62 Chinese top managers to participate at Technion’s Innovations workshop this week

Guests will hear lectures on the topic of innovation by leading academic experts, and will participate on industrial visits to leading Israeli companies including: Iscar, Amiad Water Systems, Biosense Webster, Stratasys, NaanDanJain Irrigation and Gilat Satellite Networks.

“Attending this workshop are senior managers and executives from mid-sized companies from all over China with a financial turnover of about $10 million dollars,” says Prof. Miriam Erez, 2005 Israel Prize recipient who heads the Knowledge Center for Innovation. She also mentioned that, “These companies are looking for added value in Israeli technology, and its representatives have come to this workshop to learn the secrets of Israeli innovation.”

Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie welcomed the business delegation, and briefed them on Technion’s history and its great contribution to the Israeli economy. “Globalization is one of Technion’s strategic goals,” said Prof. Lavie. “In 2009 we opened an International School at the university that attracts excellent students from all over the world, among them many Chinese students. We have laboratories in Singapore, and in New York we have opened the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute. Cooperation with the Chinese people is important to us.”

During their visit, the business delegates will meet with the Chinese Ambassador to Israel, H.E. Gao Yanping, along with Israeli government officials and business executives from around the country, including representatives from the Haifa municipality and the Haifa Economic Corporation. They will hear lectures by the former Minster of Science, Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz, Prof. Shlomo Maital, former Chief Scientist Dr. Eli Opper, and additional entrepreneurs and Israeli industry leaders of innovation.

The workshop will be held in cooperation with Shengjing, a business consulting firm from Beijing.

Above: Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie with the head of the Chinese delegation, Mr. Chen Yong. Photographed by: Shiatzo Photography Services, Technion Spokesperson’s Office

A mixture of languages and students from around the world greeted the unique graduation ceremony that took place at the beginning of the week at the Zielony Student Union Building on campus: The awarding of degrees to the first graduating class of the Technion International School.

The Technion International School was established in 2009, and this week the first cohort of 12 students completed their four-year degrees.  In a dignified and moving ceremony, attended by Technion President Professor Peretz Lavie and Professor Daniel Hershkowitz, former Minister of Science, BSc degrees in civil and environmental engineering were awarded to 12 new graduates who came to study at Technion from across the world: India, Spain, USA, Peru, Italy, Venezuela, China, Albania, France, Israel and South Africa. The ceremony was attended by the new graduates and their families, senior Technion administration, and international students from the Technion International School.

Eight of the new graduates will pursue graduate studies: four of them at Technion and the other four at leading universities in Britain and the US.

“I was among the first students at Technion International School, and graduating today is very exciting,” remarked Akshay Vajpayee who comes from India. “I chose to study at Technion because I heard about the university when I was in India. I knew that here I will learn from engineers who built a country. In India, Israel is considered a dangerous country. But when I arrived here I found a secure and comfortable environment, even more so than India. The meeting of cultures at the School was very special and benefited me a lot. Suddenly I have friends from all over the world, coming from diverse cultures and countries. My studies at Technion equipped me with academic tools to handle any future challenge, and prepared me for a chance to study at Stanford University.”

Shayma Sharif is a Palestinian from Beit Hanina. “Education was always first priority at home,” she said. “All of my brothers and sisters were sent to a Catholic school in Beit Hanina although we are Muslim, because my parents wanted us to get a better education.” Shayma is proud to be a Technion student. “Whenever people hear about where I’m studying they tell me, ‘Wow, you’re a Technion student,’ and it’s an amazing feeling. Also my relationships with professors here is excellent; their doors are always open to us.  It was hard for me to get used to calling them by their first name, but that’s how it is in Israel.”

Over the years Shayma went through some ups and downs, but she never felt lost within the system. “At the Technion I met the beautiful side of Israel,” she stated. “And at the International School I had a feeling of being exposed to the world – close to home.”

Alex Bouaziz is the youngster of the group, who came to Technion from France. At age four he could already read and write Hebrew and French, and at age five could do multiplication and division. At school he advanced quickly and completed his formal education at age 16. “As a practicing Jew in Paris I felt fearful,” he said. “I came to study at Technion International partly because of this but mainly because of Zionism. In addition, I wanted to study at an excellent engineering school. My experience here has been wonderful. I benefited from a supportive environment and made good friendships. In Paris I never had non-Jewish friends and here in Israel I’ve made several.”

“This has been a great experience for Alex, and he really matured. The International School met all our expectations,” added Alex’s father, Philip, who came to the graduation ceremony from France. “Since my son was part of the school’s first program, we at first felt that it was a bit of a gamble for us, and I’m thankful that this gamble was such a success. For Alex, this was the right school at the right time for him, and I’m so proud of him.”

The rest of Alex’s family has followed in his footsteps. His sister Chloe has started her studies at Technion this week, and his youngest sisters have already started studying at schools in Tel Aviv. “My Mom is travelling back and forth, and my father comes often,” explains Alex. “Life in Israel is better compared to Paris. Studies at Technion have been tough and I had to work very hard (although I’m somewhat lazy), but the results have been very good and the experience was wonderful.” Alex has been accepted to graduate studies at MIT.

At the ceremony, Professor Arnon Bentur, Technion’s Executive Vice President and Director General and founder of the Technion International School, welcomed the new graduates and wished them all the best: “Last year Technion celebrated its centennial and we looked towards the future. Today we are dealing with the challenges of the 21st century, among them globalization. The foundation of the International School is a strategic step that will bring to Technion excellent students from all corners of the world.”

