An Autonomous Car for Every Schoolchild: More than 1,000 Students Participate in the Technion Robotraffic Contest
Student Groups from around the world come to compete in Israel as the Technion celebrates nine years of the contest named for Nadav Shoham.
Hosted by the Technion’s Leumi Robotics Center led by Dr. Evgeny Korchnoy, the competition welcomed over 100 groups including more than 1,000 students and teachers from Israel, the US, Argentina, Mexico, Russia, and Ukraine.
Prof. Adam Schwartz
“Mobile robots are fun but more important is the fulfillment you get from building amazing things with your own two hands,” said Prof. Adam Schwartz, senior vice president of the Technion, in his opening remarks for the 9th Robotraffic competition. “This is where you’ll understand why it’s worth coming to study at the Technion”, added Prof. Schwartz. “You’ll find the answer inside the average robot: check the operating system and you’ll see it was created by a Technion computer science graduate, the mechanics were designed by a Technion mechanical engineering graduate, and the sensors were built by a physicist who studied here.”
The Nadav Shoham Robotraffic contest is a joint project of the Ministry of Education, the Technion’s Leumi Robotics Center, World ORT and Kadima Mada, and the World Zionist Organization, along with Ytek and Eytam Robotics. The competition strives to provide students with the knowledge and skills associated with safe driving in order to lower the number of young drivers involved in traffic accidents.
The students build robots that are in essence autonomous vehicles required to perform tasks on a simulated road. The most challenging part of the contest, aimed at high school students, involved elements of safe driving, advanced safety methods, speed, general road safety, driving laws, and control of the vehicle using SolidWorks.
Prof. Moshe Shaham
“I see here Technion students and graduates who participated in this competition when they were still in school,” said Prof. Moshe Shaham, head of the Technion Robotics Laboratory. “It’s likely that cab drivers will be out a job in the near future because the world is headed more and more in the direction of autonomous vehicles.”
Bian Kablan, former mayor of Beit Jann, said that the study of robotics has spread to all grade levels in his town, thanks to the Robotraffic competition. “We start robotics in kindergarten,” he explained. “It provides students with the tools to develop new mental tools that go beyond the particular subject area.”
Jonah Weinbaum, a junior at the Frankel Jewish Academy in Michigan, said that his team planned for the contest throughout the entire year, during which the teacher who had been coaching them left the school. He said that the contest itself was “a fascinating week. We visited Technion chemistry and robotics labs and the Microsoft offices in Haifa. We didn’t realize how huge the contest is – it was beyond anything we expected. We’re learning and improving. Next year we’ll come back to the Technion and do even better!”
The Winners of Robotraffic 2018:
High School Division
Safe Driving – ORT Argentina – 1
Advanced Safety – Tomsk (Russia)
Speed – ORT Argentina – 2
Road Safety – Misgav (Israel) – 3, Tomsk
Driving Laws – Misgav – 1, Misgav – 4
Knowledge of vehicle structure in SolidWorks – ORT Chernivtsi (Ukraine)
Middle School Division
Overall First Place – Ein Mahil Middle School (Israel)
Robotraffic Project – ORT Odessa (Ukraine)
Speed – Ein Mahil Middle School
Innovation Award – Himmelfarb High School (Israel)
Elementary School Division
Overall First Place – Shimrit Netanya (Israel)
Robotraffic Project – Shimrit Netanya
Speed – AlEin Elementary School (Israel)
Ytek Competition
3rd-4th Grade – Beera (Israel)
5th– 6th Grade – Maghar B Elementary School (Israel)
Seven out of twelve “Leaders of Industry” are Technion graduates, according to a list published by Israel’s Ministry of Economy and Industry in honor of the country’s 70th anniversary. The list recognizes people who made important contributions to Israel’s industrial sector. The awards will be presented at a festive celebration this spring, attended by the president.
These are the twelve winners:
Technion graduate Yossi Vardi
Technion graduate Yossi Vardi
Yossi Vardi is a serial entrepreneur who became well-known in the 1990s with the sale of Mirabilis – one of the first and most notable “exits” of Israel’s technology sector. He is considered a pioneer of Israel’s startup industry.
Zohar and Yehuda Zisapel
The Zisapel brothers are both Technion graduates, who founded dozens of successful companies, including the RAD Group. The brothers maintain close connections with the Technion to this day – a relationship that has included the establishment the Zisapel Center for Nanoelectronics.
