New data about the traveling habits of Israeli residents, collected using cell phones, were revealed in a lecture given by the Head of the Transportation Research Institute at the Technion, Prof. Shlomo Bekhor of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, in an “open day” at the Technion. Prof. Bekhor, who is considered to be a pioneer in this research field, presented two projects he has participated in, that were carried out for the Ministry of Transport.
The first project attempts to provide a temporal and spatial description of traffic congestion in the road system, namely the times and locations in which heavy traffic can be expected, and the amount of time that is lost due to traffic congestion on the roads. “In the Tel Aviv metropolis, 2,400 man-years are wasted on the road in one month, and that’s a huge number”, explains Prof. Bekhor. “If we can predict traffic volumes and the length of queues, we will have a significantly better ability to plan means of transportation, based on a statistical model, and in the future we will be able to explain travels and assist in urban planning”. The Ministry of Transport uses a travel database it has set up, the data for which was obtained using cell phones, to plan roads and additional means of transportation. The products of this method have allowed the creation of models for shortening travel also for 2030.
A second project identifies the point of origin and the destination of travels based on the recorded cell phone location data. Prof. Bekhor: “the information received for each sampled cell phone includes an identification number that is different from its line number, and its location at any time during its tracking in terms of the coordinates of the antenna providing coverage, which is usually the antenna closest to it. The cell phone location is recorded at a frequency of once every two hours in the absence of any movement or call, and whenever movement is discerned through change in the antenna providing coverage. A person can be identified as being at his home, when no movement is recorded for the phone during the night. No data can be obtained if the phone is turned off”. It should be noted, that the research focused on a work week, namely Sunday to Thursday, and the data were collected by private companies. Research conducted in the Technion by Ms. Iliel Blum, under Prof. Bekhor’s guidance, succeeds in identifying long-distance as well as short-distance travels, and to overcome the problems of “leaps” between adjacent antennas.
A method employed until recently, which used surveys, provided inaccurate results. Thus, for example, cell phone data showed that 28,000 people make their way from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem daily. The results of a survey conducted pointed to about half this true and accurate quantity. The reliance on similar surveys done in the past has had an adverse impact on current transportation planning.
Nonetheless, there are limitations that derive from the passive nature of the collection of such data, since the information collected anyway by the communications service providers is not designed for transportation uses, but rather for the orderly operation of the cell phone technology. One of the questions raised is the ethical question, which has to do with invasion of privacy. The Ministry of Transport received special permission to investigate travel habits using cell phones despite the fact that in many Western countries use of this method is avoided. Additional disadvantages are: lack of information about the travel goals, and non-familiarity with the characteristics of the traveler (whose data are not known to the cell phone company either, since it has only the details of the person billed, who could also be the user’s employer, parent, etc.). In addition, the means of transportation is also unclear.
Above: The stand of the Faculty of Materials Engineering, adorned with ties featuring the quasi–periodic crystals pattern, drew substantial attention following faculty member Prof. Dan Shechtman’s win of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Photo: Yoav Becher, Technion Spokesman
Technion scientists have developed a biological computer, composed entirely of DNA molecules and enzymes constructed on a gold-coated chip. This new computer represents a significant improvement over the original computer reported three years ago in a joint paper by Prof. Ehud Keinan of the Technion and a group from the Weizmann Institute of Science, which included Yaakov Benenson, Prof. Ehud Shapiro and Prof. Zvi Livneh. The Technion researchers succeeded in increasing the level of complexity of their computer. Whereas the original computer could accept up to 765 different programs, the new computer can accept as many as 1 billion programs. This increase represents a dramatic advance in terms of the potential mathematical operations and complexity of problems that may be solved using a biological computer. The results are published this week in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
“An equally significant breakthrough is the incorporation of chips as an integral part of the computer”, explains Prof. Ehud Keinan, Dean of the Technion’s Faculty of Chemistry, who carried out this research together with graduate students Michal Soreni, Sivan Yogev, Elizaveta Kossoy, and Prof. Yuval Shoham, Dean of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering. “The chip allows for automatic, real-time readout of the computation results, with no need to employ elaborate techniques of molecular biology, such as gel electrophoresis and the use of radioactively labeled materials. Computation on a chip allows efficient parallel computation with many, geographically labeled input molecules. Such computers could have a variety of practical applications, including encryption of information. For example, it would be possible to encrypt images on a chip, whereby deciphering the images would be possible only by a person with access to a secret key comprised of several short DNA molecules and several enzymes.”
Prof. Keinan explains that a computer is, by definition, a machine made of four components: hardware, software, input and output. All of the currently known computers are electronic computers, namely, machines in which both input and output are electronic signals, the hardware is a complex composition of metallic and plastic components, wires, transistors, etc., and the software is a sequence of instructions given to the machine in the form of electronic signals. “In contrast to electronic computers, there are computing machines in which all four components are nothing but molecules,” says Prof. Keinan. “For example, all biological systems, and even entire living organisms, are such computers. Every one of us is a bio-molecular computer, that is, a machine in which all four components are molecules “talking” to one another in a logical manner. The hardware and software are complex biological molecules that activate one another to carry out some predetermined chemical work. The input is a molecule that undergoes specific, predetermined changes, following a specific set of rules (software) and the outcome of this chemical computation process, the output, is another well defined molecule.”
Over the past decade, bio-molecular computers have aroused much interest in the scientific community due to of their ability to carry out an enormous number of operations in parallel. A tiny drop of solution containing a large number of input molecules contains enormous computational power.
The stamp was launched during the main event in the Technion’s centennial celebrations, in the presence of Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie, Mayor of Haifa Adv. Yona Yahav, Chairman of the Board of Israel Postal Company Sasi Shilo, and Director of Philatelic
Services Yaron Ratzon
Three Nobel Laureates in Chemistry – Professors Avram Hershko, Aaron Ciechanover and Dan Shechtman – received yesterday the special stamp that was issued by Israel Postal Company to commemorate 100 Years to the laying of the cornerstone for the Technion. The stamp was launched in frame of a festive concert commemorating the Technion’s cornerstone centennial, in the presence of Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie, Mayor of Haifa Adv. Yona Yahav, Chairman of the Board of Israel Postal Company Sasi Shilo, and Director of Philatelic Services Yaron Ratzon.
The Chairman of the Board of Israel Postal Company Sasi Shilo said that “the stamp we are launching today salutes the first academic educational institute established in Israel, and one of the most prominent institutes in its field worldwide”. He added that the Technion’s praiseworthy activity has had substantial contribution to the development of the State of Israel’s economy.
Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie said that he is as excited on this evening as he was on December 10th, 2004 and on December 10th, 2011 in Stockholm, when the three professors received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He also emphasized the exciting event held in New York on December 19, 2011, when Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the Technion and Cornell University have won the tender to establish an applied science and engineering campus in his city.
Mayor of Haifa Adv. Yona Yahav said that his city is identified with the distinguished institute that it is honored to have had residing in it for over one hundred years now.
The Shalom Zielony Technion Choir and Orchestra, conducted by Menahem Nebenhaus and Leonti Wolf, performed an especially festive concert. Sasi Shilo and Yaron Ratzon unveiled the stamp and granted it to the Nobel laureates, to the designer of the stamp Naama Tumarkin (Director of the Israel Technion Society), and to Professors Danny Weihs and Eyal Zussman, whose research subject is displayed on the stamp.
