Author: shelleys

Prof. Michael Glickman, dean of the Faculty of Biology, will receive the grant for studying “The origin and impact of impaired ubiquitin signaling in the degeneration of neurons.” Prof. Glickman and his team have developed an innovative model for studying Alzheimer’s disease using nerve cells derived from human stem cells. The research they propose is based on their hypothesis that impairment of the ubiquitin system, which clears cells of damaged proteins, could lead to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. With the help of their innovative experimental model, the grant will enable the researchers to identify the specific component in the ubiquitin system that contributes to the development of the disease in its early stages and better understand the underlying mechanism. The long-term aim is to develop novel treatments to repair brain damage in Alzheimer’s patients.

Prof. Jackie Schiller from the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine will receive the grant for her research on “Dendrites as the main computational units for sustained motor learning in the brain cortex.” At the core of the research: an innovative hypothesis about how the brain manages to retain existing memories while learning new tasks – a challenge that artificial intelligence has not yet solved. According to Prof. Schiller’s hypothesis, these remarkable memory abilities are based on the ability of dendritic branches within brain cortex cells to store large amounts of information simultaneously. Another conjecture by Prof. Schiller is that disruptions in this mechanism are a key factor in various neurological disorders such as those involved in Parkinson’s disease.

The ERC Advanced Grant is one of Horizon Europe’s most prestigious and competitive grants, providing exceptional researchers with the opportunity to engage in ambitious, curiosity-driven projects that may lead to dramatic breakthroughs. The grants are dedicated to a wide range of research areas from life and physical sciences to social sciences and humanities.

 

Iliana Ivanova, commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth in the Horizon Europe program, said: “These grants will not only support leading researchers in pushing the boundaries of knowledge, but also create some 2,500 jobs for postdoctoral fellows, PhD students and other research staff across Europe. This investment nurtures the next generation of brilliant minds.”

 

Maria Leptin, president of the European Research Council (ERC), congratulated the winners and added: “I am particularly happy to see more mid-career scientists amongst the Advanced Grant winners this year. I hope that it will encourage more researchers at this career stage to apply for these grants.”

 

A solidarity delegation of faculty members from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) visited the Technion campus at the end of March to express solidarity with the Technion and the academic community in Israel. During their tour of the campus, the delegation met with Technion administration and researchers from the Henry and Marilyn Taub Faculty of Computer Science.

Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan spoke to the delegation about the University’s rapid response preparedness following the events of October 7. The response included including hosting dozens of displaced families, assisting students serving in the military, and establishing a “Mutual Support Center” that included hundreds of volunteers and provided assistance to the Technion community, evacuees and IDF soldiers. In response to the guests’ inquiries about how they could help, Prof. Sivan replied: “It is incumbent upon the presidents of universities in the United States to issue a clear and unequivocal public statement supporting Israeli academia and research collaborations, and opposing boycotts that call for refraining from inviting Israeli researchers to international conferences and publishing their articles.”

The representatives of MIT and UC Berkeley stated that they are working to garner support for Israel through donations and education. “Now more than ever, it is important to increase the presence of Israeli researchers, to create more research collaborations to demonstrate support and to support Israeli advocacy.”

As part of the visit, MIT Prof. Daniel Jackson gave a lecture at the Taub Faculty of Computer Science, demonstrating how certain perceptions generate dramatic innovations in the software world. Prof. Jackson’s book, “The Essence of Software,” in which he presents a completely new approach to software content, was published in 2021.

Gut bacteria have emerged as a focal point of scientific exploration, with their intricate roles in our metabolism, nutrition, and overall health coming into sharp focus. New research from the Technion has made a discovery that could lead to a better understanding of and treatment for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Over millions of years of coevolution with humans, gut bacteria have become indispensable for our immune system’s proper functioning. The gut is a constantly changing organ, undergoing structural, mechanical, and chemical alterations. Gut bacteria must adapt to this dynamic environment. A major mechanism that enables such dynamic adaptation is their ability to undergo rapid genomic changes due to a trait known as plasticity – a facet that Professor Naama Geva-Zatorsky and her team in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine have been investigating together with their collaborators.

