Author: EladAdmin

The 2013 annual Board of Governors (BOG) Meeting of the Technion has come to a close. The events began on Saturday night at the President’s Reception in honor of the BOG hosted by Professor Peretz Lavie and his wife Lina at the “Bikta Bayaar” event hall located in Beit Oren, a kibbutz in the Carmel Mountain. Guests included senior Israeli economic and industry leaders including Microsoft Israel CEO Danny Yamin, who is the Chairman of the Technion Council, as well as high-tech entrepreneur and Technion graduate Yossi Vardi.

On Monday morning, there was a special Nobel Laureate Tree Planting Ceremony that invited Professors Danny Shechtman and Alvin Roth to plant trees along the Nobel Prize Laureates Avenue in the Lorry Lokey garden at the Technion. Professor Schechtman from the Technion’s Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2011 for his discovery of quasicrystals, and Professor Roth received the 2012 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for the theory of stable allocations and the practice of market design.

“I was five years old when I planted my first tree,” said Professor Schechtman . “It was in the Bar Ilan Garden in Ramat Itzhak. The tree is still there. Since then, planting trees always accompanies me with a sense of creativity and joy of making our country greener.”

Professor Roth said that although he didn’t physically plant a tree in his childhood, he remembers donating to the Jewish National Fund -JNF (in Hebrew “Keren Kayemet”) for a tree to be planted in his name in Israel. “Since then, I’ve been searching for this tree on my visits to Israel,” he said. Technion President Professor Peretz Lavie, responded by saying that from now on he will always be able to find his tree here at the Technion, along the Nobel Prize Laureates Avenue.

On Monday evening, the Honorary Doctorate Conferment Ceremony took place at the Churchill Auditorium. The recipients of honorary doctorates were Professor Alvin Roth, for his important contributions to the field of game theory and experimental economics and their application to the design of new economic institutions, Ilan Biran, former Chairman of RAFAEL Armament Development Authority Ltd., Elisha Yanay, former President and General Manager of Motorola Israel and founder of his own company that deals with high-technology, communications and homeland security, Steven Emerson, who has generously supported Birthright Israel and is actively involved with “Stand With Us” (STU) – providing training and support to 40 pro-Israel North American college leaders in their efforts to educate fellow students about Israel and to dispel anti-Israel slurs, Yoram Alster, Alfred Bär, Melvyn Bloom, Daniel Rose, and Professor Jason Speyer.

Students at the Technion have developed software that enables the visually impaired to use smartphones by vocally announcing the key the user is pressing. Dialing, texting and setting the smartphone alarm clock are daily operations that most people perform very easily. The world of the visually impaired is completely different since they are unable to use touchscreen phones and so most of these operations are unavailable to them.

A group of students from the Technion’s Faculty of Computer Science spent 6 months developing Vision, a software program that enables the visually impaired to use smartphones. The development team included Amir Mizrachi, Amir Blumenthal, Amit Yaffe, Meital Messing, Olivia Hoffman, Yaron Oster, and Roman Gurevitz. The unique application was developed as part of the “Yearly Programming Project” course, under the supervision of Prof. Yossi Gil and Sabih Egbaria.

The application, which can be installed on any (android) smartphone, is designed to enable the user to use the phone’s regular functions by informing the user, in a clear voice, which key he or she is pressing. Using the application, users may dial a number, know who is calling them, get the time, read text messages, and even know where they are located. The application also enables the user to set the alarm clock, know about missed calls, find contacts, and even send a distress signal to a family member in case of need. The application was developed by the students as a public service and can be downloaded free of charge.

“As part of the course, we were given the freedom to choose a project to focus on. After much deliberation, we decided to develop something for the common good rather than for commercial purposes,” says Amit Yaffe, a 4^th year student at the Faculty of Computer Science and co-developer of the application. “I was personally familiar with the subject and I knew that it’s an area that could use some help and that they would be happy for some innovation. During the development we enlisted the help of the Association for the Blind, and specifically of Mr. Adi Nathan, a member of the Association, who accompanied us and contributed to the project significantly. Specifically, Mr. Nathan closely examined the software and raised problems and ideas that greatly enhanced the development. Our application is unique in the market in that it is free. Most applications that are currently available for the visually impaired are very expensive and most of them are not available in Hebrew. During the development process we received help from Aharon, a company that develops speech engines in Hebrew, Samsung, who contributed a smartphone, and Agilo, an American company that contributed development management software.”

