Elias Mizrahi, a second-year Master’s degree student supervised by the Head of the Department Prof. Revital Bookman, Dr. Nadya Teutsch (Geological Survey of Israel), and Dr. Tamar Guy-Haim (Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research), is working with zooplankton samples from Haifa Bay to measure concentrations of heavy metals. “It is a very important research”, Elias says. “I will examine concentrations of several heavy metals – Hg, Zn, Pb, Cd, and others – in subsamples of zooplankton sorted according to size fraction and taxa. I will also work with previously collected samples and perform stable isotope analyses (N and C) to assess the trophic web. It will all lead me to my goal”.

Asked what helps him in conducting such scrupulous research, Elias admits that what supports him is his wife, his family, and his faith in God. Additionally, his hobbies support him as well. “I love playing footvolley and soccer”, he says. “The sport is essential to keep our minds working well”.

Elias is excited about his project as much as he is excited about the Department of Marine Geosciences. “The Department has students from different backgrounds, nationalities, and religions”, he says. “What they have in common is the belief that education is the best way to have a promising future and that by working hard together, we will get there”.

Asked how recent tragic events in Israel affected him, Elias says that he tries to stay strong. “I am originally from Brazil and I had a good life there, but I left it to come, study, and work in Israel. I want to write a beautiful story of my life, and in all beautiful stories, we must go through challenging chapters and in the end, it will make us stronger and smarter. So these challenging events will not change my plans – after my Master’s studies in the Marine Geosciences Department, I want to do my PhD there working with the same topic I work with now.