Description of the stamp and the First Day Cover
The stamp enfolds within it the past, present and future not only of the Technion, but also of the State of Israel, that has become a science and technology pioneer.
The stamp features a rendering of the building façade, designed by the Jewish-German architect Alexander Baerwald, one of the pioneers of modern Israeli architecture.
Out of the building grows an element developed in the Technion by three professors: Daniel Weihs, Alexander Yarin and Eyal Zussman. It is the prototype of a nano-parachute, whose structure and movement are based on the structure of the dandelion seed and its movement in the air. The nano-parachute is made of nano-fibers, and is in fact a sophisticated detector of airborne toxins. Thousands of nano-parachutes that are dispersed at a site suspected of being contaminated change their color in the presence of toxins, thus allowing to determine the type of toxins and to prevent or mitigate loss of life.
In recent years, the Technion has engaged in nano-technology research in a number of areas: nano-electronics, nano-optics, nano-materials, and their interface with life sciences. This field brings about collaborations between scientists in a variety of disciplines and from different faculties. The element displayed in the stamp is an excellent example of this.
The stamp tab features the invitation to “the cornerstone laying ceremony, on Thursday, 24 Nissan 5672 (April 11, 1912), at 3 pm at the Technikum plot”.
The First Day Cover shows a photo of the Technion building after its completion, along with a rendering of the building. Above them float icosahedrons, bodies taken from the research of Prof. Dan Shechtman of the Technion, the Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 2011 for his discovery of quasiperiodic crystals.
The photo seen in the stamp is that of a nano-parachute on the palm of a hand – courtesy of Miki Koren.
The stamp was designed by Naama Tumarkin, Director of the Israel Technion Society.
Denomination: NIS 2.60.
Above (right to left): Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie, Mayor Yona Yahav, Prof. Aaron Ciechanover, Prof. Avram Hershko, Prof. Dan Shechtman, Sasi Shilo, Prof. Eyal Zussman, Yaron Ratzon, Naama Tumarkin and Prof. Danny Weihs. Photo by Shlomo Shoham, Technion Spokesman
The stamp will be launched during the main event in the Technion’s centennial celebrations, in the presence of Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie, Mayor of Haifa Adv. Yona Yahav, Chairman of the Board of Israel Postal Company Sasi Shilo, and Director of Philatelic Services Yaron Ratzon
Israel Postal Company has issued a special stamp to commemorate 100 Years to the laying of the cornerstone for the Technion. The stamp will be launched on Tuesday, January 31st, in frame of a festive concert commemorating the Technion’s cornerstone centennial, in the presence of Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie, Mayor of Haifa Adv. Yona Yahav, Chairman of the Board of Israel Postal Company Sasi Shilo, and Director of Philatelic Services Yaron Ratzon.
The Chairman of the Board of Israel Postal Company Sasi Shilo said that “the stamp we are launching today salutes the first academic educational institute established in Israel, and one of the most prominent institutes in its field worldwide”. He added that the Technion’s praiseworthy activity has had substantial contribution to the development of the State of Israel’s economy.
Description of the stamp and the First Day Cover
The stamp enfolds within it the past, present and future not only of the Technion, but also of the State of Israel, that has become a science and technology pioneer.
The stamp features a rendering of the building façade, designed by the Jewish-German architect Alexander Baerwald, one of the pioneers of modern Israeli architecture.
Out of the building grows an element developed in the Technion by three professors: Daniel Weihs, Alexander Yarin and Eyal Zussman. It is the prototype of a nano-parachute, whose structure and movement are based on the structure of the dandelion seed and its movement in the air. The nano-parachute is made of nano-fibers, and is in fact a sophisticated detector of airborne toxins. Thousands of nano-parachutes that are dispersed at a site suspected of being contaminated change their color in the presence of toxins, thus allowing to determine the type of toxins and to prevent or mitigate loss of life.
In recent years, the Technion has engaged in nano-technology research in a number of areas: nano-electronics, nano-optics, nano-materials, and their interface with life sciences. This field brings about collaborations between scientists in a variety of disciplines and from different faculties. The element displayed in the stamp is an excellent example of this.
The stamp tab features the invitation to “the cornerstone laying ceremony, on Thursday, 24 Nissan 5672 (April 11, 1912), at 3 pm at the Technikum plot”.
The First Day Cover shows a photo of the Technion building after its completion, along with a rendering of the building. Above them float icosahedrons, bodies taken from the research of Prof. Dan Shechtman of the Technion, the Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 2011 for his discovery of quasiperiodic crystals.
The photo seen in the stamp is that of a nano-parachute on the palm of a hand – courtesy of Miki Koren.
The stamp was designed by Naama Tumarkin, Director of the Israel Technion Society.
Denomination: NIS 2.60.
Undergraduate and graduate students will fill practical roles in the examination of various aspects related to the mission and in the development of the system
Technion researchers are planning to launch into space a structure of three nano-satellites weighing up to six kilograms each, in frame of a unique project headed by Prof. Pini Gurfil of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and the Asher Space Research Institute at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. The project is scheduled to be unveiled on January 30, 2012 at the Ilan Ramon International Space Conference of the Israel Ministry of Science and Technology and the Fisher Institute, and will be presented to space agency representatives and space researchers from all over the world.
“For the first time ever, an attempt will be made to launch three satellites that will fly together in a controlled formation. To date, such a launch was not possible due to the size and weight of the satellites, and because of the problems associated with the launch of satellites in a uniform formation and their prolonged stay in space”, says Prof. Gurfil.
The Technion researchers are hoping to launch the three nano-satellites in 2015. The satellites will attempt to receive signals from Earth at given frequencies, and to calculate the location of the transmission’s origin. The receiving of signals transmitted from Earth to space using several nano-satellites flying in formation is an innovative experiment that has not been attempted to date. If this experiment succeeds, satellites can be developed that fly in formation, which can be used for varied applications, such as the location and identification of people in distress through the satellite system.
Another aim of the experiment is to prove that a uniform, controlled formation of satellites can be held for a year in a 600 km orbit above Earth, something that has not been attempted until now. For this purpose, the researchers are planning, for the first time ever, to install on each of the satellites a propulsion system that will assist in maintaining the formation in space longer.
The satellites are built based on a CubeSat standard structure, whose parts will be assembled by the researchers with the assistance of the students of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at the Technion. The satellite formation comprises six cubes, each 10x10x10 cm, such that each satellite will have a 10x20x30 cm box. These boxes will have assembled on them measuring instruments, antennae, computer systems, control systems, and navigation instruments. The software and the algorithms that will manage the flight were developed in the Distributed Space Systems Laboratory at the Technion’s Asher Space Research Institute. The nano-satellite formation will be launched as a supplementary payload on an existing launch, through Europe, Russia or India.
The experiment is based on a prototype that was designed by Prof. Gurfil thanks to a one and a half million euro grant he received several months ago from the European Union. In designing the prototype, Prof. Gurfil and the interdisciplinary research group working with him succeeded in overcoming a variety of problems deriving from the need to maintain the satellites in a uniform formation such that they will not move apart, not come too close to each other, and successfully communicate among themselves and manage themselves in the event of a malfunction, as well as correct their relative position using as little fuel as possible, so that they will remain in space for a prolonged period.