The research team of this study included Shaqed Carasso, Rawan Zaatry, Haitham Hajjo, Dana Kadosh-Kariti, and Dr. Tal Gefen, and it was performed in collaboration with scientists from the U.S., Spain, and Israel: Dr. Michael Coyne, Prof. Laurie Comstock, Prof. Juan Joffre, Dr. Jeffrey Kate, Technion graduate Dr. Itai Sharon from the Migal Galilee Research Institute, and Prof. Yehuda Chowers and Dr. Sigal Pressman from the Rambam Medical Center.

The study focused on species of the Bacteroidales order, some of the most abundant species in the human gut microbiome. While analyzing more than 2,000 healthy and sick individuals and conducting preclinical research in mice models, the Technion scientists identified distinct patterns of DNA inversions in health and disease. These reversible DNA inversions flip the orientation of key gene segments, switching ON and OFF production of molecules. Interestingly, in Bacteroides fragilis, DNA inversions turned OFF the production of polysaccharide A, a molecule coating the bacteria that beneficially induces regulatory T cells – a specialized immune cell type that suppresses excessive inflammation and maintains gut homeostasis.

The likely culprit? Bacteriophages, or viruses that infect bacteria. Further examination of fecal samples from IBD patients revealed a striking pattern: the PSA promoter was predominantly in the OFF state, correlating with increased levels of B. fragilis-associated bacteriophages. Subsequent experiments with germ-free mice, colonized with B. fragilis in the presence of bacteriophages, highlighted a significant increase in B. fragilis with the OFF state and a notable reduction in populations of Treg cells.

Remarkably, the findings reveal an ingenious adaptation strategy used by gut microbes, allowing them to dynamically reprogram gene expression based on local conditions like inflammation or viral attacks. However, this biological shape-shifting may worsen disease by crippling production of molecules like PSA that regulate the immune system and attenuate gut inflammation.

“This research offers a critical insight into the intricate interactions between gut bacteria and the immune system in inflammatory bowel disease. Our explanation is that the same genomic flexibility that was developed through evolution provides the bacteria with functional plasticity, thereby helping them to adapt to intestinal disease,” commented Prof. Geva-Zatorsky. “It opens doors for targeted interventions aimed at restoring the balance of gut microbiota in IBD patients.”

The research was supported by the European Research Council (ERC), the Technion President’s Fund, the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Cancer Research Center, the Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, the Council for Higher Education (Alon Scholarship), the Israel Science Foundation, the Dan and Betty Kahn Foundation, Seerave Foundation, CIFAR, Human Frontier Science Program, and the Gutwirth Fund.

Click here for the paper in Cell Host & Microbe

United States Ambassador to Israel Jacob J. Lew, visited the Technion on Tuesday, April 2, with embassy representatives. The delegation met with Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan; Senior Executive Vice President Prof. Oded Rabinovitch; Executive Vice President for Research Prof. Noam Adir; and Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Prof. Adi Salzberg.

 

President Sivan presented the delegation with the history of the Technion and its exceptional impact on the State of Israel. He led them on a tour of the David and Janet Polak Visitors Center and showcased some of the key discoveries by Technion researchers, including those that led to Nobel Prize awards.

Ambassador Lew earned his bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Harvard University and his JD from the Georgetown University Law Center. He was sworn in as Ambassador to Israel on November 2, 2023, following his service as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, White House Chief of Staff, and Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). After leaving the Department of the Treasury, Ambassador Lew served as Managing Partner at Lindsay Goldberg, as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees at New York University, and as a faculty member at Columbia University.

 

When asked about changes in relations between the Technion and Western academic institutions following the events of October 7, Prof. Sivan responded: “Certainly, some things have changed, but it is too early to determine if these are long-term changes. In any case, difficulties are more noticeable in the fields of humanities and social sciences and less so in the fields that are taught and researched at the Technion. It is important to clarify that it is acceptable to disagree, it is acceptable to have disputes, but it is essential to draw the line where freedom of expression is exploited for incitement. Indeed, the situation today is better in universities where administrations have made it clear that there are red lines.” The Technion President added: “We, the residents of Israel, are currently experiencing very great difficulties, but we are aware of the distress faced by Jews in the United States. It is our duty to be attentive to them and to assist them as much as possible.”