Technion President Professor Peretz Lavie stated, “The graduation ceremony of the first graduating class of Technion International is a dream come true. You are all success stories, and have become a part of Technion history. From today you’ll be Technion’s good-will ambassadors abroad.”

Former Minister of Science, Professor Daniel Hershkowitz said, “The language of science bridges differences in culture and language. The establishment of Technion International is the fulfillment of a vision and a model. It is exciting to see students from different countries learning together, where the common language is the language of science.”

Professor Amnon Katz, Academic Head of the Technion International School, and Professor Noah Galil, the Dean of the Technion’s Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, awarded the diplomas to the graduates, along with hard hats worn at construction sites. “Four years ago, the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering was the first at Technion to integrate students from the International School, said Professor Galil. “Today, I wouldn’t be able to recognize the faculty without these (international) students.”

“We were the first class of the International School, a melting pot of students from a variety of cultures from around the world,” said David Debash from Italy, who was class valedictorian. “It took us a while to get to know each other and bond as a group, but today we are a family. In the name of the students of the first graduating class I thank Technion for this unforgettable period.”

The Technion International School was founded in 2009, and its academic programs are taught entirely in English as it is geared for international students. Today, approximately 108 students study in the BSc program for Civil and Environmental Engineering, half of whom come from developed countries while the other half are from countries with emerging economies, like China. Further to this four-year BSc program, the International School also offers short-term international programs in English at a number of faculties, such as semester abroad, summer school, and graduate studies. To date there are some 300 students enrolled in these programs.

The Academic Head of the School, Professor Amnon Katz, summed it up in the following words: “Half of the graduates are students who have made both the President’s List and the Dean’s List, thus reflecting the realization of the school’s vision of attracting outstanding candidates from around the world. Good luck to you all.”

Israel has grown quite a name for entrepreneurship and startups in the last couple of years, ultimately named as the startup nation. The Technion, without any doubt, is the place where Israel’s top technological brain power gathers to study and research the next boundaries of science across its many facets. On the first weekend of June, an event called Technion 3 Day Startup was held aiming to bring the two worlds together allowing students from the different faculties of the institution to form groups and start their startup journey.

The inaugural event at the Technion is the latest addition to the many other 3DS events held at top educational institutions worldwide. 3DS was founded by students at the university of Austin Texas four years ago to provide a platform for students to meet and cooperate with like minded students from different faculties. With more than 70 events held to date and 30 plus companies formed that have raised more than 11 million dollars, it can be said that 3DS has found the right formula to spot entrepreneurs and allow them to create winning teams.

The event was setup by Dr. Daniel Freedman, a new faculty member at the Electrical Engineering department, and Shai Haim, an alumni of the same faculty who now works in the venture capital industry. “Having seen the strength of the event in the USA and Beijing and hearing about the Israeli attitude toward creating new ventures, it was only natural to me to setup the platform at the Technion as the leading Tech institution”, said Daniel. “We wanted to allow these top notch students to interact with disciplines and issues outside their comfort zone, something that I personally was missing as a student here” added Shai.

The organisers have reached out to all Technion faculties for support in advertising and setup within campus. “Responses were remarkably positive enabling to quickly spread the word among students” said Daniel. 120 students applied and after a rigorous screening process, 38 were chosen representing 13 different faculties. “To allow the event, we had to have not only the best students, but also great sponsors with the Technion brand we managed to get top notch backers” said Shai. The event was endorsed by Startupbootcamp, a leading startup acceleration program, Microsoft R&D center, IBM labs, Wix, GKH Law, the law firm behind the Waze deal, and BDO Israel.

The event began with participants pitches of their ideas to their colleagues. After selecting the best ideas, they formed groups and began working. Along each and every point of their work, participants enjoyed the advice of the best professionals ranging from Waze’s founder and president through founders of huge semiconductors companies such as Zoran to professionals from GKH and BDO.

The wonderful setting has allowed students to establish eight exciting new ventures:

(1) InMyShoes:

A platform that aims to connect people seeking professional advice and people who have the knowledge from experience. For example, a South African student seeking to study in London Business School will be able to chat with a person with the exact same profile.

(2) SeeCare:

A system that actively alerts parents when their baby is about to crawl out of the crib.

The system aims to utilise sophisticated movement analysis to be the active figure on guard.

(3) CheckCity:

An innovative mobile application that will cater people with a tight travelling time constraint. The application will suggest them with the best activities to pursue within the allotted timeframe.

(4) L&B (Lend & Borrow):

A marketplace for lending and borrowing of equipment. While market penetration will go through exchanging articles for free, the platform will also allow to rent selected  items. Founders believe the timing could not have been better with so many market undergoing financial crisis, thus making people to look for other methods on cutting /changing their buying habits.

(5) Groopiez:

Feeling the pain of students trying t collaborate together over a wide offering of services, such as Dropbox, Skype and GDrive, Groopiez aim to give an easy to setup, without a login, environment for collaboration that will include all the necessary features of files sharing, chat and so on.

(6) ProTect:

With 100 incidents worldwide of underwater data cables being torn by fishing boats, ProTect has suggested an innovative and patentable solution for the prevention of these incidents. A completely low tech solution that can save billions of dollars to the telecommunications companies.

(7) Verify.me:

In an era where 67% of internet users state trust as their main barrier to use the social networks, Verify.me will verify users using a sophisticated algorithm that takes a new approach compared to current solutions.

(8) BackVision:

700 cyclists die yearly in the US alone. Of which two thirds die on the highways BackVision’s device will alert cyclist of vehicles approaching them on a collision course, giving them the needed time to take preventive action.

