Author: shlomi ben-oz

Three-dimensional characterization developed by a Technion researcher and her colleagues in Illinois will promote miniaturization in semiconductor manufacturing

New technology developed at the Technion and in Illinois is expected to bring about a dramatic leap in the miniaturization of electronic devices. The study, which included researchers from the University of Chicago and from Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, was led by Dr. Tamar Segal-Peretz, currently a faculty member at the Technion’s Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, during her postdoc at Chicago.

The study, published in the journal ACS Nano, focuses on the self-assembly of block copolymers – polymer chains that serve as templates in production processes (nano-fabrication). The paper presents the production of nano-templates using the self-assembly process of block copolymers and a new approach for characterizing the nano-templates. Using the block copolymers enables production in dimensions smaller than 10 nm, which is considered a complex challenge in the semiconductor industry.

Deep into the Layers

Miniaturization to small dimensions and the use of block copolymers requires a thorough understanding of the processes occurring deep in the layers. Dr. Segal-Peretz said, “Most of the tools currently available only examine the surface of the material, thus missing important information that is below the surface. The study now published shows that our approach – three-dimensional mapping of structures using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM tomography) is essential for understanding the self-assembly processes and creating nano-patterns whose quality is much higher. Combining molecular simulations with the three-dimensional information enables us to understand the interactions between the copolymers and the patterns on the substrate and the source of the spatial fluctuations in the nanostructures. Thus we are paving the way for designing and manufacturing improved patterns and devices, not larger than 5 nm in size – much smaller than the current components manufactured using nanolithography.”

Today, electronic devices are manufactured using photolithography – where light is projected through a mask. With this method, miniaturization of the templates for production is limited by the wavelength. Short wavelengths are necessary for small devices, and generating such radiation is a hard task. Dr. Segal-Peretz said, “The advantage of block copolymers is that the size of the template is determined by the chemistry of the polymer and not by an external factor such as wavelength.”

Directed Self-Assembly

But self-assembly alone is not sufficient for manufacturing purposes, because the location of the templates that are formed in this way is not controlled. “In order to direct the polymers to the desired position we use an initial template that is easy to manufacture, and the template directs the polymers. This process is called directed self-assembly. Combining this approach with existing photolithography processes enables us to overcome the limitations involved in producing nano-templates, while maintaining low costs.”

As stated, one of the challenges in manufacturing electronic components is the existence of defects in the template. This is a scientific and technological problem since without full identification of the defects below the surface, it is difficult to understand the source of the defects and therefore it is difficult to develop improved manufacturing methods. “Ultimately the world is three-dimensional,” said Dr. Segal-Peretz, “and therefore no two-dimensional representation of the world is sufficient.”

Three degrees at the Technion

Dr. Tamar Segal-Peretz completed all of her degrees at the Technion – after an undergraduate degree in Biochemical Engineering at the Department of Chemical Engineering, she worked in the industry on the development of night vision systems, and then entered the direct doctorate track at the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI). She completed her doctorate on polymer-based solar cells at the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, under the supervision of Prof. Gitti Frey. After her postdoc at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory, she joined the Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering.

To the paper

The 3D structure of block copolymer nano-patterns, obtained through TEM tomography. The width of each nano-pattern is 10 nanometers.

The 3D characterization enables direct observation of the spatial fluctuations of block copolymers. Minimal fluctuations are desired for semiconductor nanofabrication. The movie shows a series of cross section images obtained from the 3D characterization.

Novel Amyloid Structure Could Lead to New Types of Antibiotics

HAIFA, ISRAEL (February 24, 2017) – The highly pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus bacteria is one of the five most common causes of hospital-acquired infections. In the US alone, approximately 500,000 patients at hospitals contract a staph infection. It is the bacteria responsible for MRSA, for which there is no vaccine.

But all that could change, thanks to groundbreaking findings to be published today in Science by a Technion-Israel Institute of Technology team led by Assistant Professor Meytal Landau of the Faculty of Biology. The researchers discovered, for the first time, unique amyloid fibrils through which the pathogenic and highly drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacterium attacks the human cells and immune system. The research could advance the discovery of antibiotics with a novel mechanism of action that will attack key bacterial toxins.

The researchers discovered ‘ammunition’ that assists the infectious bacterium: a novel form of an amyloid fibril whose three-dimensional structure was determined at atomic resolution, revealing the first-of-its-kind structure of this toxic fibril. Amyloids, which are proteins notoriously known for their association with neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, form a network of protein fibrils – somewhat similar to a spider web – characterized by an orderly and extremely stable structure. This stability enables the proteins to withstand extreme conditions in which ordinary proteins do not survive.

One of the best-known examples of this is “Mad Cow” disease, which broke out in England in 1986. According to Prof. Landau, “This disease surprised the scientific community because its cause was not a virus, nor a bacterium, but a protein called Prion, possessing an amyloid-like structure. It then became clear that a protein can be transmissible, and due to its stability, it infected human beings who consumed the contaminated beef – meaning, the protein did not break down in the stages of meat processing, cooking and digestion.”

The “Mad Cow” prion, like all amyloids discovered so far, belongs to a group possessing what is called a cross-ß structure. In the present study, an amyloid of a completely new structure was discovered, which was named cross-α.

“At some point we knew that we had found something unique, but only after several trips to cyclic particle accelerators (Synchrotrons) in Grenoble and Chicago were we successful in verifying its being a new type of amyloid,” said Prof. Landau. “Much more work was required before we could publish our findings, but from the very first moment, it was clear to us that what we had was a paradigm shift.”