Dean Zadok, a Ph.D. student in the Henry and Marilyn Taub Faculty of Computer Science at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, has developed a robotic system that could change the lives of amputees for the better. The system already allows users to play the piano and type on a computer, and Dean plans to further enhance its capabilities. “Many daily tasks, such as typing, making coffee, or changing a light bulb, are very challenging for people with amputated hands,” he explains. “Hence, the immense importance of efficient and user-friendly solutions.”

 

One of the complex challenges in robotic prosthetic arms is the ability to perform more intricate actions beyond gripping and moving objects. Existing prostheses may allow users, at best, to hold a cup and drink from it, but typing on a computer or playing the piano requires a high level of dexterity. From this complex challenge, a sophisticated project emerged, guided by Dean and three Technion faculty members: Professor Alon Wolf, a robotics and biomechanics expert from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and Taub Faculty of Computer Science researchers Professor Alex Bronstein (computational learning) and Dr. Oren Salzman (robotics).

The new technology is an ultrasound-based robotic system that reads muscle movements, enabling precise and sensitive hand actions, including fine finger movements. The ultrasound system is attached to the forearm, interpreting the user’s intentions based on muscle movements, including complex and fine gestures. The research team estimates this is a significant leap that will substantially advance the field of prosthetics, providing many users with an improved quality of life.

Dean Zadok, born in Tel Aviv, served in a technological role in the army before beginning his studies at the Technion. During his undergraduate studies, he joined the “Technion Formula” team, which develops race cars representing the Technion in the Formula SAE championships. Alongside fellow students Amir Biran and Tom Hirshberg, he developed a “Formula Simulator” to simulate the autonomous Formula car’s driving for testing purposes. The algorithm developed by the team allows the autonomous car to seamlessly drive in an unseen racing track, considering various factors such as weather, track conditions, speed, and more. The system was developed under the guidance of Technion Visiting Professor Kira Radinsky and Ashish Kapoor from Microsoft.

After completing his undergraduate degree, Dean went to Seattle to intern in Microsoft’s research labs. Upon his return to Israel, he began his studies for a master’s degree at the Technion. He volunteered and gained extensive experience in the field of prosthetics in Prof. Wolf’s lab and at Haifa3D, a non-profit organization aimed at creating awareness to and acquiring skills in 3D digital creation of physical object using 3D printing. He also visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he learned about the next generation of robotic prosthetics. “Participating in the Formula car development was an amazing experience,” he says, “but I always wanted to apply my knowledge for the benefit of human health. Algorithms find their application in a variety of fields, and I am glad I could harness it for the important topic of improving prosthetics for those who have suffered.”

The field of robotic prosthetics is making technological advances, but most smart prostheses currently rely on sensor stickers attached to the skin to interpret muscle signals. According to Dean, “this technology is very limiting, and what we are proposing is a new approach based on ultrasound, providing real-time dynamic information about relevant muscle movements for hand and finger motions.”

Initially, the team worked on a solution to allow users to separate the attached fingers, but they soon realized there was greater potential: a continuous reconstruction of finger movements based on ultrasound tracking of the contraction muscles in the lower arm. This led to the development of a system that allows users to type on a computer and play the piano.

Dean achieved this feat during his master’s thesis and decided to continue with the project through his doctoral studies. Last summer, he was invited to London to present the project at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA).

While his achievements are already impressive, Dean still has many goals for the future. One such objective is to develop an algorithm that will not only work after training with a specific user but will also adapt well to new users. “Many people who have lost a hand give up on the prosthesis after a short period because it is heavy, cumbersome, and its effectiveness is very limited,” he said. “We are trying to develop lightweight, comfortable, and efficient solutions. To achieve this, we need to continue improving the accuracy and strength of the movements.”

The research is supported by the European Research Council (ERC), the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Israel-U.S. Binational Science Foundation (BSF), the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Wein Family Foundation. The researchers thank Haifa3D for its support.

Read the full article here: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10160601

 

Approximately 5,000 potential students had arrived by midmorning at the Technion’s open day, with many more expected at the faculty reception area situated at the Churchill Auditorium Plaza. In the reception area, the various Technion faculties presented diverse study programs for undergraduate degrees in engineering and science, medicine, education, architecture, and urban planning. The open day included tours of the faculties and laboratories, lectures by Technion researchers, and an alumni panel.