Reem and Amiad Younis
Reem and Amiad have worked to promote Israel’s Arab communities in the industrial sector. The couple founded Alpha Omega, which develops and distributes medical equipment for brain surgery and the treatment of neurological diseases.
Dr. Shimon Eckhouse
Technion graduate Shimon Eckhouse is a serial entrepreneur and a pioneer in the field of medical devices. Dr. Eckhouse is the founder of Lumenis, Syneron Medical, and a number of other companies. Today, he supports early-stage startups through the startup incubator Alon Medtech Ventures.
Dan Propper
Osem managing director and board chairman Dan Propper is also a Technion graduate. Besides managing Osem, which currently employs approximately 5,000 people throughout Israel, Propper has made large contributions to Israel’s industrial sector in his role as the president of the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel.
The list’s remaining five leaders include ISCAR Metalworking founder Stef Wertheimer, Ackerstein Industries founder Giora Ackerstein, former Chairwoman of Intel Israel Maxine Fassberg, Amdocs founder Morris Kahn, and founder of Keter Plastic, Sami Sagol.
$50 Million Gift Names the Helen Diller Center for Quantum Science, Matter and Engineering at Israel’s Technion
One of the Largest Single Gifts Ever to the Technion from an American Donor Will Launch Investment in Faculty Recruitment, Cutting-Edge Research, Infrastructure Development
(r-l) Dr. Lena Lavie, President Peretz Lavie, Jackie Safier, President of the Helen Diller Family Foundation, Jeff Richard, CEO of the American Technion Society.
NEW YORK and SAN FRANCISCO (April 16, 2018) – The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology has announced a $50 million naming gift from the Helen Diller Family Foundation to support the university’s new state-of-the-art quantum center. The center will henceforth be named the Helen Diller Center for Quantum Science, Matter and Engineering.
The gift, which is expendable to allow for its immediate use, will strengthen the Technion’s position as a world leader in quantum science and engineering by providing the means for new faculty recruitment, establishing new infrastructure, seed funding for research and development, and educating a new generation of engineers with a mastery of quantum mechanics.
“The Technion is one of the preeminent institutions for technology in the world, and my parents thought this was an important investment for the future of Israel and humanity,” said Helen Diller’s daughter, Jackie Safier, who is President of the Helen Diller Family Foundation. “The new Helen Diller Center for Quantum Science, Matter and Engineering will help Israel secure its place in the next revolution in science and engineering.”
The Helen Diller Center for Quantum Science, Matter and Engineering – the first of its kind in Israel – is uniquely poised to advance the basic sciences while using the principles of quantum mechanics to impact various engineering fields, and to develop applications for a wide range of industries. Research conducted there will be focused on quantum computing and information processing, quantum communications, quantum sensing and detection, quantum simulations, simulators and quantum materials. The Center also will serve as a platform for collaboration between Technion scientists and engineers involved in quantum physics, nanotechnology, materials science, communications, and information theory, and will include researchers from the faculties of electrical engineering, physics, chemistry, materials science engineering, mechanical engineering and computer science.
Quantum mechanics – a fundamental theory in physics that describes nature at the smallest scales of energy levels of atoms and subatomic particles – revolutionized science in the early part of the twentieth century. Now, Technion scientists are on the verge of being able to employ quantum in ways that promise to shape the future. Technologies born from quantum science will include: totally secure computing, communications and online transactions; superior sensing technology that can be used for medical treatments and diagnoses, and for monitoring chemical, biological and nuclear materials; the development of computers with computational powers far beyond those of standard computers; and new materials with unusual electrical, optical and magnetic properties that will lead to new and innovative devices and solutions.
“Over the years, Technion has gained renowned experience in identifying the needs of industries and opportunities for developing the Israeli economy,” said Technion President, Professor Peretz Lavie. “In the past, this experience has been demonstrated in many fields, including space and aeronautics, microelectronics, electro-optics, and nanotechnology. This ability has allowed Technion to lead historic shifts in Israeli society and play a vital role in building Israel as the ‘Startup Nation’ – a globally recognized technological powerhouse.”
The Technion has a long history of major contributions to quantum science research. On May 15, 1935, Professor Nathan Rosen, the founder of the Technion Physics department, along with his mentor, Professor Albert Einstein, and their colleague, Boris Podolsky, published a historic paper on quantum fusion and the EPR Paradox (named after the three authors, listed alphabetically). In 1993, Technion Faculty of Physics Professor Asher Peres and colleagues published a groundbreaking paper on quantum teleportation, which has become a major milestone in quantum information and communication. The Technion’s broad and in-depth involvement in the field of quantum physics has continued ever since, with many Technion researchers being major figures on the world scene in all aspects of quantum sciences and engineering.
