Annual Report. Academic year 2017/2018

The past year was a historical milestone in the Steinhardt Museum development, with the begin­ning of the move into the new building and opening our galleries to the general public. This process began decades ago, most formally with a science policy decision made by the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 1986, to consider our collections as National Collections, a National Museum of Natural History in the making.

We have finalized Phase I of the Steinhardt Museum development and now face challenges of Phase II — the continuing development of our public programs and scientific and professional ca­pabilities, while strategically advancing the organizational and financial structure of the Stein­hardt Museum.

The Steinhardt Museum comprises three major divisions. The Public Division was very active with finishing the exhibitions, developing an application and educational materials for museum visitors, and training guides, ushers and cashiers to work with the public. July and August saw a trial run with limited numbers of visitors and in September we opened the museum for all who purchased tickets on-line. The interest in the museum was gratifying, exceeding our most op­ti­mistic expectations, with the tickets sold out weeks ahead. Very positive responses were received from the public representing all sectors of the Israeli society; we feel privileged to share our trea­sures and knowledge with all. 

The Collections & Research Division has developed dramatically over the past few years — now comprising ca. 5.5 million specimens, over 40 expert collections managers, taxidermists and tech­nical assistants, 24 curators, 5 associate curators and a number of active curators emeriti. The Israel Taxonomy Initiative and the Aliya from the former USSR have contributed highly qua­lified museum professionals, in particular expert taxonomists, to this division, and the relevant aca­demic units have hired excellent young faculty members who serve as curators and develop collections-based research programs. Consequently, the rate of our collecting and the numbers of graduate students and international colleagues who use the collections for research have in­creased substantially. The staff members were entrusted with an arduous task of transferring the col­lections to the new museum building and reorganizing the collections in the storage facilities; they have been dealing with this admirably. Two special projects in the Collections & Research Division — the Israel Taxonomy Initiative and the Ancient DNA Program — continued to perform well, and the joint molecular systematics laboratory moved from cramped quarters to a spacious lab in the new museum building that would allow its development and use by all collections-based researchers.

The Applied Policy-Relevant Research Division comprises three centers supported and co-ma­naged by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and KKL-JNF: The Israel National Center for Aquatic Ecology, the Open Landscape Institute (with part­nership also of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel) and HaMaarag – Israel National Nature Assessment Program. The experts working in these centers have added a new dimension to the research carried out in the museum, and we trust that the synergy between them and the Collections & Research Division of the museum will continue to add depth to the museum’s mission and activities. The Applied Policy-Relevant Research Division also comprises special projects and services provided by the museum to governmental and other agencies: The Entomology Lab for Applied Ecology, the Feather Identification Lab, Agricultural Biodiversity and Marine Biodiversity, which produce knowledge required to support important activities of the Plant Protection and Inspection Services of the Ministry of Agriculture, monitor and survey arthropods, monitor bird-strikes for the Airports Authority and the Israeli Air-Force, and do forensic work and monitor marine nature reserves for the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

It was a very intensive, uneasy yet rewarding year, and we are privileged to have a dedicated hard-working team that meets challenges successfully and good-humoredly. We are also fortunate to have excellent colleagues in all relevant agencies and organizations who work with us, to attain the common goal of recording Israel’s biodiversity, studying it and sharing our knowledge and trea­sures with decision-makers and with the general public.