Scientific Excellence Cultivates the Future
Marking its Centennial – The Technion Dedicates a Wall of Honor for Researchers Who Reached Scientific Milestones and Whose Work Has Impacted Lives Around the World
The Scientific Pinnacles Wall – a tribute to researchers whose work has influenced the lives of many worldwide – was recently inaugurated at the Technion. The ceremony was held in the presence of Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan, Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav, the Technion Nobel Laureates Prof. Avram Hershko, Prof. Aaron Ciechanover, and Prof. Dan Shechtman, as well as Technion Israel Prize Laureates.
Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan said at the ceremony: “This special wall presents the achievements of Technion faculty members – researchers recognized worldwide for their outstanding contributions to science and technology. These prizes bear witness to the groundbreaking research and innovative thinking that have characterized the Technion over the years. These researchers are both a source of inspiration and a living testimony to the Technion’s values: striving for excellence and making a positive impact on the world. This wall reflects the Technion’s commitment to continue creating a better future through knowledge, creativity, and collaboration.”
The Scientific Pinnacles Wall, designed by the Diskin design company, features the three Nobel Laureates from the Technion: Distinguished Professor Avram Hershko and Distinguished Professor Aaron Ciechanover of the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, and Distinguished Professor Dan Shechtman of the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering. It also highlights additional prestigious scientific research prizes, as well as the Israel Prize, awarded to 21 Technion researchers.
Distinguished Professor Avram Hershko, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (2004) and Israel Prize Laureate (1994), said: “This is like a birthday celebration – 100 years of the Technion. During this period, the Technion has made enormous contributions in science and technology to Israel and to the entire world. The Technion spearheaded the hi-tech revolution that positioned Israel at the forefront of industry, security, and medicine, while also contributing greatly to basic science. I came to the Technion as a young faculty member to help establish a new medical faculty, and the Technion supported me greatly in setting up my lab and acquiring the equipment needed for biochemical research, as well as with scholarships for graduate students – one of whom was Prof. Aaron Ciechanover. He assisted me in my research, and together we made a discovery of great impact. Thanks to the Technion and its friends who made this possible.”
Distinguished Professor Dan Shechtman, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (2011) and Israel Prize Laureate (1998), shared: “My relationship with the Technion began 63 years ago, when the campus had only three buildings. Since then, the Technion has developed in an extraordinary way, and today we have three Nobel Prizes. True, there are universities with more than a hundred Nobel Laureates, but there is no university in the world whose impact on its country compares to the Technion’s impact on Israel. The Technion trained the scientists and engineers who built the state and later established its security, high-tech industry, roads, industries, and science. Progress in science and technology proceeds along two tracks – one is gradual evolution, the other is revolution. The connection between the two is that revolutions drive evolution and make it possible – and the Technion has played a tremendous role in those revolutions.”
Distinguished Professor Aaron Ciechanover, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (2004) and Israel Prize Laureate (2003), said: “The State of Israel would not exist without the Technion – I say this with absolute certainty. Israel owes the Technion an enormous debt in both security and the economy, which rests on the shoulders of our graduates and researchers. Technion graduates, who fuel science and the economy in Israel, are essential to our very existence. In Israel, science and technology are not luxuries – they are a vital necessity. Without them, we could not survive. I also call on the Government of Israel: we must divert budgets and resources into 21st-century education to ensure Israel’s security and survival. Congratulations to the Technion.”
Credit: Rami Shlush, Technion Spokesperson’s Office