She estimates that the new discovery will lead to the development of antibiotics with a new action mechanism. Such drugs will inhibit the amyloid formation thereby neutralizing one of the important ‘weapons’ in the arsenal of this pathogenic bacterium. In her opinion, since this antibiotic is not aimed at killing the bacterium but only reducing its toxicity to humans, it will not lead to a rapid development of bacterial resistance towards it.

“Resistance to antibiotics develops in bacteria due to evolutionary pressure – natural selection leads to the growth of bacteria which antibiotics are unable to kill,” she said. “If we reduce the pressure on the bacterium and don’t kill it but rather prevent its pathogenic aspects, the resistance will probably not rush to develop.”

When looking towards the future, Prof. Landau clarifies that “in academia itself, it’s difficult to carry out a full process of drug development due to the prohibitive cost entailed. Nevertheless, we can provide drug developers with scientific knowledge that will accelerate and lower the costs of the process. The present discovery is a stepping-stone in that respect. Now our challenge is to find the substance that will impede the cross-α fibril, thereby ‘disarming’ the bacterium.”

“From the scientific standpoint, there is an important lesson here – thinking out of the box opens new doors,” she continued. “In this specific case, extending the repertoire of amyloids. Deciphering new structures of amyloids might lead to new insights regarding mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases. It might also lead to the discovery of ‘good’ amyloids that take part in an organism’s natural protection against infections. Such research could lead to the development of novel means of protection against the toxins found in bacteria and fungi.”

The research was conducted by members of the Landau lab, including Einav Tayeb-Fligelman, Orly Tabachnikov, Asher Moshe and Orit Goldshmidt-Tran, with the assistance of Michael Sawaya from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and of Nicolas Coquelle and Jacques-Philippe Colletier from Université Grenoble, France.

After completing her B. Pharm degree at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Assist. Prof. Landau went on to pursue her two advanced degrees at Tel Aviv University – an MSc in Neurobiology and a PhD in Structural Bioinformatics. After attaining her PhD, she relocated for five years to do her post-doctorate with Prof. David Eisenberg at UCLA, where she specialized in x-ray microcrystallography and amyloids associate with Alzheimer’s disease.
After completion of her post-doctoral research, she said, “I chose the Technion thanks to, among other things, its superior research infrastructures. The Technion Center for Structural Biology (TCSB), founded at the initiative of Israeli Nobel Prize Laureate and Research Professor Aaron Ciechanover at an investment of $5 million, features state-of-the-art infrastructure which makes it possible to determine protein structures at atomic resolution.”

Through the years, Assist. Prof. Meytal Landau was awarded numerous scholarships and research grants, among them by the Israel Science Foundation, U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation, Alon Fellowship from the Israeli Council for Higher Education, I-CORE – Israeli Centers Of Research Excellence, the Marie Curie CIG by the European Commission, and the German-Israeli Project Cooperation (DIP).

Photo Exhibition of Campus Life

The photographs displayed in this exhibition portray past campus life juxtaposed with contemporary images. Historical prints were scanned from the Technion’s archive collections, and contemporary photos were selected from digital photo galleries.

The impetus for the exhibition came from a project for digital scanning of the Technion’s Nessayahu Historical Archive, located in the Elyachar Central Library and stored under controlled conditions. The archive includes thousands of items that document the history of the Technion, beginning in 1912 with construction of the original Technion building (then known as the “Technikum”) in Haifa’s Hadar neighborhood. The digitalization process has tremendous significance for documenting, preserving, and making this history accessible to future generations.

The exhibition organizers examined hundreds of photos, finally choosing those that focus on the human angle of campus life. Subsequently, contemporary photos were sought, in digital collections or on Internet sites, that document parallel situations.

These evocative photographs, portraying people and events at different points in time, speak for themselves. They inspire viewers to sail on the wings of knowledge and imagination, and compare past and present norms and fashions, body language, leisure activities, buildings, and changing landscapes.   

Curator: Anat Har-Gil.

Sperm-Egg Fusion Proteins Have Same Structure as Those Used by Zika and Other Viruses to Invade Healthy Cells

HAIFA, ISRAEL (February 14, 2017) – The protein that helps the sperm and egg fuse together in sexual reproduction can also fuse regular cells together. Recent findings by a team of biomedical researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Argentina, Uruguay and the U.S. show this protein is part of a larger family of proteins that helps other cells bind together to create larger organs, and which also allows viruses like Zika and Dengue to invade healthy cells.

For every sexually reproducing organism, sperm and egg fusion is the first step in the generation of a new individual. This process has been studied for more than 100 years in many organisms including humans, mice, insects, plants, sea urchins and even fungi. But the identity of the molecular machineries that mediate sperm and egg fusion remained unknown.

Now, the team led by Dr. Benjamin Podbilewicz, of the Technion Faculty of Biology, and Pablo S. Aguilar of Universidad Nacional de San Martin in Argentina, has demonstrated that the protein HAP2 – a long known player in sperm-egg fusion – is a protein that mediates a broad range of cell-cell fusion.

HAP2 is found in plants, protists (e.g. algae, protozoa, and slime molds) and invertebrates, and is therefore considered an ancestral protein present at the origins of the first eukaryotic cells (cells with real nuclei). However, a closer look at HAP2 led the researchers to conclude that HAP2’s roots are even older. Structural and phylogenetic analysis of HAP2 proteins revealed they are homologous to proteins used by viruses such as Zika and Dengue to fuse viral membrane to the membrane of the cell they invade.