This year saw a significant increase in the number of attendees. The Technion announced that participants in the event would receive a 50% discount on registration fees. A dedicated counseling station for reservists and their families provided information about the academic benefits that the Technion has established since the war to assist student reservists and make it easier for them to integrate into academic life. The station was operated by the Undergraduate Admissions Department.

The Dean of Student’s Office, which is responsible for assisting all Technion students with accommodation, scholarships, and welfare activities, also operated a special station. During this period, the Dean of Student’s Office has increased its activities in support of student reservists, and the Technion leads among Israeli academic institutions in the variety and scope of academic benefits, financial assistance, and emotional support provided to student reservists.

An alumni panel titled ‘The Technion gave me more,’ was held, where Technion alumni discussed how their studies at the Technion opened different career paths for them.

The intense three-day visit was deeply significant and profoundly memorable. “We came to Israel at this time not merely as observers but as pillars of unwavering support for the Technion and unity with the entire nation,” said Mark Gaines, ATS national president.

There were many powerful and inspiring moments. Here are but a few that left an indelible mark on the mission participants.

 

Student Reservists and Technion Support
Some 3,000 Technion students — 21% of the student body — were called up to serve in the IDF. Many of them spent more than 100 days serving in the army. Some will be going back again soon. Participants heard from a student who, on October 7, was with his family on a kibbutz in the south. Seeing the terrorists, they hid in their house armed only with a kitchen knife. One student talked about barely escaping the site of the Nova music festival massacre and then being called up to serve in the army.

The Technion administration’s biggest concern has been the welfare of the student body, particularly those in the reserves. From day one, the Technion has provided them with financial, psychological, and educational support. Every department has a faculty member coordinating needs. Lectures are recorded. The Technion is doing all it can to address the gaps in the material students miss so they don’t fall behind while protecting Israel.

“As we stood together and witnessed the unprecedented wartime challenges, we were proud to see all that the Technion is doing for the student reservists—as we have been told more than any other university—and hope that our presence sent a resounding message of solidarity and commitment to the Technion,” said Mr. Gaines.

Securing the campus and preparing for a more worrisome war with Hezbollah — where Haifa and the Technion are sure to be a target — is a major priority. More than 100,000 people have been evacuated from the northernmost communities and Hezbollah has already launched more than 2,000 rockets into Israel. There is a common concern that it is not a matter of if, but when a full escalation with Hezbollah will begin.

More than $5.5 million was raised by ATS to support students and secure the campus.

Technion Executive Vice President and Director General Dr. Rafi Aviram explained that the Technion is like a small city of 20,000 people, and it needs to have shelters that people could stay in, potentially for days. The participants toured the Security and Emergency Center with Yoav Geva, the head of Technion security. They witnessed how the campus is monitored and viewed new equipment, including a portable bomb shelter and two new emergency vehicles.

Prof. Uri Sivan, president of the Technion, conveyed his tremendous gratitude for the generosity of ATS supporters. He expressed his concern about anticipated large government budget cuts due to huge wartime costs and security challenges. Just as it always has, the Technion will play a significant role in building the nation’s next chapter and looks to its American partners to help make it possible. “Your help is even more critical than ever,” he said.

In addition to the need to complete major projects that were in the works prior to the war and meet the University’s goals to advance multidisciplinary research in climate change and sustainability, human health, impact technologies, and Israel’s security, the Technion launched a reservist fund to raise $20 million to address long-term fellowships and services for reservist students.

 

Technion’s Faculty of Medicine
The Technion’s Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine is across the street from its affiliated teaching hospital, the Rambam Health Care Campus. Mission participants toured the 2,000-bed fortified underground hospital, which functions as a parking garage during peacetime. When Israel is under threat, this space has been designed to become an enhanced medical facility. Following October 7, the extensive transformation was completed in only 24 hours.