Two top faculty members who will be part of the leadership of the Helen Diller Center for Quantum Science, Matter and Engineering are Professor Gadi Eisenstein, director of the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute at the Technion, and Mordechai (Moti) Segev, the Robert J. Shillman Distinguished Professor of Physics at the Technion.
“The world is now witnessing the second quantum revolution,” said Professor Gadi Eisenstein. “The immense nanotechnology capabilities and expertise developed worldwide in the past 15 years have paved the way for scientists to employ quantum science in engineering technologies that will impact society at large.”
“The Technion is at the forefront of research in many areas involving quantum mechanics,” said Distinguished Professor Segev. “The Technion is where the generation of entanglement – a fundamental quantum property – with artificial atoms (“quantum dots”) was first demonstrated (by Prof. David Gershoni and his students),” said Distinguished Professor Segev. “This is where Prof. Gadi Eisenstein and his team developed tiny, inexpensive atomic clocks that found their way into industry. This is where innovative theoretical concepts were developed (by Profs. Netanel Lindner, Daniel Podolsky, Assa Auerbach and their students) in the area of quantum materials (topological insulators), with huge worldwide impact. These are only a few examples, out of very many, including some by my own team, such as our recent discovery of topological insulator lasers that started off as a quantum simulator system and evolved into devices with real potential impact on technology. The Helen Diller Family Foundation’s generous grant elevates the Technion to the pinnacle of quantum research institutions, and it is truly a game changer.”
“In the coming decade, the Technion will lead the global quantum revolution thanks to its unique cohesion between the basic sciences and engineering expertise,” added President Lavie. “We established a Center for Quantum Science, Matter and Engineering based on the belief that this technology is vital to Israel’s economy and security. The Helen Diller Family Foundation’s exciting seed funding gift will enable the Center to act now in the goal of providing a better future for Israelis as well as humankind overall.”
“This is a remarkable moment for the Technion, Israel and the world,” said Jeff Richard, CEO of the American Technion Society. “This transformational gift from the Helen Diller Family Foundation will enable the Technion to maintain its place at the forefront of quantum research, and to continue to lead the way for the quantum-based applications and innovations that promise to shape the future.”
About the Helen Diller Center for Quantum Science, Matter and Engineering
The Helen Diller Center for Quantum Science, Matter and Engineering will focus on developing quantum computation, communications, new materials and sensing technologies that are expected to impact the future. The main research areas will include:
Quantum Communication: With cybersecurity breaches disrupting governments, financial institutions and vast computer networks around the world, the advent of totally secure communications would be revolutionary. Because no cryptographically coded system that is not a quantum system can provide a similar degree of security, developing quantum aspects of computing, communications, communication security, sensing, and signal processing is vital.
Quantum Sensing and Detection: Quantum sensors, which outperform traditional sensory equipment, will be used to monitor numerous physical conditions on land, in the air and at sea. Many security systems, including anti-missile defenses, night vision, and missile identification will be vastly improved with quantum sensors. Civil applications such as energy harvesting, medical treatment and diagnosis, environmental improvements via monitoring of dangerous chemical, biological, and nuclear materials will also have a large influence on society.
Quantum Computing: Quantum computing is considered the “Holy Grail” of quantum technology. Quantum computers are fundamentally different from transistor-based classical computers that use binary (0/1) logic. Because quantum computers operate according to quantum mechanical principles, they make use of an endless number of 1 and zero combinations thereby enabling computational powers not possible with standard computers.
Quantum Materials: Quantum technologies will require new and improved materials and are therefore crucial. The quantum materials often have unusual electrical, optical, and magnetic properties that can pave the way for a range of innovative quantum devices. New material fabrication techniques and sophisticated material characterization schemes will be developed together with deep theoretical studies of their properties.
Quantum Simulators: Quantum systems can execute much more sophisticated simulations than existing computers. Therefore, they are expected to break new ground for simulations of fundamental processes in condensed matter physics and cold atoms, which will give rise to new technologies, biological systems, and optical systems such as the topological laser recently developed at the Technion Faculty of Physics.