“If we manage to prove in the experiment that the formation flight is possible, this will provide a momentum to the development of small satellites and technologies related to the miniaturization of electronic components, to efficient processing in space and to space propulsion systems. These technologies could contribute to a variety of civil applications and to the advancement of the Israeli space industry”, says Prof. Gurfil and adds: “another goal of the project is to contribute to the practical training of space engineers, which is why undergraduate and graduate students will fill practical roles in the examination of various aspects related to the mission and in the development of the system. The designated training and practical experience of space engineers are essential to Israel’s future in this field”.
In July 1998, researchers and students of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at the Technion launched the satellite Gurwin TechSAT 2. The satellite, one of the smallest satellites of its kind in the world, succeeded in remaining in space and completing all its tasks for about 12 years. It was constructed as a cube each side of which was 45 cm long, weighed 48 kg and its power consumption was extremely low.
The Nanocapsules developed by Technion researchers from natural materials can also be used by the pharmaceutical industry – in the protection of medicines in the stomach and their release in the intestine, as well as for targeting cancerous tumors
Technion researchers have created nanocapsules that are based on natural food components, and trapped in them vitamins and nutraceuticals (health-enhancing micronutrients) that do not dissolve well in water. The nanocapsules can be added to clear beverages, thus increasing their health benefits without clouding them.
Dr. Yoav Livney and his team in the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering used the Maillard reaction to create nanocapsules based on the protein–polysaccharide conjugates. This natural reaction, which is the cause of the browning of food during baking and cooking, was used in the past in the creation of emulsions and microcapsules for nutrients that do not dissolve in water, but the problem with the existing methods is that the capsules obtained were large, so that they clouded the liquid they were added to.
To overcome this problem, Dr. Livney and his team conjugated maltodextrin, a product of the breakdown of starch into Casein, milk protein, in a controlled process. The conjugated molecules (conjugates) underwent spontaneous self-assembly into capsules of nanometric dimensions. These nanocapsules are so small, that the beverages they were added to remained clear.
In the next stage, the researchers trapped in the nanocapsules vitamin D (large parts of the population suffer from vitamin D deficiency, which could cause rickets in children and many other health disorders in adults). The research team found that the nanocapsules protect the vitamins “packed” in them. “They protected the vitamin D from degrading in an acidic environment, and during its refrigerated shelf-life”, says Dr. Livney.
Another important material called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), that is found in green tea and that is considered to inhibit many diseases, among them are neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases and cancer, was also significantly protected by the conjugates throughout its shelf-life.
The researchers also followed the release of the nutrients from the nanocapsules under simulated digestion conditions. They discovered that the nanocapsules succeeded in keeping the nutrients trapped in them, and in protecting them under stomach conditions. Livney believes that the enzymes in the small intestine will break the polysaccharide-protein envelope down easily, allowing the absorption of the nutritional nano-cargo at the desired location, in the small intestine.
In the future, Dr. Livney plans to “research the overall release profile of nutraceuticals through simulated digestion, and later to examine their bioavailability in vivo in clinical trials”. He adds that “we also intend to investigate the encapsulation by this method of other bio-active components, such as anti-cancer medicines.
Another team headed by Dr. Livney is currently developing the next generation of polysaccharide-protein conjugate-based nanocapsules, which are aimed at target-oriented delivery of medicines in the body, marking the location of cancerous tumors and destroying them.
Prior to becoming a faculty member in the Technion’s Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Yoav Livney was involved in the development of “Gamadim”, “Ski” and “Symphony”, as part of his work as the product development manager of the cheese business unit at “Strauss”.
The Yanai Award for Excellence in Academic Education has been awarded by the Technion for the first time. The award, aimed at promoting the quality of teaching in the Technion, was awarded to 14 faculty members from the different Technion faculties: Prof. Alon Gany, Prof. Shimon Gepstein, Prof. Irad Yavneh, Prof. Avishai Mandelbaum, Prof. Noam Soker, Prof. David Chillag, Prof. Uri Eliash, Prof. Hossam Haick, Prof. Amnon Katz, Prof. Doron Melamed, Prof. Ayelet Fishman, Prof. Avinoam Kolodny, Prof. Eitan Kimmel and Dr. Seffy (Yosef) Givli.
Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie said that one of the goals he had set for himself, at the beginning of his tenure, was to improve the treatment of students and nurture the level of teaching in the Technion. “It is important that we provide our students with an efficient and enjoyable learning experience. I have read what the lecturers who received the award have said about teaching, and one common theme is evident in their words: respect for the student. They listen to the student and recognize that sometimes the student is wrong – and sometimes they are. These words should be taught in all schools of education. The Yanai Award breaks the myth of a contradiction between excellence in research and excellence in teaching. Here before us are excellent teachers who are also excellent researchers, and one of them is a faculty Dean. This is proof that excellence in research, excellence in teaching and holding an administrative position are not contradictory to each other”.
Moshe Yanai, whose 10 million dollar contribution will allow to grant each awarded lecturer NIS 100 thousand for twenty years, expressed his appreciation of the 14 award winners, and said that their dedication to teaching and to their students should not be taken for granted. “The academy encourages papers, namely research and publications. I do not know of people who were promoted or appreciated more by virtue of their investment in students. Therefore, these dear people who are receiving the award today are true altruists. They have placed the needs of society and of the State above their own personal interests, and I am awed and grateful for their actions. This award is unique in that it requires serious investment and giving up those things that are important for the lecturer’s promotion, because the criteria are far from simply. This award is not given simply to the nice lecturer, and you know very well that the easy way of education and educing demands is not rewarded here, but rather work and true effort put into preparation and education, that come at the expense of time you could have invested in research and in promoting yourselves”.
A movie shown during the ceremony featured interviews of some of the awarded lecturers and their students. Prof. Avishai Mandelbaum, who spoke for the award winners, joined the Technion President in saying that “leading research and excellent teaching go hand in hand, and teaching in a research-engineering institutions such as the Technion is a fascinating challenge – a compromise without compromises”.
“The difference between a teacher and a student is not big: both have similar goals and both teach and learn at the same time”, said Prof. Mandelbaum. He also spoke of his love for the teaching profession, and said that when his family calls and ask if he is at work, he answer: “no, I’m in the Technion.”
Prof. Moshe Sidi, Vice President for Academic Affairs, is the man who heads the committee that selected the 14 award winners. “At the end of the first screening we had 32 candidates, said Prof. Sidi. “Of these, we selected the winners based on complex, in-depth and non-standard criteria, such as the mutual respect between the lecturer and his students”.
Above: Moshe Yanai (second from the right) and Prof. Peretz Lavie (on his right) – with the winners of the Yanai Award. Photo: Technion Spokesman
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Cornell University President David J. Skorton, and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology President Peretz Lavie today announced an historic partnership to build a two-million-square-foot applied science and engineering campus on Roosevelt Island in New York City. The selection of the Cornell/Technion consortium – which pairs two of the world’s top institutions in the fields of science, engineering, technology and research – marks a major milestone in the City’s groundbreaking Applied Sciences NYC initiative, which seeks to increase New York City’s capacity for applied sciences and dramatically transform the City’s economy. Cornell/Technion’s proposal was among the many strong proposals that were submitted to the City from a number of world-class institutions around the globe as part of the City’s groundbreaking competitive process. The Cornell/Technion consortium was ultimately selected due to the large scale and vision of their proposal, the long and impressive track-record of both institutions in generating applied science breakthroughs and spinning out new businesses, the financing capacity of the consortium, the focus of the consortium on the collaboration between academia and the private sector, and the overall capacity of the partnership to execute the project. In addition to the Roosevelt Island site, the City will also provide $100 million in City capital to assist with site infrastructure, construction, and related costs. This is the first selection announcement for the Applied Sciences NYC initiative. Productive discussions are ongoing with other respondents – Carnegie Mellon, Columbia and a New York University-led consortium – and the possibility of additional science and engineering partnerships in the City is still open. Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement at Cornell’s Weill Cornell Medical College, and was also joined by Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel, New York City Economic Development President Seth W. Pinsky, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, State Senator Jos? M. Serrano, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Council Member Jessica Lappin, as well as other civic and business leaders.