They met with faculty and students at the Faculty of Medicine. The dean, Prof. Ami Aronheim, explained the crucial need to train more doctors, given Israel’s physician shortage. The medical school is gearing up to increase its enrollment by 40%. The group visited the Clinical Skills Learning Center, a simulation center with smart mannequins that enables the practice of professional-technical skills. The center has been teaching trauma courses since the beginning of the war to train medical students in lifesaving skills.

 

Hostages and the Displaced
An encounter with family members of hostages was profoundly moving. The group met with a young man, Dekel Lifshitz, whose grandparents were taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz. His 85-year-old grandmother, Yocheved Lifshitz, was kidnapped by motorcycle. In Gaza, she was forced to walk three kilometers through an underground tunnel in her pajamas. Yocheved was released on October 23, but was unaware of the status of her husband, Oded, who was shot on October 7, and she presumed had died. But he is reportedly a Hamas captive and she and her family are unaware of his condition, and obviously deeply concerned.

Evidence of how families have been displaced was also very apparent. The group stayed at the Dan Carmel Haifa hotel, which was full of families who were evacuated from the north.

 

The development of cancer is intricately linked to abnormal levels of a unique groups of proteins termed oncoproteins. In “normal” cells, oncoproteins play a crucial role in orchestrating cell growth, cell proliferation, and cell death, thus requiring strict regulation, which is achieved by their rapid degradation. However, through mechanisms that have remained poorly understood, oncoproteins evade the degradation machinery and acquire active resistance to breakdown, leading to cancer transformation and rendering resistance to anti-cancer drugs. The enhanced stability of oncoproteins is critical for the survival of cancer cells, presenting important avenues in cancer research and therapy.

As part of a collaborative international research project, three scientists from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and two researchers from Germany will investigate the molecular mechanisms that stabilize oncoproteins in cancer. As a potential means to treat aggressive cancers, the researchers will explore new approaches to attack resistance mechanisms. Their ultimate goal is to ensure these proteins are broken down quickly and their concentration returns to normal physiological levels. The group research project has been awarded a grant of 1.6 million euros from the DIP research program for collaborative research between Germany and Israel.

The Technion researchers participating in the project are Professor Ashraf Brik from the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Professor Amir Orian from the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, and Assistant Professor Dan Bracha from the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering. From Germany, the project collaborators include Professor Ivan Đikić from the Goethe University in Frankfurt and Professor Markus Diefenbacher from the Helmholtz Center in Munich.

 

In honor of International Women’s Day, on Thursday, March 7 the Technion held a special event with the participation of dozens of female graduate students. The event aimed at honoring female students during this challenging time featured a panel entitled “Keeping All the Balls in the Air.” This was followed by a lecture from Lihi Lapid, wife of former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid. The event took place at the David and Janet Polak Visitors Center, initiated by Technion Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, Prof. Adi Salzberg.

 

“This war has proven the central role women play both on the front lines and on the home front – and I have no doubt that each and every one of you has experienced it firsthand,” said Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan at the event’s opening. “I strongly believe in the importance of diversity and gender representation, not only from a social justice perspective, meaning that diversity and representation allow everyone to fulfill their full potential. These values also enable the organization itself and society to fulfill their best. In recent years, we have formed a diverse administration at the Technion with significant female representation, and I have no doubt that it is better thanks to this diversity. It is an administration that reflects a range of opinions and approaches, and therefore understands the campus and its needs better and is capable of leading the organization in the best possible way.

Technion President, Prof. Uri Sivan

“The current reality in the faculty of the Technion is the result of decades of effort to increase female representation – a particularly complex challenge in technological universities. This effort has very encouraging results: 48.8% of new undergraduate students are female. This figure is almost equal to the number of women in the population of Israel. In advanced degrees, female representation reaches 41%. To my delight, the fruits of change are also noticeable in the number of academic staff, and no less importantly, in the Technion’s administration. The Technion’s administration is more diverse, and we have reached a historic peak of eight female deans.”

 

One of the changes led by the administration, based on the recommendation of a special committee that dealt with the issue, is the appointment of Prof. Salzberg as vice president for diversity and inclusion.

