Month: February 2014

Technion Harvey Prize Winners: Professors Paul B. Corkum and Jon M. Kleinberg

Winners of Technion’s prestigious 2013 Harvey Prize are Professor Paul B. Corkum from the University of Ottawa, Canada, and Professor Jon M. Kleinberg from Cornell University, New York, USA.

Professor Paul Corkum, of the Joint Laboratory for Attosecond Science, University of Ottawa, has been a leader and pioneer in the field of ultrafast laser spectroscopy. For two decades he has been the main source of the powerful insights which lie behind many of the recent advances in this field. He is known primarily for his remarkable contributions to the field of high harmonic generation and for his ability to create intuitive models for very complex phenomena which enabled him to make the advances that created the exciting field of attosecond spectroscopy.

The 2013 Harvey Prize will be awarded to Professor Jon M. Kleinberg from Cornell University for his seminal contributions and leadership in the newly emerging science of information networks, including his groundbreaking work on characterizing the structure of the World Wide Web in terms of hubs and authorities, his analysis of the ” small-world” phenomena, and his work on influence propagation in networks.

The Harvey Prize was first awarded in 1972 by the Foundation established by the late Leo M. Harvey from Los Angeles, to recognize significant contributions in the advancement of humankind in the areas of science and technology, human health and peace in the Middle East. Each year it awards prizes in the amount of $75,000 to each award winner.

The prestigious Harvey Prize has been awarded to scientists from the United States, Britain, Russia, Sweden, France and Israel, among them Nobel Laureate Mikhail Gorbachev, former leader of the USSR, awarded the Harvey Prize in appreciation of his seminal initiatives and policies to lessen regional tensions; Nobel Laureate in Medicine, Professor Bert Sakmann; Nobel Laureate in Physics, Professor Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Professor Edward Teller for his discoveries in solid state physics, atomic and nuclear energy; and Professor William J. Kolff  for his invention of the artificial kidney.

Harvey Prize winners are selected by a council of world-renowned scientists and personalities from Israel and around the world. Award winners are chosen by the Harvey Prize Committee following a rigorous selection process at the Technion.

 

In the photo: Professor Paul B. Corkum and Professor Jon M. Kleinberg.

Photographed by: The Technion’s Spokesperson’s Office

Israel’s Technion and Toronto-Based Health Network Launch $75 million Centre for Cardiovascular Innovation

Canadian partners include the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine and the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, core members of University Health Network (UHN), Canada’s largest research hospital; $10 million already raised, with total funding to be obtained by the end of 2014; one-third of the funds will be invested in the Technion

Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and the Toronto-based University Health Network (UHN) have announced the establishment of the “Technion – UHN International Centre for Cardiovascular Innovation”, aimed at developing new ways to treat heart disease.

Prof. Lior Gepstein, a pioneer in the study of stem cells and their therapeutic potential in the cardiovascular system, will lead the Technion team in the joint venture. Prof. Gepstein heads the Sohnis Family Research Laboratory for Cardiac Electrophysiology and Regenerative Medicine at the Technion’s Rappaport Faculty of Medicine.

Dr. Barry Rubin, the Medical Director of the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre in Toronto, said that “heart disease is the major cause of death in OEDC countries, and the second leading cause of death in Israel and Canada. This collaboration holds significant potential for the development of new cardiovascular devices and regenerative medicine therapies, innovations that will benefit not only residents of Canada and Israel, but all mankind.  I anticipate that Technion scientists will develop new devices, like miniature heart pumps, and the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre team will determine if these are good treatment options for patients that we are unable to currently manage effectively.  In the coming weeks we will forward an initial amount of the $10 million that was already raised to the Technion. We expect to meet the fundraising target of $75 million (CDN) by the end of the year. At least one third of this amount will be directed to Technion scientists.”

The agreement for the centre’s establishment states that “The combined efforts of scientists and doctors from the Technion, the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine and the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre are aimed at developing new medical technologies and innovative applications in areas such as medical devices and stem cell therapies – medical innovations with substantial commercial potential, and provide a cure to millions of patients worldwide.”

Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie said that the Technion is increasingly involved in major international partnerships, and is excited at the potential of the joint venture with leading Canadian scientists. “Only by combining forces through collaboration with leading researchers from around the world, will breakthroughs be realized,” he emphasized. “I’m very pleased that a worldwide leader in regenerative medicine and the management of heart disease patients, UHN in Canada, chose the Technion as its partner in this venture, and did so because we are a global leader in biomechanical engineering and stem cell research. I am convinced that the developments coming out of this new centre will provide new treatments and cures to millions of patients worldwide.”

Prof. Boaz Golany, Technion’s Vice President for External Relations and Resource Development, stressed that the new centre will see the emergence of the next generation of scientists and researchers who will specialize in the emerging field of stem cell research that has the potential to provide new therapies for the treatment of a range of debilitating diseases.  Prof. Golany also noted that the collaboration between Technion and UHN is consistent with the Canada–Israel Strategic Partnership announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on January 21, 2014, which provides for “further scientific research cooperation, more business linkages, including in innovation; closer academic ties and development cooperation”, among other benefits.