“Thanks to this outstanding partnership and groundbreaking proposal from Cornell and the Technion, New York City’s goal of becoming the global leader in technological innovation is now within sight,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “By adding a new state-of-the-art institution to our landscape, we will educate tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and create the jobs of the future. This partnership has so much promise because we share the same goal: to make New York City home to the world’s most talented workforce.”
“Cornell University and our extraordinary partner, The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, are deeply gratified to have the opportunity to realize Mayor Bloomberg’s vision for New York City: to prepare tomorrow’s expanding talent pool of tech leaders and entrepreneurs to work with the city’s key industries in growing tomorrow’s innovation ecosystem,” said Cornell President Skorton. “Starting today, we are going to put our plan to work, tapping into our extensive connections throughout the city and build a truly 21st Century campus to fuel the creation of new businesses and new industries throughout the city for decades to come.”
“Our pride and our hopes for the future are shared by the whole Technion community of students, faculty, friends and supporters, including the very successful American Technion Society,” said the Technion President Lavie. “Together, we have the means, ingenuity and willpower to make our world a better place by joining with Cornell University and the great people of New York City for this innovative new center of learning and enterprise.”
In addition to the announcement of this historic agreement, Cornell has also announced that it received a $350 million gift from an anonymous donor, the largest contribution in the university’s history and one of the largest in the history of American higher education, which will support the extraordinary vision of the NYCTech Campus project. Cornell/Technion has laid out an aggressive plan for the project, which will ultimately culminate in the completion of a 2 million square foot build-out housing for up to 2,500 students and nearly 280 faculty members by 2043. When completed, the new Roosevelt Island campus will result in an increase in the number of full-time, graduate engineering students enrolled in leading New York City Master’s and Ph.D. programs by approximately 70 percent. Prior to commencement of construction on Roosevelt Island, Cornell/Technion plans to open in an off-site location in 2012, with the first phase of their permanent Roosevelt Island home expected to open by no later than 2017. By 2027 the campus will have expanded to over 1.3 million square feet. Cornell/Technion has agreed to a 99-year lease for the Roosevelt Island site, with an option to purchase the land at the end of the term for $1. Cornell will develop and own the campus itself, and will assume financial responsibility for its establishment and operations.
According to a new analysis, the NYCTech Campus will generate an even greater economic impact than was initially projected when the City released the Request for Proposals earlier this year. The new economic impact analysis, which was completed by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, projects that the new campus will generate more than $7.5 billion (NPV) and more than $23 billion (nominal) in overall economic activity over the course of the next three decades, as well as $1.4 billion (nominal) in total tax revenue. The campus alone will help create up to 20,000 construction jobs and up to 8,000 permanent jobs. More importantly, the campus is expected to generate nearly 600 spin-off companies over the projection period – projected to create up to an additional 30,000 permanent jobs. The strength of both Cornell and the Technion in generating entrepreneurial activity was one of the major factors in the selection of the consortium by the City.
“When people look back 100 years from now, I believe that they will remember today as a signal moment in the transformation of the City’s economy,” Deputy Mayor Steel said. “This is an inflection point in an economic renaissance that will position New York City for outsized success in the decades and centuries to come.”
“Today, with the creation of this historic partnership, New York City is forging a new path in economic development,” said New York City Economic Development President Seth W. Pinsky. “Thanks to the bold vision offered by Cornell and the Technion, we are taking another important step forward in attaining our goal of becoming the undisputed global leader in technology and innovation. These two world-class institutions – each of which is a leader in science, engineering, research, and entrepreneurship – have seen the tremendous promise that New York City has to offer, and we, in turn, have seen the enormous advantages that they bring with them. Over the next several decades, this creative partnership – which brings together the public, private and academic sectors – will lead to the creation of new technologies, new businesses, new jobs, and increased economic activity across the five boroughs, ensuring a brighter future for our City for generations to come.”
The Cornell/Technion proposal included a number of programmatic and development details that aligned with the City’s vision for the Applied Sciences NYC initiative that caused it to stand out. The NYCTech Campus is expected to become a world-leading institution, conferring graduate degrees and conducting research in the applied sciences with a commitment to innovation, commercialization, and the creation and retention of businesses and jobs in New York City. Academic uses are anticipated to range from classrooms, to laboratories, libraries, teaming areas and lecture halls, to start-up incubator and accelerator space. The remainder of the space in the campus will be devoted to residential uses, a conference center, as well as ancillary uses, such as retail in support of the faculty, staff and students on the campus.
The campus will be organized around three interdisciplinary hubs: Connective Media, Healthier Life, and the Built Environment. Cornell will immediately offer Master and Doctoral degrees in areas such as Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Information Science and Engineering. In addition, after receiving the required accreditation, the campus will also offer innovative Technion-Cornell dual Master of Applied Sciences degrees.
The NYCTech Campus will host entrepreneurs-in-residence, organize business competitions, provide legal support for startups, reach out to existing companies to form research partnerships and sponsor research, and establish a pre-seed financing program to support promising research. In addition, the campus will structure its tech transfer office, which will be on-site, to facilitate startup formation and technology licensing. The NYCTech Campus will also establish a $150 million revolving financing fund that will be solely devoted to start-up businesses in the City.
Cornell/Technion’s proposed NYCTech Campus will combine cutting edge technologies to create one of the most environmentally friendly and energy efficient campuses in the world. The proposed phase one academic building, if completed today, would be the largest net-zero energy building in eastern United States – meaning it will harvest as much energy from solar power and geothermal wells as it consumes on an annual basis. The campus is planned to include a solar array that will generate 1.8 megawatts at daily peak and a 400 well geothermal field, which uses the constant temperature of the earth to cool buildings in the summer and heat them in the winter. The well field and solar array would each be largest in New York City if built today. The campus will not only employ some of the most sophisticated environmental technology in the world, it will also help develop them, serving as a living laboratory for the Built Environment hub.
In keeping with the focus on community involvement contained in the RFP, the Cornell/Technion proposal outlined a number of areas in which the universities will touch the lives of New Yorkers — the type of involvement to which both schools have been committed for many years. For example, each year 7,000 Cornell students and 150 faculty members participate in programs at the Cornell Public Service Center. In fact, Cornell recently received the nation’s top award as an “institution of community engagement” from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The Technion, meanwhile, operates a Center for Pre-Academic Education for those who require additional preparation prior to formal schooling, and in the last academic year 80 Technion employees volunteered in after-school centers in low-income areas.