“The place of women in this war is no longer in question,” said Prof. Salzberg. “We’ve seen 40,000 female combat soldiers, fighters, combat support, front-line medics, intelligence personnel, and more. Behind them stands a huge army of women who remained on the home front and ensured that life continued to thrive at home, at work, in massive civilian volunteer efforts, and wherever working hands and a willing heart were needed.” She told the doctoral candidates: “Your success in continuing to engage in research despite the difficulties and despite the abnormal reality is worthy of great appreciation, and therefore I thought it right to mark International Women’s Day together this year and say to you: well done and many thanks.”

 

Prof. Uri Peskin, dean of the Jacobs Graduate School, told the doctoral candidates: “You are an excellent group of superwomen who combine studies, work, research, and practice, and I take my hat off to you. The percentage of women in advanced degrees is improving steadily, but we continue to think about how to maintain this trend.”

 

Four doctoral candidates from various faculties at the Technion participated in the panel “Keeping All the Balls in the Air.” The panel moderator, Prof. Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus from the Faculty of Education in Science and Technology and the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, said that her husband, a pediatric neurologist, was called up as a trauma doctor and served for 100 days. “I was left bewildered, with three children aged 8 to 15. As a faculty member, I had to continue managing a very diverse lab with both female and male members, Arabs, Jews, and Druze. In addition to everything else, my research is based on MRI imaging in children, and it’s not easy to find parents and children who will come to campus for such tests at this time. Therefore, even though I am no longer a doctoral student, I am very familiar with your feelings and the level of concentration needed during this time. And most importantly, I embrace you.”

 

Adina Fried, a doctoral student in the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, resides in the Technion’s Graduate Student Village. In her doctoral work, she researches models for developing drugs for intestinal diseases under the guidance of Prof. Shulamit Levenberg. “On October 7, I was nearing the end of my maternity leave, with a small baby and a three-year-old child, approaching qualifying exams. My husband and I are both from a special forces unit, and on that Saturday, he immediately went to the base. He recently returned home after 152 days of reserve duty. I was left with two young children, which wasn’t easy, but the thought of returning to the United States, where I was born and where my parents live, never crossed my mind. I requested to postpone my return from maternity leave due to the situation, and Prof. Levenberg fully supported me and strengthened my decision. When the situation stabilized, I took the exams and passed them successfully.”

 

Rony Ben-Zvi Elimelech, who is about to complete her doctorate degree in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, researches mechanisms of retinal nerve regeneration. Additionally, she is the founder and CEO of the Wisemama Mentoring Project, which supports women combining parenthood and academic studies. “At the beginning of October, I was recovering from a very difficult childbirth experience, during which I faced medical challenges resulting from the pregnancy, and when I started to recover, October 7 happened. In the reserves, I am a administration officer in the Air Force, and when I wasn’t called up, I was offended. After I got over my offense, I decided that my role in holding down the home front was no less important. I viewed taking care of my children as a national mission. I returned to research, planned how to progress with my supervisor, and then suddenly, I was called up for reserve duty. I consulted with my supervisor, and she immediately said, ‘Now is not the time to say ‘no’ to reserve duty.’ In the end, I completed 45 days of reserve duty, juggling duties in the lab, managing the organization, and preparing for the opening of another challenging year of our mentoring project for student mothers. I want to thank the Technion and the Jacobs Graduate School for doing everything for the sake of its students.”

 

Naama Cohen recently began her doctorate studies in the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “After watching the initial reports on October 7, which seemed as strange as watching 9/11, the alarm bells rang for me, and I said to my husband, ‘Let’s get ready for reserve duty.’ Indeed, we were both called up immediately – he to the Telecommunications Center and I as an IDF officer in the reserves. The period in the reserves was challenging, but it allowed me to contribute. Since I didn’t find the time or mental space to engage in research, I put the research aside for this period, and during home leaves, I allowed myself to rest. Only in the past month have I tried to return to my routine – I organized documents, reread things, everything needed to return to research and be prepared to continue the Ph.D. I feel that to some extent, this break allowed me to look at the research with a fresh perspective and critique.”

 

Coral Hamo Goren, a doctoral student in the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, focuses on integrating machine learning in urban analysis. “When the war broke out, my husband immediately told me ‘You’re an operations officer in the Givati brigade, they need you, I’ll stay with the kids.’ And indeed, I went to reserve duty and I’m still there. At first, I put my doctorate on hold and every home leave was dedicated to the children. Even that wasn’t easy, because at night, I was in the operations room receiving and relaying reports on casualties and injuries, and then I came home to be with them, to comfort them. Only recently did I return to my doctorate and thankfully, the professors and mentors at the Technion understand the difficulty and provide significant assistance. That’s the spirit of the Technion – seeing the person.”

