Author: shlomi ben-oz

The 2013 IEEE Signal Processing Society Technical Award will be awarded to Professor Yonina Eldar from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Technion

Professor Yonina Eldar has been selected for the 2013 IEEE Signal Processing Society Technical Achievement Award for her “fundamental contributions to sub-nyquist and compressed sampling, convex optimization and statistical signal processing.”

Professor Eldar, who heads the Sampling Research Laboratory in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Technion, is a member of: the Council for Higher Education (CHE) in Israel, the Young Academy of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and the Commission for making higher education accessible to Haredim (Orthodox). She also serves as a research fellow at MIT and as a visiting professor at Stanford University. In addition, she consults for high-tech companies.

Professor Eldar has developed a new paradigm allowing to break through the Nyquist barrier, traditionally believed to be the ultimate limit for analog to digital conversion (ADC). She was able to exploit signal structure in the sampling stage in a hardware efficient way so as to reduce sampling rates, power, size and DSP rates, while attaining better communication performance. Beyond her achievement in the development of theory and algorithms, Eldar achieved a global breakthrough in the field of sampling, when she built, along with her research students and development team at her laboratory, hardware prototypes and working demos (in the form of an electric card) that prove the theory, enabling sampling and processing of a wide class of continuous-time signals, at especially low rates. These methods can allow the miniaturization of a wide array of communication devices: from smart phones to ultrasounds, radars and more.

The technology she developed demonstrates practical application in many areas including improved performance of radar systems and fast three-dimensional ultrasound imaging. A potential market is the healthcare industry, where sampling speed translates into less exposure of patients to dangerous radiation emitting devices. From an economic point of view, this may serve as a great advantage, as it will allow for a greater number of patients to undergo testing. The defense industry is also very interested in this technology as it allows for fast scanning of a very wide frequency range.

Professor Eldar has been awarded many prestigious awards, among them the Krill Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research, The Michael Bruno Memorial Award from the Rothschild Foundation, the Weizmann Prize for Exact Sciences, the Hershel Rich Innovation Award, the Haifa Municipality Award for Women with Distinguished Contributions, and many others.

The IEEE Signal Processing Society Technical Achievement Award is foremost prize in the field of signal processing, awarded to researchers who have over the years contributed significantly to the theory and application of technical issues within the spectrum of areas in which the Society is engaged in, including publications, patents and recognized impacts in the field. This year Professor Eldar shares her prize with Professor Alfred  Hero, a former head of the IEEE Signal Processing Society and a pillar of the community (he received the IEEE Third Millennium Medal).

Technion President, Professor Peretz Lavie, congratulated Professor Eldar: “The Technion is proud that Professor Yonina Eldar has been selected for this important award and congratulates her on her great achievements.”

In the photo: Professor Yonina Eldar in her lab.

Photographed by: Click Photographers, Technion’s Spokesperson’s Office

Israeli –Dutch Cooperation at the Technion

Student Workshop Presents Water Problem Solutions at Water Seminar with Dutch and Israeli water experts

The winning solution – “reclaiming agriculture” – aims to encourage Arab farmers in the Western Galilee to return to working their land using reclaimed wastewater for irrigation

Graduate students taking part in a joint Israeli-Dutch workshop at the Stephen and Nancy Grand Water Research Institute (GWRI), Technion – Israel Institute of Technology at the beginning of the week presented solutions to water issues to Mr. Wienjes (President of the Dutch Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW)) as part of the visit of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte in Israel. In the evening, the students had the privilege to have a meet & greet and photo with the Prime Minister. The winning solution in the competition – Wetskills Israel: 2013 – is called “Reclaiming Agriculture”. Its aim is to encourage Arab farmers in the Western Galilee to return to cultivate their land using tertiary-reclaimed wastewater (RWW) for irrigation. Other plans presented by the Israeli and Dutch students were: a compact system for producing drinking water from humidity in the air intended for use in desert regions; forestation in desert regions that combines in its water supply modern technology with ancient technology from the Nabatean period (some 2,000 years old); and a holistic monitoring and prevention system for reducing parasites in potable water.