The Technion awarded Maestro Zubin Mehta an Honorary Doctorate at a gala concert given by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at the renovated Charles Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv on Thursday, July 18th. The special concert, which was titled “A Musical Matter”, was conducted by Maestro Zubin Mehta and Presented by Technion’s Distinguished Prof. Dan Shechtman, 2011 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. This was the season’s closing concert of the “IPO in Jeans” series and was attended by multiple generations of Technion alumni.

A festive reception was held before the concert under the generous auspices of the Keter Group, courtesy of Tova and Sammy Segol. Present at the reception were Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie and his wife Dr. Lena Lavie; 2011 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Distinguished Prof. Dan Shechtman and his wife Prof. Ziporah Shechtman; 2009 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Prof. Ada Yonath; former Minister of Science and Technology Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz; University of Haifa President Amos Shapira; hi-tech entrepreneur and Technion alumnus Moshe Yanai; the Economic Attaché at the French Embassy Didier Wisselmann; Chairman of the Israel Technion Society Major General (res.) Amos Horevand members of the Society; and members of the Technion administration.

The Philharmonic Orchestra began the gala concert with Meyerbeer’s Coronation March conducted by Prof. Dan Shechtman. After the short piece, Maestro Zubin Mehta and Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie took the stage in academic gowns, together with Mr. Sammy Segol, and the honorary degree was conferred on Maestro Zubin Mehta.

Mehta was awarded the degree “in recognition of [his] unique and historic contribution to music in the world in general, and in Israel in particular, through [his] iconic association with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra for more than half a century; in celebration of [his] artistic genius, cultural leadership, magnetic personality, and lifelong dedication to transcending the barriers of nations, societies and religions through music; and in deep admiration for [his] enduring, unconditional and unwavering devotion to, and love for, the State of Israel and its people”.

Photo: Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie conferring the degree on Maestro Zubin Mehta. Photographs by Assaf Shilo / Israel Sun

EPFL and Technion researchers have figured out the “champion” nanostructures able to produce hydrogen in the most environmentally friendly and cheap manner, by simply using daylight.

In the quest for the production of renewable and clean energy, photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) constitute a sort of a Holy Grail. PECs are devices able of splitting water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen in a single operation, thanks to solar radiation. “As a matter of fact, we’ve already discovered this precious chalice, says Michael Grätzel, Director of the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces (LPI) at EPFL and inventor of dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells. Today we have just reached an important milestone on the path that will lead us forward to profitable industrial applications. “

This week, Nature Materials is indeed publishing a groundbreaking article on the subject. EPFL researchers, working with Avner Rothschild from Technion (Israel), have managed to accurately characterize the iron oxide nanostructures to be used in order to produce hydrogen at the lowest possible cost. “The whole point of our approach is to use an exceptionally abundant, stable and cheap material: rust,” adds Scott C. Warren, first author of the article.

At the end of last year, Kevin Sivula, one of the collaborators at the LPI laboratory, presented a prototype electrode based on the same principle. Its efficiency was such that gas bubbles emerged as soon as it was under a light stimulus. Without a doubt, the potential of such cheap electrodes was demonstrated, even if there was still room for improvement.

By using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques, researchers were able to precisely characterize the movement of the electrons through the cauliflower-looking nanostructures forming the iron oxide particles, laid on electrodes during the manufacturing process. “These measures have helped us understand the reason why we get performance differences depending on the electrodes manufacturing process”, says Grätzel.

By comparing several electrodes, whose manufacturing method is now mastered, scientists were able to identify the “champion” structure. A 10×10 cm prototype has been produced and its effectiveness is in line with expectations. The next step will be the development of the industrial process to large-scale manufacturing. A European funding and the Swiss federal government could provide support for this last part.

Evidently, the long-term goal is to produce hydrogen – the fuel of the future – in an environmentally friendly and especially competitive way. For Michael Grätzel, “current methods, in which a conventional photovoltaic cell is coupled to an electrolyzer for producing hydrogen, cost 15 € per kilo at their cheapest. We’re aiming at a € 5 charge per kilo”.

Reference: Scott C.Warren, Kislon Voïtchovsky, Hen Dotan, Celine M. Leroy, Maurin Cornuz, Francesco Stellacci, Cécile Hébert, Avner Rothschild and Michael Grätzel, ‘Identification of champion nanostructures for solar water-splitting’, Nature materials online edition, July 7, 2013.

The Technion’s first Formula car was unveiled at an exhibition of design projects held by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The new red, shiny vehicle will be competing in the Formula Student F-SAE against teams of students from 50 universities worldwide. The Formula Student F-SAE, a student design competition, is scheduled to be held in September 2013 in Verona, Italy.

Twenty-five students from various Technion faculties designed and built the vehicle themselves and it is now undergoing final stages of adjustment and fine-tuning. The vehicle’s maximum velocity is 170 km/h and it can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in only 4 seconds.

Ahmed Omri, a Technion graduate student and the project’s initiator and visionary, founded the Mechanical Engineering Faculty’s Formula Team 18 months ago. He prepared a presentation and invited students to his talk on the subject. To his amazement, 80 students attended the presentation and a team of 25 students was formed, both men and women, all sharing the vision of building a formula car that would participate in the international Student Formula competition. Prof. Reuven Katz, head of the design and manufacturing track at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, came on board the project. Prof. Katz secured a laboratory for the team and saw to it that all team members were enrolled in a final projects course. Omri was appointed project manager and the team was divided into smaller groups according to the vehicle’s sub-systems.