Plans for community involvement in New York City include the creation of education enhancement programs that will impact a minimum of 10,000 New York City students and 200 New York City teachers per year. Cornell/Technion also intends to work closely with PS/IS 217 on Roosevelt Island and the Child School, a charter school located on the island, to enrich their curricula and participate in STEM-oriented after-school programming. They will also work to meet the goals of the City’s HireNYC employment program and develop partnerships for job placement and training. In furtherance of its community outreach goals, Cornell/Technion will offer significant programming on and off its campus designed to engage with residents of Roosevelt Island and the larger City. Cornell’s campus plan will further create new public open space on the campus. Cornell has also pledged to help preserve the historic murals currently-contained within Goldwater Hospital. Plans for the hospital to be moved to a new location in Manhattan by the end of 2013 were in the works prior to the commencement of the Applied Sciences NYC initiative.
Both Cornell and the Technion have long and very successful track records with fundraising and development – both in New York City and beyond – which added to the assessment by the City of the feasibility of the proposal. Cornell alone has raised nearly $4 billion in gifts and commitments over the past seven years, including the recent $350 million gift relating to the Roosevelt Island campus. And the Technion has an established presence in New York City with the American Technion Society, which maintains a national network of thousands of alumni and supporters and has raised more than $1.65 billion since its founding in 1940, the majority raised in the past decade. Cornelly employs more than 5,000 people in New York City, and the city is home to some 50,000 Cornell alumni. In 2007, Cornell completed a 330,000 square foot outpatient clinical building in New York City and is currently constructing a 550,000 square foot medical research building in the City.
Cornell is widely known as a global leader in the fields of applied science, engineering, technology and research, as well as commercialization and entrepreneurship. Cornell is home to the top-rated Ivy League engineering program and is one of only a handful of institutions with top-10 programs in the key disciplines that drive today’s tech sector: Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Materials Science and Nanotechnology, and Information Science. Cornell ranks fourth in the world in the number of graduates who go on to pursue PhDs in engineering or the natural sciences at American institutions, according to US News and World Report. Further demonstrating the institution’s increased focus on commercialization, tenure evaluations at Cornell have recently begun to give serious consideration to the commercial activities of faculty members and their students. Cornell faculty and alumni have founded groundbreaking technology companies such as Qualcomm, Palm and PeopleSoft, and lead many of the nation’s most innovative technology companies. In the past five years alone, Cornell alumni have created more than 2,600 companies around the world – employing some 34,000 people and raising more than $10.6 billion in new capital. Cornell alumni are also leaders at many of the most active and successful venture capital firms in the country such as Battery, Bessemer, Canaan, Charles River, First Round, Matrix, and Sequoia. Cornell’s technology commercialization arm, CCTEC, has provided Cornell technology to ten startups in the past year, and 35 in the in the past five years. Further demonstrating the university’s increased focus on commercialization, tenure evaluations at Cornell have recently begun to give serious consideration to the commercial activities of faculty members and their students. Cornell recent alumni also have a large representation in the New York City tech start-up scene, with companies such as Postling, Go Try It On, JIBE, CityPockets, Behance and Moat.
Like Cornell, the Technion also has a world-class track-record in research, development and entrepreneurship. The Technion’s departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science are considered to be among the best in the world. The Technion boasts top ranking faculty members including Nobel laureates -the most recent, Professor Dan Shechtman – who just last week accepted the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Professor Shechtman is also well-known for his course on entrepreneurship, now in its 26th year and boasting 10,000 graduates. The Technion has long been considered a driving force behind Israel’s emergence as one of the world’s great centers of technology. The country today has one of the highest concentrations of high-tech start-up companies globally. In partnership with a strong community of incubators, private investors, venture capitalists, angel groups and entrepreneurs, the Technion’s tech transfer arm, Technion Technology Transfer (T3), has filed an average of 300 new patents each year and annually nurtures innovative startups in sectors such as clean-tech, cell therapy, drug delivery, nanotechnology and others. Companies including Intel, Google, Microsoft, IBM, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Yahoo! and Hewlett-Packard have established major operations near or on the Technion campus, where they can take advantage of the world-class research and students and faculty members of the Technion. The Technion graduates currently head nearly half of the 121 Israeli companies on the NASDAQ, which have a combined market value of over $28 billion. More than 70 percent of the Technion graduates are employed in the high technology sectors that drive Israel’s economic growth. Presently, Israeli companies headed by the Technion graduates employ 85 percent of Israel’s technical workforce. According to a recent article in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, there are approximately 4,000 start-up companies located around the Technion’s home campus.
“This is a momentous day catapulting New York City into the forefront of the 21st century economy and burnishing its place as the high-tech center of the East,” said U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer. “Mayor Bloomberg deserves tremendous credit for his vision to always build for the future in order to keep New York the greatest city in the world. By partnering with Cornell, a great New York institution with a deep tradition of cutting-edge engineering and world-class sciences work, we are sending a message to the high-tech community: New York welcomes with open arms the best and the brightest, and the most creative and the most ambitious high-tech minds in the world. We will build all that is needed to conceive and launch your business. But this just the first step, the end of the beginning, of what needs to be a ongoing, multiyear effort to make New York not just one of, but the high tech center for innovation. And that is the message we are sending today with this announcement – look out Silicon Valley, look out Boston, New York will be second to none.”
“No other city is poised to lead in the high-tech economy of the future like New York City,” said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “Cornell and the Technion’s partnership will bolster the city’s potential to spark new industries, attract businesses, and create thousands of jobs. I thank Mayor Bloomberg for his efforts in bringing a state-of-the-art science and engineering campus right here in the heart of the Big Apple, ensuring that we’re growing innovative leaders to compete and win in the global economy.”
“A new, world-class applied sciences campus on Roosevelt Island is a perfect holiday gift for our city that will pay dividends for generations. Cornell and the Technion are an unbeatable combination, matching academic excellence with a proven track record of creating new hi-tech start-ups. Roosevelt Island will be an outstanding site for a new high-tech campus – accessible by transportation, near Manhattan and Queens in the heart of the city, but separate enough to have a small-town feel. I thank Mayor Bloomberg for having the vision to bring an applied sciences school to New York, and for having the wisdom to choose Cornell and the Technion – and a location on Roosevelt Island- to build this incredible new school,” said Congresswoman Maloney.
“A state of the art facility for academic training and research provided by the team of Cornell and Technion Universities will produce talented graduates ready to work in New York’s growing high tech sector,” said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. “This in turn will draw new and expanding high tech business that can benefit from a highly qualified work force in New York City, the center for international business. I want to thank Mayor Michael Bloomberg for launching the Applied Sciences NY initiative, an innovative competition that has resulted in a $2 billion investment that is critical to New York City’s economy. The addition of this engineering and applied sciences campus will add to the already vast array of higher education centers in New York City while creating tens of thousands of new jobs in the tech sector as well as educational opportunities for more than 2,000 students.”
Senate Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos said: “This announcement is great news for Cornell University, one of the nation’s premier Universities located in Upstate New York, for the City’s plans to create a robust, high-tech economy for the future, and for the thousands of young people who will be able to find work here. I commend Mayor Bloomberg for his vision and congratulate all those who played a role in this selection. I look forward to seeing the positive impact that this agreement will have in the years ahead, both as a tool to enhance the educational experience and promote the creation of thousands of new jobs throughout New York.”
“It’s very exciting that Roosevelt Island will host a state-of-the-art applied sciences campus in New York City, and I congratulate Cornell University on their winning bid,” said Senator Jos? M. Serrano. “Our city’s greatest strength is our diversity and we have always attracted a wealth of talent from all over the globe. For this reason, the Island’s accessibility to the heart of Manhattan makes it the ideal location for a new facility of higher learning. I look forward to watching this campus boost New York’s economy by creating high-tech jobs throughout the city, and lead our state toward becoming a worldwide leader in the field of computer engineering. The Roosevelt Island residents, who have been extremely supportive throughout this process, are sure to make wonderful neighbors, and together we look forward to working with Cornell University to ensure the success of this campus.”
