Studying abroad is an exciting adventure, but it also comes with unique academic challenges. Among them, writing essays in a different environment can feel overwhelming, especially when balancing studies with cultural experiences. Here’s a guide to help you write great essays while studying abroad.

Dr. Sarah Abu-Kaf, a faculty member and lecturer in cross-cultural psychology in Ben-Gurion University’s Conflict Management and Resolution Program, and the first clinical psychologist in Bedouin society, has been selected as one of the 50 most influential women by Forbes Israel magazine, as part of their Power Women 2018 campaign.

It was an exciting day on the Ben-Gurion University Marcus Family Campus, when BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi and Green Council Heads Prof. Yaron Ziv and Sagi Langer inaugurated the G​reen Trail as the next step in the Green Campus initiative. The Green Trail is comprised of 11 stations that highlight the eco-friendly aspects of BGU’s campus. The trail starts at a solar-powered charging station opposite the Zlotowski Student Center.

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) President Prof. Rivka Carmi has announced a $1 million BGU Entrepreneurship Fund (BEF), the first of its type established by an Israeli university. The student-led fund will provide students and recent graduates with micro-grants to jump-start innovative technologies and concepts.

For the past few decades, Israel has been a hotbed of innovation and technological exploration. What better place, then, for a group of Penn State students in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ENTI) minor to travel over spring break? The 10 students, along with three faculty members, spent the week visiting a number of Israeli startup companies and government officials while exploring the Israeli culture and historical landmarks.

In 2013, the first building in the Ben-Gurion Advanced Technologies Park (ATP) in Beer-Sheva was inhabited, and in early 2015 welcomed a new player, Tech7, into its growing community. Established by a group of young BGU students, graduates and faculty alongside industry figures, Tech7 is an umbrella organization aiming to bring together different startups and entrepreneurs, creating synergy between them and promoting support of local technology initiatives.

Watch the TEDxBGU video of BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi, M.D. address feminism, discrimination, success, and the glass ceiling, through the prism of her own impressive career.

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) captured the bronze medal in Concordia University’s annual Engineering and Commerce Case Competition (ECCC), placing third out of a starting field of 13 teams.

IBM’s global security division is expanding its activity through its Cyber Center of Excellence (CCOE) by launching a new laboratory in the Ben-Gurion Advanced Technologies Park (ATP) in Beer-Sheva, in cooperation with the company’s research division.

The Center for Digital Innovation (CDI), a nonprofit support center that combines aspects of a business incubator, think tank and startup company, just launched what it claims is the world’s first innovation laboratory designed to meet the challenges facing today’s senior citizens.

BGU researchers have made a breakthrough in manipulating light to render an object, such as an optical chip, invisible.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.’s unit, HARMAN International, is opening a cyber security Smart Mobility Analysis and Research Test (SMART) Range in Beer-Sheva in collaboration with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, CYMOTIVE Technologies, Deutsche Telekom Innovation Laboratories at BGU, and Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP). SMART will support a living lab encompassing all aspects of future mobility systems, including public transportation, private vehicles and personal mobility devices.

In a move that further expands Wisconsin’s global presence in the water technology sector, Governor Scott Walker facilitated the signing of an agreement between BGU’s Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research and The Water Council during a recent trade mission to Israel.

Inspired by Rivlin’s Israeli Hope initiative, BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi reveals: A special admittance track for Arab students that does not rely on the psychometric exam launched; Active recruitment from the Arab and haredi sectors for administrative positions successful; “Israeli Hope Prize for Promoting Cooperation in Israeli Society” created

Now in its seventh year, BGU engineering students are building their own race car and competing internationally — a huge accomplishment for a country that doesn’t have an auto industry to back them.

The Gulf of Eilat on the southern tip of Israel has some amazing natural coral reefs, which have been threatened by natural and man-made factors. In order to preserve them, artificial reefs have been created and ships deliberately sunk to provide interesting dive spots. Now, a new study from BGU has shown that the artificial reefs and shipwrecks are becoming popular with divers, thereby reducing the pressure on and potential damage to the natural coral reefs. 