“Through various connections and a little luck we managed to recruit about $400,000 from various donors,” says Mr. Omri. “Some of this was in cash and some was in the form of support for manufacturing and logistics activities. We participated in exhibitions, erected booths, visited factories that contributed manufacturing capabilities, and we managed to get kart racing practice time at the Azrieli Mall in Haifa. Many people were skeptical about the project but it took off. During the construction phase we coped with two main challenges. First, there was the engineering challenge of constructing the car since we were all inexperienced and had never built anything before. The second challenge was the managerial challenge.”

Doris Pitilon, a mechanical engineering student, served as the group’s procurement and financial officer. “We divided up into groups and each group was responsible for a different system in the vehicle: engine, pedals, brakes, chassis, suspension, and shell. I was drawn to the project because I wanted to do something practical during my studies and not only theoretical things. Building the car is mechanical engineering at its best. The vision and challenge of building the vehicle were strong team-building elements. There were moments when we thought it wouldn’t happen, and now that I can see the car, I’m very excited and emotional.”

Michael Kootzenko, a 4^th year aeronautics and space engineering student, was responsible for the car’s shell and design. “The minute I heard of the project I knew I was in,” he says. “Building the car was for me a childhood dream come true. I’m responsible for the design of the vehicle and its aerodynamics. We built the car to be stronger than required and I’m very proud of the result.”

“We hope that we have started a tradition at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, one that will pass from generation to generation and each year will improve the vehicle’s performance by using modern design and analysis tools to effect technological improvements, as is customary in the best universities in the world,” says Prof. Pinhas Bar Yossef, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

Above: Ahmed Omri unveiling the new formula vehicle. Photograph by Moran Maayan, Technion Spokesperson

Sealantis Conveys Nature’s Power to Prevent Dangerous Leakage of Bodily Fluids

Sealantis Ltd., a private start-up from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, reports that an eighth patient was treated with Seal-V, its alga-mimetic vascular sealant, as part of the company’s first clinical study. Seal-V is a protein-free sealant, designed to resolve current limitations and challenges in control of surgical bleeding. It is expected to receive CE Mark within the year.

The clinical trial, taking place in Israel, is evaluating the safety and efficacy of achieving hemostasis in large peripheral blood vessels using the Seal-V protein-free sealant.

Sealantis is a 6-year-old startup, located on campus of one of Israel’s leading academic centers – the Technion. It was founded by Prof. Havazelet Bianco-Peled, a world renowned expert in biomedical polymers.

Since the early 2000s, Prof. Bianco-Peled had been researching the adhesion mechanism of algae to rocks underwater. The research unveiled the chemical composition of the algae adhesive, but it was the professor’s invention of a synthetic, alga-mimetic adhesive that enabled harnessing nature’s power for practical and commercial uses.

In 2007, the invention was embraced by the Alfred Mann Institute at the Technion, which is funding the company. While having potential uses in a variety of industrial applications, Sealantis chose to focus on urgent medical needs – controlling leakage of body fluids through surgical or traumatic wounds. Such leaks can be fatal since sutures or staples are not fully leak-proof. “Sealing surgical incisions requires sticking to wet or moist surfaces, which is a challenge that most known adhesives can’t usually meet,” explains Prof. Bianco-Peled.

Surgical sealants represent a market of over $1.0 billion which grows 14% annually. “When I look at the market, it’s clear to me that there is no single winning solution,” says Dr. Zeev Gilkis, AMIT CEO and Sealantis Ltd. Chairman, “There are some good products, but each one has drawbacks or is limited to a specific application. Sealantis brings a versatile yet simple technology, addressing unmet clinical needs…”

“Seal-V is overcoming a clinical need with its unique features, which offer simultaneous sealing and hemostasis for native and synthetic vascular fields,” explains Prof. Vincent Riambau, Chief of Vascular Surgery Division, Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, and Past President of the European Society of Vascular Surgery (ESVS), who serves on the Clinical Advisory Board of Sealantis. “It is accomplishing valuable qualities for vascular surgery, being quick, easy to use, effective and safe. It will surely be most welcome to the vascular community.”

Sealantis Ltd. is currently planning its next regulatory steps toward a PMA study and FDA approval of Seal-V and is working on strategic partnerships towards the coming market launch.

About Sealantis Ltd.

Sealantis Ltd. is developing a proprietary platform of alga-mimetic tissue adhesives, for a variety of applications and clinical needs in surgical leakage control, tissue adhesion and drug delivery. The Sealantis adhesives are protein-free, and have an extraordinary ability to adhere strongly to internal tissues even in wet environments. Sealantis Ltd. was founded in 2007 by Prof. Havazelet Bianco-Peled, and is supported by the Alfred Mann Institute at the Technion (AMIT). http://www.sealantis.co.il

About AMIT

The Alfred Mann Institute at the Technion – AMIT supports the development and commercialization of biomedical innovations conceived by Technion researchers. Established in 2006 by the Technion and Dr. Alfred E. Mann, an American entrepreneur and philanthropist, the institute aspires to bridge the well-known gap between academic research and commercial success. AMIT currently manages four ventures, including Sealantis Ltd.

Ahmad Ziad Abasi, a third year visually impaired student in Technion’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering, was awarded the 2013 Google Scholarship for Students with Disabilities. Next week, he will receive the special award, in the amount of 7,000 EUR, at the Google Office in Zurich along with 16 other recipients from all across Europe. The recipients of this scholarship were chosen from amongst dozens of candidates, for their demonstrated excellence in computer science and their ability to lead technological processes. Abasi is the only Israeli student receiving this award, this year.