According to the researchers, this means HAP2, FF and viral fusion proteins constitute a superfamily of membrane fusion proteins, which the authors named Fusexins (fusion proteins essential for sexual reproduction and exoplasmic merger of plasma membranes).

“Fusexins are fascinating machines that keep a structural core diversified to execute cell membrane fusion in very different contexts,” says Prof. Podbilewicz. “Understanding the different structure-function relationships of fusexins will enable scientists to rationally manipulate cell-cell fusion in fertilization and tissue development. The added and very timely benefit is that it provides us greater understanding of how Zika and other viruses cause diseases in their target hosts.”

Video: Cytoplasmic mixing between three cells expressing HAP2 and RFPcyto. Three cells in the middle (boxed) merge their cytoplasms around time 3:15. It was then confirmed that the syncytium contained three nuclei using multifocal sectioning by spinning disc confocal microscopy (Fig. S1). Another cell undergoes karyokinesis around time 3:45 (arrow). 

The striking similarities between proteins that promote membrane fusion under very different contexts led the authors to dig into mechanistic details. Performing cell-cell fusion experiments, the researchers demonstrated that, like FF fusexins, HAP2 is needed in both fusing cells to promote membrane cell fusion. This bilateral requirement of HAP2 and FF fusexins differs from the viral mechanism of action, where fusexin is only present in the viral membrane (see figure).

The combined conservation of structure, sequence, and function imply that these proteins diverged from a common ancestor. Fusexins might have emerged 2-3 billion years ago to promote a primordial form of genetic material exchange between cells. Later, enveloped viruses took these fusion proteins to infect cells more efficiently. Finally, multicellular organisms adapted fusexins to sculpt organs like muscle and bone-repairing osteoclasts in vertebrates and skin and the vagina in worms through cell-cell fusion.

To the Paper in The Journal of Cell Biology

How Hydras Know Where to Regrow Lost Body Parts

Few animals can match the humble hydra’s resilience. The small, tentacled freshwater animals can be literally shredded into pieces and regrow into healthy animals. A study published February 7 in Cell Reports suggests that pieces of hydras have structural memory that helps them shape their new body plan according to the pattern inherited by the animal’s “skeleton.” Previously, scientists thought that only chemical signals told a hydra where its heads and/or feet should form.

Regenerating hydras use a network of tough, stringy protein fibers, called the cytoskeleton, to align their cells. When pieces are cut or torn from hydras, the cytoskeletal pattern survives and becomes part of the new animal. The pattern generates a small but potent amount of mechanical force that shows cells where to line up. This mechanical force can serve as a form of “memory” that stores information about the layout of animal bodies. “You have to think of it as part of the process of defining the pattern and not just an outcome”, says senior author, biophysicist Kinneret Keren of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

When pieces of hydra begin the regeneration process, the scraps of hydra fold into little balls, and the cytoskeleton has to find a balance between maintaining its old shape and adapting to the new conditions. “If you take a strip or a square fragment and turn it into a sphere, the fibers have to change or stretch a lot to do that,” explains Keren.  However, some portions retain their pattern. As the little hydra tissue ball stretches into a tube and grows a tentacle-ringed mouth, the new body parts follow the template set by the cytoskeleton in fragments from the original hydra.  

The main cytoskeletal structure in adult hydra is an array of aligned fibers that span the entire organism. Tampering with the cytoskeleton is enough to disrupt the formation of new hydras, the researchers found. In many ways, the cytoskeleton is like a system of taut wires that helps the hydra keep its shape and function. In one experiment, the researchers cut the original hydra into rings which folded into balls that contained multiple domains of aligned fibers. Those ring-shaped pieces grew into two-headed hydras. However, anchoring the hydra rings to stiff wires resulted in healthy one-headed hydras, suggesting that mechanical feedbacks promote order in the developing animal.

Hydras are much simpler than most of their cousins in the animal kingdom, but the basic pattern of aligned cytoskeletal fibers is common in many organs, including human muscles, heart, and guts. Studying hydra regeneration may lead to a better understanding of how mechanics integrate with biochemical signals to shape tissues and organs in other species. “The actomyosin cytoskeleton are the main force generator across the animal kingdom,” says Keren. “This is very universal.”

To the Paper in Cell Reports

Technion alumnus Moshe Yanai highlighted the depth of service exemplified through recipients of the Yanai Prize for Excellence in Academic Education. The annual Technion ceremony added new prize categories, including an educational initiative grant; and commendation in teaching.

Six outstanding professors at the Technion Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering received the Yanai Prize for Excellence in Academic Education this year. In addition to prizes for excellence, new categories were added for education in entrepreneurship and special commendation for teaching.

The ceremony was attended by Moshe and Rachel Yanai, the Technion Board, the winners and their families, lecturers and students. The prestigious prize was awarded for the sixth consecutive year: “In appreciation of faculty members, who set an example through their endless contributions to teaching and learning and for their efforts to improve student involvement and sense of belonging to the Technion.”

The six prize recipients this year are:  

• Assistant Professor Oded Amir (Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering),
• Professor Eli Boehm (Faculty of Computer Science),
• Dr. Ari Gero (Faculty of Education in Science & Technology),
• Prof. Ron Holtzman (Faculty of Mathematics),
• Assistant Professor Guy Bartal (Faculty of Electrical Engineering)
• Professor Sima Yaron (Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering).