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is playing a key role in the research component of VENµS, Israel’s first environmental research satellite. Venμs is a joint project of the Israel Space Agency (ISA) in the Science Ministry and its French counterpart, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES).

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev will construct and operate an advanced dark matter detector. The initiative is partly funded by a joint grant from the American National Science Foundation and the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation.

The Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev was ranked 42nd in the world in the subject of Hospitality and Tourism Management on The Academic Ranking of World Universities’ (ARWU) (Shanghai Ranking) Global Ranking of Academic Subjects for 2017. It is the only Israeli faculty to make it into the ranking for hospitality and tourism management.

The Symposium, taking place June 29-30, is an international forum for researchers and practitioners in the theory, design, analysis, implementation, or application of cyber security, cryptography and machine learning systems and networks; and, in particular, of conceptually innovative results.

Autism researchers Ilan Dinstein, Ph.D., of BGU’s Department of Psychology and Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience; Gal Meiri, M.D., head of the Preschool Psychiatric Unit at Soroka University Medical Center; and Idan Menashe, Ph.D., of BGU’s Department of Public Health and Zlotowski Center, were recently in the Bay Area to speak at two forums on advances in autism research coming out of Israel.

Israel is well-known and admired worldwide as a center for high technology and the creation of new companies in numbers far beyond what would be expected of a small nation. And Israel’s Ben-Gurion University (BGU) is a leading catalyst for this economic progress in the Be’er Sheva desert region.

Water research is expanding at the University of Chicago’s Institute for Molecular Engineering as the institute’s successful partnership with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Argonne National Laboratory grows.

Researchers from BGU and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have developed novel ultrafiltration membranes that significantly improve the virus-removal process from treated municipal wastewater used for drinking in water-scarce cities.

The patents granted to University faculty members and students encompass the majority of the University’s scientific areas including engineering, computer science, biomedicine, pharmaceuticals, health sciences, materials, water and renewable energy. The pace of innovation has been increasing steadily: last year BGU filed three times more patent requests than a decade ago.

The Journal of School Psychology has named Dr. Rony Berger’s article its Best of 2016. The article is entitled Reducing prejudice and promoting positive intergroup attitudes among elementary-school children in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Dr. Berger is a member of the Department of Emergency Medicine at BGU’s Faculty of Heath Sciences and is one of the instructors on the Overseas Student Program (OSP).

Ben-Gurion University’s Medical School for International Health (MSIH) is approaching 20 years of training doctors who are leaders in their fields. The English-language, four-year medical school incorporates global health into all four years of the curriculum.

A new nanosatellite, the first for Israeli academia, has been launched into space to conduct scientific missions for Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. It was developed by BGU students and researchers from a wide range of fields such as software and electrical engineering, planetary science, industrial engineering and management, and more.

Manuela Rosero, University of Washington Seattle Class of 2016, shared her experience of five months studying abroad in Israel at UW study abroad partner Ben-Gurion University in Beer Sheva. Manuela graduated with a Biology major and Jewish Studies minor and intends to attend medical school.

A research team from BGU and Tel Aviv University have discovered a way to verify handwritten signatures with data from motion sensors in smartwatches and fitness trackers. They’ve created an app that uses these sensors and can determine signature authenticity with 95 percent accuracy.

A not-so-quiet demographic and geographic revolution is taking place in Israel. After years of planning, concrete efforts are underway to shift populations — particularly educated and younger sectors of Israeli society — away from the overcrowded center of the country. Destination: Beer-Sheva and the Negev.

Israel reclaims almost 90 percent of its water (compared to one percent in the U.S.); it is a pioneer in desalinating sea or brackish water (more than half of Israel’s drinking water comes from the Mediterranean Sea); it has pioneered highly innovative agricultural techniques like drip irrigation and smart soil; and it has a growing ecosystem of technology companies tinkering with world-class solutions to solve water challenges of water utilities, companies and farmers.