“Job creation is a top priority for the City Council, and with the selection of Cornell University as the home of the city’s new applied science and engineering campus, we’re one step closer to bringing new jobs to New York City and becoming the technology capital of the world,” said City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “I’m thrilled for what this means for the future of our city, and its economic growth. This historic partnership is a milestone for the city and a vote of confidence in our continued efforts to keep us on the cutting edge of new technology.”
“This is a game changer for our city,” said Council Member Jessica Lappin. “I’m thrilled that Cornell University will be engineering our city’s economic future on Roosevelt Island. Cornell-Technion’s plan will make New York a high-tech capital and transform Roosevelt Island into Silicon Island.”
“Hooray for the home town team! I want to congratulate Cornell and the Technion Universities for winning the Mayor’s Applied Sciences competition,” said Assembly Member Micah Kellner. “I couldn’t think of a better place for New York’s world-class applied sciences university than Roosevelt Island.”
“Roosevelt Island has always been a pioneer in advancing municipal technology. It is fitting that the Island will now become a hub for innovation, exponentially expanding the ideas that will change the way we live locally and globally. We’re thrilled to welcome Cornell University and the Technion’s new world-class applied science and engineering campus as our neighbor and look forward to working with them closely. We also are thankful to Mayor Bloomberg for his vision,” said Leslie Torres, president of New York State’s Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, which manages and operates the two-mile long Island.
“Cornell and the Technion are each well-established global leaders in the fields of science and engineering, as well as entrepreneurship,” said Charles Vest, President of the National Academy of Engineering, and President Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “This newly formed partnership marks an important moment for New York City, its economy, and the future of innovation and higher education in this country.”
“Earlier this month, Facebook announced we would be opening an engineering office to add to our already strong presence in New York City,” said Serkan Piantino, head of engineering at Facebook in New York City. “New York has a strong history of innovation and is home to thousands of talented technical people, and we want them to help us solve the challenges of designing and building the next generation of Facebook. The addition of an applied sciences campus to New York City will ensure that New York continues to attract some of the best and brightest engineers and computer scientists in the world.”
“With their world-class engineering and computer science programs, Cornell and the Technion are an outstanding selection for this exciting endeavor,” said Barry Silbert, Founder & CEO of SecondMarket. “This new applied science campus underscores the Mayor’s continued commitment to entrepreneurship and job creation, and is a momentous step forward for NYC’s thriving high-tech and startup community.”
“New York City has always been home to some of the most cutting-edge and innovative businesses on the planet,” said Kevin Ryan, Founder and CEO of Gilt Groupe. “Now, with Cornell and the Technion’s world-class tech campus situated in the heart of the city, even more entrepreneurs and visionaries will have the tools and creative environment needed to start new businesses across the five boroughs, and as a result, grow New York City’s economy.”
“New York City has been making great strides towards becoming a leader in tech, and the arrival of Cornell and the Technion will greatly accelerate its development,” said David Tisch, founder of TechStars. “Increasing the number of engineers is critical, and this project affirms why TechStars believes in the success of New York City. We look forward to working closely with the universities to accelerate company and job creation, and applaud Mayor Bloomberg on the success of Applied Sciences NYC.”
“Cornell and the Technion are world-class institutions, and their partnership on a new applied science campus will solidify New York City’s position as a major center for technology startups, an important source of new jobs,” Eric Hippeau, Partner at Lerer Ventures. “There is a shortage of talent that companies around the world need to grow, and the addition of these respective faculty members and students will benefit NYC’s economy for years to come.”
“The city’s technology ecosystem is booming and we need an influx of top talent to build the next generation of startups right here in the five boroughs,” said Cyrus Massoumi, co-founder & CEO of ZocDoc. “Cornell and the Technion graduates are sure to create many of the great technologies of tomorrow and contribute to the growth of companies like ours.”
With the selection of Cornell/Technion now complete, the project is scheduled to move into the environmental and land use review process, including the City’s Uniform Land Use Review Process, with all review expected to be completed by the fall of 2013. Groundbreaking on the first phase of the Roosevelt Island campus is expected by the beginning of 2015.
Selection for the Applied Sciences NYC initiative was based – and will continue to be based – on factors in three categories: Economic Impact and Feasibility, Respondent’s Qualifications and Track Record, and Institutional Connections to the City. There has also been a strong emphasis placed on the ability of the facility to create jobs and increase the global competitiveness of New York City. Accordingly, the RFP issued in July asked respondents to prioritize fields in the applied sciences that would lend themselves to commercialization and business creation and attraction. Specific criteria in the RFP included:
” Likelihood of developing research that will lead to the formation, expansion and attraction of companies in industries that demonstrate the most potential for growth.
” Likelihood of creating construction and permanent jobs and generating tax revenue.
” Likelihood of developing a financially self-sustaining campus.
” Likelihood of contributing to the diversification of New York City’s economy by expanding its applied sciences sector.
Respondents were also evaluated – and will continue to be evaluated – on their proposed community relations and partnerships, including programs that they intend to undertake to connect with residents locally and citywide. Institutions that are selected are expected to comply with a series of deadlines and requirements, including those relating to construction timeline, the number of enrolled students, the number of dedicated faculty members, and the establishment of applicable academic and research programs. Any partner institution is also expected to create links between industry and academia to ensure that research is applied or translated for use in various business sectors. Campus plans must demonstrate a strong emphasis on sustainable, energy-efficient design that is sensitive to surrounding neighborhoods and the global environment.
The selection process, which is ongoing, has been led by City officials over the past eight weeks, in consultation with and with guidance from members of the Applied Sciences NYC Advisory Committee, which was created earlier this year. The committee was comprised of leaders from the academic, civic and business sectors, and was assembled to ensure that the ultimate selection achieves the goals set forth by the City.
Applied Sciences NYC was designed to capitalize on the considerable growth presently occurring within the science, technology and research fields in New York, and builds on the Bloomberg Administration’s record of creating a better diversified and more competitive economy for the future. In the technology sector, employment in New York grew by nearly 30 percent between 2005 and 2010, with total employment now at nearly 120,000. Also, last year New York surpassed Boston to become the number two recipient of venture capital funding for technology companies, while in the third quarter of 2011, New York surpassed Boston in venture capital funding across all categories.
Applied Sciences NYC was launched by the City after hundreds of conversations with academics, local business leaders, civic leaders, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and community leaders, during the last several years. In these conversations, a common theme emerged: even with the high quality of research and development activity taking place in New York City today and even with all of the expansion plans now in the works at local universities, given the scale of the City’s economy and the scale of its ambitions (to become the global center of the innovation economy in the 21st Century), the City needs to promote more such activity in the coming decades. This is especially true as other countries continue to invest heavily in research and development, with Asia, for example, now predicted to overtake R&D expenditures in the U.S. within the next five years, thanks primarily to striking growth in R&D investment in China.
In July of 2011, the Economic Development Corporation issued the RFP seeking a university, institution or consortium to develop and operate a new or expanded campus in the City in exchange for City capital, access to City-owned land – at the Navy Hospital Campus at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Goldwater Hospital Campus on Roosevelt Island, or on Governors Island – and the full support and partnership of the Bloomberg Administration. In October, the City received 7 responses from 17 world-class institutions from around the globe.
