The future of cancer diagnosis may lie in just a few milliliters of blood, according to a research team led by Professor Arie Admon of the Technion.

In a study released this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists report on a new source of blood-derived biomarkers that could soon help doctors determine whether a recovering cancer patient has relapsed, and may someday aid in the early detection of a variety of cancers. The technique may also “provide a large enough source of information to enable personalized treatment for the disease,” Admon said.

The biomarkers consist of immune molecules called HLA and their cargo of peptides, which are degraded bits of protein that they haul to the surface of tumor cells. Since cancer cells release larger amounts of the HLA molecules, “we may be able to diagnose different disease, including cancer, by analyzing the repertoires of peptides carried by these soluble HLA,” said Admon.

Most of the time, the HLA ferry these peptides to the cell surface for inspection by immune T cells and small amounts of these HLA molecules are also released by the cells to the blood. Admon and his colleagues now show that the HLA molecules that are released to the blood continue to carry their peptide cargo.

So far, the method has been tested in blood from patients with multiple myeloma and leukemia, as well as healthy people and cancer cells grown in the lab. If their process holds up under further intensive testing, the researchers say, it could form “a foundation for development of a simple and universal blood-based cancer diagnosis”.

“We aim at early detection, leading to a better prognosis, relapse detection, and better information for personalized treatment,” said Admon. “All of these are long term goals. We think that relapse detection may be the first achievable goal”.

Some researchers have suggested that the flood of HLA-peptide complexes released by tumor cells helps the cancer evade immune detection, by “blocking and confusing the anti-cancer T cells,” Admon said.

There are only a handful of peptides known to be associated with particular types of cancer, so the new technique could not be used yet to determine whether a person has a certain type of cancer, Admon explained. But researchers could study the soluble HLA-peptide repertoires to learn more about the proteins that each kind of tumor produces.

HLA come in a wide variety of their own, and differ between individuals. The different subtypes of HLA differ from each other in the repertoires of peptides they carry and present. By analyzing these differences in “many people of diverse ethnic origin,” Admon said, “we will be able to come up with better diagnoses for larger parts of the human population”.

Someday, a person’s “healthy” HLA profile may join blood pressure and cholesterol readings as part of the person’s medical record, the researchers suggest in their PNAS report. Any changes in the HLA profile, they note, could be used for “detecting the telltale changes associated with the onset of diseases”.

Prof. Michael Karin and Prof. Alexander Polyakov are the winners of the Technion’s 2010 Harvey Prize.

Prof. Karin, from the University of California, San Diego, will receive the prize in the field of human health. He discovered the strong link between obesity, inflammation and cancer. The judges decided to award the prize to Prof. Karin for “his pioneering contribution that led to deciphering the molecular mechanism through which mammalian cells react to cytokines which cause inflammation, to adverse environmental conditions and also to various pathogens. His research laid the foundations for our understanding of the control mechanisms of transcription factor activities influenced by external stimulations, especially the transcription factors of the AP-1 family and NF-B. These discoveries led to the identification of new target protein cells that have recently been used to develop new medications for preventing and treating various malignant tumors.”

Prof. Polyakov, from Princeton University, will receive the prize in the field of science and technology. “He developed revolutionary theories that shaped our contemporary understanding of elementary particles in nature. In addition, he significantly contributed to condensed matter physics, statistical mechanics and mathematics. Among the ideas credited to him are topological structures (such as magnetic monopoles) in gauge field theories, which are important in understanding the confinement of quarks in the nucleus.
Polyakov also contributed to the foundations of string theory, the unification of quantum mechanics and gravity, and to the idea of duality between string theory and gauge field theory.”

The Technion’s prestigious Harvey Prize foresaw the winning of the Nobel Prize for two of the latest Nobel laureates – Elizabeth Blackburn (Medicine) and Ada Yonath of the Weizmann Institute of Science (Chemistry). To date, 13 Harvey Prize winners have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.

The Harvey Prize was first awarded in 1972 from a fund established by the late Leo M. Harvey of Los Angeles in order to recognize those who have made great contributions to advancing humanity in science and technology and in human health, as well as advancing peace in the Middle East. Every year, prizes totaling $75,000 per winner are awarded from the fund’s income.

