Leading the center are Dr. Gal Oren and Prof. Hagit Attiya from the Henry and Marilyn Taub Faculty of Computer Science at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, in collaboration with Prof. Danny Hendler from the Computer Science Department of Ben-Gurion University.
Using Intel’s oneAPI developer cloud, the center will offer a comprehensive course covering the fundamental and advanced possibilities of using oneAPI and OpenMP* for shared-memory parallelism, especially with accelerators. The center will lead in training the next generation of developers by promoting projects that will identify key open source HPC/AI applications and port them via oneAPI with OpenMP/SYCL. The center will open source the curriculum, offer train-the-trainer activities, localize efforts with other Israeli universities (such as Ben-Gurion university), and provide an online presence.
“We are excited to establish the new oneAPI Center of Excellence with Intel,” says Dr. Oren, who leads the venture. “As heterogeneous supercomputers worldwide are on the rise, and diverse high-performance computing is practically ubiquitous, there is a need to raise a new generation of developers who can push legacy and new-generation applications performance to the limit. With oneAPI, we can close the gap between software and hardware and exploit the full potential of both. The future, in this regard, is here, and we are planning to seize the moment.”
“Technion’s oneAPI Center of Excellence, the first in Israel, is an exciting step forward preparing students for a multi-architecture computing world by teaching them SYCL and oneAPI”, says Scott Apeland, senior director of Intel Developer Ecosystem Programs. “This oneAPI Center brings open, standards-based programming skills to students to innovate, drive research, and advance science and industry.”
As we celebrate the upcoming new year, we rejoice in the Technion’s accomplishments: The Technion was recently ranked 83rd by the prestigious Shanghai Ranking of the world’s best universities – 11 places higher than last year. The Technion was also ranked first in Europe on the list of Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents in 2021, and first in the field of artificial intelligence in Europe.
The Sonia Marschak Artist in Residence Program is set to begin this upcoming semester at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan initiated the pilot program to enrich the student experience and spark an open dialogue on campus surrounding art, science and engineering.
“The new program expresses the decision by Technion management to expose our students to different aspects of art and culture,” said Sivan. “We must train leaders who, in addition to their skills as excellent scientists, doctors, architects, educators and engineers, will operate from a broad and humanistic worldview as leaders who will make professional decisions from a clear social and ethical position.”
The Artist in Residence Program was made possible thanks to a generous donation from Ms. Sonia Marschak – a longtime supporter and friend of the Technion. As part of its recent expansion, the Department of Humanities and Arts will oversee the program which fits seamlessly into its mission.
After an extensive selection process, the following three artists were chosen to participate in the pilot program: Dr. Orit Wolf, Ms. Nardeen Srouji and Dr. Elad Schneiderman. The three pioneers of the Artist in Residence Program specialize in combining research and experimentation with various forms of creative expression.
Dr. Orit Wolf
Wolf is a concert pianist, composer, poet and lecturer dedicated to promoting women’s empowerment initiatives, innovation and leadership development. The internationally acclaimed artist studied music in Boston and London and completed a doctorate at Bar-Ilan University.
“It is a great privilege for me to receive this appointment. I really believe that music, mathematics, architecture and science are interconnected in a way that has yet to be fully discovered,” said Wolf. “I am on a mission to bring music to the Technion. Not only as a living and breathing artistic medium, but also as a tool for both pedagogical and technological development.”
Nardeen Srouji
Nardeen Srouji earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature and art at the University of Haifa and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. She is a multidisciplinary artist who takes familiar objects, images and sounds and transforms them into an intervention that invites the viewer to redefine their understanding and relationship with the environment.
“These interventions seek to cross boundaries and challenge the status quo by departing from the recognized function or use, ultimately turning the criticism inward,” said Srouji.
Dr. Elad Schneiderman
Schneiderman is a multidisciplinary sound artist, composer, researcher and lecturer with a special interest in art-science collaborations. He received a doctorate in composition and music theory from the State University of New York (SUNY). The innovative artist studies the physical and sensory aspects of the human body. Over the years, Schneiderman has collaborated with artists across many disciplines, including dance, music, cinema and the fine arts. He is currently the coordinator of a unique digital music program at Leo Baeck High School in Haifa.