The cells, called “pericytes”, were produced, grown and multiplied in a Technion lab in sufficiently large amounts to treat heart and blood vessel diseases
In the revolutionary research carried out by Prof. Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor, director of the Gynecology and Obstetrics Department of Rambam Medical Center, in his Stem Cell Research Laboratory in the Technion’s Rappaport Medical Faculty, together with Dr. Ayelet Daar-Vakhnin, “pericytes” – cells that have a crucial role in building blood vessels and in their functioning – were derived. The derivation took place during differentiation of embryonic stem cells using characteristic signs found on the cell membrane. When these derived cells were injected into the leg muscles of mice where the blood flow had almost completely been blocked, the pericytes created new blood vessels and restored the muscles cells that had been damaged by the lack of oxygen. The experiment simulated treatment of injury to muscles or tissues as a result of a disruption in blood supply – a phenomenon typical of complications related to common diseases such as heart disease, blood vessel disease and diabetes.
The pericyte cells were derived from both embryonic stem cells of fertilized eggs donated to research and induced pluripotent stem cells – cells taken from an adult and reprogrammed using genetic manipulation into cells with embryonic characteristics. Induced pluripotent stem cells can be differentiated into any type of human cell and tissue, similar to what happens to embryonic stem cells. Given that these can be derived from the patient him or herself, implanting the pericytes derived from these induced pluripotent stem cells should enable healing of the injured tissue and avert rejection of these cells by the patient’s body.
The report of this work recently appeared in the prestigious journal Circulation, a publication of the American Heart Association and was discussed at length in an editorial in the same journal. The results of the research are important both for understanding the processes of development of blood vessels and for treatment of common diseases marked by injury to the supply of blood to the heart, limbs, etc.
Additional research partners were Hagit Domev, Oren Ben Yosef, Dr. Mati Zuckerman, Dr. Naama Zeevi-Levin, Atara Novak, Yigal Germanguz, and Dr. Michal Amit.
Prof. Sir Richard Friend, Cavendish Professor of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and Prof. Judea Pearl, Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Los Angeles, are the winners of the prestigious Harvey Prize for 2011. They will receive their prizes at the festive awards ceremony to be held at the Technion in spring 2012.
The Technion’s decision to award Prof. Sir Richard Friend the prize states that he “pioneered the physics, materials science and engineering of semiconductor devices made with carbon-based polymers. His breakthrough research made possible deep understanding of electronic and optical processes in polymer conductors for realizing a range of devices including field-effect transistors, photovoltaic diodes and cells as well as lasers. Demonstrating scientific and technological leadership, Prof. Friend made a decisive contribution to the harnessing of this exciting technology, as evidenced by, among others, the two successful spin-off companies – Cambridge Display Technology Ltd. and Plastic Logic Ltd. – he founded. The Harvey Prize is awarded to Prof. Sir Richard Friend in recognition of his outstanding contributions to science and technology, which are already making an impact on the semi-conductor industry and our lives.”
Regarding Prof. Pearl, the Technion decision states that he “through his wide-ranging and keen research, laid the theoretical foundations for knowledge representation and reasoning in computer science. His theories for inference under uncertainty, and most notably the Bayesian network approach, have profoundly influenced diverse fields such as artificial intelligence, statistics, philosophy, health, economics, social sciences, and cognitive sciences. The Harvey Prize is awarded to Prof. Pearl in recognition of his foundational work that has touched a multitude of spheres of modern life.”
The Harvey Prize, first presented in 1972, is the fruit of the foundation set up by the late Leo M. Harvey of Los Angeles, to recognize great contributions to human advancement in the fields of science and technology, human health and peace efforts in the Middle East. Each year prizes totaling $75,000 are awarded to each recipient.
Among the winners of this prestigious prize have been scientists from the U.S.A., Britain, Russia, Sweden, France, and Israel. To name a few, Nobel laureate Mikhail Gorbachev, former head of state of the U.S.S.R., received the prize for his activities to decrease regional tensions; Prof. Bert Sakman, Nobel laureate in medicine, Prof. Pierre-Giles de Gennes, Nobel laureate in physics, Prof. Edward Teller for his discoveries in solid state, atomic and nuclear physics and Prof. William G. Kolff for his developing of the artificial kidney.
Recommendations for candidates for the Harvey Prize are accepted from leading scientists and personalities in Israel and abroad. Prize winners are selected by the Harvey Prize Committee through a meticulous process in the Technion.
Above: Professor Judea Pearl (right) and Professor Sir Richard Friend (left)
Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Nobel laureates, fellow scientists, ladies and gentlemen, dear family.
On April 8, 1982, I was alone in the electron microscope room when I discovered the Icosahedral Phase that opened the field of quasi–periodic crystals. However, today I am joined by many hundreds of enthusiastic scientists worldwide. I stand here as the vanguard of the science of quasicrystals, but without these dedicated scientists the field would not be where it is today. This supreme recognition of the science we have unveiled over the last quarter century is celebrated by us all.
In the beginning there were only a handful of gifted colleagues who helped launch the field. First was Ilan Blech, at the time a Technion professor, who proposed the first icosahedral model. He demonstrated, by computer simulation, that the model could produce diffraction patterns that matched those that I had observed in the electron microscope. Together we wrote the first announcement of the discovery. Then John Cahn of the US and Denis Gratias of France coauthored with us the second, modified article that was actually published first. Other key contributions to the field were made by Roger Penrose of the UK who, years earlier, created a nonrepeating aperiodic mosaic with just two rhomboid tiles, and Alan Mackay of the UK who showed that Penrose tiles produce sharp diffraction spots. Dov Levine of Israel and Paul Steinhardt of the US made the connection between my diffraction patterns and Mackay’s work. They published a theoretical paper formulating the fundamentals of quasi-crystals and coined the term. All these pioneers paved the way to the wonderful world of quasi-periodic materials.
I would like to mention two other eminent scientists who are no longer with us, whose commitment to the field was of great importance. These are Luis Michel, a prominent French mathematician, and Kehsin Kuo of China, a leader in electron microscopy, who was educated in Sweden.
We are now approaching the end of 2011, the UNESCO International Year of Chemistry, a worldwide celebration of the field. In a few weeks we will see in the New Year, 2012, the centennial of the von Laue experiment which launched the field of modern crystallography. The following year, 2013, will mark the International Year of Crystallography. The paramount recognition of the discovery of quasi-periodic crystals is, therefore, most timely.
The discovery and the ensuing progress in the field resulted in a paradigm shift in the science of crystallography. A new definition of crystal emerged, one that is beautiful and humble and open to further discoveries. A humble scientist is a good scientist.
Science is the ultimate tool to reveal the laws of nature and the one word written on its banner is TRUTH. The laws of nature are neither good nor bad. It is the way in which we apply them to our world that makes the difference.
It is therefore our duty as scientists to promote education, rational thinking and tolerance. We should also encourage our educated youth to become technological entrepreneurs. Those countries that nurture this knowhow will survive future financial and social crises. Let us advance science to create a better world for all.
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I would like to thank the scientists who nominated me, the Nobel Prize committee, and the Nobel Foundation for bestowing on me this unparalleled honor.