Among the winners of the prestigious Harvey Prize are scientists from the US, Great Britain, Russia, Sweden, France and Israel. These include Nobel Prize laureate Mikhail Gorbachev, former leader of the USSR, who was awarded the prize for his activities aimed at reducing regional tensions; Prof. Bert Sakmann who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine; Prof. Pierre-Gilles de Gennes who won the Nobel Prize in Physics; Prof. Edward Teller for his discoveries in solid state physics, atomic physics and nuclear physics; and Prof. William J. Kolff for his invention of the artificial kidney.

Proposals for candidates for the Harvey Prize are received from leading scientists and personalities in Israel and the world. The prize laureates are chosen by the Harvey Prize committee in a stringent process at the Technion.

Below: Prof. Michael Karin (left) and Prof. Alexander Polyakov (right).

They made changes in natural photosynthesis system; the Technion has registered a patent on this and the scientific paper was recommended as a “must read” by a world organization of biology experts

Interdisciplinary cooperation at the Technion has produced the possibility of a breakthrough in the field of bio-energy. The Technion has registered a patent on this and the Technion researchers’ scientific paper was recommended as a “must read” by a well-known organization of senior biology researchers – Faculty of 1000/Biology – which said that “there is something new under the sun” and that the achievement is a first step towards creating true green energy, or in their words – “the greenest of the green.” The paper was published in – “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” – the prestigious journal of the US National Academy of Sciences.

The researchers – Faculty of Biology Dean, Prof. Gadi Schuster, and Prof. Noam Adir from the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, together with doctoral students Shirley Larom and Faris Salama – recorded an important achievement on the road to green energy. They succeeded in manipulating the photosynthesis process (the process by which plants absorb solar energy and convert it into efficient chemical energy) in such a way that it is possible to use it to produce electricity from plants. The Technion researchers studied a key protein in the process of moving electrons along the photosynthesis production line. In its natural state, the protein extracts electrons from water and moves them through a membrane in bacteria and plants. In nature, the membrane isolates the biological electricity flow from the escaping to side processes. The researchers changed one amino acid out of the hundreds found in the protein from a positive amino acid to a negative one and thus succeeded in changing the direction of electron emission to one that enables harnessing the energy produced in the process for later use.

The engineered protein also “exports” electrons at a high enough frequency to produce a useful quantity of energy, and directs the flow in a configuration that enables efficient absorption of this energy. And this was accomplished without the artificial change harming the functioning of the protein. This enables growing the organism in a completely natural way, thus enabling obtaining large amounts of protein at a very low price and without polluting industrial processes.

In the second stage, the Technion researchers looked for an electron-carrying protein that would absorb the electrons emitted and transfer them to an electric cell electrode. They found that a small protein called cytochrome C, which is produced from horse hearts, is the most compatible and best fulfills the function.

Going forward, the Technion researchers hope to engineer a real mechanism that will be able to convert the biochemical energy into electricity and hydrogen which are known to us from daily life. “This will not replace power stations,” they say. “But it could supply useable amounts of entirely clean electricity, especially in places with infrastructure problems which electricity cannot reach. We hope to reach the stage in which a few leaves, for example – tobacco leaves – can supply electricity for a number of hours exactly like a photoelectric board of one square meter,” stress Prof. Adir and Prof. Schuster.

It is estimated that in North America there are approximately forty million individuals with chronic kidney disease at various stages of severity. Among these, approximately half a million individuals have the final or end-stage of kidney disease requiring life-sustaining dialysis or transplantation. The comparable number in Israel is approximately 3,000 individuals. While these therapies are life-sustaining, they are associated with a reduced quality of life and increased mortality. In regions of the world where dialysis and transplantation are not available, end-stage kidney disease is fatal. Until recently, it was thought that genetic factors make a relatively minor contribution limited to a few rare forms of kidney disease with a clear-cut familial hereditary pattern. However, the now well-documented observation of marked disparities in the prevalence of the most common forms of end-stage kidney disease among different population groups in North America, suggested that genetic factors may play a more important role than previously considered, in almost all forms of kidney disease. In particular, African-Americans have an approximately 4-fold higher rate and Hispanic-Americans an approximately 2-fold higher rate of end-stage kidney disease requiring dialysis or transplantation, compared to Americans of European ancestry. There is a comparably higher rate of high blood pressure and other manifestations of kidney disease.

The finding that these disparities could not be attributed solely to socio-economic, cultural, dietary, or environmental factors, strongly pointed to a major genetic contribution to common forms of kidney disease. Indeed, genetic mapping studies reported by American groups of researchers during the past two years, identified a specific gene on chromosome 22 (MYH9), and which is expressed in the kidney, as explaining the African ancestry genetic risk.