Associate Professor Yossi Gil from Technion’s Faculty of Computer Science was Ahmad’s professor in his second year course in programming languages, and it was he who recommended him for this scholarship. “I usually don’t write recommendation letters for students who have not yet completed their studies,” wrote Professor Gil in his recommendation letter to Google, “Moreover, I don’t ordinarily recommend students from other faculties. However, after having been Ahmad’s teacher and mentor last year, I recommend him for this scholarship wholeheartedly. People with disabilities tend to rely on society for support. Ahmad’s case is completely the opposite – not only is he exceptionally smart and learns like all regular students, he also contributes to others by giving private tutoring lessons to fellow students in his class in mathematics, physics and computer science.”

Ahmad Abasi, an outstanding student who speaks four languages (Arabic, Hebrew, English and French), has had low vision since birth. He was born in the United States to a Muslim family. A few short months after he was born, he was diagnosed with a hereditary eye disease called Nystagmus, characterized by involuntary eye movement and sensitivity to light. “This is an impairment that tends to be found in males,” explains his mother Haolh, “Many of our extended family members share this visual impairment, only in Ahmad it is the most severe – he is almost completely blind.”

When Ahmad was four years old, his family returned to Israel. His parents refused to send him to a special needs school, and he attended regular and even demanding schools, among them, the Catholic school known as the Carmelite School run by nuns. When he was preparing for an exam his mother would sit long hours with him and write his materials in large letters. The school made concessions by allowing Ahmad take his exams in the Principal’s office, and preparing for him enlarged print ups of test papers.

Ahmad graduated from high school with honors, and in the spring of 2012 he began studying computer engineering at Technion’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering (a joint study track with the Faculty of Computer Science). Since he began his studies at Technion, he has received straight A’s in numerous courses.

“All of the questions and concerns that troubled us since he was born resurfaced with greater intensity when Ahmad was accepted to Technion,” said his father, Professor Ziad Abasi, a faculty member of the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Rambam Health Care Campus. “We were worried that this prestigious and demanding institution would take its toll on him. In the first few days we went with him from his dorm room to the faculty building, and we escorted him into the lecture halls as if we were first year students ourselves There were moments of crisis, tears and even feelings of helplessness. Sometimes I secretly followed him to make sure he would get to the lecture hall on his own. I’d sit in the hall without his knowledge, waiting to see how he would manage. I also spoke with the faculty assistants, tutors and lecturers to give him a chance to discover his extraordinary scientific and spiritual abilities. But I never asked them for any special concessions.”

“My parents always protected me,” says Ahamad, “But also fought for my right to be able to do everything, for example to attend a regular school. They didn’t keep me confined, but rather gave me the freedom to choose my own future and write my own destiny. Technion’s Center for the Advancement of Students assisted me during exam periods by providing me with enlarged copies of the tests and letting me sit in a separate room. They also helped me by settling me into a dorm with an elevator, and by pairing me up with a roommate who assists me wholeheartedly. The way from the dormitories to the faculty I walked for the first time with my father, just as I always do, and today I can do it on my own, from memory and from the colors I recognize (I can see color).”

“I am very excited about receiving this scholarship,” he added. He thanks everyone who had a hand in helping him attain it. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and is exceptionally special because of the world renowned Google name and its added value to the high-tech industry.”

At Ahmad’s request, Professor Gil will accompany him to the award ceremony in Zurich. “This scholarship is important as it recognizes Ahmad’s exceptional abilities,” said Professor Gil, “But it is more important for me to help him fit into a workplace and programming. The disadvantages brought on by Ahmad’s eyesight are evident, but his mathematical abilities are extraordinary, his social skills are excellent, and his mastery of languages and innovative thinking are skills that cannot be learned. There are not many engineers like him. I haven’t a doubt that if I was leading a high-tech company, I would do everything in my power to recruit him.”

In the photo: Ahmad Ababsi. Photographed by: Technion’s Spokespersons’ Office

Following the initiative of Prof. Peretz Lavie, the  President of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Prof. Haick Hossam of the Department of Chemical Engineering – has designed, developed, and will deliver a massive open online course (MOOC) on Nanotechnology and Nanosensors. The course will be given both in English Language, and, for the first time in the world, in Arabic Language.

The MOOC on Nanotechnology and Nanosensors addresses a wide range of students in the world and its development team is diverse and unique. Assistant Prof. Miri Barak, from the Department of Education in Science and Technology, is the pedagogical designer and advisor, Mrs. Meital Segev-Bar is the teaching assistant, and Dr. Raed Shoroush and Mrs. Abeer Watted provide support to the Arabic version of the course.

In the past two years, there is a growing trend among elite higher education institutes towards the development and delivery of state-of-the-art MOOC. MOOC is a web-based course designed to support a large number of participants. MOOCs are a recent development in the area of online distance education, providing free and accessible high-quality education to the masses. Contrary to traditional courses, MOOCs allow open and free registration to any non-credit participants, without any limitation on age or academic record. Thus, might include thousands or even hundreds of thousands of students from all around the world.

Nanotechnology and Nanosensors is a course for people who are interested in learning about novel sensing tools that makes use of nanotechnology (a technology that relies in the regime between one to hundred nanometers, viz. billionths of the meter) to screen, detect, and monitor various events in either our personal or professional life. The students discover the fascinating world of nanoland that bumps up against the basic building blocks of matter. As such, the students discover how holding the nanoland with various sensing devices together could lay the groundwork for infinite innovative applications in every part of our daily life, starting from in-vivo and ex-vivo diagnosis and treatments of diseases, continuing with quality control of goods and environmental aspects, and ending with monitoring security issues. In this endeavor, the students learn how to fabricate such new tools, how to characterize them, how to control them, and how to integrate them in the various applications.