In the framework of the competition, which was organized by the Technion’s GWRI and the Dutch organization Wetskills, the students were asked to present solutions to challenges and water problems in Israel using creative thinking and innovation, on the one hand, and which can be implemented, on the other hand.

The students presented the solutions at the beginning of the week in a forum for joint Israeli-Dutch cooperation that included water experts from both countries and took place in the framework of the visit to Israel by the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, and senior ministers in his government.

Last week, a number of Israeli water companies and organizations (Mekorot Israel National Water Company, Shefar’am Area Water & Wastewater Corporation, the Jewish National Fund – Netherlands Branch and the Keren Kayemet LeIsrael-KKL) presented water problems for the students to solve. The students had only five days to put together and present solutions through consultation with water experts and with the aid of the GWRI information center. The judges – from both Israel and the Netherlands – were Shimon Tal (ex-water commissioner of Israel), Tami Shor (assistant director general in charge of water regulation at the Israel Water Authority), Prof. Avi Shaviv (head of the GWRI), Dr. Hadas Maman from Tel Aviv University and Menno Holterman (CEO Nijhuis Technology) and Jaap Feil (CEO H2O-job) from the Netherlands. Each group had only two minutes to present its solution. The presentations were clear, succinct and precise. In two minutes, the students succeeded in presenting intensive work done over one week. Afterwards, the projects were presented in greater detail on posters to the professionals.

The project chosen by the team of judges was “Reclaiming Agriculture”, which presents a solution to the challenge given the students by the Shefar’am Area Water & Wastewater Corporation. The Corporation deals with the water and sewage system of the Shefar’am municipality and surrounding towns and villages. It serves some 160,000 residents. In light of a shortage in freshwater and its high cost to farmers, most of the residents of the villages, who traditionally were engaged in vegetable farming, have stopped cultivating their agricultural land. This reduction in agriculture has hurt their income and impinged on the region’s socio-economic fabric.

The corporation asked the students to find ways get the farmers back to farming their land and to suggest alternative possibilities for agricultural crops that can be irrigated using recycled water (RWW). The students proposed an integrated solution that includes setting up a model site with constructed wetland, as well as establishing a committee of experts.

“Our proposal includes building a constructed wetland into which the tertiary-RWW from the Carmiel wastewater treatment plant will be introduced” explained Noa Aharoni, a master’s graduate from Tel Aviv University who took part in the workshop. “In the wetland, which will provide additional filtering of the water (an alternative to filters), water plants will be planted and goldfish will be raised as testimony to the quality of the water. The project’s aim is to make the wastewater treatment process accessible to local farmers and to demonstrate to them through the addition of the constructed wetland and a pond with gold fish that we are talking about clean water, good for agriculture. In order to overcome cultural obstacles to the use of such water, we suggested raising fish and water snails, which live in fresh water, in the ponds. Thus around the constructed wetland and the ornamental pond will create demonstration site to serve as an educational system for the farmers and the younger generation that will assist them to overcome psychological barriers to the use of reclaimed water for agriculture.”

“In addition, we suggested setting up a joint committee of experts made up of representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, the local authorities, the Water Corporation and the local farmers”, added Dennis Steinberg, a master’s student at the Technion. “The committee will assist the local farmers to jointly organize and will aid in promoting the benefits of using recycled water. The members of the Shefar’am Corporation were enthusiastic about the solution we presented and promised that they will implement it in the near future. “I think that our project offers an immediate solution that can aid in social change in the area. The challenge which we dealt with was very different from our daily scientific/engineering work. Suddenly, I also had to relate to sociological and social considerations” said Dennis.

“There is a traditional aversion of some in the Arab sector to the use of treated wastewater effluent based on a belief or fear that this water is not clean enough,” added Prof. Eran Friedler of the Technion’s Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, who served as an advisor to the students. “Israeli agriculture in agricultural settlements is very organized while here we are talking about small, family based agriculture, without an umbrella organization, traditionally growing mostly vegetables. The farmers abandoned some of the fields because the price of freshwater went up significantly. The solution the students proposed enables the farmers to continue to work the land using recycled water which cost is much lower than freshwater.”