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN– The Forum for Innovation Management (FIM), a forum within of the Karl-Adam Bonnier Foundation, hosted “Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education,” on December 6, 2011 at the historic mansion Nedre Manilla. Some 85 attendees from the Swedish academic, government and business communities listened to keynote speaker Distinguished Technion Professor Dan Shechtman, the 2011 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and expert panelists, discuss the challenges facing many countries in today’s economy ways to improve performance and growth through entrepreneurship.
Matias Bonnier, Chairman of the Karl-Adam Bonnier Foundation welcomed participants and speakers to his ancestral home.
In his introduction Mikolaj Norek, FIM Director, said that like entrepreneurs, Professor Shechtman had to fight for recognition to achieve success since the scientific community did not initially believe in his discovery.
“Entrepreneurship education is vital to the survival and growth of a country’s future especially when natural resources are being depleted at an accelerated rate,” said Prof. Shechtman.
Even as a young academic Prof. Shechtman foresaw the value in educating engineers in this area. For more than 25 years he has taught technological entrepreneurship at the Technion and counts some 10,000 graduates of this course. The course exposed students to both successful and non-successful entrepreneurs and provided training legal, business and marketing professionals who offered real-world advice.
“Israel is unique as our students have completed military service where they are already exposed to some of the most sophisticated high-tech in the world. They are also older and more mature when they start their university studies,” said Prof. Shechtman.
While this may give Israel an advantage, Prof. Shechtman believes that there are similarities in small countries such as Sweden and Israel that can create the cultural environment that can ultimately foster a start-up economy.
He also said that Israel faces the challenge of many start-ups developed with an exit strategy in mind. This does not allow for the creation of larger companies that can be impactful through the production of exportable products, and most importantly in job creation.
The panelists included Prof. Anders Flodström, Former University Chancellor and Head of the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education; Maud Olofsson, Former Swedish Minister for Enterprise and Energy, Advisor to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on female entrepreneurship; Prof. Karin Markides, President Chalmers University of Technology; and Prof. Martin Schuurmans, Founding Chairman of the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Governing Board.
They echoed Prof. Shechtman’s belief that entrepreneurship should start at an early age, even at the Kindergarten level, to create a spirit of entrepreneurship. Matias Bonnier commented that younger students should be active participants in their entrepreneurial education. They should interact, talk and ask questions of their teachers. He added that entrepreneurship is a bridge between societies and nations.
They also suggested that the government take an active role in setting policies that can foster growth in this area.
Tor Bonnier, Chairman of FIM, concluded the meeting with the message that it is clear that the study of entrepreneurship is important to have in any society. “It is important to foster budding entrepreneurs based on our own culture in order to be competitive in a global economy.” he said.
The event was co-created by the Israeli Embassy in Sweden.
FORUM FOR INNOVATION MANAGEMENT (FIM) was established in 1999 as a non-profit activity within the Karl-Adam Bonnier Foundation.
FIM is currently in its twelve year, having organized 60 exclusive seminars bringing together influential representatives such as policy makers and selected representatives from financial, legal and academic institutions as well as practitioners in the corporate and entrepreneurial business sectors. FIM has also published two books in the series of “Swedish Innovation Force” – which summarizes many of the topics discussed at the seminars.
FIM maintains a high standard, attracting a selected audience through tailor made seminars with national and international speakers, and publications with support from Karl-Adam Bonniers Stiftelse (foundation), Vinnova, Företagarna, IVA, and Innovationsbron. Our mission is to increase the awareness of entrepreneurial and innovation issues in the Swedish academic and corporate environments. The forum enables people to cross-pollinate ideas on current and future policies and legislations that will be the foundation of our new national competitive strategy.
Above: Prof’ Shechtman (center) with the panel participants
New data about the traveling habits of Israeli residents, collected using cell phones, were revealed in a lecture given by the Head of the Transportation Research Institute at the Technion, Prof. Shlomo Bekhor of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, in an “open day” at the Technion. Prof. Bekhor, who is considered to be a pioneer in this research field, presented two projects he has participated in, that were carried out for the Ministry of Transport.
The stamp was launched during the main event in the Technion’s centennial celebrations, in the presence of Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie, Mayor of Haifa Adv. Yona Yahav, Chairman of the Board of Israel Postal Company Sasi Shilo, and Director of Philatelic
The stamp will be launched during the main event in the Technion’s centennial celebrations, in the presence of Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie, Mayor of Haifa Adv. Yona Yahav, Chairman of the Board of Israel Postal Company Sasi Shilo, and Director of Philatelic Services Yaron Ratzon
Undergraduate and graduate students will fill practical roles in the examination of various aspects related to the mission and in the development of the system
The Yanai Award for Excellence in Academic Education has been awarded by the Technion for the first time. The award, aimed at promoting the quality of teaching in the Technion, was awarded to 14 faculty members from the different Technion faculties: Prof. Alon Gany, Prof. Shimon Gepstein, Prof. Irad Yavneh, Prof. Avishai Mandelbaum, Prof. Noam Soker, Prof. David Chillag, Prof. Uri Eliash, Prof. Hossam Haick, Prof. Amnon Katz, Prof. Doron Melamed, Prof. Ayelet Fishman, Prof. Avinoam Kolodny, Prof. Eitan Kimmel and Dr. Seffy (Yosef) Givli.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Cornell University President David J. Skorton, and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology President Peretz Lavie today announced an historic partnership to build a two-million-square-foot applied science and engineering campus on Roosevelt Island in New York City. The selection of the Cornell/Technion consortium – which pairs two of the world’s top institutions in the fields of science, engineering, technology and research – marks a major milestone in the City’s groundbreaking Applied Sciences NYC initiative, which seeks to increase New York City’s capacity for applied sciences and dramatically transform the City’s economy. Cornell/Technion’s proposal was among the many strong proposals that were submitted to the City from a number of world-class institutions around the globe as part of the City’s groundbreaking competitive process. The Cornell/Technion consortium was ultimately selected due to the large scale and vision of their proposal, the long and impressive track-record of both institutions in generating applied science breakthroughs and spinning out new businesses, the financing capacity of the consortium, the focus of the consortium on the collaboration between academia and the private sector, and the overall capacity of the partnership to execute the project. In addition to the Roosevelt Island site, the City will also provide $100 million in City capital to assist with site infrastructure, construction, and related costs. This is the first selection announcement for the Applied Sciences NYC initiative. Productive discussions are ongoing with other respondents – Carnegie Mellon, Columbia and a New York University-led consortium – and the possibility of additional science and engineering partnerships in the City is still open. Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement at Cornell’s Weill Cornell Medical College, and was also joined by Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel, New York City Economic Development President Seth W. Pinsky, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, State Senator Jos? M. Serrano, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Council Member Jessica Lappin, as well as other civic and business leaders.
Prof. Sir Richard Friend, Cavendish Professor of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and Prof. Judea Pearl, Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Los Angeles, are the winners of the prestigious Harvey Prize for 2011. They will receive their prizes at the festive awards ceremony to be held at the Technion in spring 2012.
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN– The Forum for Innovation Management (FIM), a forum within of the Karl-Adam Bonnier Foundation, hosted “Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education,” on December 6, 2011 at the historic mansion Nedre Manilla. Some 85 attendees from the Swedish academic, government and business communities listened to keynote speaker Distinguished Technion Professor Dan Shechtman, the 2011 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and expert panelists, discuss the challenges facing many countries in today’s economy ways to improve performance and growth through entrepreneurship.