In the current issue of the prestigious journal “Human Molecular Genetics”, a research team led by Professor Karl Skorecki and Dr. Doron Behar working with Technion doctorate student Shay Tzur, and their colleagues at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, together with Dr. Walter Wasser, currently at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem Israel, and in collaboration research colleagues at Tel Aviv University and the National Institutes of Health in the USA, report finding the very strong predictive association of new markers within this gene, with common forms of end-stage kidney disease in different population groups. In the current study, the  researchers found a particular suite of markers which designate and allelic variant of the gene,  which appears to have originated in  Western and South Africa, carries with it a high risk for kidney disease, when present in admixed populations, such as Hispanic Americans. Thus, while the  researchers report an overall genomic African ancestry contribution of approximately 85% in African-Americans and 30% in Hispanic-Americans, the African risk variant of this particular gene confers an increased risk for end-stage kidney disease of between 3 to 5 fold. This is one of the highest ever reported genetically based set of risk markers for a common disease state, and leads to  consideration of utilization of the markers  for population health screening in the prevention of kidney disease. Furthermore, the finding of these predictive genetic markers, paves the way for identifying the actual genetic mutation which promotes kidney injury, and will hopefully lead to the development of preventive and therapeutic interventions. In this regard, HIV-associated end-stage kidney disease, is the most highly associated form of kidney failure with these newly reported risk markers. The same Technion and Rambam based research teams had already reported four years ago, that in contrast to African-Americans, Ethiopians seem to be completely protected from this form of kidney failure, and therefore may hold the clue that connects the function of this gene with healthy kidneys.

Technion and Japanese Researchers Will Develop Jointly a Platform for Creating Blood Vessels and Blood Cells from Embryonic Stem Cells

Technion and Japanese researchers will develop jointly a platform for creating blood vessels and blood cells from embryonic stem cells, as wells adult cells that will undergo conversion to embryonic cells. This the first scientific agreement signed between Japan and Israel.

Prof. Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor of the Technion’s Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and researchers from Rikan Research in Japan received a $600,000 joint grant from the Japanese and Israeli ministries of science for developing the unique platform. Prof. Itskovitz-Eldor said that this is an historic scientific agreement and he hopes that it will lead to many more agreements in its wake. “Japan is a superpower in the field of stem cell research and conversion of adult stem cells to embryonic cells,” he stressed. “Its scientists lead the world in this field and the unique platform that we are developing together with Japanese scientists will, in the future, enable innovative use of human stem cells.”

This helicopter can be used for special operations, observation and tracking

Students in the Technion’s Faculty of Computer Science have built “Rahfan” – a micro robotic helicopter that navigates, photographs and maneuvers independently. It can be used for special operations, observation and tracking. This was revealed in the Faculty newspaper – Homepage.

‘Today, after a number of development stages, we have reached an overall weight of one kilogram, with air time of 30 to 40 minutes,” explains the lab engineer for intelligent systems, Ronen Keidar. “The Rahfan can enter a building through the window, perform its mission and then go back out.”

Prof. Ehud Rivlin, who leads the project on behalf of the Faculty, noted that the students under his direction contributed to the project with respect to information processing and computerized vision. “Using different sensors that we added to the Rahfan, we have given it the ability to detect obstacles and prevent collisions, maintain altitude and to orient itself using a three-dimension map.”

At this stage, the camera is located on the Rahfan’s underbelly but the Technion researchers are about to equip it with an additional camera so that it will be able to photograph both forward and backward – in effect providing a 360 degree picture on a horizontal plane.

“We have added a pocket PC that enables us to increase the Rahfan’s processing ability,” adds Erel Uziel, a graduate of the Faculty of Computer Science at the Technion, who participated in the development. “The computer controls the Rahfan using a control box mounted on the Rahfan, which is responsible for steering, thus providing the Rahfan with wireless communication with a ground station in order to receive flight instructions and transmit location and images using the computational and communication capabilities of the pocket PC.”

The project is being led by Prof. Ehud Rivlin of the Faculty of Computer Science, Prof. Pini Gurfil of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, laboratory engineer for intelligent systems Ronen Keidar and hardware engineer Sergei Danilian. The project is being financed by the Devorah Foundation and the Technion Autonomous Systems Program.