The Nanotechnology and Nanosensors MOOC includes ten classes of 3-to-4 short lecture videos. Because anyone with an Internet connection can enroll to the course, the teaching team can’t possibly respond to students individually. Therefore, the course is designed in such a way that minimizes the involvement of the teaching staff. The course includes three types of assignments: weekly quizzes, forum activities and a final project. The weekly quizzes, which are automatically graded, provide students with an opportunity to review the learning materials throughout the week. The forum activity includes three parts: answering an open-ended question, providing feedback to peers, and ranking their contribution. The forum activity is graded according to the average votes, posts, and views of each participant. In the final project, students are asked to work in groups, writing a report that focuses on the utilization of nanotechnology and nanosensors to imitate a specific sense that relates to human senses:vision, hearing, taste, smell, or touch. The students are required to discuss the multidisciplinary design, providing ideasfor characterization, and fabrication of an artificial sense.The project is graded by peers, according to a ridged grading rubric developed by the instructors.

Prof. Haick told: “It is a privilege for me to provide a course that would be available for free to every person in the world. The current MOOC initiation, supported by the Technion as well as the course’s team, will contribute to an efficient dissemination of unique knowledge to a wide spectrum of people in both the developed and developing countries, without admission bureaucracies.”

Assistant Prof. Miri Barak says that the development of MOOCs improve academic teaching by encouraging the design of high quality learning materials, including unique graphics and visualization. Because students come from different countries and diverse cultures there was a need to adapt the learning materials, targeting a wide range of participants. In addition, because students cannot ask questions during the lecture, there was a need to troubleshoot difficulties in advance, providing more thorough and comprehensive explanations.

The MOOC course is available for free to anybody who is interested in extending his knowledge. The registration to the course could be done through: www.coursera.org/technion

The MOOC course delivered by Prof. Haick is supported by the Center for promotion of Teaching at the Technion, headed by Dr. Abigail Barzilai.

البروفيسور حسام حايك يطور مساق أكاديمي مفتوح على الانترنت الأول من نوعه في العالم

في أعقاب مبادرة البروفيسور بيرتس لافي، رئيس معهد العلوم التطبيقيه – التخنيون، قام البروفيسور حسام حايك، قسم الهندسة الكيميائية والنانوتكنولوجيا ، بتصميم وتطوير مساق تعليمي مكثّف، سيقوم بتمريره عن بعد على شبكة الإنترنت (Massive Open Online Course; MOOC)). يتناول المساق موضوع “التقانة والمستشعرات النانوية” (Nanotechnology and Nanosensors). وسيتمّ التعليم فيه باللغة الإنجليزية، وأيضًا، ولأول مرة في العالم، باللغة العربية.

يتوجّه المساق في موضوع “التقانة والمستشعرات النانوية” إلى فئة عريضة من الطلاب في العالم، ويعتبر طاقمه المتطوّر فريدا، ومتنوعا: الأستاذة المساعدة ميري باراك من قسم التربية في العلوم والتكنولوجيا هي المصممة التعليمية والمستشارة. السيدة ميتال سيجف – بار معلمة مساعدة. د. رائد شوراوش والسيدة عبير وتد يقدمان الدعم للترجمة العربية للمساق.

ثمّة توجّه متزايد في العامين الفائتين، لدى نخبة مؤسّسات التعليم العالي، إلى تطوير وتوزيع (MOOC) المحتلن. لقد صُمّم مساق (MOOC) الذي يعتمد على شبكة الإنترنت ليدعم عددًا كبيرًا من المشاركين. إن مساقات (MOOC) هي تطور حديث في مجال التعليم المتزامن عن بعد ، يتيح للجماهير  الواسعة تعليمًا مجانيا سهل المنال وذا جودة عالية. وعلى خلاف التعليم التقليدي فإن مساقات (MOOC) توفر تسجيلا مجانيا مفتوحا للمشاركين غير المعتمدين، دون أي تقييدات في الجيل أو السجل الأكاديمي. هكذا، يمكن للمساق أن يستوعب آلافًا بل مئات آلاف الطلاب من كل أنحاء العالم.

إن مساق “التقانة والمستشعرات النانوية” معدّ لأشخاص يهتمّون بالتعلم عن الأدوات الحسيّة الحديثة التي تستخدم تقنية النانو (Nanotechnology) (وهي تقنية تستند إلى نظام بين 1-100 نانوميتر، أي بلايين من المتر) لعرض أحداث مختلفة تتعلق بحياتنا الخاصة والمهنية على حد سواء؛ ومراقبتها والتحقق منها. سيكتشف الطلاب عالم النانو المثير الذي يُظهر المكوّنات الأساسية للأشياء، كما وسيكتشفون، كذلك، كيف أن دمج عالم النانو مع أدوات حسيّة متنوعة قد يضع حجر الأساس لتطبيقات مستحدثة جديدة ولانهائية في كل جانب من جوانب حياتنا اليومية، ابتداء من فحوصات التشخيص الداخلية والخارجية وعلاجات الأمراض، مرورًا باختبارات جودة البضائع ومظاهر البيئة، وانتهاء برصد ومراقبة القضايا الأمنية. بهذا الجهد والجِدّ يتعلم الطلاب كيف يبتدعون مثل هذه الأدوات الجديدة، يصفونها، يتحكمون بها وكيف يدمجونها في التطبيقات المختلفة.