Morphisec, a leading developer of cyber security prevention and detection tools, will make Boston its United States headquarters. The startup company was founded in 2014 based on patented technology developed at BGU’s’s Cyber Security Research Center.

The Center for Israel Studies (CIS) was recently launched at the Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism in Sede Boqer. Blending history, high academic work and policy recommendations on the most pressing questions of the Jewish people, the Center will consist of five laboratories that will be launched in the coming years. Two of them — the Hebrew Culture Laboratory and the Israel and World Jewry Laboratory — are already in operation.

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) is partnering with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on the first joint Israel/U.S. water conference, BusinessH2O Summit, at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas on December 12.

More than 300 million tons of plastic are produced every year, creating one of the planet’s gravest environmental threats. However, a student research team from Ben-Gurion University believes it has found the solution to this problem in the form of plastic-eating bacteria.

With the opening of the new academic year on Sunday, a rise has been recorded in the number of students who are expected to begin undergraduate degree programs at BGU. 9,500 students have registered for undergraduate degree programs and about 2,500 have registered for Master’s degrees. The most popular programs are medicine, computer science and psychology.

To mark 130 years since his birth, read five facts that you may not have known about Israel’s first prime minister.

How does one overcome almost unimaginable horror and trauma? For Holocaust survivors Howard and Lottie Marcus, the healing came, in part, from the hope that they could help to provide refuge for other Jews who might find themselves at risk.

A PhD candidate in Biomedical Studies from Ethiopia discusses how his experience has been so far at Ben-Gurion University.

In the middle of the Negev Desert, a cyber-city is rising to cement Israel’s place as a major digital power. The new development, an outcropping of glass and steel, will concentrate some of the country’s top talent from the military, academia and business in an area of just a few square miles.

The fourth DMBI Conference will be held May 19, 2016 in Beer-Sheva. The purpose of the conference is to gather researchers and professionals in the fields of data mining, data information, big data, machine learning, predictive analysis, and more who are involved with current trends and key elements of data mining for business intelligence.

Inno-Negev, BGU’s technology accelerator, has successfully concluded its first cycle. Eleven new start-ups were unveiled at the concluding event held at WeWork in the Advanced Technologies Park in Beer-Sheva late last week. The accelerator has demonstrated its importance in promoting cutting-edge innovation and the strength of Beer-Sheva’s entrepreneurial community.

The military’s massive relocation of its prestigious technology units, the presence of multinational and local companies, a close proximity to Ben Gurion University and generous government subsidies are turning Beersheba into a major global cybertech hub.

Three discoveries from BGU are among the approximately 60 in a new year-long wall exhibit launched by The Science, Technology and Space Ministry on Monday at Ben-Gurion International (BGI) Airport. The exhibit is displayed on a giant wall just past passport control and has the potential of reaching approximately 8 million people.

The OSP at BGU is happy to announce a brand new summer program beginning in 2016 in Innovation & Leadership. This four-week English-taught program gives students hands-on entrepreneurial experience right in the heart of the “Start-Up Nation,” known for success in high-tech entrepreneurship.

The BGU administration and Josh Armow, representing his father, Robert Arnow, benefactor of the Robert H. Arnow Center for Bedouin Studies and Development, dedicated a special student center serving Bedouin women students this week. It is the first of its kind, a social center and “warm home away from home” for Bedouin women students who study at the University.

The energetic mayor of Beersheba is hoping that, in the near future, he won’t be the only Israeli who associates the “Capital of the Negev” with words that today more often bring to mind Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. He believes the city is set to become world-renowned as a center of innovation and technology.

Ben-Gurion University took yet another exponential climb in the QS World University Rankings, this time in their Top 50 Under 50 Ranking, moving up 12 places from last year to take the 18th spot.

Ben-Gurion University took yet another exponential climb in the QS World University Rankings, moving up 33 places from last year to take the 259th spot. This is no small feat considering BGU’s youth and the fact that over 3,000 universities were considered for inclusion.

