New discoveries about the development of the frontal midline around which the heart, lungs and digestive system are formed are being published in the journal Developmental Cell. The study was carried out by Professor Tom Schultheiss and doctoral student Alaa Arraf from the Technion’s Rappaport Faculty of Medicine
Building the ventral midline. The midline is marked by the matrix protein laminin (red staining, white arrow). Cells (marked in green) migrate towards the midline but do not cross it
A study at the Technion’s Rappaport Faculty of Medicine sheds light on the formation of the front of the body during embryonic development. In the study, published in the journal Developmental Cell, Professor Tom Schultheiss and doctoral student Alaa Arraf examined the factors responsible for the development of the frontal (abdominal) midline concurrently with the dorsal (rear) midline.
According to Professor Schultheiss, “in contrast to the dorsal midline and spinal column, whose aspects have been studied extensively, the process of development of the frontal midline is not clear. This is despite the importance of this line, on and around which the heart, navel, genitals, aorta, digestive system, sternum, bladder, liver, pancreas, lungs and more are formed.
“The development of the dorsal midline precedes the development of the frontal midline,” Arraf explains. “Therefore it is important for the frontal midline to develop in coordination with the dorsal midline. Disruption of this process causes a discrepancy between the back area and the abdominal area and may impair the development of organs such as the heart and lungs and even lead to death of the organism in some cases.”
Professor Tom Schultheiss (on the right) and doctoral student Alaa Arraf
In the current study, the researchers examined the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the formation of the frontal midline in the early stages of embryonic development. One of the key factors controlling this process is the BMP (Bone Morphogentic Protein) gene. Arraf says: “It turns out that control of BMP from a central source (the notochord) enables precise coordination and timing in the formation of the frontal midline. Unbalanced expression of BMP will result in the shifting of the frontal midline, which can cause subsequent problems in the development of the internal organs in the abdomen and thorax.
The study published in Developmental Cell was carried out in conjunction with Andreas Kispert from the Institute of Molecular Biology at Hannover Medical School in Germany.
Professor Schultheiss’s lab is studying embryonic development, with an emphasis on the body’s initial organization and organ formation. “The practical purpose of these fields is to create tissue in the lab that can be used to repair damaged organs,” explains Professor Schultheiss.” To do this we must have a thorough understanding of tissue formation during the natural process of embryonic development. Therefore, we are investigating the formation of organs in the earliest stages, in which the embryonic cells acquire specific properties that are suitable for the target tissue (bone, skin, etc.), as well as the next stages in which the various cellular components combine to form a functioning organ.”
Technion Researchers Develop a Nanomedicine Technology for the Targeted Treatment of Gastric Tumors
A study conducted at the Technion, and published in the journal Oncotarget introduces innovative technology for future treatment of stomach cancer. The new treatment modality is based on a transport platform developed at the Technion using a combination of anti-cancer drugs and a chemoresistance reversal agent, which eliminates the tumor’s resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs.
It was developed as part of Maya Bar-Zeev’s doctoral dissertation at the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, under the joint supervision of Prof. Yoav Livney of the Faculty of Biotechnology Engineering, and Prof. Yehuda Assaraf, Dean of the Faculty of Biology and Director of the Fred Wyszkowski Cancer Research Laboratory at the Technion.
The novel treatment will be administered orally and not intravenously, which implies that the cancer patient will be able to take the drug by himself at home. Furthermore, hospitalization is dangerous for immunocompromised cancer patients, due to drug-resistant pathogens widespread in hospitals.
Effective Packaging
The unique transport platform was developed at the laboratories of Prof. Livney and Prof. Assaraf, and essentially packages the drug in beta-casein. Caseins are the main proteins found in milk, in structures called micelles. The natural role of casein micelles is the transfer of calcium, phosphorus and protein from mother to the baby through breast milk. Beta-casein has a unique spatial structure providing it with two essential properties: the ability to encapsulate substances that are not water-soluble (i.e., hydrophobic compounds) and efficient digestion in the stomach.
Previous studies carried out in Prof. Livney’s lab first presented the potential of casein micelles for oral delivery of vitamins and drugs that are not water-soluble. A series of joint studies carried out with Prof. Assaraf examined beta-casein as a nanometric delivery vehicle for anti-cancer chemotherapy drugs. Since this platform effectively carries the drug to the stomach and releases it there, the researchers believe that it will be particularly effective in gastric diseases and gastric cancer in particular – one of the most aggressive and deadly types of cancer.