 

 

 

Professor Emeritus Joshua Zak, one of the founders of the Technion’s Faculty of Physics and a recipient of the 2022 Israel Prize in Physics and Chemistry, passed away on March 14, aged 94. Professor Zak led scientific breakthroughs that led to significant applications. He was responsible for numerous achievements in physics, two of which are named after him: the Zak transform, which is used today in signal processing, and the Zak phase, a unique phenomenon in one-dimensional crystals, which he published in 1989 in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters. He completed his doctorate at the Technion under the guidance of Professor Nathan Rosen, a student and assistant to Professor Albert Einstein; and Professor Yoel Racah from the Hebrew University. Professor Zak was awarded the prestigious Wigner Medal in 2014 and was elected an honorary fellow of the Israel Physical Society (IPS) in 2018. In 2022, he was awarded the Israel Prize in Physics and Chemistry Research.

 

Zak was born in Vilnius in June 1929. When he was 12 years old, he was moved to the ghetto with his family and later endured forced labor camps and a concentration camp, where he lost both of his parents and two of his siblings. As a young teenager, he participated in the death march to the west; he was liberated by the Red Army, and immediately drafted into it, before he turned 16. Upon his release in 1948, he returned to Vilnius and began studying at a high school, completing his studies with excellence despite losing many years of study due to the war and military service.

In 1955 he completed his studies in physics with distinction at Vilnius University, and also became a kayaking champion in Lithuania. In the same year he began studying advanced studies in Leningrad. In 1957, he immigrated to Israel, was accepted to the Technion, and continued his PhD studies under the guidance of Professor Nathan Rosen. In 1960, he received a doctorate in science, spent some time at MIT, and then returned to the Technion, where he began teaching at the Faculty of Physics. Ten years later, he founded the Solid State Institute at the Technion and served as its head.

Technion President Professor Uri Sivan said: “Today we bid farewell to a distinguished scientist, one of the pillars of the Faculty of Physics at the Technion and a trailblazer in his field. His research work paved new paths in understanding fundamental phenomena in quantum mechanics and accelerated the development of important engineering applications. Professor Zak is counted among the pioneers who laid the foundations for theoretical physics in Israel. As a faculty member in the Physics Department, I had the privilege of knowing him well and engaging in fascinating scientific discussions with him. Professor Zak’s achievements earned him international recognition, and we were all delighted when he received the Israel Prize for Physics and Chemistry Research in 2022, a prize that he truly deserved.”

The dean of the Faculty of Physics at the Technion, Professor Adi Nusser, said: “Professor Zak was one of the founders of the Faculty of Physics, and one of its leaders. Beyond the quality science that emerged under his guidance, he made a significant contribution to the faculty. Professor Zak made important contributions to the field of physics, which earned him the Wigner Medal and the Israel Prize. Even after his retirement, the Faculty of Physics and its academic quality remained important to him until his last day.  Until recently, he regularly visited the faculty and participated in all activities.”

The Israel Prize was awarded to Professor Zak on the 74th Independence Day of the State of Israel, in May 2022, for “developing mathematical tools such as the ‘Zak transform’ and ‘Zak phase,’ used for interpreting phenomena of electrical conduction in a magnetic field. These tools enable the prediction of materials with unique properties for building electronic devices.” The committee also emphasized that “his scientific contributions serve and will continue to serve in understanding the chemistry and physics of matter.”

 

In 2023 the Technion’s Faculty of Physics held a special four-day international conference dedicated to Professor Zak. The conference, which focused on the relationship between topology and physics, was organized by Professors Eric Akkermans and Ari Turner. “Topology, like set theory, is an elegant field of mathematics that allows us to describe geometric shapes anywhere they occur,” said Professor Akkermans. “It’s surprising how dramatic the implications of some of these concepts can be on experiments. The conference, attended by around 200 people, mostly young researchers, brought together many of the leading physicists who creatively contribute to this topological revolution in the physics of condensed matter – a field in which Professor Zak was a pioneer.”