The Yanai educational initiative grant was awarded to the vertical-thematic studio (which was established at the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning). Teaching commendations were awarded to Professor Dan Ritter (Faculty of Electrical Engineering), Associate Professor Yossi Gil (Faculty of Computer Science) and Associate Professor Yoed Tsur (Faculty of Chemical Engineering).

Technion alumnus Moshe Yanai, donated $12 million for the establishment of the prize. Attending the ceremony with his wife Rachel, he said: “The prizewinners are people who put the common good before their own personal good. Academic promotion is based on publishing articles and obtaining research grants, and not on the quality of teaching, and therefore researchers like you, who invest time and effort in teaching, do so out of genuine altruism. Our contribution to the establishment of the prize is a catalyst for excellence in teaching, but no less important is the seriousness with which the Technion approaches this mission. Everyone talks about the importance of teaching in academia, but the Technion doesn’t merely talk about it. It does a lot in this area.”

Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie spoke about the revolution taking place in the world of teaching and about the Technion’s commitment to play a significant role. “The monopoly on the retention and distribution of knowledge has been taken out of the hands of its historical gatekeepers, and now the pocket of every ten-year-old contains more computer power than the Apollo spacecraft.” he said. “Therefore, teaching shouldn’t be based on facts and content, but rather on imparting skills such as validation of information, integration of information from different sources and intelligent use of information for problem-solving. We must make sure that the training, skills and knowledge that we impart to our students will be relevant not just a few years after graduation, but throughout their professional lives.”

“The Yanai Prize is the most important prize awarded at the Technion for excellence in teaching,” said the chairperson of the prize committee, Technion Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Prof. Hagit Attiya. “It is also the most significant prize that the Technion awards to its faculty members. This clearly and concretely demonstrates the importance that the Technion attaches to teaching.”

Professor Sima Yaron spoke on behalf of the prize recipients. “Although I come from an engineering faculty, I believe that there is no one single formula for effective teaching, and there is no one single correct way to create a meaningful learning experience,” she said. “It’s very easy for me to remember three teachers that I consider teachers of life: teachers whose teaching method attracted me to mathematics and science in childhood, and a larger number of lecturers who taught me as a student, here at the Technion.”

Professor Yaron spoke about the extensive project initiated by students from the faculty in the wake of the oil spill incident in the southern Arava in December 2014.  A large group of students, accompanied by Technion faculty members, volunteered to research ways to remove pollution from the soil. “I always knew that we had a gold mine of wonderful students here,” said Professor Yaron, “but in that formative year, I learned that our students, even those who come late to class or unprepared to exams, or don’t do their homework, are just waiting for a trigger that will send them in the right direction. When that happens, they get carried away and devote themselves to the learning and work experience.”

The faculty prize went to the Faculty of Food Engineering and Biotechnology. “The prize fills me with pride, but doesn’t surprise me,” said Prof. Marcelle Machluf, Dean of the Faculty. “This is the result of many years of effort by faculty members and employees.  In selecting faculty members, we take into account not only the level of research but also excellence in teaching. Previous Yanai Prize winners from the faculty, Prof. Ayelet Fishman and Prof. Ester H. Segal, are joined this year by Prof. Sima Yaron, and I am sure she will not be the last. I thank the students at the faculty, who are the source of our success.”

Technion Student Union Chairman Omer Amit said that it is important to remember that the term “research university” includes not only the word “research” but also the word “university,” whose purpose is teaching. “You, the prize recipients, have now received a badge of excellence that bears a great responsibility: to be teaching ambassadors at your faculties and to inspire those lecturers that do not take teaching as seriously as you do.”

The Yanai educational initiative grant was awarded to the vertical-thematic studio which was established at the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning. “The studio was established as part of the restructuring of teaching at the Faculty, and aims to link research to practice, to enrich the range of options available to students and to better prepare them for their final project,” explained studio founder Prof. Alona Nitzan-Shiftan.

The event was hosted by Prof. Ayelet Baram-Tsabari from the Faculty of Education in Science & Technology.

About the Yanai Prize

Moshe Yanai is a global pioneer in the field of information storage. His donation to Technion in the form of the Yanai Prize expresses his gratitude to Technion for the life skills he gained during his studies at the institute 40 years ago. Since he recalls the years of study at the university with hardship and periods of difficulty, he decided together with Technion President, Prof. Peretz Lavie, to contribute $12 million to award lecturers who have demonstrated teaching excellence, a gift that also greatly benefits Technion students. The prize, which awards NIS 100,000 to each lecturer, will be awarded over a period of 20 years.