The Artist in Residence Program is a milestone for the Technion as it moves to expand the Department of Humanities and Arts to meet the evolving needs of the students.
“The image of the graduate we see before our eyes is not only focused on the skills or abilities targeting the labor market, but also on how students develop into leaders in science and engineering who rely on social awareness and an understanding of the historical and philosophical context of their actions,” said Technion Senior Executive Vice President Prof. Oded Rabinovitch. “We want to provide them with a social and ethical base and broaden their horizons.”
Prof. Ohad Nachtomy leads the Department of Humanities and Arts at the Technion. He says the expansion plays an important role in seeking new directions to offer Technion students a more diverse set of courses, including history, philosophy and academic writing.
“The department is also integrating ethics into technological courses and developing curriculum with a focus on the connection between philosophy, science and engineering,” said Nachtomy. “Just as the Artist in Residence Program emphasizes, this is an attempt to deepen the connections and resonance between the world of art and the world of science and technology.”
As part of the program, Wolf will hold a lecture-concert series on campus this year entitled Science, Music and Inspiration. The event will feature leading Technion scientists and researchers, as well as outstanding students who will perform and participate. Each session will include a live performance, a scientific lecture and an open-ended discussion.
Click here to learn more about the Artist in Residence program
Click here to learn more about the Department of Humanities and Arts at the Technion.
Rosh Hashanah always heralds the beginning of the new academic year, and we’re delighted to welcome new and continuing students to campus this fall. We were also pleased to host the Technion Board of Governors recently, after not having convened in person for three long years.
Universities around the globe are challenged by the ongoing revolution in the way knowledge is accumulated and distributed. Digital technologies replace traditional teaching methodologies, calling for rethinking the role of the physical campus and face-to-face meetings in the learning process.
The Technion is preoccupied with these questions. We have invested considerable resources in the Center for Promotion of Learning and Teaching and will continue to expand it in the coming years. In addition to developing new methodologies, its professional team proactively trains lecturers and develops new, cutting-edge curricula.
The newly inaugurated Mehoudar Center for Inventors is a good example of how we are changing the way we teach: the Center encourages inventors from all over Israel to gain experience in creative engineering design by building and testing prototypes. The Center provides resources, tools and a skilled technical team, and nurtures cross-faculty and multidisciplinary collaborations.
Recently, the Technion and Rambam Health Care Campus established the Wolfe Center for Translational Medicine and Engineering, which will serve as a platform for extensive clinical applied research by interdisciplinary teams of physicians, scientists, and engineers, and will promote new technologies that will benefit human health. The new May-Blum-Dahl MRI Research Center at the Technion will further enable researchers and students to use advanced imaging techniques to conduct multidisciplinary research in fields related to human health.
Another field with existential implications for the world is sustainability. The Technion is committed to being a leader in this area and we have launched a campus-wide Sustainability Committee charged with heading this important effort, across faculties.
As the Technion works to further bolster its role as Israel’s leading institution of science and engineering, we’ve embarked on a process of strengthening our ties with local and global industry leaders. Important collaborations are already in place with companies such as Google, PTC, Intel, IBM, and Doral Energy, and others are forming.
Furthermore, we have established a new academic position that opens the door for leading researchers from industry to spend at least one day a week at the Technion, taking part in teaching and research, as well as mentoring graduate students.
As we celebrate the upcoming new year, I rejoice in the Technion’s accomplishments and renew my commitment to continuing on this path of excellence. Just last month, the Technion was ranked 83rd by the prestigious Shanghai Ranking of the world’s best universities – 11 places higher than last year. The Technion was also ranked first in Europe on the list of Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents in 2021, and first in the field of artificial intelligence in Europe. I am also proud of the growing number of successful tech transfers involving Technion researchers, totaling 57 new commercialization contracts and 15 new spinoff companies in 2021/22.
This year, we are further deepening our commitment to diversity and inclusion. In addition to promoting social values in our community, I truly believe that a diverse university is a better university. I am proud to report that we recently appointed a Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, Prof. Adi Salzberg, as well as welcomed a record number of women in senior academic positions. Over the past academic year, one-third of all new faculty members and a total of seven deans were women – a significant achievement given the relatively low representation of women in science and engineering. Equally gratifying is the fact that 42% of our undergraduate students are women.
