Mission and Vision Working towards establishing a Strong Technical & Space Leadership in Israel The Ilan Ramon Scholarship & Endowment has been established to honor the memory of the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, who died while courageously exploring the final frontier of space. The Scholarship & Endowment is used to provide scholarship funding for Israeli citizens to attend either the Summer Space Studies Program or the Masters in Space Studies Program at the International Space University. The purpose is to attract talented young Israeli students with backgrounds in technology, science, medicine and other space activities to allow them to continue their pursuit of knowledge on the international stage with academic and scientific colleagues from many different countries. This scholarship is a commitment to creating the building blocks that are necessary for Israel to establish a leadership position in the global space community and marketplace. Recognizing Ilan Ramon's commitment to space and to international cooperation among the nations of the Earth, the Scholarship is used to allow Israeli students to attend the International Space University. ISU, located in Strasbourg, France, provides graduate-level interdisciplinary training to the future leaders of the world’s space efforts. Since its inception in 1987, more then 2,000 students from more than 80 countries have graduated from ISU's two-month Summer Session Program and its one-year Master of Space Studies Program. The 2006 Summer Session was held in Strasbourg, France. The Summer 2007 Session will be held in Beijing China. The Summer Session for 2008 will be Naples, Italy and the Summer Session 2009 will be at the NASA Ames Research center in the San Francisco area. The critical goal is not create a one off scholarship opportunity. But to establish an ongoing infrastructure in Israel that will continually identify the best and the brightest talent to be selected for international post graduate education in science in technology. One of the talented students to receive the Ilan Ramon Scholarship was Yael Barr who graduated from Tel-Aviv University with a Medical Doctor degree. After attending ISU she went to Houston, Texas to complete her residency and is seeking to further her studies in Aerospace medicine. The purpose of the Ilan Ramon Scholarship & Endowment is to secure additional future funding from other passionate donors, making it possible for Israeli students to be supported on an annual basis in the years to come.