About the Helen Diller Family Foundation
The Helen Diller Family Foundation is renown in the San Francisco Bay Area, North American, and global Jewish and general community. Thousands of Israeli and global Jewish teens have participated in the Diller Teen Fellows program drawing them closer to Israel and their Jewish identity. The national Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards recognize outstanding teens for volunteer service projects. The Foundation has funded historic gifts to UCSF for cancer, medical research, and a recently announced new hospital building in San Francisco. Museums have been beneficiaries of grants including the new Israel National Library under construction. The Foundation has created innovative playgrounds at major parks in San Francisco. The University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, Santa Cruz, have received funding among other educational institutions in Israel and the U.S. Jackie Safier, one of Sanford and Helen Diller’s three children serves as President of the family’s foundation and Chief Executive Officer of the family’s real estate business, Prometheus Real Estate Group, Inc.
Sir Fraser Stoddart, co-winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, recently lectured on molecular machines at the Technion’s Schulich Faculty of Chemistry as part of the Apeloig Distinguished Lecture Series. Before the lecture, he planted a tree on the Technion’s “Nobel Path” and added his signature to the Faculty of Chemistry’s Wall of Fame, which includes the names of luminaries of Chemistry since its inception.
Nobel Laureate Sir Fraser Stoddart and Distinguished Prof. Yitzhak Apeloig
, co-winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recently visited the Technion where he gave a lecture as part of the Apeloig Distinguished Lecture Series. This series was established by the American Technion Society and the Canadian Technion Society as a tribute to Distinguished Professor Yitzhak Apeloig when he completed his two terms (2001-2009) as Technion President. .
Currently a professor at Northwestern University, Sir Stoddart was born in Scotland in 1942. He completed all his degrees at the University of Edinburgh and since then has taught and researched at a number of universities and institutes in the UK and USA. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006 and in 2016 he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Ben Feringa of The Netherlands and Jean-Pierre Sauvage of France, for their work on the design and synthesis of molecular machines. Their teams developed nano-molecules that can execute defined tasks, thus creating the smallest man-made machines. They have incorporated this technology to create bionic muscles, a nano-scale elevator, nano-cars, and more.
During the visit, Sir Stoddart planted a tree on the Technion’s “Nobel Path”, which is now home to trees planted by approximately 20 Nobel laureates who have visited the Technion. During the planting ceremony, Technion President Professor Peretz Lavie said “In 1950 there was nothing but a hill at this spot and now there is a new and thriving campus. We are proud that the very first tree planted by a Nobel laureate was planted by Albert Einstein opposite the historic Technion building in Hadar.”
Sir Stoddart planting a tree on the Technion’s “Nobel Path”
Sir Stoddart also signed his name on the Faculty of Chemistry’s Wall of Fame and received an Honorary Membership certificate of the Israel Chemical Society.. Before the lecture, Sir Stoddart met over lunch with PhD students of the department and discussed science and academic careers.
Professor Apeloig introduced his colleague before the lecture, saying “I’ve followed your career and your exciting science for many years. Your research transformed molecular machines from an obscure dream to a blossoming field of study in which tiny molecular machines (one nanometer is equal to one billionth of a meter) are able to perform a wide variety of tasks. In addition to your contribution to fundamental science, you’ve also led the way to important practical applications, such as eliminating the currently used poisonous cyanide in gold mining. The awards you’ve won, including the Nobel Prize, reflect the importance of your scientific work and is a tribute to a brilliant career in which you trained more than 450 doctoral and post-doctoral students and published more than 1,100 scientific articles which have been cited more than 100,000 times !”
Sir Stoddart lectured about the development of the concept of the “mechanical bond” between molecules that are interlocked in a chain-like structure. These connections are significantly different from other chemical bonds. Sir Stoddart described some of the practical applications for molecular machines, including electronics and medicine, as well as discussing the beauty and creativity involved in the study of chemistry and the joy of investigating the unknown. He criticized European academic institutions whose hierarchical structure does not encourage researchers and faculty members in the early stages of their careers, unlike American academia. He added, “In the Technion, and in Israel in general, you have managed to promote science and nurture creativity and the three Nobel Prizes in Chemistry won by Technion researchers proves it.”
In May 1962, Technion awarded an honorary doctorate in Architecture to Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion
Acting Technion director Prof. David Ginsburg (right) and David Ben-Gurion. Photographer: Gedalia Enoshi
On May 22, 1962, Technion awarded an honorary doctorate in Architecture to then-Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. It was the only time Technion ever conferred an honorary degree in Architecture, and it was bestowed on Ben-Gurion “in recognition of and in appreciation for his pioneering activities, his lofty vision and his courage, which granted him a place of honor in the history of our people as the architect and designer of the State of Israel.”