I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to Prof. Boaz Golany, Prof. Shimon Marom, and Prof. Alon Wolf, who will complete their term on September 30th, for their immense contribution to the Technion. On October 1st we will welcome two new vice presidents, in addition to Prof. Salzberg: Prof. Naama Brenner, who will serve as Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Prof. Wayne Kaplan, who will serve as the new Vice President for External Relations & Resource Development.
The upcoming year will be a harbinger of the Technion’s festive centennial year in 2024, during which we will celebrate our many achievements of the past century and plan for the next century. As we keep nurturing the next generation of scientific leadership, I’d like to thank our faculty, staff, students, partners, and donors for their continued, unwavering support of science and technology for the benefit of humanity.
Four researchers have won ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) Grants from the European Research Council (ERC). The prestigious grants, which amount to 150,000 euros per researcher, are aimed at maximizing the value of excellent research by exploring the potential of academic research for future commercialization of innovative applications. They are awarded only to past winners of ERC grants.
Associate ProfessorAsya Rolls will receive a grant for her study of “targeted insula stimulations as treatment for autoimmune disorders.”
Assistant Professor Shai Berlin will receive a grant for his work on “MAGNIFICO-Pre-commercialization of multifunctional targeted MRI-contrast enhancing agents for brain research” – materials that will improve the quality of brain scans.
Professor Yuval Shaked will receive a grant for his work on “the development of a predictive biomarker for immunotherapy outcome based on flow cytometry test.”
Associate Professor Yoav Shechtman will receive the grant for his work on “diffractive optical element fabrication based on 3D printing.”
The Technion is 40th in the world in the number of approved U.S. patents. The achievement – announced by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) in the U.S. and the Intellectual Property Owners Organization (IPO) — is based on U.S. Patent Office data for 2021.
The Technion, with 63 patents last year, ranks higher than the University of Oxford, Princeton University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and other well-established and well-known universities. The other Israeli university in the ranking is Tel Aviv University, which came in at #68. First on the list is the University of California.
Prof. Jacob (Koby) Rubinstein, Technion’s Executive Vice President for Research
Professor Jacob (Koby) Rubinstein, Technion’s Executive Vice President for Research, congratulated the researchers, faculty members, and students on their impressive achievements.
“The acceleration of the commercialization of developments and the registration of patents is a target that comes from our strategic decision to tighten the relationship between academia and industry,” said Prof. Rubenstein. “The Technion invests many resources in this field, and we intend to continue this trend to translate the intellectual property created at the Technion into applications that benefit humanity.”
The commercialization and patent-registration processes are led by Technion Technology Transfer (T3) – the Technion’s commercialization arm, which maintains hundreds of collaborations within different industries, and promotes the establishment of new startup companies (about 15 per year) based on Technion knowhow. The Technion is among the world’s top 20 universities in the field of entrepreneurship and in the establishment of startups.
For the second year in a row, the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is Europe’s top-ranked university in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), according to the prestigious international CSRankings. The consecutive win further establishes the Technion’s position as a leading institution in the field.
The Technion’s efforts to promote its activities and standing in the field of artificial intelligence continue to bear fruit. In addition to claiming the top spot for Europe and Israel, the Technion placed 16th in the world in AI, and 10th in the world in the subfield of learning systems.
The Technion’s in-depth and ongoing activity in the various fields of AI is reflected, among other things, in the recruitment of researchers and students from all Technion units to promote interdisciplinary AI research, and increasing the number of new programs and initiatives in its various fields with leading companies in knowledge-intensive industries, top universities and research institutions around the world.
Against this background, the Technion is establishing its own AI community that will empower its student body and researchers working in all fields of artificial intelligence and deepen the Technion’s many collaborations with industry and academia in these fields.
Some 150 Technion researchers are currently involved in Tech.AI, the Technion’s Center for Artificial Intelligence (formerly MLIS, the Machine Learning and Intelligent Systems). Tech.AI researchers apply advanced methodologies and tools at the forefront of artificial intelligence in various fields, including data science, medical research, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, architecture, and biology. The Tech.AI activity is led by Prof. Shie Mannor from the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Prof. Assaf Schuster from the Henry and Marilyn Taub Faculty of Computer Science; and Prof. Shai Shen-Orr from the Technion’s Rapaport Faculty of Medicine.