For photos from the awards ceremony,click here

Photos:

1. Yanai2017 – Group photo of the Yanai prizewinners for 2017
2. 626 – Left to right: Dr. Lina Lavie, Moshe Yanai, Professor Peretz Lavie, Rachel Yanai, Professor Boaz Golani
3. 804 – Associate Professor Yoed Tsur from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering receives a teaching commendation
4. 164 – Professor Dan Ritter from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering receives a teaching commendation
5. 163 – Yanai Prize awarded at the Faculty of Food Engineering and Biotechnology. Left to right: Technion Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Professor Hagit Attiya, Moshe Yanai, Student Union Chairman Omer Amit, Technion President Professor Peretz Lavie, and Dean of the Faculty Professor Marcelle Machluf
6. 022 – Assistant Professor Oded Amir receives the Yanai Prize
7. 341 – Assistant Professor Guy Bartal receives the Yanai Prize
8. 471 – Professor Eli Boehm receives the Yanai Prize
9. 156 – Professor Ron Holzman receives the Yanai Prize
10. 295 – Professor Sima Yaron receives the Yanai Prize
11. 995 – Professor Alona Nitzan-Shiftan and Faculty Dean Professor Iris Aravot receive the educational initiative grant for the establishment of the vertical-thematic studio at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning

Photo: Nitzan Zohar, Office of the Spokesperson, the Technion

 

Technion President Peretz Lavie Joins ABNY’s “Future of Higher Education in NYC” Panel Alongside Leaders from Columbia University, New York University, Cornell Tech, and the City University of New York

New York, NY (January 27, 2017): Professor Peretz Lavie, president of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, joined a panel of other leaders from New York’s top universities on Thursday to discuss the role of the applied sciences and higher education in driving economic growth for New York City. Hosted by the Association for a Better New York (ABNY), the panel included Lee C. Bollinger, president, Columbia University; Andrew Hamilton, president, New York University; Dan Huttenlocher, dean and vice provost, Cornell Tech; and James B. Milliken, chancellor, The City University of New York. Rachel Haot, managing director of 1776, served as moderator.

The event marked the first time the Technion’s Lavie and Cornell Tech’s Huttenlocher joined in such an extensive dialogue with their peers in NYC’s higher education community, since the Technion and Cornell University together won the City’s 2011 competition to create a new Applied Sciences graduate school on Roosevelt Island. Much of the discussion focused on innovations in higher education and how Cornell Tech and the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute will impact New York City’s economy. The Institute is forecast to drive $23 billion in long-term economic development, and President Lavie described how the Technion’s presence will help strengthen the crucial link between the City’s education and business communities.

Lavie recalled assembling a group of peers upon receiving Mayor Bloomberg’s letter inviting the Technion to participate in the Applied Sciences NYC Competition.

“I told them – you have the opportunity to create something from scratch in a very unique way. We should start looking at the industry and businesses of the City and build a university that will engage students in these industries and businesses,” Lavie said. “This is how we started to think about what we could bring to New York. And I would say that so far, it is a success story. The Jacobs Institute and Cornell Tech have attracted fantastic faculty members and absolutely great students. I feel this is one of the greatest experiments in academic education in modern times.”

Through this unprecedented Israel-US alliance, the Technion is bringing its game-changing brand of science and technology education to New York. Lavie hopes the Technion’s success in attracting diversity in academic education will also be reflected in its campus in the United States.

“I don’t know if many of you know, but at the Technion, 21% of students are minorities. Of these, 61% of them are women studying science and engineering,” Lavie explained. “I don’t know of any university anywhere with a higher percentage of women in science and engineering. We believe that diversity is a key for academic excellence.”

Students at the Technion Faculty of Computer Science have developed a robot that folds laundry at the touch of a button

Three students at the Technion have introduced the iFold Project – a robot that folds laundry. The robot was developed by Sapir Cohen, Noa Paz and Hila Levavi as part of an Arduino and IOT course at the Faculty of Computer Science. The course was led by: Itai Dabran; TAs Boris van Susin;Nitsan Pri-Hadash, Ariel Yehezkely Marina Minkin; and Dr. Nir Levy, academic relations director at Microsoft.

The project was presented this week as part of the annual project day held by the Department of Computer Science, which featured a range of student projects developed at the Faculty’s Systems and Software Development Lab.

“The algorithms that we developed lets users choose from various types of clothing to be folded and various folding methods, along with the option of receiving a reminder on their mobile phone,” explains Noa Paz.

The robot consists of three arms, three motors and plastic surfaces where the folding is carried out. A mobile application is used to define the type of clothing (pants, shirt, small towel). The three students note that the hardest part of developing the system was mechanical: “We have lots of experience with software, but coping with the mechanical challenges was complicated. We had to do a lot of experimentation and make many improvements.”

The Systems Programming in an Arduino Environment Course is held in conjunction with Microsoft R&D. It enables students to use technology and state-of-the-art software during their studies, including smartphones and tablets for running apps during the development phase.  The course  is designed to challenge the students with independent product-building projects and as such, the students designed smart systems that combine hardware and software using Arduino-based controllers.

Technion Students Develop Unique Parachute Disaster Relief System

One-ton disaster relief load successfully dropped from high altitude hits bull’s eye in tests, thanks to hi-tech parachute’s guidance system and student initiative

HAIFA, ISRAEL and NEW YORK (Jan. 24 2017) – Students in the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Faculty of Aerospace Engineering have developed a unique way to help disaster victims: from extremely high altitudes they drop a PANDA on them. PANDA stands for “Parachuted Assistance for Natural Disaster Areas.”

In a test late last year, the students successfully dropped supplies from a cargo plane flying at altitudes of up to four plus miles high – and were able to place a 2,000 pound load in a target area pinpointed to within 100 meters of their mark. The parachute’s hi-tech guidance system the students developed could greatly improve the delivery of aid to disaster victims where land-based efforts are not possible and without the risk of traditional parachute supply drops from cargo planes greatly missing their mark.