The degree was awarded to Ben-Gurion as part of the annual graduation ceremony, during which degrees were conferred on 556 new Technion graduates.
In his speech at the ceremony, Ben-Gurion thanked Technion for the prestigious degree and said: “I don’t know if the term ‘architect’ is appropriate in the context of planning a country. When planning and constructing a building, one deals with inanimate raw materials that can be shaped by the creator and listen to both the architect and the builder. That isn’t the case for building a country. The essence of a country is neither land nor sovereignty but, rather, its people. The early Hebrews didn’t even have a special name for the sovereign piece of land that today we call ‘country’… The term ‘architect’ does not apply to a people. A people is a live population that has needs, wishes, traits, desires, unique qualities and its own aspirations, and it is not material that can be shaped by its designer.”
The Prime Minister told the new Technion graduates: “Go to the four corners of the country, use your scientific knowledge, and build the country.” He told the Friends of Technion from Israel and around the world: “Advance this institution whose name is Technion so that its faculty members and students will be able to build the State of Israel. Enable Israel to make a sustainable contribution to the cultural and scientific development of humanity. Enable Science, truth and knowledge to flow from this center of learning on Mount Carmel. Transform the city whose name is Technion into a beam of light that emerges from the Israeli horizon.”
Technion Prof. Marcelle Machluf to Light a Torch at Israel’s 70th Independence Day Ceremony
Prof. Marcelle Machluf, honored by the State of Israel on its 70th Independence Day.
Prof. Marcelle Machluf, Dean of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is one of 14 honorees selected by the Israel Ministry of Culture, to light a torch at Israel’s 70th Independence Day Ceremony at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
Prof. Machluf is a world-renowned researcher in the fields of drug delivery, gene therapy, cellular therapy, and tissue engineering. In her laboratory at Technion – The Lab for Cancer Drug Delivery and Cell-Based Technologies – she develops and engineers nano- and micro-systems for delivering drugs and genes; systems for the encapsulation (packaging) of cells for treating cancer and diabetes; and scaffolds for engineering heart tissue, blood vessels, and the pancreas. Prof. Machluf develops these tools for clinical applications, using advanced engineering and scientific methods. She has achieved many breakthroughs in the quest to enable more accurate and focused cancer treatment while minimizing effects on healthy cells, using advanced biological technologies. This technology is currently in a process of technology transfer.
Prof. Machluf completed her post-doctoral studies at the Harvard Medical School, and since 2001, she has been a faculty member at Technion. She has published over sixty articles and book chapters, and has seven patents pending.
“I thank the State of Israel for this honor,” said Prof. Marcelle Machluf, upon being chosen to light the Torch. “Every year I look forward to the torch-lighting ceremony, which celebrates the country and its successes. Therefore, there is no greater honor than to be deemed worthy of lighting a torch for the glory of the State of Israel.”
“We are proud of Prof. Machluf,” said Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie “In her achievements, Marcelle is a role model for many generations of students.”
HAIFA, ISRAEL (March 19, 2018) – Feline AIDS is caused by the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), which is very similar to the HIV-1 virus that continues to affect thousands of humans each year. While FIV does not infect humans, many groups research the virus to benefit cats, but perhaps more importantly, because of its many parallels with the AIDS virus.
Assistant Professor Akram Alian
Despite the use of dedicated drugs, HIV-1 manages to thrive and multiply within the cell and develop increasingly greater resistance. The power of the AIDS virus lies in the remarkable variability of its genome, which is driven by reverse transcriptase, one of the proteins it produces. Reverse transcriptase “copies” the viral RNA genome into DNA, which is the opposite molecule that typically occurs in nature. FIV and HIV-1 viruses, like other retroviruses, “implant” this DNA into the host genome, forcing the host cells to generate new copies of the virus. Because of its critical role in viral proliferation, the reverse transcriptase protein is a central target for new anti-AIDS drugs. Although FIV and HIV are highly similar, the FIV protein is resistant to drugs which can inhibit the same protein in HIV-1, a finding which has puzzled scientists until now.
Now, for the first time, Assistant Professor Akram Alian and Dr. Meytal Galilee from the Technion Faculty of Biology have shown the 3D structure of this protein in the FIV, and used it to uncover the mechanistic basis of viral resistance to anti-reverse transcriptase drugs. Their findings, published recently in PLOS Pathogens, show that the FIV protein forms a closed pocket that blocks the drugs from effective binding.