Above: The Rahfan hovers over the Technion’s Faculty of Computer Science. Photographer: Prof. Shaul Markovitz, Technion Spokesman’s Office

German and American scientists successfully measured the “Zak phase,” discovered by Professor Joshua Zak from the Technion 25 years ago. This finding was revealed in articles published in the prestigious scientific journals Nature Physics and Science.

In 1989, Professor Zak published an article in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters where he matched geometric phases to solids. In solid material there are energy bands and the electrons within them become accelerated when an electric field is applied upon them. In their motion they acquire a geometric phase (for example, the vertical angle positioning of a rope on a swing determines the phase of the swing). This phase which is acquired by the electrons was discovered by Professor Zak.

Geometric phases occur in many places in nature. One of the simplest examples is the Foucault pendulum: a tall pendulum free to swing in any vertical plane. Due to the earth’s rotation, the actual plane of swing rotates relative to the earth. It may be observed that every day the plane of rotation changes by a small “geometric” angle, associated to the spherical shape of the earth. A geometric phase in optics was discovered in 1956, by a famous Indian scientist, Shivaramakrishnan Pancharatnam. In quantum mechanics, there is a similar phenomenon which was discovered in 1984 by British physicist Sir Michael Berry who identified a geometric phase, which is now most commonly known as the “Berry phase.” Such quantum-mechanical phases can have a profound effect on material properties and are responsible for a variety of phenomena. Some examples are the dielectric polarization or the quantum Hall effect (used nowadays to define resistance standards).

Now, for the first time, scientists in the experimental group led by Professor Immanuel Bloch (from the Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich and the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics Garching, Germany) in close collaboration with theoretical physicists from Harvard University, led by Professor Eugene Demler, have succeeded in measuring topological phases in one-dimensional solid-state like systems (optical lattice). This is called a Zak-phase after Professor Joshua Zak from the Faculty of Physics at the Technion.

Two objects have a different topological structure if there is no continuous way to change one into the other without having to cut it or puncture it with holes; for example, a cup of tea with one hole in its handle is topologically equivalent to a bagel, whereas a bagel and a soccer ball are not. Moreover, one can characterize different topological structures according to their geometric constructions relating to the shape of the object. But what is the connection between these geometrical phases to the properties of a real material? “Atoms in material are arranged in a manner that creates a periodic structure, in which electrons are affected by electric ion forces. As a result, the electrons ‘move’ inside the material in energy bands, which play the role of objects in the examples presented above and thus acquire a geometric phase,” explains Marcos Atala, a senior PhD student in the experimental group led by Professor Immanuel Bloch.

In 1989, Professor Zak identified the geometrical phases in the band theory of one-dimensional solids. When a particle travels “slowly” along the energy band and completes a closed loop it acquires a geometrical phase that has significant physical consequences for the properties of materials, which can be determined by the “quantum geometry” of the crystal. Therefore the identification of the topological properties of an energy band is fundamental to the understanding its physical properties. According to Professor Bloch, this new measurement scheme establishes a new general approach for studying the topological structure in solids, and may lead to the discovery of quantum phase topologies material that has unique features which can be useful in practical applications.

“I was glad to hear that more than half a dozen researchers in the US and Germany collaborated together and were successful at measuring the phase I predicted,” commented Professor Zak. “It is very important for theorists predicting a phenomenon to have his/her theory measured in an experiment. And this measurement has transformed my theory into practice.”

When developing the Zak phase, Professor Zak used additional discoveries he made in 1967 (kq-representation). The kq-representation is a fundamental discovery in quantum mechanics also named after him – Zak Transform – which is in practice till today in signal processing. Tens of thousands of engineers employ it in their work.

Illustration: The image depicts a particle moving along an energy band. The blue and red colors indicate particles with spin up and spin down. During the experiment, the particle moves from the center to the edges of the energy band and acquires the geometric Zak phase. The Technion Spokesperson’s Office

An International Conference that took place last week at the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning touched on both fields and overlapping areas between them

This year, the conference dealt with trends within the medical system in the 21^st century, and in “Health Smart Home.” Among conference participants were international lecturers like Tye Farrow from Canada, one of the leading and most influential architects in the design and construction of hospitals; Adam Roberts and Zheng Rong from China, engaged in the recovery and conversion of existing buildings to hospitals; Professor Gianfranco Carrara from Italy, who lectured on his experiences with teaching design and planning of hospitals (a specialized field that is not yet taught in Israel); and George Demiris from the US, a leading researcher in designing smart homes for the elderly. Professor Benjamin Kedar from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem discussed the new discoveries in the area of medicine in Jerusalem dating back to the 12th century.