Those in the Shefar’am Corporation were satisfied with the results. “Winning first place by the students was a great honor for us,” said Engineer Ahlam Ganam, director of the Corporation’s licensing department. “They worked creatively on a solution and we are already looking for a team of experts to implement and carry out the plan.”

“The workshop’s purpose was to train future leaders in the field of water. This is a program to encourage international cooperation on the subject of water, during which students from different countries get together and deal with joint tasks with respect to water,” related Johan Oost, coordinator of the Wetskills program, who led the program in Israel together with Prof. Avi Shaviv, head of the Technion’s GWRI. “The workshop has been going on for some four years and already has been held in China, Indonesia, South Africa, Morocco, Romania, Egypt, the Netherlands, Oman and Mozambique. I am very pleased that we succeeded in also holding it in Israel. The aim is to challenge young water experts with problems from the field and to encourage them to think creatively. The students worked hard on the tasks they received and I am very proud of them. We have to attract the best people to work in the field of water.”

“I was very impressed with the students’ work,” said Bernard Wientjes, head of the Industrialists and Employers Union in the Netherlands, who awarded the prize to the winning group. “It was difficult for the judges to decide because all the works presented simple and creative solutions that can be implemented and, especially, demonstrated the ability for independent thinking and high-level creativity.”

“We see it as tremendously important to have held this competition at the Technion,” concluded Prof. Avi Shaviv.

“Presentation of the joint challenges to young water experts from Israel and the Netherlands constitutes a basis for cooperation between the countries and a joining of forces. We enjoyed very much seeing the cooperation, creativity and exchange of ideas among the students. We also appreciate the encouragement of young water scientist to feel proud of the important work they do in solving water problems relevant to different regions and cultures in the world.

For more information: www.wetskills.com

“Detailed knowledge of chemical processes makes it possible to optimize catalysts, drugs and solar cells.”

Technion graduate Prof. Arieh Warshel, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Southern California has won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, together with Michael Levitt and Martin Karplus for “the development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems.”

The three scientists won the world’s highest honor for research which lay the foundations for future computers to understand complex chemical processes from the purification of exhaust fumes, through to photosynthesis.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in a statement, when awarding the prize of 8 million crowns ($1.25 million), that Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel had pioneered the use of computer models that mirror chemical reactions. The work also has applications in the use of complex processes in the development of drugs.

“Chemical reactions occur at lightning speed; electrons jump between atomic nuclei, hidden from the prying eyes of scientists,” the academy stated. “The Nobel Laureates in Chemistry 2013 have made it possible to map the mysterious ways of chemistry by using computers. Detailed knowledge of chemical processes makes it possible to optimize catalysts, drugs and solar cells.”

Israel Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu called new Nobel laureate Arieh Warshel today: “This is exceptionally impressive. We’re proud of you & people at Technion & Weizmann,” he said.

Arieh Warshel was born 1940 in Kibbutz Sde-Nahum in Israel.  He earned his undergraduate degree at the Faculty of Chemistry (now the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry), class of 1966 – which was the same year Distinguished Prof. Dan Shechtman (Nobel Laureate 2011) completed his BSc in mechanical engineering at the Technion.

In 1965, Prof. Warshel was awarded the “Technion Award – Best Third-Year Student in Chemistry”. He graduated Summa Cum Laude. Warshel went on to comlete advanced degrees at the Weizmann Institute of Science, and was an associate professor at Weizmann until 1978, when he moved to the University of Southern California.

The kick-off in Israel:

Dutch and Israeli Students Offer Solutions to Water Issues in Israel

The Wetskills Israel 2013 Competition has Started at Technion

The Grand Water Research Institute (GWRI) at Technion together with the Wetskills organization from the Netherlands started a special competition on Sunday (December 1) for postgraduate students from Israel and the Netherlands, during which students will be required to offer solutions to challenges and problems regarding water issues in Israel.