“In disaster areas, vital infrastructure such as roads and railroads leading to the affected area are often destroyed or severely damaged, making it impossible for ground-based vehicles to deliver aid,” explained project supervisor Associate Prof. Benjamin Landkof, of the Faculty of Aeronautical Engineering. “Alternative methods for supplying food and first aid are needed.”

Dropping supplies from the air via parachute is an acceptable and highly utilized way to get supplies to disaster victims. But traditional, round parachutes cannot be steered after being dropped. And success in getting supplies where they are needed requires a cargo plane’s pilot to drop the supply bundle from a relatively low altitude to prevent the parachute from drifting away on the wind.

“In addition to the risk to responders involved in dropping items from a cargo plane flying at low altitudes, the margin of error is great,” said Prof. Landkof.  “Sometimes the bundle lands hundreds of meters from the target area. Because of these limitations, remotely controlled parachutes were developed to enable slowing the parachute’s fall shortly before landing. The PANDA guidance system navigates the parachute’s way to the desired target by means of a flight computer, two servo motors, GPS, batteries and various gauges.”

The year-long student project was carried out in cooperation with aviation product company APCO Aviation. Experiments were performed on a demonstration parachute supplied by the company. System development processes included simulations and analyses of the parachute, developing improvements, and performing field experiments (see attached picture).

“Our first semester on the project was devoted to characterizing the requirements, building specifications, and reviewing the activity in this field around the world,” said engineering student Nahum Eisen. “The second semester was dedicated to practical development of the parachute, simulations and field tests showing the system worked and was able to land the supplies close to the target – within 100 meters – when dropped from an altitude of seven kilometers, or nearly four and a half miles.”

A goal of APCO Aviation was to improve its existing parachute and, as a result of the student project, the company was given recommendations for improvement.

The student team members included Nahum Eisen, Gilad Gotlieb, Amir Baidani, Avihai Ben-Naim, Tzahi Calderon, Amir Yanai, Daniel Potashnikow, Gal Rosenthal and Michal Vahav.

The technology of desalination has created a revolution in water supply in Israel. Yet it comes at a price, both economically and to the environment. Today, Technion researchers are meeting the urgent need to find complementary ways to address water scarcity.

Asaf Ben-Neriah, Zavit

Despite the blessing of recent downpours of rain in Israel, and its impressive seawater desalination projects, the demand for drinking water and water for agriculture, gardening and industry is escalating.  In order to supply freshwater to Israel’s population, the quantity of water from desalination would need to increase from today’s 600 million cubic meters p/a to about 1,500 million cubic meters in 2050, according to the Water Sector Master Plan of Israel’s Water Authority.  

Since desalinated water is expensive, research is underway to identify alternative sources to complement desalination. Two Technion studies offer two alternatives: expansion of water recycling through the use of greywater; and the collection of stormwater in urban areas. The two studies were presented at the Technion-hosted conference: Water Exploration in Israel – the Next Generation for Research and Industry.

Decentralized Treatment

Municipal wastewater is a significant potential water source. After appropriate treatment, it can be used for irrigation and industry. Indeed, Israel is leading the world with reuse of treated effluent for agricultural irrigation, with over 85% of the municipal effluent being reused for agricultural irrigation. In some countries, (not Israel), treated effluent is even piped into the water system for domestic consumption.

How does it work? The present method involves collecting wastewater from residents’ homes, public institutions and industrial areas, and conveying it to a central wastewater treatment plant. Such a system has many advantages when it comes to controlling treatment efficiency.

Despite the advantages of these systems, a proposal has been made for a decentralized treatment system where greywater collected from showers and sinks is separated from general wastewater. The greywater undergoes local treatment and is then used for flushing toilets and watering gardens. The rest of the wastewater is piped into the sewage treatment plant.

Local, decentralized greywater treatment has economic and environmental advantages, including reduction of energy consumption and operating costs, as well as a strengthening of community involvement. The principle resembles the installation of solar panels on roofs of private homes, or the growing of food on green roofs.

In her study, Tamar Ofer compared today’s centralized approach to three alternatives that include urban reuse. The study, conducted under the supervision of Associate Professor Eran Friedler and Professor Aviad Shapira from the Technion Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, examined the following alternatives: separating greywater from sewage, and recycling it at the level of  individual buildings; or separating and recycling water at the building complex level (a complex of eight buildings), and conveying part of the treated wastewater from the wastewater treatment plant back to the city. A complete life-cycle sustainability analysis was performed on each of the alternatives, which addressed cost, environmental impact and social benefits.

The greywater recycling alternative at the building complex level received the highest score of the three. This alternative is characterized by energy savings, due mainly to the reduced quantities of desalinated water to be produced (the desalination process is relatively expensive in terms of energy) and the reduction in the quantity of drinking water piped into the city, as well as the wastewater piped into the wastewater treatment plant. According to the study, the decentralized use of greywater saves resources; reduces greenhouse gas emissions; the pollution of natural water resources; and the emission of many pollutants associated with the life cycle of municipal sewage.

Decentralized treatment systems already exist and there is no technological impediment preventing their inclusion in Israel’s water sector. The treatment units tested in this study are of the RBC (Rotating Biological Contactor) type, based on biological treatment using microorganisms fixed onto a rotating medium submerged in the treated water. At the end of the treatment, the water is disinfected. The domestic treatment unit can be placed in the yard or on the roof, but in any case, a separate pipeline is needed for piping the water to and from the unit.

It should be noted that the biggest challenge for recycling greywater is not technical but legal and bureaucratic, since this area is not legally regulated.