The current findings are based on a series of successful laboratory experiments and prove the system’s effectiveness in drug-resistant human gastric cancer cells. Now the research group is about to examine the system’s effectiveness in experiments on laboratory animals. According to the hypothesis, the combination of anti-cancer drugs and anti-resistance compounds on the innovative nanometric platform is expected to achieve a dramatic improvement in the treatment of stomach cancer, including in cells that have developed resistance to a broad spectrum of anti-cancer drugs.
Technion receives the Magen HaMiluim (Shield of the Reserves) Award
The Technion received the Shield of the Reserves Award on Monday. The award was granted by Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan and Chief Reserve Officer Brig. Gen. Hosea Friedman, at a ceremony paying tribute to the IDF’s reservists at the Kirya in Tel Aviv. The award, which is given to organizations and employers, is in recognition of the support for employees and college students serving in the reserves and in order to raise awareness of their contribution to society and to the country’s security.
“We are pleased and proud to receive the award,” said Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie. “Thousands of students who serve in the reserves attend the Technion, and the award is granted in recognition of the tremendous effort invested by the Technion in caring for its reservists and assisting them in routine and emergency situations. Moreover, for us it is first and foremost an expression of our gratitude to the thousands of Technion students who drop everything and present themselves for service when they receive their first call-up notice. This is the spirit and these are the values that we aspire to and inculcate at the Technion.”
The award was accepted on behalf of the Technion by David Orad, reserve coordinator at the TSA, the Technion Student Association. Orad is a third year student at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering and a reservist in the Israel Navy. He said: “The Technion and the TSA provide considerable assistance and benefits to students who are also reservists. Students come to the Technion to learn and succeed, and part of my job as reserve coordinator is to protect reservists through benefits that make life easier for them – textbooks, free photocopies, social benefits and more.” Orad added: “It makes us very proud to know that the Technion and the Student Association are receiving the award for taking care of reservists and giving them what they are entitled to and even more.”
Major (Ret.) Amit Gilboa, a third year student at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the Transportation Infrastructure track, serves in the reserves as commander of an Armored Corps company in a battalion of the Harel Brigade. Gilboa, 30, completed his service in the IDF in 2012 after five years in the career army. During his studies, he participated in Operation Protective Edge, serving in the reserves for 35 days. “We received considerable support from the Technion and great understanding on the part of the professors and teaching assistants. The Technion, through the Unit for Student Advancement, helps reservists with make-up classes and make-up tests. As someone who still serves an average 30 days of reserve duty every year, I feel that the Technion has considerable sympathy and empathy for students serving in the reserves. The TSA also does a lot for the reservists, complementing the assistance that we receive from the Technion itself.
The benefits for reservists at the Technion include make-up tests, time extensions, exemption from homework, textbooks and free photocopies and even academic credits. The TSA, in collaboration with the Technion, also provides reservists with social benefits such as stand-up comedy shows and free tickets to the student festival.
Right to Left: Technion student, Amit Gilboa, Executive Vice President and Director General of the Technion, Matanyahu Englman, Chief Reserve Officer of the IDF, Brig. Gen. Hosea Friedman, Reserve Coordinator at the Technion Student Association, David Orad and Nimrod Harani, Vice Chairman of the Technion Student Association.
In acknowledgement of your significant contribution to the fields of psychiatry and mental health; in tribute to your public service and leadership in building understanding between peoples of all backgrounds; and for your support and friendship to the Jewish People, Israel, and Technion.
Prof. Jacques Lewiner
In recognition of your significant contributions to the field of physics; in tribute to your passion for innovation and your many patents; and with gratitude for your profound dedication to the State of Israel, Israeli academia, and the Technion.
Dov Moran
In recognition of your outstanding contributions to the growth of high-tech industry in Israel; in tribute to your groundbreaking inventions that strengthen Israel’s global position as a nation of innovation and creativity; and with gratitude for your inspirational support for young entrepreneurs and for being a role model to Technion alumni.
Ed Satell
In admiration of your tremendous vision, leadership, and enthusiastic support of the American Technion Society; with appreciation for your generous contributions to the advancement of the Technion; and in tribute to your dedication and commitment to the future of Israel.
Dr. David J. Skorton
In recognition of your exemplary leadership in higher education; and with gratitude for your visionary leadership in creating the partnership between Cornell and Technion, pioneering a new paradigm for higher education at Cornell Tech and the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute.