Prof. Yossi Gil who supervised the students summarized their work: “The uniqueness of the application the students developed is that it is designed for any android cell phone, it is available free of charge, and it requires no changes to the phone itself.”

Photo: The students presenting the new smartphone application. Standing (from right): Amir Mizrachi, Roman Gurevitz, Amir Blumenthal, Olivia Hoffman, and Meital Messing. Sitting (from right): Amit Yaffe and Yaron Oster. Photograph by the Technion Spokesman

Student delegation from MIT’s School of Management visits the Technion

During their visit to Israel, the students learned about the country’s economy and culture. The visit included a tour of the Old City of Jerusalem and visits to Yad VaShem Holocaust Memorial Museum, Massada, the Dead Sea, the Golan Height and the Kinneret, Ramon Air Force Base, and the Technion.

At the Technion, the students met Prof. Peretz Lavie, president of the Technion who welcomed them to Israel and said: “The Technion has changed the face of the country. In its one hundred years of activity, the Technion’s 70,000 graduates have contributed, headed and led major companies in the Israeli economy, and have helped the Israeli economy grow. An old adage says that ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’, and that is the essence of the Technion’s contribution to Israel. Its graduates have contributed to the building of the nation and have led the technological revolution”

“The foundations of the Israeli high-tech industry were laid at the Technion in the 1960s”, says Prof. Boaz Golani, the Tehnion’s Vice President for External Relations and Resource Development, “Advanced research centers were established here, and though engaged in areas that seemed then to be imaginary,  became, over the years, the spearhead of the Israeli high-tech industry.”

MIT president, Prof. Rafael Reif, thanked the Techinion’s president for his hospitality to the students and said: “Each year, dozens of students take place in our trip to Israel, and I hope this will foster and encourage MIT graduates’ business ties with Israel”.

Photo: Technion’s President Prof. Peretz Lavie with the MIT students. Photograph by Sithzu Photographers, Technion Spokesperson

Meets with Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie and Prof. Miriam Erez, recipient of the Israel Prize

Dr. Ahmed met with Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie and Prof. Miriam Erez of the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, recipient of the Israel Prize and co- founder of the Technion’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Prof. Lavie and Dr. Ahmed also share an expertise in the study of sleep disorders.

Prof. Erez, who is chairperson of the National Council for the Advancement of Women in Science and Technology, told Dr. Ahmed that 16% of Technion faculty members are women. “We are acting to increase the participation rate of women in areas of science and technology and to improve their status. A young female faculty member must cope simultaneously with building both her academic career as well as her family. These women must be supported so that they may succeed at both tasks and learn how to integrate them without being left behind”.

Dr. Ahmed, who lived and taught in Saudi Arabia for many years, said at the meeting that “women should be empowered so that they acknowledge their own status and not be afraid to take their place at the front of the academic stage. Women should recognize their capabilities and demand the same conditions as men. It is important to teach women to be daring and to insist on what is important to them.”

Above: Dr. Ahmed (left) with Prof. Erez. Photograph by the Technion Spokesperson

The engineer who chose to study Education in Science and Technology in the Views Program and teach at a special school

This time Igor Podolsky placed first on a special task that requires a walking robot to move along predefined routes. This was, indeed, a fine achievement, but Podolsky’s other accomplishments are even more deserving of elaboration. Despite graduating from the Technion’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and serving as an IDF officer in the Land Corps’ Experiments Unit, Podolsky decided to dedicate himself to teaching and to forego an enticing salary and various perks offered by the high-tech industry. To that end he is currently enrolled in the special Views Program, which was initiated by Prof. Orit Hazzan, Head of the Techion’s Department of Education in Science and Technology. In parallel to his studies, Podolsky has been working for the past two years at a unique high school that caters to children with attention and concentration difficulties. He is currently teaching mathematics and physics, and hopes to introduce robotics into the high school’s curriculum next year. Indeed, even during his military service years, Podolsky did not abandon his teaching vision and found the time to teach mathematics, physics, and English as a volunteer at a Ramle high school.