Attending this ten day workshop are 16 postgraduate students in water-related disciplines; about half of them are from Dutch universities while the other half are from universities in Israel. Four Israeli water organizations kicked off the workshop by presenting issues to the students that they will be dealing with. Students will receive support from water experts from Technion and from outside the Technion, and will have access to broad databases available at the information center of the Technion’s Grand Water Research Institute (GWRI).

“This program was designed to encourage international cooperation on water issues, during which students from different countries have an opportunity to sit together and challenge various water issues,” said Johan Oost, Manager of the Wetskills Water Challenges Program who is leading the program in Israel together with Professor Avi Shaviv, Director of GRWI.

“The Workshop has been running for about a decade and has already been held in China, Indonesia, Romania, Egypt, the Netherlands, Oman, Marocco, South Africa and Mozambique. This is the first time it is being held in Israel. The goal is to challenge young water experts on issues from the field, and encourage them to think creatively.”

In order to gain a deeper understanding of the unique characteristics of each country, students visit unique cultural attractions in addition to sites with specific water related projects that are relevant to the project. Last week, Dutch students visited Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. A tour was held with their Israeli counterparts at the Eshcol site, the “Chera” Lookout Point and other sites around Lake Kinneret (Sea of ​​Galilee).

Professor Oded Shmueli, the Executive Vice President for Research at the Technion, welcomed participants at the start of the workshop and said that, “Global challenges on water issues are both cross national and cross cultural. Collaboration has become the essence of scientific research. Nowadays, a researcher cannot undertake research on his/her own. This joint workshop for Dutch and Israeli students is a wonderful opportunity to make ​​future connections.”

Professor Avi Shaviv, Director of GRWI at the Technion, briefed students on the water problems facing Israel and its neighbouring countries in the Middle East. He said that because Israel has been dealing with water issues from day one, a thriving water industry developed in the country that allows for maximum utilization of water and seeks alternative solutions to the shortage of rain water. Israel’s achievements in efficient use of water and the implementation of alternative sources constitute it as the most significant authority on water technologies and knowledge in the world.

Student’s work will be presented next week during the water seminar of the Wittenberg Council in Tel Aviv; and will include hearings on water cooperation between Dutch and Israeli companies. It is expected that the Dutch Prime Minister and other Ministers will attend within the framework of a visit to Israel to discuss and strengthen Israeli-Dutch cooperation in water issues, energy, agricultural technology and food production.

The judges’ panel will consist of Israeli and Dutch professionals that will discuss and grade the student’s work during the event, and will select the winning project based on criteria that include innovation and creativity, practicality and feasibility, economic viability, social relevance and the ”Pitch and Poster” of their solution.

The students are divided into four working groups; each group is given a different challenge to deal with:

