-minded students.”
Waghalter is part of the 16th annual Bar-Ilan University-Yeshiva University (BIU-YU) Summer Science Research Internship Program. The seven-week program has brought nearly 500 undergraduates to Israel since its inception.
Supported by the generosity of Drs. Mordecai z”l and Monique Katz, the Irving I. Stone Foundation, and the Zoltan Erenyi Charitable Fund, the program invests in the next generation of scientific leaders. It embodies the sentiment of Dr. Mordechai Katz that “the best investment you can make is in people.”
The 2026 cohort also includes students from Yeshiva College, Brandeis University, Binghamton University, Rutgers University, The Cooper Union, and the U.K.-based University of Manchester.
Over the course of the intensive program, participants conduct research in laboratories across Bar-Ilan, including psychology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, engineering, life sciences, nanotechnology, chemistry, physics, and information science and applied artificial intelligence.
Beyond the laboratory, students participate in educational visits to leading Israeli institutions, lectures by Bar-Ilan faculty, and Shabbatonim in Jerusalem.
“Working with leading faculty and graduate mentors on projects spanning fields from psychology and neuroscience to artificial intelligence, engineering, chemistry, and life sciences, students are immersed in an environment that fosters both scientific discovery and personal growth,” said Prof. Arlene Gordon of Bar-Ilan’s Department of Chemistry, who directs the program. “Each participant is carefully matched with a research laboratory that aligns with their academic interests and career goals, creating an experience that is both intellectually rigorous and deeply rewarding.”
The program has also proven to be a springboard for future academic careers, with many alumni going on to graduate studies, including at Bar-Ilan, where they continue to contribute to the university’s research community.
The BIU-YU Summer Science Research Internship is administered through Bar-Ilan’s International School. Applications for the 2027 program will open later this year.
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Jacob Kamaras, a former publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World, is now the executive director of J Cubed Communications.