Education seems to flow through Podolsky’s veins. As a child, he immigrated from Russia to Israel with his family in 1990 and grew up in the town of Ma’alot. He graduated with honors from the electronics and computers track at the local high school and studied at the Technion in the IDF’s Academic Reserves program. When he completed his military service, Podolsky did not throw a knapsack over his back and go off trekking in South America, but rather returned to the school bench at the Technion.

“A friend told me about the Views program offered by the Department of Education in Science and Technology, which enables Technion graduates to earn another degree in technology and science education on full scholarship”, he recounts. “The program also includes a teaching certificate and can be completed in two years. Prof. Verner and I participated in the Robotics Olympiad at Trinity College in Hartford Connecticut as part of this program”.

Why did you choose to go into teaching instead of going into the high-tech industry?

“That is still an option, but I enjoy teaching and it gives me a lot of satisfaction. It’s not easy, but it’s challenging”.

So you are doing this out of ideology?

“I consider it to be very important. It’s a challenge that is not for everyone. You need a lot of patience. Even my pupils sometimes ask me where I get the patience for them. They are great. One of my pupils might become a brilliant scientist one day, if he overcomes his learning disabilities. I hope to investigate, with Prof. Verner’s help, whether robots can help alleviate attention and concentration difficulties”.

At part of his studies in the Views program, Podolsky attends general courses on teaching, educational psychology, general teaching methods and skills, and specific methods for teaching his field of specialty, namely mechanics. “People don’t come to Views to improve their salary”, he smiles. “But it is pure pleasure. These studies are not regular Technion classes. There is a lot of openness, the study material is updated continuously, we meet with teachers and pupils and we try to find solutions to their problems. We have recently begun working with the rejuvenating Bosmat high school in Haifa. Contact was renewed with the school, and students from our Technion department go there to teach. The pupils also visit the Department’s technology lab with their teachers, where they do some practical work. Everyone has been talking recently about the importance of technological education. We actually implement it”.

Above: Igor Podolsky (right) with an American contestant at the Robotics Olympiad. Photograph by the Technion Spokesperson

Four world-leading architects participated in the Waterfront Conference that took place at Technion last week. They were Daniel Libeskind, who is developing the master plan for the World Trade Center, landscape architect Professor Martha Schwartz from Harvard University, Vanessa Kassabian from the Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta that designed the Opera House in Oslo, and Gregg Pasquarelli from SHoP architects, responsible for planning the Barclays Center at Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn, a two-mile esplanade and park along the East River Waterfront of Manhattan.

“The Haifa International Waterfront Conference: Revitalizing a Coastal Metropolis” dealt on subjects relating to Haifa’s waterfront program, and was organized by the Technion’s Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning and the Haifa Municipality. Hundreds of students from the Faculty attended the conference. The Dean of the Faculty, Professor Yehuda Kalay, welcomed all of the participating architects and students and told students that it is a rare opportunity for them to meet internationally renowned architects, and to exchange views at eye level. “We are happy for this conference,” he said, “Firstly because most of us here today are Haifa residents, and secondly, because we are studying in Haifa, and the city is like our laboratory.”

Architect Daniel Libeskind spoke at a special panel emceed by Els Verbakel, Lecturer at the Faculty, with his wife Nina and architects Professor Martha Schwartz and Gregg Pasquarelli. He compared his architectural work to the magical acts of the Great Hudini. “You get a project in a challenging environment: there is never enough funding, and often it’s very frustrating and hopeless, but these are the kinds of projects that interest me, challenging and involving creativity. When I planned the area of Ground Zero in Manhattan, it took me a long time to convince the Municipality to leave the area where the Twin Towers stood as an open space. Land in Manhattan is very expensive, but in this place, people lost their lives, and leaving it unbuilt emphasizes the void left.”

To the students Libeskind said that, “Your study years are the best time to be creative and grow professionally. You don’t have any obligations, so go on and do what it is you always wanted. I like to encourage my students not stick to the rules all the time, to always ask questions and do research. An architect can’t plan buildings as a blank slate (‘tabula rasa’ in Latin), and therefore he needs to get a better understanding for the area he is planning in, its history, and the mood and state of mind of the people living in the area. An architect that doesn’t properly research and ask is a bureaucrat. In my opinion, the profession of architecture may become obsolete in the future because with technological progress, everyone will be able to influence and plan their own living environment.”