1. Mekorot Israel National Water Company – The company asked students to find a solution to reduce single-celled parasitic pathogens of the Cryptosporidium and Giardia type in drainage basin of the lake. The Sea of ​​Galilee (Lake Kinneret) is the primary source of fresh water in Israel and is an important water source and at the same time is also a popular tourist and fishing destination. In the drainage basin of the lake there is a lot of activity which may lead to the release of parasites to waterways and from there they could reach the lake. The problem is that some water sources that feed into the lake are coming from outside of Israel’s borders, and there are issues concerning the monitoring of pollutants spilling into them. Cryptosporidium and Giardia parasites cause disease in the digestive system and small children are especially susceptible to them. This group’s mission is to reduce the presence of these parasites to a minimum and to come up with advanced water monitoring methods for detecting these parasite types.
2. Water Corporation of Shefar’am area – The Association, established in 2009, treats water and sewage systems belonging to the city of Shefa-Amr and other nearby villages. The Association provides services to over 160,000 residents. Due to the lack of potable water and the high cost for agriculture, most villagers who were traditionally engaged in growing vegetables stopped to work their agricultural lands. Reduced agricultural yields affected the livelihoods of locals and damaged the social-economic fabric of the region. The Association has asked students to find ways to restore the farmers to their fields and offer them alternative crop options which can be irrigated by reclaimed water (treated wastewater). Students will need to rely on one of the wastewater treatment facilities located in the area (Karmiel or Acre) and propose the design of a pipe system capable of transporting treated wastewater from the treatment facilities to the farmers’ fields. In addition, the group will also need to come up with guidelines and find ways by which to disseminate this information to convince local farmers to prepare the area for farming based on treated wastewater, and prevent potential future environmental impacts which may arise from transporting recycled water.
3. Anonymous Company (which has asked not to be mentioned) – The amount of vapour in the air equals the amount of water found in rivers and streams. Due to the growing shortage of water in the world, students have been asked to face the challenge of utilizing dew and moisture from the air as a source of water. The members of the group are expected to come up with an extraction method of water vapour from the atmosphere either by “milking” of fog or by passively collecting dew without investing energy, or by actively cooling surfaces. Students will need to select a region of the country with high humidity levels and which enjoy a greater number of potential days covered with dew in order to increase the economic viability of the system that they will design. This area will serve as a case study of possible applications around the world, particularly in areas that lack available water resources.
4. Jewish National Fund (JNF) (in Hebrew Keren Kayemet LeYisrael) – Over the past few years the JNF replaced a variety of trees planted in Israeli forests from a variety of pine to natural wooded varieties of the region. Pine trees develop and grow rapidly compared with natural tree species which grow much slower. The JNF wants to encourage the growth of natural forest species stimulated through assisted irrigation. The JNF has challenged a student group to develop more efficient irrigation methods that will lead to increased forest growth. Students have been provided with an experimental forest plot for this assignment.

“The joint Wetskills Water Challenge, held for the first time in Israel, is an important leverage for collaborative interaction with research institutes in the Netherlands,” said Professor Avi Shaviv, Director of the GWRI at the Technion. “This is a great opportunity for us to encourage young people to engage in water issues in Israel. The Grand Water Research Institute at the Technion took it upon itself to organize the workshop on very short notice as we believe that it is of high importance that it will be held here at Technion.”

The workshop is funded by member companies, and supported by the Yanai Fund for Exact Sciences. Participating students also paid a participation fee.

Into the fast lane!

It just takes a minute…watch Technion students build and race the university’s first Formula race car.

Coming in first place worldwide out of all newcomer teams, 25 Technion students built and raced the Technion’s first Formula SAE car in Sept. 2013 in Italy. Congratulations to the team!

Technion Formula SAE took students out of the classroom and into the fast lane to apply textbook theories,as well as gaining real-world experience in Prof. Reuven Katz’s “New Product Design” course in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The course instructor is Dr. Hagay Bamberger of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.

The 25 member team was co-sponsored by the Grand Technion Energy Program (GTEP). GTEP supports projects in outreach and general education as an integral part of its global mission to advance research and education in fields related to energy. Individual faculty, students and GTEP itself is involved in projects to promote and enhance energy awareness at Technion, throughout Israel and across the world.

For over 30 years,  The Society of Automotive Engineering, SAE, has been organizing events and contests for engineering students. The most prestigious competition of them all  is Formula Student. Over 250 student teams from around the world research, design and manufacture a genuine Formula car,

 

Often referenced as a powerful example of Technion graduate ingenuity, Given Imaging – the Israeli start-up that introduced the pill that a patient can swallow for real-time, non-invasive examination and diagnosis, is being acquired for $860 million, it was announced yesterday.

 

Covidien Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire Given Imaging

DUBLIN, Ireland & YOQNEAM, Israel–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec. 8, 2013– Covidien plc (NYSE: COV) and Given Imaging Ltd. (Nasdaq: GIVN) today announced a definitive agreement under which Covidien will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Given Imagingfor $30.00 per share in cash, for a total of approximately $860 million, net of cash and investments acquired. This transaction provides Covidien additional scale and scope to serve the multibillion dollar global gastrointestinal (GI) market and supports the Company’s strategy to comprehensively address key global specialties and procedures.

Given Imaging provides one of the broadest technology platforms for visualizing, diagnosing and monitoring the digestive system, including its flagship PillCam®, an innovative swallowed capsule endoscope.