“Architecture is a serious matter and should not be handed over to architects alone, as is medicine, which is a serious matter that should not be entrusted to doctors alone,” said Professor Yehuda Kalay, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, at the conference. “We gather here together – doctors, architects and other professionals – to engage in dialogue, collaborate, and look at medicine from different perspectives, and ultimately, to improve the welfare of patients.”

“The health system is facing enormous challenges, and hospitals must be flexible and capable of adjusting to current needs and new technologies,” said Professor Eliezer Shalev, Dean of the Ruth & Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at Technion. “We are headed towards high tech medicine, medicine that is patient centered and highly concerned with cooperation between clinicians, technicians and planners – the type of cooperation we are advancing in gatherings such as this very conference.”

Canadian architect, Tye Farrow, called for changing the medical debate from that of disease to health. “The medical world is currently working through a pathology-centered agenda and I propose to act through a health-focused agenda. We must understand that our environment is currently working against us, and so we must change it in order to be able to advance our health. When we are planning buildings or expanding public spaces we have to always think about the five essential elements of health – nature, authenticity, variety, vitality and legacy – and continually ask ourselves whether or not the environment we are building promotes health or is working against it.”

Professor Rafael Beyar, the CEO and Director General of the Rambam Health Care Campus and faculty member of the Technion’s Faculty of Medicine, presented the new construction site at Rambam, which includes a children’s hospital and new buildings for treating cancer and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, Professor Beyar described the underground hospital currently under construction in light of the Second Lebanon War. It is a unique structure to be used as a parking lot during routine periods and in emergency situations will be able to be converted into a safe hospital setting within 48 hours (secure from conventional missiles and against biological and chemical warfare).

Conference organizer, Professor Noemi Bitterman from the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning at the Technion, presented the situation of research on the topic of the Health Smart Home. “Today we emphasize more and more the side of preventive medicine and the quality of life that medicine is supposed to provide us. The greater part of accountability shifts from the hospital wards to the community and the home, and this is why it is important to design homes with focus on quality of life and which can be personalized to suit all of us, including chronically ill patients – a population that is rapidly growing. Proper design in this context will provide all of a dwelling’s residents the independence, quality of life, security and safety they need, which in the long run will reduce the national expenditure on health. Unfortunately, there are still not enough studies examining the effectiveness of such homes, and there are many obstacles such as privacy, security of information as well as different social consequences that must be taken into account. Nevertheless, today there are advanced technologies that enable the transfer of various medical functions – monitoring, early detection, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment–from the hospital to a private dwelling.

The conference, “Architecture and Medicine in the 21^st Century,” was organized by the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning of the Technion and the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, Clalit Health Services, Rambam Health Care Campus, the Municipality of Haifa and other organization. The next conference, which is expected to take place on November 11, 2014, will focus in part on Evidence Based Design, green (sustainable) architecture, and medicine in disaster areas.

Above: Professor Yehuda Kalay, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning. Photographed by Haim Zinger, Technion’s Spokesperson’s Office

Technion and École Polytechnique sign cooperation accord; Technion Professor Alon Wolf Demonstrates Snake Robot for French President François Hollande

President Hollande praises the cooperation between the Polytechnique and the Technion; Prime Minister Netanyahu to Hollande: “Visit the Technion”

École Polytechnique and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology signed today an agreement for academic cooperation.

The strategic accord between the two renowned science and technology universities was signed by École Polytechnique President Jacques Biot and Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie during Israel-France Innovation Day in Tel Aviv, attended by French President François Hollande, Israel President Shimon Peres, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and hundreds of French and Israeli public figures, business people and entrepreneurs.

At the start of meeting, the three leaders attended an exhibit highlighting Israeli technological achievements. Chosen to represent Israeli academia was Technion’s Prof. Alon Wolf, who together with his chief research engineer Oded Solomon, demonstrated his search and rescue Snake Robot for Hollande, Peres and Netanyahu.

École Polytechnique and the Technion both pursue innovation and technology transfer as a key strategic priority, and seek to share their experience and practices in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly with regards to their academic programs in innovation management and their business incubators for start-ups created by students and researchers.