Landscape architect Professor Martha Schwartz from Harvard University, who designed many landscaping projects around the world, among artificial archipelago islands in Dubai, the Grand Canal in Dublin and others, said: “Landscaping architecture is an art form that completes the construction and architecture. The development of landscapes makes areas more attractive and has an effect on the entire city. Until 20 years ago, landscaping architecture was a dormant field, and today, almost every architectural project includes landscape planning and takes into account environmental considerations.”

Vanessa Kassabian from the Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta with offices in Oslo and New York, designed the Opera House in Oslo. Today she is working on the design of a new environmental and spatial plan for Times Square in Manhattan. “We focus on the accessibility of public space for all people. I want to thank the Technion for the opportunity to lecture at this conference. The architects in attendance are all connected to New York and we are very excited about the cooperation between the University of Cornell and Technion, and the establishment of the join Innovation Institute to be built in New York.”

Gregg Pasquarelli is visiting in Israel for the first time. He summed it all up when he said, “This is a great time to be a young architect. Technology advancement is reflected at every aspect of architecture – from the planning stage, construction phase, funding and theory. Take chances and challenge the rules. You are studying at an amazing university. Go out and speak with students from other faculties, engineers and scientists. Together you’ll develop new technologies and reinvent architecture anew.”

Above: Architect Daniel Libeskind at the Waterfront Conference. Photographed by Doron Golan, Spokesperson’s Office

 Technion scientists developed and constructed a molecular transducer, which is an advanced computing machine. This molecular computer was built entirely of biomolecules, such as DNA and enzymes that can manipulate genetic codes. This unprecedented device can compute iteratively, namely, it uses the output as a new input for subsequent computations. Furthermore, it produces outputs in the form of biologically meaningful phenomena, such as resistance of bacteria to various antibiotics. The researchers demonstrated that their transducer can perform a long division of binary numbers by 3 and preformed an iterative computation. This study by Prof. Ehud Keinan, postdoctoral fellows Dr. Tamar Ratner and Dr. Ron Piran of the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, and Dr. Natasha Jonoska of the department of Mathematics at the University of South Florida, is published today in the prestigious journal Chemistry & biology of the Cell publishing house.

 “The ever-increasing interest in biomolecular computing devices has not arisen from the hope that such machines could ever compete with their electronic counterparts by offering greater computation speed, fidelity and power or performance in traditional computing tasks”, explains Prof. Keinan. “The main advantages of biomolecular computing devices over the electronic computers arise from other properties. As shown in this work and other projects carried out in our lab, these systems can interact directly with biological systems and even with living organisms. No interface is required since all components of molecular computers, including hardware, software, input and output, are molecules that interact in solution along a cascade of programmable chemical events.”

 “All biological systems, and even entire living organisms, are natural molecular computers. Every one of us is a biomolecular computer, that is, a machine in which all 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 tasks. The input is a molecule that undergoes specific, programmed changes, following a specific set of rules (software) and the output of this chemical computation process is another well defined molecule.”

 “Our results are significant because they demonstrate for the first time a synthetic designed computing machine that not only computes iteratively, but also produces biologically relevant results. Although this transducer was employed to solve a specific problem, the general methodology shows that similar devices could be applied for other computational problems. In addition to its enhanced computation power, this DNA-based transducer offers multiple benefits, such as the ability to read and transform genetic information, miniaturization to the molecular scale, and the aptitude to produce computational results, which interact directly with living organisms. Therefore, its implementation on a genetic material may not just evaluate and detect specific sequences, but it can also alter and algorithmically process the genetic code. This possibility opens up interesting oppotunities in biotechnology, including individual gene therapy and cloning.”

Dr. Irwin Jacobs was given the Institute’s greatest recognition at an anniversary ceremony marking 20 years of Qualcomm activities in Israel

Technion President, Professor Peretz Lavie, spoke about the long-standing friendship and generous philanthropic activities of Dr. Jacobs and his wife Joan with the Technion. Technion’s Graduate School is named for them, as is the Center for Communications and Information Technologies. They have recently donated $133 million to the Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute in New York.