The Daughters For Life Foundation is a Canadian philanthropic organization that provides awards and scholarships to young women in their final year of studies at universities in the Middle East. The Daughters for Life Award granted by the foundation recognizes female students who have overcome hardship and made an outstanding contribution to the improvement of the lives of girls and young women.

Five BGU PhD students will undertake their post-doctoral studies through the Fulbright program in the United States next year. That is more than any other Israeli university will be sending.

Buckingham Palace has announced that BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi is to be honored by the Queen.

“Negev Stories” was featured at yesterday’s opening plenary session of the 2015 AIPAC Conference. It highlights the role of BGU and the Negev region is the field of cybersecurity.

Wadi Attir, a unique sustainable agriculture project which fuses traditional Bedouin agricultural and husbandry practices with modern renewable energy technology and farming techniques was officially inaugurated.

Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University, will be the keynote speaker at the Jewish National Fund’s Breakfast for Israel. He will speak about “The Power of Investing in Israel.” In his role at ASU, he recently developed a partnership with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev for ASU students to study abroad.

Collaboration between T3 Advisors and Brandeis International Business School identifies international locations showing great promise in shifting global economy.

Not just a dusty desert, the Negev offers something for nature-lovers, eco-tourists, archeology buffs, spa vacationers and even wine connoisseurs.

The Boston Globe — The two universities have established a seed fund that will pay for faculty and scientists to collaborate on new research endeavors. This is MIT’s first seed fund ever with an Israeli university.

The Jerusalem Post — BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi reflects on how David Ben-Gurion’s dream of developing the Negev is now being realized and recognized by business leaders and politicians from around Israel and the world.

JNS — Under the guidance of BGU researchers, high school students from Beer-Sheva’s Ilan Ramon Center for Physics win yet another prize in the “First Step to Nobel Prize in Physics” annual competition.

Oregon Jewish Life — BGU researchers are the brains behind companies that are helping improve the lives of people with brain-related injuries and disorders.

Washington Jewish Week — Recent findings from two rounds of clinical trials, based on research by BGU’s Dr. Eli Lewis, show that several patients injected with an FDA-approved drug, have been able to reduce or eliminate their insulin use.

San Diego Jewish World — BGU has signed an $8.5 million agreement to develop CyberSpark, an innovative research and development ecosystem that includes multinational corporations, business incubators, BGU researchers and Israel Defense Force units.

JNS — Dr. Rania Okby, the world’s first female Bedouin physician, graduated from BGU in 2004. She serves as a powerful example of how higher education is helping Bedouin women better integrate into Israeli society.

Autism Parenting Magazine — Two BGU researchers, in different scientific fields, have identified new ways to improve diagnosis of autistic children based on neurological testing and genetic markers.

Highlighting BGU’s international graduate programs, this new website aims to attract the best and brightest Chinese students to the Negev. 

The Jerusalem Post — BGU and health organizations from Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories launched a project to promote regional preparedness and emergency response.

Haaretz — BGU’s Prof. Raz Jelinek has developed a simple nanotechnology-based process that uses gold to create inexpensive, eco-friendly electronics that can be rolled up and put in your pocket.

TechRepublic — Located in Beer-Sheva’s Advanced Technologies Park adjacent to BGU’s campus, CyberLabs is nurturing Israel’s next wave of cyber security startups.

The Jewish Sound — BGU’s Dr. Eli Lewis recently conducted clinical trials with an established drug on diabetics, resulting in most patients being able to dramatically reduce their insulin use.

The Connectivist — BGU’s Dr. Opher Donchin, who specializes in movement control and motor learning, is researching how electric current stimulation impacts different areas of the brain.

Tech Republic — Beer-Sheva’s Advanced Technologies Park is projected to spur high-tech job growth in the region, as multinational companies and the IDF’s elite technology units move in across from BGU’s Marcus Family Campus.

The Huffington Post — Prof. Addy Pross discusses how a new area of chemical research is attempting to answer this eternal question by replicating molecules and the networks they establish.

