Molly Anderson is now rubbing shoulders with some of the world's greatest minds.

The Otahuhu university student is attending the Asian Science Camp in Jerusalem where she's attending lectures led by Nobel Prize winners from Israel, Japan, Taiwan and the United States.

She and fellow Maori science students Awhina Hona, Michael McLeod, Leighton Watson and Hanareia Ehau-Taumaunu have joined nearly 300 other young scientists from around the world for the camp.

It is part of Asia's Year in Israel, an Israeli project to establish diplomatic relations with influential countries.

Israel's Foreign Affairs director-general Rafael Barak says the country, while small, is a powerhouse of scientific innovation and progress.

"Science has no borders and in that sense we hope that the 2012 Science Camp in Israel will help us enhance our mutual understanding and bring us closer together," he says.

As well as the academic content, lectures by leading scientists and encounters with Nobel Prize Laureates, the students will be treated to field trips around Israel.

Camp organisers are aiming to expose the young guests to Israel's diversity, history and culture.

The Auckland University students' trip is supported by Nga Pae o te Maramatanga, New Zealand's Indigenous Centre of Research Excellence, and the Maurice Wilkins Centre.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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