Prof. Edwin L. (Ned) Thomas
In acknowledgement of your breakthrough contributions to the fields of nanotechnology and the structure and properties of materials; in tribute to your application of nanocomposite systems to useful solutions from medicine to security; and with gratitude for your support of the Technion and the State of Israel.
Eyal Waldman
In acknowledgement of your vision and determination to build a large company to strengthen Israel’s economy; in tribute to your contribution to Israel’s innovation and creativity; and in honor of your consistent support of science and engineering education for youth.
Dr. David J. Skorton, former President of Cornell University: “Israel is a model of innovation. Technion-lsrael Institute of Technology is at the heart of this innovation.”
Dr. Skorton made these remarks when he received an honorary doctorate from the Technion. Dov Moran and Eyal Waldman also received honorary doctorates
Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie with the honorary doctors of 2016. (Left to right: Dr. David J. Skorton, Prof. Jacques Lewiner, Dov Moran, Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie, Eyal Waldman, Ed Satell and Prof. Edwin L. (Ned) Thomas)
At a festive ceremony held on June 6 (Monday), the Technion awarded Honorary Doctorates to a number of personalities and scientists: Dr. David J. Skorton, former president of Cornell University and currently Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (the world’s largest museum and research institute, encompassing nineteen museums and seven research centers in the US); Technion graduate Dov Moran, founder of M-Systems and inventor of the flash memory drive; Ed Satell, founder and executive chairman of Progressive Business Publications and the first supporter of Technion’s energy program; Prof. Edwin L. (Ned) Thomas, Dean of the George Brown School of Engineering at Rice University; Technion graduate Eyal Waldman, President, CEO and co-founder of Mellanox Ltd; Prof. Jacques Lewiner, renowned physicist and inventor and president of Technion France,; and Professor The Honourable Dame Marie Bashir, former Governor of New South Wales, Australia.
“Israel is a model of innovation. Technion – lsrael Institute of Technology is at the heart of this innovation,” said Dr. Skorton, who spoke on behalf of the degree recipients. “With diversity, creativity, and risk-taking, you are helping to create the next generation of thinkers and doers who are changing the world. Albert Einstein, who helped establish both the Hebrew University and Technion, said, ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world.’ I’ve seen here how your imagination powers everything you do.”
Dr. David J. Skorton speaking at the ceremony
“Since the 1980s, I have had the honor and pleasure of visiting and watching from afar the continual development of excellence at this impressive institution,” Dr. Skorton added. “More recently, I have come to know and be inspired by President Lavie, one of the most distinguished academic leaders in the world. He is one of my heroes and my chaver.”
“I am constantly amazed by the wonders of the Technion,” said Lawrence (Larry) Jackier, Chairman of the Board of Governors. “This is an academic institution of the highest level and an important player on the global stage. There is no more appropriate title than that of honorary doctor for the degree recipients. You deserve great honor and appreciation for your activity.”
“Everyone is talking about the fourth industrial revolution – “Industry 4.0” – “the Machine Age” – driven by the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and the notion of robotics replacing human labor in many instances,” said Prof. Peretz Lavie at the ceremony. “Our machines are now exhibiting abilities they have never had before. Jobs in which productivity can be greatly improved by technology – are already in steep decline. Tasks that are standardized, repetitive, and involve patterns – can now be carried out a million times faster by algorithms. Companies are making more money and hiring fewer people.
But the positions that are irreplaceable by machines, no matter how intelligent, are those that require social intelligence, creativity and perception – characteristics we aim to cultivate here at the Technion, alongside excellence in sciences and engineering. These characteristics are prominent in each one of our honorary doctorates.”
Each year, the worldwide Technion family gathers in Haifa to deliberate, celebrate
and share in the great discussion about science, technology, innovation, education
and the future of the Technion, Israel and the world.
The Technion in Israel warmly welcomes its devoted governors and friends, and thanks
them for their unwavering support.
The Board of Governors events began on Saturday night with a festive reception hosted by Technion President Prof. Lavie and his wife, Dr. Lena Lavie, in honor of the hundreds of participants. The event was attended by Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav; Chairman of the Technion Executive Council Gideon Frank; Technion alumnus and entrepreneur Dr. Yossi Vardi; Shmuel (“Mooly”) Eden, former Executive Vice President of Intel International and President of Intel Israel and currently senior adviser to Bank Hapoalim; Rambam Medical Center Director General Prof. Rafi Beyar; Broadcom Vice President Dr Shlomo Markel; 2015 Harvey Prize winners Prof. Immanuel Bloch and Prof. Marc Kirschner; businessman and philanthropist Norman Seiden; members of the Technion’s Board and Executive Council; former Technion Presidents; faculty deans and many others.
Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie (left) awarding Prof. Emeritus Moussa Youdim (center) and Prof. Emeritus John Finberg (right) a token of appreciation from the Technion
The main event of the opening night was a special tribute to the developers of the drug Azilect, for treatment of Parkinson’s disease: Prof. Emeritus Moussa Youdim and Prof. Emeritus John Finberg.
In the 1970s, Youdim and Finberg developed a drug called Rasagiline, which was found to be effective in preventing the death of neurons in the brain. This development led to the development of the drug Azilect by Teva Pharmaceuticals.
Teva President and CEO Erez Vigodman sent the two scientists a special letter of appreciation. He wrote: “The event taking place tonight is commensurate, in its importance and prestige, with the magnitude of the achievement that you are celebrating. Prof. Youdim and Prof. Finberg, you should be proud of your work, which has alleviated the suffering of many patients and that has provided good days for thousands of people living in the shadow of this disease. The success of drugs such as Azilect and Copaxone indicates the tremendous potential inherent in strong relationships between academia and industry. Joining forces and focusing on the task at hand gives us the power to change the course of history.”
“Every university has its own Hall of Fame for groundbreaking research and significant discoveries,” said Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie. “Azilect has pride of place in the the Technion Hall of Fame.” President Lavie gave the two men a special token of appreciation from the Technion in recognition of their work.
At the opening session of the 2016 Board of Governors, it was revealed that a new sculpture designed by Dani Karavan will be installed at the Technion. The sculpture, Shir Hamaalot (Song of Ascent) is a stainless steel spiral, 18 meters high, designed by Karavan especially for the Technion. It will stand in the square adjacent to the new student dorms which are currently under construction on campus.
Model of the new statue to grace Technion: Song of Ascent by Dani Karavan
Karavan, who received an honorary doctorate from the Technion in 2009, explains that he decided on the spiral shape of the sculpture “because of the shape and also because of what it symbolizes. In the heart of the spiral, I placed four “ladders” made of blue neon lines that come together to form a sort of scaffold. I am examining the possibility of having the light rise through them up to the top, over and over again. In addition, four laser beams will emerge upwards from the ends of the ladders.”
Under Karavan’s guidance, students from the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning at the Technion made a model of the sculpture, especially for today’s opening events of the 2016 Board of Governors. The model is on display in the Taub Faculty of Computer Science building.
Prof. Gabriel Goldschmidt from the Technion Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning said: “This work is unique in Karavan’s body of work, since most of his works are environmental and are not considered sculptures. It is a great privilege for the Technion to have a work by one of the most important artists working in Israel today on its campus.”
Technion President at the opening session of the Board of Governors for 2016:
“Only in 2020 will the Technion recover from the lost decade of Israeli academia”
Left to right: Prof. Moussa Youdim, Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie, Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav, Prof. John Finberg and Fruma Youdim
“Only in 2020 will the Technion recover from the lost decade of Israeli academia” This remark was made by Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie at the opening session of the Technion Board of Governors for 2016. During the so-called lost decade of Israeli academia, the government made sharp cuts in university budgets, a move that harmed research and led to a sharp decline in the number of faculty members. “In the past four decades, Israel’s population increased by 142%, the GDP increased by 98%, the number of students attending universities shot up by 240%, and only the number of faculty members dropped by around 20%. At the Technion, the number of faculty members dropped from 642 in 2000 to 527 in 2010.”
Prof. Lavie warned that without academic research, “Israel will lose its position at the forefront of technology and scientific research, so the main task facing the Technion in the coming years is the recruitment of new faculty members. In the past year, 32 new faculty members have been recruited and in the past five years – 137 new faculty members, constituting 25% of Technion faculty. By 2020, young faculty members – those who have been at the Technion for ten years or less – will constitute 50 percent of the faculty. In other words, it will be a new Technion. In this, we must continue to increase the number of women and members of minority groups within Technion faculty.”
Prof. Lavie added that despite the effects of the lost decade, the Technion recorded an impressive leap in the quantity of scientific publications: from 1,600 in 2000 to 2,900 in 2015.
