New Science Center to Bridge the Rift.

JORDAN; ISRAEL; NEW York (N.Y.); NEW York (State); UNITED States

The bleak, fortified desert border between Jordan and Israel seems to be the last place on Earth for an ambitious multidisciplinary science institution, but the two states have planned to break ground on March 9, 2004 for just such a venture. The Bridging the Rift science center will be a free academic zone planned to straddle a literal gap in the fence. The science center will host researchers from both countries and eventually other Middle Eastern nations. The center is the brainchild of Mati Kochavi, a New York City-based Israeli magnate involved in fiber optics and defense industries.