NRERC is proud to post this announcemenet of its member Gabriela Appel:

I am thrilled to share that I have been awarded the AIS Dissertation Completion Grant to complete my doctoral dissertation!

The timing couldn’t have been more symbolic: the wonderful news arrived on the eve of Shavuot—the ‘ holiday of First Fruits’ (Chag HaBikkurim)—which celebrates the very first harvest of the season.

Receiving this award at this exact time feels like celebrating the “first fruits” of my own years of hard work, research, and dedication.

A huge thank you to  AIS for their trust and support in helping me reach the finish line, and to the School of Environmental Sciences | University of Haifa

A heartfelt thank you to my wonderful supervisors Ofira Ayalon and Noga Collins-Kreiner, PhD. None of this would have been achieved without their unwavering support.

This grant will allow me to advance in completing my doctoral dissertation, “Food Waste at Hotels in Israel – Drivers and Interventions for Reduction”, and expand my research on food waste observations and innovative methodologies within food services.

I will always be happy to talk and share insights with researchers and colleagues who are interested in this field.

From the Committee’s Reasons for the Award:
The committee was especially impressed by the project’s rigorous mixed-methods design, which integrates interviews with hotel managers and chefs, a large-scale survey of hotel guests, semi-structured interviews, and ethnography. The project makes a meaningful contribution to Israel Studies by grounding its analysis in Israel’s diverse social and cultural landscape. It highlights how everyday practices reflect broader societal dynamics, thereby expanding the field beyond its traditional focus on political and historical analysis.
Happy Shavuot!

NRERC The Natural Resources and Environmental Research Center University of Haifa
Gaby Appel