Dr. Meytal Galilee
This structure emphasizes how these viral proteins can undergo minor modifications that enable them to develop resistance to drugs, while preserving protein function, a phenomenon which, to date, has not been observed in HIV-1. This structure will be of value in advancing the development of potent and specific anti-HIV drugs, and preempting future strains of AIDS viruses that rapidly develop resistance to current drugs.
Associate Professor Alian said “we hope that our discoveries will pave the way toward the development of drugs that will “break into” this pocket, thereby enabling the drugs to inhibit FIV from multiplying. Of course, due to the parallels between FIV and HIV, we assume that the discovery will also assist in combatting AIDS”.
The feline AIDS disease, which is transmitted between cats, primarily via saliva, involves impairment of the immune system and the inability failure to fight off infections, diseases and development of cancer. The disease typically affects male street cats, which tend to fight and bite one another.
The disease develops in three stages: the acute stage is characterized by fever and increased susceptibility to internal and external infections; a symptom-free latent stage, during which the immune system is gradually weakened and the immune-deficiency stage, which may only develop after many years, and is characterized by life-threatening weakening of the immune system. In the third stage, the cat may die from relatively mild infections, which would normally not cause infection in the case of a healthy immune system.
By Jennifer Barnard – originally posted to Flickr as Prey, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3820113
The exhibition “TechnionWisdom” at the main gallery of the central library at Technion merges art, science, technology and education, and opens a window to the enormous range of Technion activities, research projects and breakthroughs. The inspiration behind this exhibition is a passion to show that every subject, especially science, can be presented artistically and aesthetically, and can kindle curiosity in the observer.
The exhibition is designed so that viewers will first try to decipher the works on their own, and then curiosity will lead them to read the texts to find out more about the subject and people portrayed.
Anat Har-Gil, who designed the exhibition, is a multidisciplinary artist who has worked in the Division of Computing and Information Systems at Technion since 1992. Anat studied art, computer programming and curation and has designed and curated several exhibitions at Technion, including “Labscapes”, “Engineers Without Borders (EWB) – Technion Chapter” and “Technion Then and Now“.
Technion Presents: “Science at the Bar” To Mark International Women’s Day
Eight Haifa bars will host leading Technion researchers on Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at 20:00
Flexible aircrafts, artificial intelligence, human-machine interfaces, computer vision, urban planning as an instrument for social change, communication between bacteria, innovative diagnostic methods, and a new look at chemistry studies: eight female researchers from Technion will hold scientific lectures on various topics at eight bars in Haifa, marking International Women’s Day. The lectures, all of which will begin at 20:00, will introduce their audiences to some of the research conducted by female researchers from various faculties at Technion.
Syncopa – Prof. Daniella Raveh of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering: “Flexible Planes.” Prof. Raveh studies aeroelasticity in aircrafts using advanced computational tools, and other topics related to aircraft design. In her lecture, she will talk about unmanned aircrafts cruising at the edge of the atmosphere; designing lighter, more flexible, and efficient planes; and engineering methods for coping with the challenges posed by elasticity.
Eli’s – Dr. Ofra Amir of the Davidson Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management: “People from Mars and Computers from Venus.” Dr. Amir focuses on the connection between artificial intelligence and human-computer interfaces and develops smart systems that support people, in fields including education and health. In her lecture, she will talk about misunderstandings between computers and people, the gap between the tremendous progress in artificial intelligence and Big Data and the fact that computers still do not understand basic human needs, and the possibility of developing computers that will understand us better.
Moonshiner’s – Dr. Meirav Aharon of the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning: “Urban Planning as an (Effective) Instrument for Social Change.” Dr. Aharon explores the connection between society and planning, and one of her recent studies dealt with the influence of the IDF’s “City of Training Bases” on the town of Yeruham and the surrounding area. In her lecture, she will discuss civil disobedience, expressed in economic journalist, on the subject of urban planning. She will present the background of that disobedience, the change she seeks to bring about, and what happens when burning social issues meet urban planning.
Nola Socks – Dr. Naama Geva-Zatorsky of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine: “Communication between Intestinal Bacteria and the Human Body.” Dr. Geva-Zatorsky will discuss the microbiome – the intestinal bacteria in a living organism – and talk about an innovative technology she developed, which enables real-time monitoring of the microbiome in order to better understand communication between these bacteria and the physiology of the host organism.