Alongside the scientific sessions, a special session was dedicated to Professor Zak. In this session, his former students recounted his role as a teacher and educator who dedicated much effort to the education of new generations of engineers and researchers, and his colleagues spoke of his groundbreaking work in the topology of condensed matter physics. According to Professor Akkermans: “throughout his career at the Technion, Professor Zak emphasized the importance of a vibrant and active research environment in the faculty to attract talented researchers. At the conference, we succeeded in meeting his criteria for excellence and camaraderie, both in the standard of the invited lecturers, including Nobel Prize laureates, and in the standard of participants. This demonstrated once again that the Technion is a beacon of excellence in physics.”

May his memory be a blessing.

The immune system can be roughly divided into two – the innate immune system, which is the first barrier against disease-causing pathogens, and the acquired immune system, which is activated later and responds in a more targeted manner. Current research conducted by Professor Katrien Vandoorne of the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering focused on the innate immune system.

The immune system’s blood cells are produced in the bone marrow, which is situated in the spongy part of certain bones throughout our bodies.

Prof. Vandoorne developed a new technique that makes it possible to track the production of the blood cells in the bone marrow. To do so, she used tiny magnetic particles from iron oxide, which she tracked using various imaging techniques, including in vivo magnetic resonance imaging.

The research, which was carried out on mice, examined the effect of different levels of inflammation on the production of blood cells.

Prof. Vandoorne found that the more severe the inflammation, the larger the number of immune system blood cells that are produced in the bone marrow which absorb more nanoparticles. In other words, the body reacts to infection by producing inflammation – increasing the number of immune system blood cells so that they will react to the infection.

She concluded that bone marrow is not just a “cell factory.” Regarding possible applications, this discovery will enable immune cells to be monitored more precisely.

The study also emphasizes the potential of these nanometric particles for delivering drugs, which would be relevant for a variety of diseases, including cancer, heart diseases and degenerative diseases.

According to Prof. Vandoorne, “We will now be able to offer physicians an efficient tool for the early detection of infections, based on monitoring bone marrow. We believe that this discovery will significantly improve the way physicians diagnose various diseases, which would lead to more personalized and effective treatments.”

Prof. Katrien Vandoorne joined the Technion’s Faculty of Biomedical Engineering in September 2020, following her academic journey spanning from Ghent University in Belgium, where she completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in veterinary medicine, to a Ph.D. in the Department of Biological Regulation at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Subsequently, she pursued postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School and earned the title of Assistant Professor from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Eindhoven University in the Netherlands.

 

 

More than 500 students, faculty members, administrative staff, graduates, and guests participated today in the 8th Technion Race. The race took place in collaboration with the Technion administration, the Technion Student Association, and the Technion Sports Association. It opened with a minute of silence in memory of the fallen of operation “Swords of Iron” and with hope for the swift release of the hostages held by Hamas.

The race was started by the president of the Technion, Prof. Uri Sivan, and the vice chairperson of the Technion Student Association, Alis Kalman. The president stated that “in recent months, we have received clear evidence of our resilience as a community committed to mutual support, as students led by our Student Union, staff, and faculty have volunteered for a huge variety of activities for the benefit of the community and the country. The Technion Race is another opportunity for all of us to be together as one community. Good luck to everyone.”

Nitzan Yissar, coach of the Technion’s orienteering team and Israeli champion in orienteering, won overall first place with a time of 17:47:20. In the women’s category, Amal Hihy, a first-year student in the Taub Faculty of Computer Science won with a time of 21:27:01. Hihy, who lives in Hoshaya, dedicated her running career to the memory of her father, Faiz, who was killed before her birth. Years ago, in her first competitive race she won first place. She then joined the “Adrenaline” running group and now runs as part of the Maccabi Haifa team.

At the end of the race, medals were awarded by category, and in a lottery held among all participants. Amitai Ginsburg, a student in the Faculties of Materials Science and Physics received a prize of 1,000 shekels. Vice chairperson of the Technion Student Association, Alis Kalman, said: “Sport is something that unites us all – it has no color or gender – and it makes us all feel good.”