مساق “التقانة والمستشعرات النانوية”  يتضمن عشرة دروس يحتوي كل منها على 3-4 محاضرات فيديو قصيرة. وبما أن كل شخص لديه اتصال بالإنترنت يستطيع أن يتسجل لهذا المساق؛ لذلك لا يتمكّن أفراد طاقم التعليم من الإجابة عن أسئلة الطلاب بشكل فرداني. وعليه، فقد صُمّم المساق بطريقة تقلّص تدخل طاقم التدريس إلى أقصى حدّ. يحتوي المساق على ثلاثة أنواع من المهام: اختبارات أسبوعية، منتدى فعاليات ومشروع نهائي. إن الاختبارات الأسبوعية، والتي توضع لها علامة بشكل أوتوماتيكي، تزود الطالب بفرصة مراجعة مواد التعليم خلال الأسبوع. منتدى الفعاليات والنشاطات يحتوي على ثلاثة أجزاء: الإجابة عن سؤال مفتوح، تزويد تغذية مرتدة للزملاء، وتدريج مساهماتهم.

تدرج علامة منتدى الفعاليات تبعا لمعدلات التصويت، الإجابات على المنتدى ونسبة المشاهدات من كل مشترك. يطلب من الطلاب في الوظيفة النهائية أن يعملوا في فرق، وأن يكتبوا تقريرًا يركّز على استفادتهم من “التقانة والمستشعرات النانوية”  في محاكاة حاسة معينة من حواس الإنسان: الرؤية، السمع، الذوق، الشم واللمس. يطلب من الطلاب أن يناقشوا التصميم متعدد المواضيع، وأن يطرحوا أفكارًا لتمييز وتصنيع  حاسة صناعية. سيتم تقييم المشروع من قبل الزملاء في المساق، وذلك حسب مقياس تدريج مرن تم تطويره من قبل المعلمين.

يقول البروفيسور حايك: “إنه مما يشرفني أن أقدم مساقًا، سيكون متاحًا بالمجّان لكل شخص في العالم. إن افتتاح مساق ( MOOC) مدعوما من التخنيون ومن فريق المساق لسوف يسهم في نشر فعّال لهذا النوع الفريد من المعرفة ضمن قطاع عريض من الناس في كل من الدول النامية والدول المتطورة على حد سواء وبدون القيود البيروقراطية في القبول”.

تقول الأستاذة المساعدة ميري باراك بأن تطوير مساقات  (MOOC) تحسّن التعليم الأكاديمي بتشجيع تصميم مواد تعلّم ذات مستوى عال تتضمن فنّ الرسم البياني والتصوّر التخييلي.

ونظرًا لأنّ الطلاب من دول مختلفة وثقافات متعددة، فقد برزت الحاجة إلى تبنّي مواد تعليمية يمكنها استهداف نطاق عريض ومتنوع من المساهمين. بالإضافة إلى  ذلك ولأن الطلاب لا يمكنهم أن يسألوا أسئلة أثناء المحاضرة، كانت هنالك حاجة إلى تشخيص المشاكل سلفًا، مع التقدم بتفسيرات شاملة ومفصّلة.

إن مساق  (MOOC) متاح مجانًا لكل شخص يهتم بتوسيع معارفه، ويمكن التسجل للمساق باللغة الإنجليزية من خلال الموقع: www.coursera.org/technion ; التسجل للمساق باللغة العربية يتم من خلال الموقع:

 www.coursera.org/course/nanosar

يقوم مركز تعزيز التدريس في التخنيون، برئاسة د. أبيجيل بارزيلاي بدعم مساق  (MOOC) الذي نفذه البروفيسور حايك.

البروفيسور حسام حايك

The gift agreement was signed in the presence of Haifa city Mayor and the Mayor of the city of Handan, China, the Technion President and the Donor (Zhao Hanqing)

According to the agreement, the scholarships will support excellent Chinese students accepted to study at Technion, upon having met the university’s strict entrance criteria. In its initial phase, the students chosen to receive these scholarships will be those pursuing advanced degrees (Masters and Ph.D.s). They will receive an annual scholarship and financial support in the amount of $35,000 (each), to cover all of their expenses during the year.  Initially, the fund will support five students each year, and this number is expected to gradually grow until it reaches 25 students within five years time. An Executive Council will be appointed to oversee the Fund’s operations, comprised of six individuals of which three will be from Technion and three from the Foundation. This agreement is for 20 years.

Technion’s President, Professor Peretz Lavie, thanked Chinese businessman Zhao Hanqing for this generous gift and said, “This is a historic agreement that will enable Chinese students to study and do research at Technion. The Technion played a fundamental role in the development of Israel, and I am certain that Chinese students studying here at Technion will learn valuable tools and skills that will help them in advancing the development of their country.”

The Mayor of Haifa, Mr. Yona Yahav, welcomed the agreement, and said, “Haifa is home to the greatest numbers of Nobel Laureates in Israel. Shanghai is our twin city and we are excited to expand our cooperation with the city of Handan. We are building a life sciences park in the city center, which will transform Haifa into Israel’s number one university city.”

The Mayor of Handan, Mr. Hui Jian, said, “This agreement is the beginning of a greater cooperation between the cities of Haifa and Handan, and between China and Israel. Handan is a city with a population of ten million people, and we are intending to undergo an industrial transformation that will move the city’s industry base from energy, mining and textiles, to high-technology industries centered on computing and biomedicine. We view the Chinese students that will study here at Technion as the future leaders of this process.