The Technion President thanked Dr. Jacobs, “Thank you so very much for all you have done for Technion, engineering, the field of telecom, academia, Israel, and future scientists – you are truly a great leader, model citizen, and a real ‘mench.’”

Dr. Jacobs responded to the words of gratitude, saying that it is not Technion that need thank him but he who needs to thank the Technion, “Many of Qualcomm’s employees are Technion graduates,” he said. “The company would not have attained many of its achievements if it hadn’t been for its brilliant employees.”

In the picture: Holding the Technion Medal (from right to left) Dr. Irwin Jacobs, Joan Jacobs, and Professor Peretz Lavie. Photographer: Shlomo Shoham, Technion Spokesperson’s Office

Technion scientists developed a new class of photonic materials, named Spin-Optical Metamaterial, which is based on nano-antennas controlling radiative modes assisted through the spin of light. The discovery will enable the realization of new optical surface components on the nano-scale (metasurfaces), which are based on the fundamental elements of the optical antenna’s material (optical meta-atoms), and symmetry properties – the breaking of symmetry of the photonic structure. By designing the metasurface symmetry properties with space-variant oriented anisotropic nano-antennas, it is possible to control the light-matter interaction and to design the radiative and surface optical modes.

The scientists have recently published their findings on the experimental “Optical Rashba Effect,” which enables addition or removal of light momentum by controlling the spin of light (the intrinsic spin degree of photon – circular polarization) and the symmetry properties (breaking of symmetry) of the structure. This breakthrough research was done by scientists from Professor Erez Hasman’s research group – comprising of Dr. Vladimir Kleiner, and his research students Nir Shitrit, Igor Yulevich, Elhanan Maguid, Dror Ozeri and Dekel Veksler. According to Professor Hasman from Technion’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering: “In the experiment we created a structure in the shape of a “kagome” (similar to the structure of the Star of David) and we demonstrated an ability to control the behavior of thermal radiation emission with the support of an optical spin-orbit interaction as a result of the breaking of symmetry of the system.” The researchers named this scientific phenomenon the “Optical Rashba Effect” as an analogy for the Rashba effect of electrons in condensed matter. The electronic Rashba effect allows to control electrons with the help of the spin under broken inversion symmetry of the structure. This effect is used today in the new field of “Spintronics” that allows to control nanoelectronic components by the spin of electrons.

The inspiration for the study was derived from solid-state research: many studies have been done on natural anti-ferromagnetic crystalline structures in the form of kagome. In these materials, there is a physical effect termed “Frustration”: the magnetic moments can be arranged in different orientations (different phases) but the energy continues to be degenerated. Technion scientists noticed that there are significant differences in the symmetry of the phases: the reorder of the local magnetic moments transforms the lattice from an inversion symmetric to an asymmetric structure. Hence, Hasman’s group selected the kagome as a platform for investigating the symmetry influence on spin-based manipulation of photonic materials. It is well known that the physical laws of conservation are determined by the symmetry of the system. Noether’s theorem states that for every symmetry there is a corresponding conservation law; particularly, invariance with respect to spatial translation or rotation correspond to conservation of linear and angular momenta, respectively. Moreover, when the spatial inversion symmetry is violated, one can expect to observe spin-split dispersion (dispersion is the dependent of mode’s frequency on the momentum). Instead of different spatial arrangements of magnetic moments, Hasman’s group used anisotropic antennas geometrically arranged in such a way that their orientations are aligned with the original spin direction in the magnetic kagome phases. Optical nano-antennas can create local electromagnetic modes dependant on the geometry of the antenna. The researchers used meta-material based on the alignment of antennas upon SiC, and measured the thermal emission from the different structures. The scientists showed that polarization-controlled optical modes of metamaterials arise where the spatial inversion symmetry is violated. They observed spin-split dispersion of the thermal emission originates from the spin-orbit interaction of light, generating a selection rule based on symmetry restrictions in the spin-optical metamaterials. The design of metamaterial symmetries via geometric gradient of the antennas’ configuration provides the route for spin-controlled nanophotonic applications.