Commenting on future trends, Prof. Lavie noted that the fourth industrial revolution and the changes it will bring about in daily life and the labor market will demand special preparation in the fields of education and research.
“According to various estimates, about half of the students finishing first grade this year will have professions that today do not exist, and universities must be ready for that.”
This year, a record number of over 200 representatives from around the world are attending the meeting of the Board of Governors; participating in events that will continue until Wednesday. The Chairman of the Board of Governors, Lawrence (Larry) Jackier, noted that the slogan of the Board of Governors this year is Technion Unlimited: both geographically – the Technion as a global university – and demographically, namely the diversity of students at the Technion.
After earning three degrees from the Technion, Renana Gershoni Poranne is now in the midst of her postdoc at ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich). She visited Israel this week to receive her Ph.D. and sing at the graduation ceremony, hosted by her father.
Last week Renana Gershoni Poranne received her PhD from the Technion, and performed two songs at the graduation ceremony: Derekh Aruka (A Long Road) by Thelma Alyagon-Rose and Kobi Oshrat, and O Mio Babbino Caro (Oh My Beloved Father) by Puccini. Having earned three degrees from the Technion, she knows a lot about long roads, and the Master of Ceremony was no other than her beloved father, Professor David Gershoni from the Faculty of Physics.
Gershoni Poranne earned her B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. at the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, from 2004 to 2015. She has been well acquainted with the Technion for many years, since her father, Prof. Gershoni, became a faculty member in 1991. Her mother Raya received her M.Ed. in Science Education here as well. Renana’s husband Roi also earned three degrees at the Technion (Computer Science), and her sister earned two degrees here.
“For me, the Technion is home. Over the years, I received tremendous encouragement and generous financial support, and enjoyed wonderful interactions both from the Technion in general as well as the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry in particular.”
Gershoni Poranne, 31, grew up in Kiryat Tivon and hopes to return there upon completion of her postdoc. At ORT Greenberg High School in Tivon, where she met her future husband, Roi, she received her matriculation certificate with extra credits in physics, chemistry, mathematics and English, as well as in singing. Music led her to the orchestra of the Israel Defence Forces and is still a part of her life. “Even though it’s a bit harder nowadays, with two children and a postdoc,” she smiles.
Gershoni Poranne welcomed the opportunity to perform last week at the ceremony with her longtime partner, pianist Gil Naor. She began her academic career at the Open University during her IDF service. Her B.Sc. at the Technion included a research project with Professor Ehud Keinan, who later advised her on her M.Sc. project as well. She says, “Following the completion of my M.Sc., I decided to expand my research to include computational studies, which I find immensely interesting and challenging.” Thus, she began working with Prof. Amnon Stanger, also from the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, and embarked on her Ph.D. thesis.
Her doctoral research dealt with aromatic substances, or substances that contain aromatic groups. “They’re everywhere,” she says. “In nature we find them in DNA, in proteins and in enzymes. In the hemoglobin in our blood, for example, there is an aromatic group, which is responsible for binding the iron to which oxygen binds, and without which we could not live. These compounds are also important for applicative use, and in industry, are used in solar panels, LED lights, transistors and as pigments.”
As a member of Prof. Peter Chen’s group in Zurich, she is studying chemical reactions catalyzed by organo-metallic materials. “Our research group focuses on understanding and designing catalytic reactions. To this end, we need to understand the structures and properties of the compounds and the connection between their structures and reactivities. I approach these problems from a computational angle – using quantum-mechanical calculations to probe the properties of various molecules and to investigate reactions.”
Although they had both originally planned to apply for postdocs in the United States, Renana and Roi eventually decided to apply to the ETH in Switzerland, and they are happy with their choice. “The work in our group is conducted on a very high level and gives me an opportunity to learn about new and interesting fields. The students and faculty are professional and hardworking, and at the same time, personal time is highly valued, and on the weekend you are free to explore nature and enjoy sports, activities that the Swiss hold in very high esteem. People here don’t just talk about quality of life, they’re living it.”
Roi and Renana’s two sons, Yoni (6) and Ron (2), attend a bilingual preschool (English and Swiss-German) and have quickly picked up both languages. “We miss being close to our families and friends, and sometimes miss our parents’ assistance, which was available to us here in Israel. But Roi and I, like all couples in our situation, divide the tasks between us – and when all’s said and done, we are really enjoying this wonderful opportunity. Zurich is a charming and welcoming city, and Switzerland in general is a very beautiful country. Every place we visit looks like a postcard.”