In addition to this common vision, École Polytechnique and the Technion have already established numerous exchanges. For example, several Polytechnique investigators have undergone their research internships at Technion, particularly in electrical engineering and computer science, two of the Technion’s top fields of expertise.

President Hollande repeatedly praised the strategic cooperation between these two leading institutions, both in his speech in Tel Aviv and in his address to Israel’s Knesset in Jerusalem on Monday. “The cooperation between the Polytechnique and the Technion is a landmark, and an example for all universities,” he said.

Prime Minister Netanyahu encouraged Mr. Hollande to visit the Technion the next time he comes to Israel.

The agreement signed today between Technion and École Polytechnique will reinforce the ongoing academic ties between the two universities, facilitating cooperation, increasing educational opportunities, enriching their academic and research environments, and promoting international and intercultural understanding. In particular, the agreement provides a framework for hosting guest professors, student exchanges, and the development of research partnerships. A second accord, paving the way for a double degree program, outlines the conditions and specifications of the student exchange program: it concerns the exchange of Master’s level students for research internships and semesters abroad in the partner institution.

“École Polytechnique strengthens its international reach through the development of very high-level strategic partnerships with top institutions worldwide. Its goal is to create a network of first-rate partners in different regions of the world, and the Technion is among the target institutes for this international development policy,” comments Jacques Biot, President of École Polytechnique.

Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie said that the agreement with École Polytechnique will add a new and important dimension to the Technion’s international relationships. He emphasized that “Israel and France have a long history of warm friendship and the language of science is a shared language that bridges cultures and peoples. I am convinced that École Polytechnique, an important French institution of international renown and reputation, will contribute a great deal to Technion. I hope that Technion, a world leader in the areas of science, engineering and medicine, will contribute to École Polytechnique, and that together we will contribute to all of humanity.”

Above: Technion Professor Alon Wolf demonstrates his search and rescue Snake Robot to French President François Hollande, Israeli President Shimon Peres, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo credit : Koby Gideon/Government Press Office (GPO)

About Technion

Israel’s emergence as a world leader in high-tech can be largely credited to the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, a global leader in cutting-edge research, innovation and entrepreneurship. Three Technion scientists have won Nobel Prizes in the past decade, and Technion researchers have made countless contributions to science, technology and medicine. Technion’s highly-trained graduates are the engine that drives Israel’s “Start-up Nation” economy. Technion’s powerful synergy with the tech sector in Israel has created an ecosystem of technological innovation, attracting numerous international tech giants such as Google, Apple and Microsoft, and inspiring hundreds of start-up enterprises in Israel and throughout the world. Together with its ranking as one of the world’s best sci-tech universities, it was Technion’s success in driving Israel’s high-tech sector that convinced New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to choose the Technion-Cornell partnership to establish a new, innovative applied science campus in New York, aimed as being a “game changer” for the city’s tech sector. Technion’s 13,000 students and researchers study in 18 academic departments and 52 research centers and institutes. As an increasingly globalized university Technion is developing a variety of international programs, and a growing number of foreign students are attracted to Technion for its outstanding reputation.

About École Polytechnique

Largely internationalized (30% of the student body, 23% of faculty members), École Polytechnique combines research, education and innovation at the highest scientific and technological level. Its three graduate programs – Ingénieur Polytechnicien, Master’s and PhD – are highly selective and promote a culture of excellence with a strong emphasis on science, combined with humanist traditions.

École Polytechnique educates responsible men and women who are prepared to lead complex and innovative activities which will meet the challenges of 21st century society. With its 20 laboratories, all joint research facilities with the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), the École Polytechnique Research Center works to expand the frontiers of knowledge in the major interdisciplinary issues faced by science, technology and society.

As a ParisTech member institute, École Polytechnique is also one of the driving forces behind the Paris Saclay Campus project, along with its 22 academic and scientific partners.

The online course on the topics of nanotechnology and nanosensor by Professor Hossam Haick will open up in May 2014. To date, it has had received more than 32,000 views from all over the world: 5,600 from Egypt, 1,200 from Syria and 1,900 from Kuwait; So far more than 16,000 students applied for the course in English, and close to 3,000 students signed up for the course in Arabic from the following countries: Saudi Arabia (over 700 applicants), Egypt (more than 600), and Syria (with some 400 candidates)

The first university course to be given in Arabic by Professor Hossam Haick of the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute at Technion on the topics of nanotechnology and nanosensors has gained significant interest from Arabic-speaking countries even before officially opening. The course will be given on the online education platform Coursera. The syllabus has had thousands of views: from Syria (1,243), Egypt (5,595), from Kuwait (1,865) and from Saudi Arabia (1,243). A large portion of viewers also applied for the course to open in March 2014. In Israel, 3,730 people signed up for the course. More than 16,000 students applied for it in English and close to 3,000 students signed up for the course in Arabic from the following countries: Saudi Arabia (over 700 applicants), Egypt (more than 600), and Syria (with some 400 candidates).