Phosphorus, Aluminum and Titanium in Runoff Water

Another way to increase the quantity of available water in Israel is collecting urban stormwater: water originating from roofs of buildings, sidewalks, roads and other places in built-up areas.

Today, most stormwater flows into municipal drainage systems. Researchers from Technion and Hebrew University, funded by the Jewish National Fund, decided to see how the situation could be changed. To this end, they examined the quantity and quality of runoff in a typical Israeli city: Kfar Saba. The researchers examined three drainage areas in the eastern part of the city: a residential area; an area of light industry; and a highway section next to the Teva plant.

Adi Haft, a graduate student at the Technion, presented a summary of the results: relative to its size, the industrial area generates twice the water as the residential areas. The reason: the high percentage of building / paved area to space. However, when the researchers examined the quality of the water, they discovered it contains high concentrations of phosphorus, aluminum and titanium. Relatively high levels of pollutants such as heavy metals and phosphorus were also measured in the water originating from homes.

The researchers found that runoff in eastern Kfar Saba contains twice the concentration of pollutants generally found in cities around the world. Haft explains that this could be due to the long dry intervals between rainfalls. “In Israel,” says Haft, “every rainfall becomes a first rainfall, while in other countries rain is routine.” How does this happen? “After a long dry period, pollutants accumulate on the roads and built-up surfaces. These pollutants flow into the drainage system with the first significant rainfall.”

Haft’s study found that Kfar Saba’s stormwater does not meet the prescribed regulations and therefore cannot be used without first being treated. Treating this water will enable its use for non-potable purposes such as irrigation. Such a challenge is not particularly difficult for Israel’s scientific community which, as stated, already knows how to turn seawater into drinking water.

Not treading water

Israel’s water research has gained worldwide recognition and acclaim over the years. For example, Netafim Ltd received the Stockholm Industry Water Award a few years ago. Water Exploration in Israel – the Next Generation for Research and Industry Conference at the Technion presented dozens of studies in the areas of desalination; wastewater treatment; soil and groundwater rehabilitation; agriculture and the environment; including innovative methods for the treatment of emerging micro-pollutants; and the development of advanced membranes with a long life expectancy and innovative models that will help decision makers choose between water recycling, desalination and water collection from roofs. At the conference, awards were presented to students who delivered lectures of exceptional quality

Talks included:

• “Comparing the Impact of Spacer-Biofouling in Forward Osmosis and Membrane Distillation by Lumped Parameter Modeling”, from Anne Bugler
• “Using reporting bacteria in a combined photocatalytic-biological wastewater treatment”, from Zach Shidlovsky
• “Alternative in-situ biodegradation treatment method for perchlorate contaminate”, from Ilil Levakov.

Scientific posters from students included:

• “Regional Water Supply System Management Under Demand Uncertainty: Using Aggregation Rules to Derive an Operation Policy from Implicit Stochastic Programming Models”: Noa Avni
• “Deactivation and transformation of wastewater-originated antibacterial agents by mineral surfaces: case study with oxytetracycline”: Marina Karpov
• “Diananofiltration-based highly-selective separation of Mg and Ca ions from seawater/SWRO brine”: Samuel Tang.

Held for the third time, the conference was born on the initiative of the Technion Grand Water Research Institute, and is devoted entirely to graduate research from all over Israel. A committee of graduate students took charge of the scientific management of the conference. The committee was headed by Noga Friedman-Bishop, a doctoral student in Chemical Engineering at the Technion; and Yuval Alafia, a doctoral student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Technion. The conference affirmed that not only does Israeli water research have a successful past, it also has a promising future.

EU Awards €7.7 Million to NanoPack Project to Introduce Nanotechnology-Based Antimicrobial Packaging to Enhance Food Safety and Reduce Waste

NanoPack aims to develop and demonstrate state-of-the-art antimicrobial packaging solutions for perishable foods based on natural nanomaterials that will prevent food-borne illness outbreaks and reduce food waste caused by early spoilage.

Brussels, Belgium, January 16, 2017– The European Union (EU) has awarded the international NanoPack consortium €7.7 million to develop and demonstrate a solution for extending food shelf life by using novel antimicrobial surfaces.

The three-year project is aimed at demonstrating, validating and testing food-packaging products with antimicrobial surfaces based upon natural materials. NanoPack will address scientific, technological, economic, safety.

NanoPack, which is led by the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, is funded as part of HORIZON 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.

“NanoPack will demonstrate a solution for extending food shelf life by using novel smart antimicrobial surfaces, applied in active food packaging products,” said Dr. Ester Segal, NanoPack’s coordinator and associate professor at the Technion. “NanoPack will enhance food safety for consumers by significant growth inhibition of food-borne microbes, which in turn will prevent food-borne illness outbreaks and early spoilage.”

She added that NanoPack would help reduce the staggering 1.3 billion tonnes of food wasted each year, which cause major economic loss and significant harm to the world’s natural resources.

“We intend to present better performing, safer and smarter products that will position Europe as the leader in food nanotechnology and smart antimicrobial packaging while increasing competitiveness and growth,” Dr. Segal added.

The active polymer films developed by NanoPack exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties unmet by existing state-of-the-art materials, which include currently used nanomaterials such as silver particles, which have raised health concerns of toxicity and microbial resistance.

