Solving puzzles, conducting experiments, and escaping the classroom during a chemistry lesson. This is not a student prank, but a learning approach developed by Prof. Ron Blonder’s research group in the Department of Science Teaching at the Weizmann Institute of Science.

For more than a decade, the Chemistry Education Research Group has been developing educational escape rooms and was the first in the world to introduce them into chemistry education. To date, the team has developed seven escape rooms in physical, virtual, and hybrid formats, where students solve puzzles, investigate scientific phenomena, and apply chemistry knowledge to advance through the game. Tens of thousands of students in Hebrew- and Arabic-speaking schools have participated, guided by hundreds of chemistry teachers who borrowed kits that transform school laboratories into escape rooms.

The project is led by Dr. Shelley Rap, who developed the escape rooms together with Vered Adler, Semina Shulam-Tawly, Yulia Zaychikova, and Dr. Malka Yayon. Beyond serving as a learning tool, the escape rooms are also a platform for science education research. A new renewable-energy escape room, developed in collaboration with SolarEdge, introduces key concepts in energy technologies and sustainability.

At the same time, researchers are studying co-design processes in innovative learning environments, focusing on collaboration between science education researchers and industry engineers in designing this unique escape room.

What gives someone the courage to tell their story?

To mark Pride Month, the Diversity and Inclusion Office hosted a special conversation about the need, and the fear, of sharing who we are.

Ori Ben Ami, a communication and relationships facilitator, shared his personal journey – from life as a student in Jerusalem, through the unexpected experience of becoming a father, to the gradual process of coming out and embracing a life of honesty and openness.

During the conversation, Ori spoke about the fears and challenges that accompanied him along the way, and about the transformative role of genuine listening, acceptance, and support. It was this experience that gave him the courage to move forward, one step at a time, in coming out as gay to friends, family members, and ultimately his parents.

Members of the Weizmann community volunteered at the SHEKEL Association’s day center, located at the Open Space Farm. The center provides a supportive environment for adults on the autism spectrum with moderate support needs, combining meaningful activities, recreation, and community life.

Together, they took part in a variety of activities, from creating mosaics and working in the vegetable garden to spending time at the stable and joining a music session.