Mr. Zhao Hanqing thanked the Technion for its cooperation and said that it is not surprising that Technion is considered among the best technological universities in the world. He added that he is confident that the excellent Chinese students that will arrive to the Technion following this agreement, will apply the vast knowledge base they would absorb during their studies here, to advance the economic development of his country.

Professor Boaz Golany, Technion Vice President for External Relations & Resource Development said that he is confident that the Chinese students who will come to study at Technion will strengthen the ties of cooperation between the two countries.

Last week, Mme. Gao Yanping, Chinese Ambassador to Israel, was hosted at the Technion. She spoke about the growing technological cooperation between China and Israel and large potential for academic cooperation between the Technion and China. “The enrollment period for the summer term at Chinese universities have recently come to a close. Out of nine million candidates, seven million were accepted,” she said with pride. “Technion is a world-class technological institution,” she added. “If I would be able to turn back time, I would have liked to have been a student here.”

Photo: Signing the agreement (from right to left) – Professor Arnon Bentur, Technion Executive Vice President & Director General, Mr. Zhao Hanqing, Technion President Professor Peretz Lavie, Mr. Hui Jian, Mayor of Handan, China, and Mr. Yona Yahav, Mayor of Haifa. Photographed by: Yoav Bachar, Technion Spokesperson’s Office

The Technion and Tel Aviv University (TAU) have become members of Coursera’s network of educational partners, and will soon offer free online courses to anyone in the world. These two universities will join 80 universities and other educational institutions, including fellow Israeli institution and current partner Hebrew University of Jerusalem, to promote learning without limits.

As of today, the Technion and TAU will develop an initial offering of four courses, which span the subjects of engineering, archaeology, biology and cultural studies.

The Technion’s first course will be offered in English and Arabic:

• Nanotechnology and Nanosensors, taught by Professor Hossam Haick of the Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering

Initial course offerings from TAU will be offered in English, including:

• The Rise and Fall of Jerusalem – Judah Under Babylonian Rule, taught by Professor Oded Lipschits, Ph.D., Director, Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology in the Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology and Near Eastern Cultures
• What A Plant Knows (and other things you didn’t know about plants), taught by Professor Daniel Chamovitz, Ph.D., Director, Manna Center for Plant Biosciences in the Department of Molecular Biology and Ecology of Plants

• The Emergence of the Modern Middle East, taught by Professor Asher Susser, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow in the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies

“We are excited about joining the Coursera initiative, which will not only give us the opportunities to contribute to society, it will also pave the way to improve our on-campus teaching,” commented Professor Danny Lewin, Assistant to the Senior Vice President for the Promotion of Teaching at the Technion.

Prof. Raanan Rein, Tel Aviv University’s Vice President, welcomed the agreement with Coursera, saying “This initiative reflects Tel Aviv University’s ongoing commitment to innovation in teaching and greater global outreach”.

“It is an honor for me to be working with two of the best universities in my birth country, to provide students access to great education, free of cost,” said Coursera co-founder Daphne Koller. “Tel Aviv and the Technion will now be able to reach students in Israel and around the world, spreading their knowledge and expertise to thousands more people than ever before possible.”

“The founders of “Waze” and others like them – they are the cultural heroes of our day.” This is what Jonathan Medved said at his recent lecture at the Technion. Medved is the CEO of OurCrowd Ltd., a company that raises investment capital for technology start-ups. He was the guest speaker for the Yizhak Modai Annual Lecture on Technology and Economics delivered at the closing plenary of the 2013 Board of Governors (BOG) Meeting. “They accuse Israeli start-ups that they are quick to sell off their companies too fast, for too cheap and for low profit. This is not accurate at all, and Waze is an excellent example – a company that decided to keep its development operations here in Israel – and it represents many other companies that have done the same,” he added.

Medved said that Google will become a major player in Israel and he expects that following its acquisition of Waze, the company will continue to acquire new Israeli technologies. “Just as it is difficult to eat only one potato chip from an opened bag of chips, it is very hard to stop once you’ve bought your first Israeli company without being tempted to buy more Israeli start-ups in the future. This is why we are seeing multinational companies that after having acquired one Israeli company continue to look for more opportunities in Israel.”

Medved pointed out that the Israeli economy has grown over the past two decades at a rate that is significantly higher than OECD member countries, and that Israel is considered a safe place for investment according to the global rankings, in spite of the political situation.

“Israel is leading in job creation,” he said, “and we are in a good position in comparison with China, Brazil, and especially the United States. Every year, investment in Israel reaches about two billion dollars in the establishment of start-up companies, and most of this capital (more than 70%) is coming from abroad, from places like the Silicon Valley. This is a welcome new trend that reflects global confidence in the Israeli economy.”

Medved said that over the past decade, Israeli companies were acquired at a rate of one a week. “Start-up companies have made a tremendous contribution to the Israeli economy,” he said, “however, there are national problems that plague the economic situation in Israel. Shrinking social gaps is a highly important national mission, and Technion has a central role to play in integrating vulnerable populations such as the ultra-orthodox Jewish population, Arabs and others, into Israeli society.” In spite of this, he emphasized the importance of addressing this issue without hindering the momentum of entrepreneurship and growth. “If we examine more closely which of the OECD member countries managed to reduce social inequalities in recent years, we will discover that they are Greece, Spain and France. This is why we must be very careful.”

Above (From right to left): Technion President, Professor Peretz Lavie, Jonathan Medved, and past Technion President, Professor Yitzhak Apleloig. Photographed by: Yoav Bachar, Technion Spokesperson’s Office