Brown – Dr. Shirly Avargil of the Faculty of Education in Science and Technology: “Thinking Chemistry and About Chemistry.” Dr. Avargil will talk about thinking and learning, meaningful learning in the sciences in general and chemistry in particular, and why we forget what we learned last year and even what we learned for the most recent exam.
Libira – Prof. Miriam Zacksenhouse of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering: “Machine-Brain Interfaces: The Brain behind the Interface.” Prof. Zacksenhouse deals with brain-computer interfaces that enable a direct communication channel between the brain and the external world, so that a cursor can be moved on the computer screen and a robot or prosthesis can be moved without engaging the body. Non-invasive commercial systems already enable communication for the disabled, interfaces for computer games, and remote control. What principles are they based on? Do they read thoughts?
Ha-Be’er – Prof. Esti Segal of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering: “Bacteria, Microchips, and Everything In Between.” Prof. Segal is involved in several fields of research, including innovative cancer treatments, rapid and inexpensive methods for medical diagnosis, and the development of technologies that extend the shelf life of food products. In her lecture, she will talk about technologies she is developing for quick diagnosis of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, in light of the World Health Organization’s forecast that antibiotic resistance will claim about 10 million victims a year by 2050. The technologies developed by Prof. Segal are based on the growth of microbes on tiny silicon chips, which enable optimal adaptation of an antibiotic to a patient.
After Dark – Prof. Lihi Zelnik-Manor of the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical Engineering: “How Do You Create Virtual Worlds that Feel Real?” The integration of virtual reality into our lives is around the corner, and Prof. Zelnik-Manor will discuss some of the technologies used to create virtual reality that feels real.
The event is sponsored by Prof. Ayellet Tal, Advisor to the Technion President on the Advancement of Women in Science and Engineering.
Dr. Naama Geva-Zatorsky of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine is investigating intestinal bacteria and its effect on our bodies
Dr. Geva-Zatorsky
Bacteria in the body plays a critical role in health. Called the microbiota, this ecological community affects us from birth. For example, the microbiota of babies born naturally through the birth canal differs from the microbiota of babies born via C-section.
The microbiota has many different and surprising functions in the animal world. Elephants, for example, eat their feces as it provides a wealth of bacteria not found elsewhere. Squids camouflage themselves using bacteria that produce light, thus concealing their shadow from predators. The microbiome also has a profound effect on us humans, as it’s involved both in maintaining our health as well as in a variety of diseases including diabetes, cancer, and obesity. They even affect our mood.
The microbiota’s effect on the immune system is the focus of Dr. Naama Geva-Zatorsky’s research.
Dr. Geva-Zatorsky, 39, is a new faculty member at the Technion’s Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and the Technion Integrated Cancer Center (TICC). She was born in Moshav Ometz in the Hefer Valley and grew up in “many places around the world.” As a child, even before she knew the meaning of the word biology, she liked to collect leaves and observe snails and other animals in nature. When she began studying biology she discovered that bacteria communicate with each other and the environment. This then became the focus of her scientific research.
“We all know that there are a lot of cells in our bodies, human and non-human in origin,” says Dr. Geva-Zatorsky, “but it is important to understand that the bacteria co-existing within us are very important to our health, and therefore we must learn to live with them in peace. The intestinal bacteria, which are the most abundant and diverse population of bacteria in our body, have a complex relationship with our bodies – a relationship that evolved over eons of co-evolution.”
Her academic career began with a B.Sc at Tel Aviv University and an M.Sc and Ph.D at the Weizmann Institute of Science. In her graduate degrees she studied cancer cell responses to chemotherapeutic drugs and the development of effective anti-cancer drug combinations. Later she entered her current field of study – the effects the microbiome in the digestive tract have on the host’s immune system. During her career path, she received several awards including the international 2012 L’Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science. Prior to joining the Technion, she worked at the Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology at Harvard Medical School. She recently received the Alon Scholarship – a prestigious scholarship designed to facilitate the incorporation of young researchers into Israeli universities. In addition, she was selected as a Horev Fellow in Technion’s Leaders in Science and Technology Program.
In her research, published in Cell, Science, and other leading journals, Dr. Geva-Zatorsky showed that the relationship between the microbiome and the immune system dramatically affects the functions of this system. While in the United States she developed, in her words, “a new method that allows tracking of the microbiota in real-time. This method allows us to ‘live broadcast’ the bacteria communicating amongst themselves and with our bodies.”