Harvey Prize winners for 2015: Prof. Marc Kirschner and Prof. Immanuel Bloch
At a festive ceremony on June 5, 2016, the Technion awarded the Harvey Prize for 2015 to Prof. Marc Kirschner of Harvard University (USA) and Prof. Immanuel Bloch of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (Germany). The $75,000 prize, named after Leo Harvey (1887-1973), was established in 1972 as a bridge of goodwill between Israel and the nations of the world. It is awarded annually to men and women who have made a significant contribution to humanity. Around 17% of the prizewinners have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.
“Timing is everything”
Prof. Marc Kirschner
Prof. Marc Kirschner, of the Department of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School, will receive the prize for his groundbreaking and pioneering discoveries and contributions to three fundamental areas of modern biology: embryology, cell organization and the cell cycle.
Prof. Kirschner, born in 1945, earned his doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley (1971) and did his postdoctoral research at Berkeley and the University of Oxford. In 1972 he received an academic appointment at Princeton University, and then spent 15 years at the University of California, San Francisco, after which he joined Harvard Medical School, where he founded the Department of Systems Biology.
On his website, Prof. Kirschner wrote: “In the development of an organism, as in the theater, timing is everything. Imagine if, one night, the actors in a play were to miss every single cue, delivering each line perfectly, but always too early or too late. The evening would be a disaster. The same is true in embryonic development. Starting at the moment when sperm and egg meet, cells in the embryo send signals to each other to coordinate the growth of organs, limbs, and tissues. Not only do the signals have to be correct, they also must be perfectly timed. Otherwise, disasters like cancer can result.”
Using tools from the world of biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology, Prof. Kirschner analyzes the processes that control cells and tissues, and has made a substantial contribution to our understanding of the process of embryonic development: the characteristics of the cytoskeleton, controlling the cell’s life cycle and the embryonic development of vertebrates.
Between Light and Matter
Prof. Immanuel Bloch
Prof. Immanuel Bloch of the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in Germany, will receive the Harvey Prize for fundamental contributions in the field of light and matter interactions in quantum many-body systems. In particular, he is recognized for his pioneering experiments realizing quantum simulators using cold atoms trapped in crystals of light, thereby establishing a new research field at the interface of condensed matter, atomic physics, and quantum optics.
Prof. Bloch, born in 1972, earned his doctorate in physics from Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich (2000) and has worked at some of Germany’s leading institutions: Ludwig Maximilian University, the Johannes Gutenberg University, and the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics.
Recently, Prof. Bloch experimentally demonstrated the “Zak Phase” in an array of cold atoms. The Zak Phase is named after Prof. Emeritus Joshua Zak of the Technion Faculty of Physics. Prof. Zak, who recently received the prestigious Wigner Medal, published an article in the journal Physical Review Letters in 1989, explaining the geometric phase of electrons in solid matter. Twenty-four years later, in 2013, Prof. Bloch managed to measure the phase in a lattice of cold atoms artificially formed with light.
Over the years, the Harvey Prize has been awarded to scientists from the US, Britain, Russia, Sweden, France and Israel. Prizewinners include Nobel laureate Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader, who received the Harvey Prize for his efforts to reduce regional tension; Prof. Bert Sakmann (1992 Nobel Prize in Medicine); Prof. Pierre-Gilles de Gennes (1992 Nobel Prize in Physics); Prof. Edward Teller for his discoveries in solid state, atomic and nuclear physics; Prof. William J. Kolff for the invention of the artificial kidney; and Prof. Shuji Nakamura, 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics, for developing the blue LED.
The research group of Technion Prof. Erez Hasman has developed technology for compressing dozens of lenses on a nanometric surface. The study, published in Science magazine, paves the way for creating a completely new type of optical elements with potential applications in medicine, food, communications and other fields.
Members of Prof. Hasman’s group laboratory: Elhanan Maguid, Prof. Erez Hasman, Dr. Vladimir Kleiner, Igor Yulevich, [from right to left]
Science magazine reports on new technology developed by the research group of Prof. Erez Hasman from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technion. This technology enables the compression of dozens of lenses on a nanometric surface. Possible applications: development and testing of food ingredients and pharmaceuticals, optical interconnect for communication and computing by sending multiple beams of light, splitting the light signals transmitted through optical fiber, connecting several beams of light, multifocal glasses with an unprecedented level of accuracy, and devices for quantum computing.