Prof. Shie Mannor
“The Technion continues to establish its position as the leading research institution in Israel and Europe in the core areas of artificial intelligence, thanks to the unique work environment in this field at the Technion,” said Prof. Mannor. “This environment currently comprises about 150 researchers from a variety of faculties, research centers with extensive activity, and a growing number of study programs in the field and research initiatives and programs that are the result of collaborations between the Technion and the leading companies and organizations in Israel and the world.”
“Solidifying the Technion’s position as a pioneer and world leader in the field of AI and spreading the knowledge acquired in this process to the commercial world in all its aspects, are very important national tasks,” added Prof. Schuster. “Tech.AI operates around the clock and through a variety of channels and activities to deepen Technion education that promotes AI research and its application in all faculties and research centers and to provide students and researchers dealing in all AI fields with the most supportive environment.”
Prof. Assaf Schuster
According to Prof. Shen-Orr, who leads the biomed activity and AI solutions for the health sector within the Tech.AI framework, “the Tech.AI center brings together all of the Technion’s biomed activity in the field of AI and positions it in a dominant place in the world, with extensive partnerships with leading companies such as Pfizer and IBM and leading medical institutions in Israel and the world, including the Rambam Health Care Campus and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
Prof. Shai Shen-Orr
Recently, an agreement was signed to establish a Zimin Institute at the Technion for AI Solutions in Healthcare at the Technion that will operate as part of Tech.AI. The Institute will promote interdisciplinary projects and develop technologies based on Big Data and computational learning to improve human health. It will support selected projects, giving preference to proposals that have an applied component and with the intention of establishing startup companies.”
Companies in the AI industry and business are invited to contact Gady Paran, the institute’s marketing director, to establish relationships and cooperation in a variety of AI fields.
Prof. Peretz Lavie, former President of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, was on September 6th bestowed with the highest honor of the French Order of Academic Palms (Ordre des Palmes Académiques). The Order, founded by Napoleon in 1808, is conferred upon prominent figures from academia and the worlds of culture and education for academic excellence and significant contributions to science, education and the academic world.
His Excellency, the French Ambassador to Israel, Eric Danon, conferring the commander necklet upon Prof. Peretz Lavie
The moving ceremony was held at the Tel Aviv residence of His Excellency, the French ambassador to Israel Eric Danon and his wife Marie-Christine Dupuy-Danon. The ambassador conferred the honor upon Prof. Lavie for his contribution to the spread of scientific knowledge around the world and his involvement in French-Israeli collaborations that influenced the course of the modern history of the two countries.
His Excellency, the French Ambassador to Israel, Eric Danon
Prof. Lavie, a world-renowned expert in sleep research, is an entrepreneur and one of the founders of Itamar Medical and other biomedical engineering companies. Before his appointment as President of the Technion, he served in other Technion senior positions, including Dean of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Vice President for Public Relations and Resource Development.
In 2015, while serving as President of the Technion, Prof. Lavie was appointed chairman of the Committee of University Heads. Over the years, he has been a consultant and global expert in the field of sleep and was involved in several significant public decisions, including the cancellation of the early-morning “zero hour” classes in elementary schools, the introduction of Daylight Saving Time, the extension of the minimum sleep time in the Israel Defense Forces and the “Quiet Wave” radio station during the first Gulf War 31 years ago.
Prof. Peretz Lavie
Prof. Lavie currently serves as chairman of the Israel Friends of the Technion and of the National Council for Civil Research and Development.
The Technion and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have signed a partnership agreement with IBM Research to advance artificial intelligence capabilities and applications in Israel. The collaboration was announced this week at a conference held by IBM in Tel Aviv to mark 50 years since the establishment of the IBM Research Lab in Israel.
Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a role in our daily lives and is now a central growth engine in the business sector. The rapidly growing amount of data that needs to be handled demand that organizations develop advanced technological capabilities and apply AI on a large scale—a challenge that requires significant investment in R&D. In light of the fact that Israel has a severe shortage of people with advanced degrees in computer science, and given higher education’s need for funding and skills from the business world, IBM Research has decided to launch a collaboration with the Technion and the Hebrew University.
Under the terms of the three-year agreement, research will be conducted to search for new solutions in AI in the following three areas: natural language processing, accelerating discoveries for new drugs, and multi-cloud computing to support decentralized AI computation. IBM will fund these studies, which will be carried out by doctoral students at the Technion and Hebrew University, totaling several million NIS.
Pictured left to right: Senior Vice President and Director of IBM Research, Dr. Dario Gil; Executive Vice President for Research of the Technion, Prof. Koby Rubinstein; Vice President AI and Director of IBM Research Lab in Israel, Dr. Aya Soffer; and President of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Prof. Asher Cohen Credit : Daniel Elior
Prof. Asher Cohen, President of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem: “The combination of IBM, one of the world’s leading technological companies, and our top-notch researchers offers an optimal edge to the knowledge and computing revolutions. With growing demand for experts specializing in machine learning, algorithms, and computer science, the relationship with IBM, even from the earliest stages of research, will lead to outstanding breakthroughs in both science and medicine.”
Prof. Koby Rubinstein, Executive Vice President for Research at the Technion: “The Technion and the IBM Research Lab in Israel have had a very close relationship for years, ever since the lab was founded. In recent years, the Technion has been home to a wide range of intensive research activities in AI. This partnership with IBM, which will be led by researchers in the field, will have a multiplier effect on AI research and development. We are delighted by this research collaboration, which will contribute much to both organizations.”
Dr. Aya Soffer, Vice President of AI Technologies and Director of IBM Research: “The Israeli high-tech industry is receiving a significant boost to its continued success. The collaboration with the Technion and Hebrew University will give rise to groundbreaking research aimed at leveraging artificial intelligence and improving our lives. I am proud that IBM Research has decided to invest in this important undertaking we have initiated here in Israel.”
A large delegation of presidents from the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities visited the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa at the end of August. They were accompanied by Israel’s Ambassador to Canada Dr. Ronen Hoffman.
The guests were welcomed by Technion President, Professor Uri Sivan and Vice President for Foreign Relations and Resource Development Professor Alon Wolf. Prof. Sivan presented the Technion’s history and the Technion’s significant contributions to the development of the State of Israel.
The U15 presidents delegation with the Technion management
“The Technion is undergoing a significant change from a field-oriented approach to a challenge-oriented approach,” Prof. Sivan told the guests. “In this process, we lower the walls between the faculties to promote fruitful and useful interdisciplinary research.”
The Technion President added “we are also working to lower the barriers between industry and academia so we can help industry in carrying out long-term research and connect through it to the main challenges facing humanity. We are proactively working to commercialize our research to impact society and the economy. This year, the Technion will establish 16 new startups based on the work of our researchers. We are also undergoing a fundamental change in the pedagogical aspect that will introduce humanistic subjects into training programs, so that students leave the Technion with a worldview that will help them understand the consequences of their professional decisions.”
Technion President, Professor Uri Sivan and Vice President for Foreign Relations and Resource Development Professor Alon Wolf with the guests
The visitors met with the management of the Technion, including Rona Samler, General Manager of T3 – Technion Technology Transfer Office, Distinguished Professor Ilan Marek, head of the Center for Sustainable Processes and Catalysis, Professor Noam Ziv, head of the Technion Human Health Initiative, Prof. Ezri Tarazi, Head of the t-Hub and Professor Shai Shen-Orr, Director at the Tech AI center. They also visited the modern Mehoudar Center for Inventors, which was inaugurated this summer.
Rona Samler, General Manager of T3 – Technion Technology Transfer Office
The heads of the following universities participated in the visit: McGill, British Columbia, Waterloo, Calgary, Montreal, Simon Fraser, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Western, York, Ottawa, Carleton, Concordia, Laval, and Dalhousie, as well as a representative of the Canadian Research Universities group.
The delegation in the Mehoudar Center with Prof. Ezri Tarazi, Head of the T-Hub and Mr. Boaz Drori, Director of the Mehoudar Center