With this method, Dr. Geva-Zatorsky studies the communications between the gut bacteria and the cells of our immune system. In mouse model experiments, she demonstrated the importance of over 60 different human intestinal bacteria in the development of the host’s immune system. “When we add the appropriate bacteria to an organism its immune system develops and becomes stronger. This, of course, is reminiscent of the development of an infant’s immune system in response to the presence of bacteria. Our technology allows us to identify the role of each type of bacteria in this process, and the idea is that in the future we will use bacteria to create unique drugs for various types of disruptions in the immune system and for various diseases.”
Pictured: The mouse’s intestinal cells are shown in blue, and the intestinal bacteria are marked with different colors in order to learn about their location in the intestine and their interactions.
In conjunction with International Women’s Day: 600 High School Students join Tech Women 2018
The event encourages outstanding female students to pursue academic studies in science and engineering.
Doctoral student Adi Hanuka of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering said at the conference: “In order to change the discourse and to encourage female students, I formulate the tests I write using female pronouns.”
Doctoral student Adi Hanuka
From Kibbutz Na’an to Ramat Gan, from Ashdod to Nazareth Illit: Some 600 outstanding female high school students took part in Tech Women 2018 on March 7th, 2018. In it’s third consecutive year, the Technion-sponsored event encourages excellent female students to pursue academic studies in science and engineering. The event was held in conjunction with International Women’s Day, courtesy of the Rosalyn August Girls Empowerment Mission (GEM).
All the students attending the conference are studying for matriculation in five math units as well as science and technology. The students met with female researchers, faculty members, Technion alumnae, and graduate students. On tour of Technion laboratories, they were introduced to an array of inspiring topics of study and research.
In the Technion’s original class of 1924, the percentage of women was 0.06%: one of the 17 students was female. Over the years – and especially in the past decade – the number of female students at Technion has grown tremendously, reaching an all-time high this year at 40 percent. The rate of female doctoral students is even higher, at 42 percent.
The high school students heard scientific lectures and visited laboratories at eight engineering and scientific faculties at Technion: Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Industrial Engineering and Management (Data Science & Engineering track).
Doctoral Student Efrat Sabach
The day was opened by three Technion doctoral students, who shared their stories. “As a child I was curious – I was never satisfied with answers and always asked for detailed explanations. Thankfully, I felt that my curiosity was welcome at home and at school, but when I decided to be a physicist there were people who told me it was a profession for males,” said Efrat Sabach, a doctoral student in the Faculty of Physics. “Obviously this isn’t true, and I’m glad that I didn’t listen to them. After my Bachelor’s degree at Technion I continued to my Master’s and PhD studies, and today I am studying the process of the formation of stars such as our Sun, under the guidance of Prof. Noam Soker. At Technion I received tools and knowledge that will accompany me for the rest of my life. Believe me when I say that even if you are not sure what you want to be when you grow up, Technion is the right place to start.”
“When you think of electrical engineers someone like me probably doesn’t come to mind, but here I am – a woman and a doctoral student at the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical Engineering,” said Adi Hanuka. She told the students about two projects she has conducted in recent years: a tiny particle accelerator that can be used for x-ray and projection devices, and a system for monitoring diseases based on eyelid movements. “During my doctoral studies I spent time at Stanford University in the United States,” Hanuka said. “The people in my research group were surprised to find out that I’m a woman and not a man, and one of them added that girls are supposed to study economics and psychology, not electrical engineering. That’s why I believe it’s not only necessary to educate girls and tell them that they can make their dreams come true, but also to make the boys around us understand that we are not inferior to them in skills and abilities. I tutor students at the Faculty, and when I write tests I always word the questions using feminine pronouns, in order to encourage the students taking the exam – because why always write in the masculine?”
Doctoral Candidate Nitzan Krinsky
Nitzan Krinsky, a doctoral candidate at the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering at Technion, develops artificial cells that produce anti-cancer drugs within the cancerous tumor. She spoke about her studies in the academic reserve, her military service as a researcher at the Institute of Marine Medicine, about managing projects in the IDF food department, and the decision to leave the army for the sake of academic research at Technion. “At each of these stages I had to show initiative and make appeals in order to move on to the next stage. That’s why it’s important for me to tell you that in order to succeed in fulfilling your dreams you have to do what suits you: take initiative, overcome the challenges, and mostly – don’t be shy.”
