The secret behind the success of science museums stems from the value they place on cooperation- their commitment to forming and strengthening relationships between museums, researchers, and citizens.
In this spirit, the Museum collaborates with researchers at the Hebrew University and academic institutions throughout the country, with science museums around the world, and with local institutions- both formal and informal- within the public and private sectors. Additionally, the Museum is an active member of the ASTC and ECSITE international Science Museums Organizations. International collaborations enable the museum team to learn from others, share knowledge, work together, and apply new tools and approaches to local activities.
The Living Lab in Memory of Noam Knafo is a unique, innovative, and highly successful collaboration between researchers of the Hebrew University’s Psychology Department and the Museum. The research taking place at the lab studies how children understand the world- how they develop, learn, communicate, and acquire language. Over the past seven years, close to 8,000 children participated in diverse experiments, providing an opportunity for parents visiting the Museum to speak to the researchers, and for their children to take part in scientific research.
A belief in the importance of public engagement informs all of the Museum’s activity. The Museum aims not only to impart scientific knowledge to the public, but also to encourage critical thinking - which includes raising questions, proposing solutions, evaluating ideas, and civic engagement. As part of an EU- supported program, Nano2All, the Museum held community dialogue circles, in which researchers and citizens proposed their recommendations for formulating a 'roadmap' in the field of Responsibility in Research and Innovation (RRI), vis-à-vis nanotechnology.
As a partner in the EU's flagship project, The Human Brain Project, which includes more than 130 research and educational institutions across Europe, the museum was in charged on facilitating the results of neuroscience research into a traveling exhibition. The Museum team worked closely with researchers, and, in 2019, opened a unique exhibition in the Museum- Mind the Brain- that showcased the results of the study. The exhibition was subsequently shown at Copernicus, the Museum of Science in Warsaw (Poland) before continuing its journey across the continent.
As one of Jerusalem’s anchor institutions, and as part of the fabric of the community, the Museum works to integrate all voices from the community into helping to shape the face of the city, and to raise public discourse in the field of science and technology. Through the EU's My Ideal City (MIC) program, the Museum led a collaborative project with the city's residents, which resulted in an exhibition of a virtual future Jerusalem, 'built' according to the needs of the residents.
In the beginning of the last decade, as part of the EU-funded PLACES project, the Museum worked with the Jerusalem Municipality to develop the "Jerusalem- City of Science" model as a basis for promoting STEM through sustainable cooperation between the city's science institutions and the education system. At the same time, the Museum learned about the Urban Advantage Project in New York City, which is led by the American Museum of Natural History. Using this as a model, the Museum, together with the Jerusalem Education Administration of the Jerusalem Municipality, initiated the Scientific Urban Advantage Project in Jerusalem. Together with a coalition of eight Jerusalem institutions engaged in informal science education, the Museum created a program that has so far allowed hundreds of sixth and ninth graders in Jerusalem to conduct scientific research or develop technological solutions, in authentic environments and with the support of experts.
Since 2013, the museum has been a partner in the Ministry of Education's national program, Key Experiences, in which all the science museums in the country take part. The program, held in collaboration also with the Ministry of Science and Technology and local authorities, includes a series of seminars and experiential activities on specific topics from the curriculum, all conducted by students. The activities, which are designed to promote meaningful learning in science and technology, take place either in the museum or in the school under the supervision of museum guides.
Following a significant decrease in the number of high-school students successfully completing advanced levels of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and technology subjects in high-school, the Museum was invited to serve as a member of the steering committee of the 5X2 – Expanding the Circle of Excellence initiative, led by Shitufim, in conjunction with public and private organizations along with the Ministry of Education. In this context, Museum representatives worked to initiate collaborations with informal science organizations, promote programs proven to increase motivation and "science capital" among all students- especially students in socio-economically and geographically peripheral communities- from an early age.
The museum initiated MAKE and Education Week in Israel, together with the MindCET and Mifras organizations. During this week, educators, artists, and others are exposed to the world of MAKERS, and to the innovative solutions and novel pedagogical methods it offers to contemporary learners. Over the past three years, thousands of participants have taken part in MAKE week events, and adopted 'thinking with your hands' as an important tool in their STEM educational toolbox. At the end of 2020, the Museum organized the MAKE and Education week via the online Physi-taly platform. In collaboration with dozens of organizations, 43 events took place over three days, including round-table discussions; Maker workshops for teachers, students and families; lectures by leading experts from around the world; fascinating meetings with Israeli Makers, and tours of Maker labs around the country. All the virtual content will be kept on the online platform and will serve as the basis for a future collaborative space for the Maker and educational community.
As part of its activities at the national level, the Museum worked with ORT-Israel and Eshkolot Pais of the Ministry of Education on an innovative EU project: Open Schools for Open Societies (OSOS). The project involved utilizing schools as centers for the dissemination of scientific knowledge, and connecting students, teachers, parents, and the business sector through projects that promote innovation and civic responsibility. The experience gained and knowledge acquired during OSOS served as the foundation for the formulation of another project - Make It Open- that the Museum initiated together with partners from Europe and the US. Make It Open was submitted to a call from the EU, and won a three-year grant beginning in 2020.
In October 2020, ECSITE, the European Network of Science Centers and Museums, announced Maya Halevy as the winner of the Mariano Gago Beacon of the Year Award, which recognizes innovative visionaries who empower and inspire their peers in pursuit of a common goal: motivating citizens to engage with science. As the Director of The Bloomfield Science Museum Jerusalem, Maya received the award due to "her remarkable impact within the science engagement field, for her most outstanding skills and her generosity in sharing knowledge and resources, as well as her desire and ability to collaborate".