Technion scientists believe that their discovery will facilitate the development of new type of optical components and nanophotonic devices that will make possible to implement optical logic gates controlled by photon-spin, novel optical computing components, new light sources dependant on spin, ultra thin surface lenses, laser beam shaping using nanoscale surface-optics, and control over thermal radiation. Using the novel photonic materials, it will be possible to design the properties of the emission, absorption, transmission and scattering of light, as well as manipulating the surface waves for photonic chips. As an outcome of the study, Professor Hasman intends to expand his research group and has plans to recruit additional excellent research students from different areas, in order continue to develop the field of Spinoptics studied by his group over the last thirteen years. For additional information visit: www.technion.ac.il/optics

Above: Professor Erez Hasman

Students Eitai Vander, Yehonatan Hochman and Yogev Bitan, studying landscape architecture at Technion, won first place in a planning competition for renovating the Nesher Quarry. The prize: NIS 10,000

The Quarry Rehabilitation Fund for and Technion’s Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, in cooperation with the city of Nesher, approached students at the Faculty for ideas on how to rehabilitate the abandoned quarry. Undergraduate and graduate students studying in different study tracks, worked on the project during the first semester this year under the direction of architect Asif Berman, Professor Shamai Asif and Professor Tal Alon Mozes.

“This was an extraordinary project,” said architecture student Yehonatan Hochman. “We were given an opportunity to handle a real situation, with all the limitations and constraints that come along with it. Just as work on a real site, we had to uncover information on our own. We met with land consultants, we travelled to Hiriya (a former was dump outside Tel-Aviv) to study the site, and were required to provide extensive and in-depth research work.”

“All of the proposals reflected an impressive scale sensitivity and urban landscape context, and offer a variety of practical programs,” said Professor Shamai Asif. “All of the students were happy to turn a hazardous site into an opportunity, and add a layer of sustainability to the city, the Carmel, and the future understanding of quarries in general. The competition was part of a tradition of cooperation with the surrounding communities and our gift/donation to them, on the strategic planning level. In the past few years, we ‘discovered’ the City of Nesher, which has jurisdiction over sections of the Technion, and have enjoyed successful cooperation with the municipality, who has played its hand in assisting all of the involved parties.”

The winning project is “The Quarry Park” – a program to transform the Nesher Quarry to a recycling site catering to extreme sports activities: rappelling, wall climbing, slides, bungee jumping, omega, and more. The team of judges determined that the students submitted detailed high quality planning, and an appropriate use of groundwork under time constrains. The design flexibility of their plan allows for integration of additional future programs.

The project named “Nesher Quarry Rehabilitation” by students Arie Fine, Eran Daromi and Uri Noiman was awarded second place – to renovate the quarry into a family recreation park. Among the different projects that took part in the competition included: “E21” – transforming the Quarry into an industry research center for renewable energy; “The Quarry” – converting the site to a recreation, leisure and retail complex with a focus on recycled shipping containers; and “Steps of the City View” – the transformation of the quarry to a center for research and environmental study.

The members of the judges’ panel were Yossi Wurzburger, the Chairman of the Fund for Quarry Renovation and the Director of Natural Resources Administration in the Ministry of Energy & Water Resources, Yuval Peled, representative of the Nature and Parks Authority in the management of the Fund for Quarry Renovation, Leon Grodski, City Engineer of Nesher, landscaping architect Dafna Greenstein, and architect Uri Cohen from Technion’s Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning.

Above: The winners (from right to left) Eitai Vander, Yogev Bitan and Yehonatan Hochman, and behind them the plan for “The Quarry Park”. Photographed by: Technion’s Spokesperson’s Office (Shicho Photography Services)

Top Chinese students will receive scholarships up to $35,000 per year to study at the Technion, Weizmann Institute and the Hebrew University

According to the agreement, the Foundation will select outstanding Chinese students that fulfill Technion’s stringent admissions standards. Initially, graduate students pursuing advanced degrees (Masters and PhDs) will be chosen. Each student will receive scholarships and other assistance of up to $35,000 each year, to cover all of their expenses. The Foundation will begin with five students per year, increasing gradually to up to 25 students within five years. A six-person executive board will be appointed to oversee operations of this program, with three representatives each from Technion and the Hanqing Foundation.