Applying the power of nanotechnology, the project will employ polymer composites based on natural Halloysite Nanotubes (HNTs) as reliable and safe carriers, capable of tailored release of bioactive payloads. Due to their size, HNTs are unable to migrate from the food packaging into food. Maximizing safety, HNTs in the NanoPack food packaging slowly release

minute amounts of potent, volatile, natural and EU-approved essential oils into the packaging headspace. The oils exhibit both antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties and can be tailored to inhibit growth of most food-borne microbes.

The NanoPack consortium is comprised of 18 partner organizations – leading industrial and research institutes – from Belgium, Austria, Norway, Spain, Israel, Ireland, Denmark, Portugal, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

NanoPack project concept

NanoPack will hold its opening conference at the facilities of Bio Base Europe (BBEU) in Ghent, Belgium on January 24–26, 2017.

About NanoPack

NanoPack is an EU-funded project, which aims to develop and demonstrate a solution for extending food shelf life by using novel antimicrobial surfaces applied in active food packaging products.

NanoPack intends to develop, scale up and run pilot lines in operational industrial environments to manufacture and validate antimicrobial polymer films that are commercially feasible and accepted by retailers and consumers alike.

Mort Zuckerman honored at official residence of the President of Israel for $100 Million STEM Initiative

Donation by Zuckerman Institute will herald unprecedented collaboration between Israel’s four major research universities

Jerusalem, January 16, 2017…The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Institute was honored by Reuven Rivlin at Beit Hanassi, the official residence of the President of the State of Israel for its $100 million initiative to provide scholarships to the next generation of STEM leaders in the United States and Israel.

The American business leader and philanthropist Mortimer Zuckerman launched the Zuckerman Stem Leadership Program, to support future generations of leaders in science, technology, engineering and math in the United States and Israel and, over time, foster greater collaboration between two of the world’s most advanced scientific research centers.

At the event, President Rivlin thanked Mr. Zuckerman saying, “The essence of science is rules. But maybe, the most important rule is that collaboration and modern development can only happen together. One person can, by himself, think of and find, but when we work together we share experience and truly advance.  As an Israeli, I know that you, Mr. Zuckerman, are one of the great people that has helped us create something that allows Israel to be appreciated all over the world for its education and responsibility. It is a great honor to welcome you at the president’s residence today.”

Mr. Zuckerman told the meeting: “I was a guest in this country many times and have been fascinated and always moved by the many achievements of Israel. This is a society that knows how to develop and created a state that is absolutely a miracle. I have always admired what the Israelis could achieve in the country that is not rich in natural resources but rich in human resources. It is not oil, not gold or silver, but people who are willing to work hard and sometimes fight hard and I’m an advocate of Israel. I am deeply honored to be here.”

The Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program will give the highest-achieving American post-doctoral researchers and graduate students the ability to collaborate with leading researchers at Israel’s top research institutions – the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology; Tel Aviv University; and the Weizmann Institute of Science – which are among the world’s most advanced.

Mr. Zuckerman, Eric J. Gertler and James S. Gertler, Zuckerman Institute Trustees, Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson, President of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Prof. Joseph Klafter, President, Tel Aviv University, Prof. Peretz Lavie, President, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and Prof. Daniel Zajfman, President, Weizmann Institute of Science were in attendance along with a number of Zuckerman Scholars.

Tel Aviv University President Prof. Joseph Klafter said, “Through the Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program, creativity will soar, discovery will soar, and the American-Israeli cooperation will soar farther than ever. We are deeply grateful for this vote of confidence in Israel by Mort Zuckerman.”

By providing American graduate students and post-doctoral researchers with exposure to Israel’s renowned cutting-edge research and startup culture, the Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program will raise a generation of academic, scientific and industry leaders in the United States infused with a unique spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Prof. Peretz Lavie, President of Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, said, “Today, Israel is in the front-line of scientific research and Israeli universities are at a stage where they are attracting post-doctoral students from around the world, creating networks and fellowships. The power of this $100 million donation will help create coherent scientific endeavors.  Four leading universities working together is absolutely unprecedented.”

“The Zuckerman STEM initiative will strengthen connections between the academic communities of North America and Israel, and enrich the science and knowledge emerging from both regions for the benefit of people everywhere. As a new generation of scientists begin their careers, this initiative will allow them to develop roots in the best institutions in both regions, and to serve as catalysts for collaboration going forward,” said Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson, President of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The program will simultaneously bolster Israeli research institutions as world-leading centers for innovative research by providing Israeli institutions access to large-scale funding needed to develop top-tier research labs, projects, and programs.

Prof. Daniel Zajfman, President of the Weizmann. Institute of Science said, “The Zuckerman program aims at supporting the collaboration of the best minds between Israel and North America. This is one of  the better ways to make a major impact in the world of STEM and an efficient way to support the world of science and technology. I can already imagine, in 10 years, the room full of Zuckerman fellows who have gone through this program, the impact of their work in the various Israeli and North America research programs, and the incredible network which will be created among these people.”

The Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program will, over time, help strengthen the US-Israel partnership as Zuckerman Scholars return to the United States after building long-lasting relationships based in mutual collaboration. Israeli academic leaders returning to research institutions in Israel will similarly advance the overarching collaborative effort in science between the two nations as they continue to build bridges with their American colleagues.

The first cohort of 14 Zuckerman Scholars began with the 2016–2017 academic year. In the next twenty years alone, the program intends to provide over $100 million in scholarships and related educational activities that will benefit not only the participating scholars and universities, but the public as well.