Professor Haick’s course is backed up by Associate Professor Miri Barak from the Department of Education in Science and Technology (as Pedagogical Adviser) and doctoral students Abeer Watted, Meital Segev and Nasreen Shehadah. It is also backed up by the Center for the Promotion of Learning and Teaching, led by Dr. Abigail Barzilai.

During the course development process it was decided to maintain high quality learning materials while presenting the latest developments and innovations at the forefront of nanotechnology research with clear and simple explanations. In addition, it was ascertained to increase the use of demonstrations in order to foster better understanding of the transitions between the macro level (which can be seen by the naked eye), the micro level (the molecular level) down to the nano level (the single atoms). It was further resolved to use a variety of assessment tools to enable students to express their understanding in the best possible manner. To achieve these goals, the course has been designed in the following way:

• The subject matter will be divided into 10 lessons of increasing level difficulty.
• Each lesson is composed of between 3-5 short lecture videos.
• Each short lecture will focus on a particular concept or principle.
• The lectures will include numerous illustrations and animations to demonstrate concepts and create interest.
• Assessment tools will combine individual and group tasks.
• These assessment tools will encourage high levels of creative and innovative thinking.

Participants in the nanotechnology and nanosesnsor course will be evaluation on the basis of the following three types of tasks:

1. Ten weekly quizzes (that will make up 20% of their final mark), that will include multiple-choice questions that test knowledge and understanding of the curriculum. Students will receive their grades through a computerized assessment calculated instantly. Students will not receive feedback on their quizzes, but they will be allowed to make three attempts whereby their highest score will be the one that will be counted.
2. Three open-ended tasks (worth 20% of the final mark), will be given every three weeks to encourage creative thinking. Here are two sample questions: What other sense would you want to have and why? OR Give an example of an innovative nanosensor you would like to implement into your daily life. In addition to submitting full and detailed answers, students will be asked to make peer evaluations. That is, they will need to critically evaluate the assignments of three fellow students in the course according to detailed score measurements.
3. The final project (worth 60% of the final mark), promotes collaboration, creativity and systems thinking. The goal of the project is to plan nanosensors capable of mimicking existing human sensory systems or one that would be able to serve as an additional human sense. The project will be carried out in groups of up to four students, but students will submit individual projects. Along with their project, each student will also be asked to provide peer evaluations on other projects according to detailed score measurements.

The course on nanotechnology and nanosensors is very unique as it is the first course to be given in two languages – English and Arabic – and because a high percentage of the final grade is based on open-ended tasks that encourage creative and innovative thinking and not only on quizzes or closed-ended exercises. It combines cooperative learning in groups with individual study and peer evaluation with computerized assessment. Technion academics involved in planning the course gave the following statement: “We are hopeful that this course will contribute, if only slightly, to science and engineering education for populations around the world and maybe even help bring people closer together through collaborative tasks and common challenges.”

École Polytechnique President Jacques Biot and Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie signed today (Tuesday) a special agreement of academic cooperation between the institutes.

École Polytechnique and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology are both establishments which are distinguished by their high standards of quality in terms of academics and research, and which have made supporting innovation and technology transfer a primary pillar of their strategy.  These universities both seek to share their experience and practices in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly with regards to their academic programs in innovation management and their business incubators for start-ups created by students and researchers.

In addition to this common vision, École Polytechnique and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology have already established numerous exchanges. For example, several Polytechniciens have undergone their research internships at Technion, particularly in engineering science (electrical engineering) and in computer science, two of its fields of expertise.

The signature of this accord will thus provide a reinforcement of the pre-existing academic ties between the two universities, facilitating cooperation, increasing educational opportunities, enriching their academic and research environments, and promoting international and intercultural understanding. This accord most notably provides a framework for hosting guest professors, student exchanges, and the development of research partnerships. A second accord, paving the way for a double degree program, outlines the conditions and specifications of the student exchange program: it concerns the exchange of Master’s level students for research internships and semesters abroad in the partner institution.