“We believe GI is one of the most attractive specialty procedure areas. Acquiring Given will enable Covidien to significantly expand its presence in a $3 billion GI market,” said Bryan Hanson, Group President, Medical Devices & U.S., Covidien. “Adding Given’s portfolio of diagnostics to our portfolio accelerates Covidien’s strategy of providing physicians with products that support the patient along the care continuum from diagnosis to treatment. It also confirms our leadership in developing less-invasive screening, diagnosis and treatment solutions that can improve patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs.”

“Given Imaging revolutionized GI diagnostics over 12 years ago with the launch of PillCam and created an entirely new diagnostic category — capsule endoscopy. The combination of Covidien’s established global presence and Given Imaging’s innovative capabilities has the potential to transform this market,” said Homi Shamir, President and CEO, Given Imaging Ltd. “After thoroughly evaluating our strategic options we determined that this transaction is in the best interests of Given Imaging, its shareholders and employees and provides unique benefits to patients globally.”

The development of ground breaking communications systems for the next generation of computers is the goal of research collaboration between the University of Sydney and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

The New South Wales Government will contribute $300,000 to the photonics research project between the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Ultrahigh Bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems (CUDOS) at the University of Sydney, and Technion.

This is the first time that an Australian Government has provided funds to ensure the participation of an Australian university in a collaboration with an Israeli university.

The project will be launched by the NSW Minister for Health and Medical Research, Jillian Skinner MP, and the Technion’s Chairman of the Board of Governors, Lawrence Jackier at an official event at the University of Sydney on 5 December.

The Project is headed at the Technion by Distinguished Professor Moti Segev and at Sydney University by Professor Ben Eggleton.

Mr Jackier said, “We sincerely believe that we must be a light to the world and that our knowledge should be used for the benefit of humanity generally. This project with Sydney University is a tangible effort to share our knowledge by partnering with another great university and by doing so, achieve a result greater than the sum of the parts”.

Photonics and optics are used throughout communications networks, using optical fibres as light pipes and lasers to generate light pulses that carry information. Optical interconnects harness photonics for communication within computers and on chips to deliver the increased computing speeds that are demanded by society.

“This partnership allows us to work together on fundamental aspects of nanophotonics towards realising chip-based optical interconnects which can revolutionise computing – dramatically increasing the available bandwidth and, therefore, processing speed,” said Professor Benjamin Eggleton, director of CUDOS.

“We will explore new science at the frontier of photonics that will help realise radically new functionalities and improved performance for on-chip photonics.”

“CUDOS and Technion researchers already have reputations as champions in nanophotonics and optical physics,” NSW Minister for Health, Jillian Skinner said.

“NSW and Israel have proven research strength in the fascinating field of photonics, share similar academic and industrial landscapes, and well-matched entrepreneurial cultures driving innovation. That is why the State Government, through the Office of Science and Research, will contribute $300,000 over three years to set up the NSW-Israel Collaborative Research Pilot Program.”

The three-year project will be the first funded by the program.

“These extraordinarily talented researchers from both institutions will come together in a bid to develop light-based communications systems, which sit on the surface of a computer chip, to drive the next generation of computers,” said NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer, Professor Mary O’Kane.

Dr Ruth Ratner, President of Technion Australia (NSW), said: “We are honoured that two academics of Distinguished Professor Moti Segev’s and Professor Ben Eggleton’s stature agreed to work together and we look forward to hearing about the progress made as the project proceeds.”

“To be able to support a project such as this – a project with such enormous potential to share the knowledge of two of the world leaders in exploring and developing the technology of the future, is thrilling. The potential benefits to the people of NSW and Israel, and beyond, will be great.”

CUDOS is a research consortium of seven Australian universities based at the University of Sydney and a world leader in research in on-chip photonics, for all-optical signal processing.

The Technion was recently ranked sixth in the world for entrepreneurship and innovation, and was awarded the Israeli Government’s I-Core Centre of Excellence for Light and Matter.