The agreement is valid for 20 years and values over 8 million US Dollars.

Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie welcomed the agreement, adding that presently there are a number of Chinese students studying at the Technion. “The relationship between Technion and China grows ever stronger and we view the signing of this agreement with the Hanqing Foundation as another step towards our increasingly close collaboration with Chinese academia,” he said.

Following his visit to the Technion, Mr Zhao Hanqing said it is not surprising that such an excellent institution is considered among the best technology universities in the world, and that he is confident that the outstanding Chinese students chosen to study at the Technion will absorb all that Technion has to offer, acquiring knowledge that will contribute to his country’s burgeoning economy.

Above: Zhao Hanqing with Technion President, Professor Peretz Lavie

A research paper recently published in the prestigious Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (JAFC) by Professor Michael Aviram and his research group from the Rambam Medical Center and the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion, conducted jointly with Dr. Hamutal Borochov-Neori and her research team from Southern Arava Research and Development (Hevel Eilot, Israel), describes the properties of nine date fruit varieties growing in Israel. This is a continuing study by these researchers, who were the first to show the health properties of dates (Phoenix dactylifera L., Medjool or Hallawi varieties) that protect against cardiovascular diseases in humans.

In their previous study, which was published in 2009, also by JAFC, Professor Aviram and his colleagues discovered that eating three dates a day does not cause an increase in blood sugar levels, lowers blood triglycerides, and improves the quality of blood cholesterol (lowering its degree of oxidation).

Aviram’s research group concentrated on identifying fruits and vegetables containing highly active antioxidants that may improve the quality of blood cholesterol, by inhibiting its oxidation rate. Furthermore, they discovered the date phenolics inhibition mechanisms in the development of atherosclerosis and its consequences – heart  attack or stroke.

Professor Aviram was the first to demonstrate and to characterize unique polyphenolic antioxidants found in pomegranates, red wine (derived from the skin of the grape), and olive oil , which are most effective in slowing down the atherosclerotic process.

In the present study, undertaken by Professor Michael (Mickey) Aviram’s research group at the Technion Faculty of Medicione and Rambam Medical Center,  in collaboration with Dr. Hamutal Borochov-Neori and her research team from Southern Arava Research and Development, the scientists found that all of the nine date varieties studied showed a remarkable ability to delay oxidation of cholesterol, which is a key  factor in inducing atherosclerosis and its consequent cardiovascular diseases.

Furthermore, in this study, Aviram also found that dates have a proven ability to accelerate the removal of excess cholesterol from arterial wall cells (cholesterol efflux) – a process that could lead to slowdown, containment and even regression of atherosclerosis development.

In the current joint study of Professor Aviram and Dr. Borochov-Neori, the researchers found that the date varieties with the best abilities to delay processes related to the development of atherosclerosis are Barhi (yellow), Deri, Medjool and Halawi.

Cultivating dates is an important form of agriculture on the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East and North Africa, dating back more than 5,000 years. Dietary and therapeutic benefits of this fruit have been described in religious works, and medicinal folklore. Dates are thought to have strengthening properties in traditional Indian medicine and are used for treating different diseases in traditional (folk) Middle Eastern medicine, owing to its immunological properties, including natural antibacterial and antifungal agents. Moreover, extracts from dates contain potent  antioxidants and rids the body from free radicals.

Dates provides a high source of nutritional energy, due to its high sugar content, and are also rich in unique fibers (that bind to serum blood lipids- cholesterol and triglycerides,  and keep them away from the body). Dates are also rich in  minerals (potassium, calcium, magnesium and zinc), and specific phenolics (highly active antioxidants), mostly  phenolic acids and flavonoids.

In light of these studies and others, it is recommended to consume fruits and vegetables associated with the Middle-Eastern diet and Biblical dietary customs. Moreover, bear in mind that consumption of whole fruits and vegetables, and their appropriate combinations, are of higher nutritional benefit in comparison with the intake of a singular ingredient (active only against some specific oxidant), because they work together to neutralize a broad range of oxidative factors and hence – to attenuate atherosclerosis development , and to protect against cardiovascular diseases.