“École Polytechnique strengthens its international reach through the development of very high-level strategic partnerships with the top establishments worldwide. Its goal is to wield a network of first-rate partners in different regions of the world, and Israel Institute of Technology is among the target institutes for this international development policy,” comments Jacques Biot, President of École Polytechnique.

Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie said that the agreement with École Polytechnique will add a new and important dimension to the Technion’s international relationships. He emphasized that “Israel and France have a long history of warm friendship and the language of science is a shared, common language that bridges cultures and peoples. I am convinced that École Polytechnique, an important French institution with a world renowned international character, will contribute a great deal to Technion. I hope that Technion, a world leader in the areas of science, engineering and medicine, will contribute to École Polytechnique, and that together we will contribute to all of humanity.”

Photo: École Polytechnique President Jacques Biot and Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie in the Technion. Photographed by: The Technion’s Spokesperson’s Office

About Technion

Israel’s emergence as a world leader in high-tech can be largely credited to the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, a global leader in cutting-edge research, innovation and entrepreneurship. Three Technion scientists have won Nobel Prizes in the past decade, and Technion researchers have made countless contributions to science, technology and medicine. Technion’s highly-trained graduates are the engine that drives Israel’s “Start-up Nation” economy. Technion’s powerful synergy with the tech sector in Israel has created an ecosystem of technological innovation, attracting numerous international tech giants such as Google, Apple and Microsoft, and inspiring hundreds of start-up enterprises in Israel and throughout the world. Together with its ranking as one of the world’s best sci-tech universities, it was Technion’s success in driving Israel’s high-tech sector that convinced New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to choose the Technion-Cornell partnership to establish a new, innovative applied science campus in New York, aimed as being a “game changer” for the city’s tech sector. Technion’s 13,000 students and researchers study in 18 academic departments and 52 research centers and institutes. As an increasingly globalized university Technion is developing a variety of international programs, and a growing number of foreign students are attracted to Technion for its outstanding reputation.

About École Polytechnique

Largely internationalized (30% of the student body, 23% of faculty members), École Polytechnique combines research, education and innovation at the highest scientific and technological level. Its three graduate programs – Ingénieur Polytechnicien, Master’s and PhD – are highly selective and promote a culture of excellence with a strong emphasis on science, combined with humanist traditions.

École Polytechnique educates responsible men and women who are prepared to lead complex and innovative activities which will meet the challenges of 21st century society. With its 20 laboratories, all joint research facilities with the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), the École Polytechnique Research Center works to expand the frontiers of knowledge in the major interdisciplinary issues faced by science, technology and society.

As a ParisTech member institute, École Polytechnique is also one of the driving forces behind the Paris Saclay Campus project, along with its 22 academic and scientific partners.

Last week, the Technion Senate approved with an overwhelming majority the establishment of a cooperatively run institute of technology with the University of Shantou in the Guangdong Province. The decision stated that, “The Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Technion and Shantou University on September 29, 2013 will be the basis for the comprehensive agreement between the two institutes to establish the Technion-Guangdong Institute of Technology (TGIT), and that the members of the Senate congratulate the President and Senior Administration for their initiative and ingenuity in developing strategic ties with the University of Shantou and the Li Ka-shing foundation.”

Following the decision of the Senate to approve the Memorandum of Understanding with China, the Executive Committee approved the appointment of Professor Paul Feigin to a new administrative role at Technion: Vice President for Strategic Projects.

Over the past six years, Professor Feigin has served as the Senior Executive Vice President of the Technion and headed the international agreements for the establishment of the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute in New York, as well as the Technion-Guangdong Institute of Technology in China.

Professor Feigin, a statistician by training, has held various administrative positions at the Technion, including: the Dean of the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, a member of the Technion Research and Development Foundation Board of Directors, and as a member of the university’s Executive Council.

“International partnerships with universities worldwide contribute to the realization of Technion’s vision: to be counted among the elite group of the world’s leading science and technology universities,” said Technion President Professor Peretz Lavie. “Professor Feigin, who has greatly contributed to creating international partnerships including the establishment of the Technology Institute in China and the Technion-Cornell Innovation Center in New York, will continue to promote these agreements and bring them to fruition. I thank him for his many contributions to the Technion as Senior Vice President over the last six years and wish him continued success in his new role.”

Photo: Professor Paul Feigin. Photographed by: The Technion’s Spokesperson’s Office