J Weekly — BGU startup Titanium Core was among the Israeli companies represented at the first-ever Israel Cyber Security Showcase, hosted by Israel’s Economic Mission to the West Coast.

The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle — On a recent trip to BGU, reporter Mayaan Jaffe shares her inspiring observations of how BGU is the center of Negev development and a catalyst of innovation for the whole country.

Jewish Business News — BGU’s two robotics labs, run by Prof. Hugo Guterman and Dr. Amir Shapiro, are developing a wide range of robots with sophisticated military, automotive, agricultural, and medical applications.

Florida Jewish Journal — Prof. Alon Friedman is looking into the possibility that diseases and injuries that affect the brain could be treated through the blood brain barrier.

The Jewish Voice — BGU’s Dr. Ohad Birk has discovered a genetic mutation in Moroccan Jews that leads to a crippling disease.

BGU has been recognized as one of the world’s highest performing young academic institutions. It also ranked among the top universities overall in the fields of history, linguistics and psychology.

BGU researchers are developing an ultra thin coating that will turn any glasses into night vision glasses.

JUF News — Prof. Eilon Adar, of the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, discusses how BGU, the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory are working together to improve water quality.

Sun Sentinel — Through clinical trials, BGU’s Dr. Eli Lewis found that Alpha 1 Antitrypsin (AAT), an anti-inflammatory drug typically used to treat emphysema, may have the ability to cure type 1 diabetes in some patients.

The New York Jewish Week — David Ben-Gurion’s vision of a thriving Negev is materializing with the new Advanced Technologies Park, where industry, academia and the military are joining forces to create an innovative cyber security center.

Untold News — Prof. Yoram Oren, of BGU’s Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, develops water technology solutions to meet the needs of a growing global population.

The gift will allow BGU to construct the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Institute for Social Leadership building and establish the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Honors Program in Social Leadership.

Claudia Oesau a student in BGU’s Israel Studies International Masters Program to be awarded a research prize.

JNS — Global players are seeing the value of partnering with BGU researchers and local entrepreneurs to develop technologies to counter the world’s cyber security threats.

The Christian Science Monitor — With Israel’s military prowess in cyber security, government investment, and collaboration between business and academia, Israel is poised to tackle one of the 21st century’s greatest challenges. And it’s happening in Beer-Sheva.

Israel Hayom — Together with the president of Ben-Gurion University and the mayor of Beer-Sheva, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced the establishment of an international cybercenter, “CyberSpark,” adjacent to BGU.

BGU recently conducted a workshop for human service professionals and educators from throughout the Middle East, in conjunction with mental health experts from New York and New Jersey.

The Jerusalem Post — BGU is partnering with a Canadian university to create an internationally recognized center for marine sciences in Eilat.

BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi recently welcomed a delegation of 13 representatives from leading U.S. universities and study abroad programs to the BGU campus in Beer-Sheva.

TechRepublic — Ben-Gurion University’s Prof. Yuval Golan talks about how nanotechnology is advancing medicine, materials science, energy, and more.

J Weekly — BGU Prof. Alon Tal’s new book describes the political, national and environmental implications of the greening of Israel from 1918 to present day.

Israel 21C — BGU’s Prof. Evyatar Erell focuses on improving the comfort and efficiency of desert homes with the right windows.

Washington Jewish Week — BGU and the Heidelberg College for Jewish Studies have established a joint academic program in Israel studies, specializing in modern Jewish life and culture.

The Wall Street Journal — Mordechai Guri, a Ph.D. student in BGU’s Cyber Security Lab, says the vulnerability could allow a hacker to “easily intercept” the secure data of Samsung Galaxy users.

AABGU has joined forces with the other American friends’ organizations in condemning the American Studies Association’s boycott of Israel’s academic and research institutions.

Israel 21C — BGU alumni, and co-founders of Ben-Gurion Racing, are applying what they learned in school to create the City Transformer, the urban vehicle of the future.