“The source of our inspiration,” explains Prof. Hasman, “is ordinary radar, based on the deployment of antennas that transmit and receive various wave-fronts. The challenge in the transition from radio wave radar to optical radar is related to the fact that the latter operates at much shorter wavelengths – around 0.5 micron – and the length of the antenna must be smaller than the wavelength.”
The study was conducted by the nano-optics research group, headed by Prof. Hasman, whose members are graduate students Elhanan Maguid, Igor Yulevich, Dekel Veksler and researcher Dr. Vladimir Kleiner, in collaboration with Prof. Mark Brongersma of Stanford University. The group showed that by spatial mixing of various antennas, many wave-fronts can be produced from a shared optical aperture. “The approach that we developed is expected to bring about a functionality revolution in optics,” explains Prof. Hasman. “It is based on a combination the shared-aperture concept and metasurfaces, which I developed back in 2001. This combination paves way for the implementation of multi-functional elements, i.e. elements that are able to perform several tasks simultaneously and, in effect, new types of optical elements.”
Metasurfaces are thin optical elements, approximately one hundredth of the thickness of a hair shaft, covered with miniature antennas (nano-antennas). The shape, location and orientation of the antenna determine the properties of the tiny optical elements, and therefore precise control of the placement of the antennas is essential for the performance of the device. The group has applied techniques for creating nano-antenna arrays in order to obtain special multiple wave-fronts, such as vortex beams carrying orbital angular momentum. This achievement has been utilized for the simultaneous measurement of spectrum characteristics and polarization state of light, enabling integrated on-chip spectro–polarimetric analysis.
The article in Science, which was selected for early publication by the editors, presents various methods for implementing multi-functionality in metasurfaces. The unique arrangement of the nano-antennas allows researchers to focus light rays and deflect them in desired directions while controlling the degree of spin of photon. The spin, i.e. the internal angular momentum, is a property of the particle of light (photon) describing the direction of the photon rotation.
The researchers took advantage of these properties and developed an element which is able to measure the wavelength and polarization of light simultaneously, as a single measurement. This is actually a spectro-polarimeter of around 50 microns in size, allowing the integration of advanced small diagnostics systems in medicine and other fields. In the article, the researchers presented the characterization and differentiation between the two types of glucose – left (L) and right (D). Morphologically, the two types of glucose are enantiomeric, i.e. an exact mirror image of each other – like a pair of hands. This property is called chirality.
Since glucose changes the polarization of light, the researchers measured properties of the light scattered by the glucose solution using the metasurfaces that they developed, and were able to distinguish between the two types of glucose.
This distinction between the two types of glucose is important because mammals have enzymes that break down D-glucose but not L-glucose, and therefore only the D enantiomer is biologically active. Moreover, since most biological molecules are chiral, enantiomeric distinction has widespread implications for the pharmaceutical and food industries. Thalidomide, for example – the anti-nausea drug that caused thousands of birth defects in the 1950s – was based on a chiral molecule. One of its enantiomers does indeed relieve morning sickness in pregnant women, but the other harms fetal development.
Schematic demonstration of different light beams with angular momentum emanating from antenna arrays on metasurface
Prof. Hasman heads the Micro and Nanooptics Laboratory at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute at the Technion. He said, “Apart from the know-how that we have accumulated here in many years of work, Technion has a highly advanced world-class infrastructure, enabling us to develop and produce very pioneering nanotechnology. This is all going on at the Sara & Moshe Zisapel Nanoelectronics Center.” He proudly notes Israel’s position on the global optics map. “Israel, and not only the Technion, is definitely an optics empire. We have some of the world’s leading research groups as well as a highly impressive industry.”
Prof. Hasman earned his doctorate at the Weizmann Institute of Science and then spent a decade spearheading developments in the civilian and defense industries. In 1998, in view of the shortage of optical engineers, the Technion offered him the opportunity to establish the Optical Engineering track at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering – and he accepted the offer. He says, “It is now clear that an engineering background, extensive as it may be, is not complete without a thorough scientific background, and this is the gap that we are filling here: training engineers with a comprehensive understanding of optical science. Today, this track provides industry with many alumni who possess in-depth knowledge in optics and trains many doctoral students, and there are even professors in academia who studied here in the Optical Engineering track.”
In the video: Parallel optical nano-engines based on photonic radar. Optical engines are designed for the manipulation of DNA, photonic nano – switches, photonic nano- valves, etc.
