COVID-19: Special Message from Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan
Haifa, 17th March 2020
At this moment, COVID-19 is threatening our families, communities, and wellbeing worldwide. Its rapid spread affects our normal lives and jeopardizes our inherent need for certainty and security. In these difficult times, our hearts and thoughts are with those who lost their dear ones, those infected by the virus and their families, and those confined to their premises.
For all of us, the atmosphere is unsettling. But my own experience tells me that if handled correctly, by focusing first on saving lives and on containing the danger, such crises may eventually turn into a source of strength and insight.
At Technion, we are currently focusing on the containment phase, taking all necessary steps to keep the Technion family safe.
Following instructions by the Israel Ministry of Health, we will open the spring semester on March 18th with all classes taught online. Residents in self-isolation in our student dorms have been moved to one wing for effective monitoring and are provided with food and other supplies by our Students Association. We are also maintaining close communication with all the Technion community, recognizing the strength and resilience that emerges when we work together for the safety of each other. At Technion, we believe that community is immunity. Together, we will emerge stronger from this crisis.
COVID-19 is a global challenge, which ultimately asks for global scientific and technological solutions. At Technion, we have already started to direct the brainpower of our faculty to address these challenges. In the long-term, one effect of COVID-19 on Technion will be an intensification of research in multidisciplinary fields that address the threat of epidemics and pandemics. These include medical research, pharmaceuticals, big data, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, digital health responses, and much more.
Dear Technion family across the world, we wish you good health, safety, and well-being. We will emerge from COVID19 together with insight, strength, and resilience.
COVID-19 – Find out more with multimedia from Technion researchers.