6th Annual Henry Taub International TCE Conference to Be Held Tomorrow at The Technion
Tomorrow the 6th Annual TCE Conference will be held at the Technion Computer Engineering Center (TEC). The Conference, entitled 3D Visual Computing, will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 24-25, 2016. It will be attended by academics and industry leaders from Israel and abroad who study and work in the field of 3D and Computer Graphics.
The conference will be chaired by Assistant Prof. Mirela Ben-Chen of the Faculty of Computer Science and Prof. Yoav Schechner of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. Prof. Schechner’s field is computer vision and Assistant Prof. Ben-Chen researches computer graphics, geometric processing and more.
The widespread of virtual and layered reality technologies along with 3D printing gives an advantage to those with a solid theoretical base and the ability to produce algorithms for the analysis and synthesis of 3D geometric data. “3D has become a hot topic,” says Prof. Ben-Chen. “Scanning and 3D printing technology is constantly improving, but we need tools for processing this data so that people who are not experts will be able to use the technology. Everything done today with images can be done better with 3D data, but for this we need search, comparison and editing algorithms, which are currently at the forefront of research in the field.
The leading researchers in the field will attend the Conference. Prof. William T. Freeman of MIT will speak about his study examining the possibility of studying the properties of a material from video and sound clips that document tapping on it. Prof. Helmut Pottmann of the Vienna University of Technology will speak about geometric architecture – using technological tools for architecture. Prof. Eitan Grinspun of Columbia University will speak about the simulation of physical processes using computer graphics. Other speakers include Prof. Marc Pollefeys of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Prof. Thomas Funkhouser of Princeton University, Prof. Marc Alexa of the Technical University in Berlin and many more.
The Conference is organized by the Technion Computer Engineering Center (TCE), which promotes joint applied research between the Technion faculties of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Members of both faculties and their industry partners conduct research at the Center, which fosters a dialogue between industry and academia on research topics of interest to both. Among other things, the Center disseminates knowledge and holds numerous conferences, culminating in its annual conference.
NYC TECH LEADERS HONOR FIRST-EVER GRADUATES OF JACOBS TECHNION-CORNELL INSTITUTE
Israel’s Technion Becomes First Accredited International University to Grant Degrees in the U.S.
NYC Executive Director Julie Samuels, Israeli Consul General Ido Aharoni and others gathered last night to celebrate the inaugural graduating class of the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute. The pre-graduation event at WeWork Bryant Park honored the globally diverse graduates receiving the MS in Information Systems with a concentration in Connective Media, a one-of-a-kind master’s program combining disciplines of technology, media, sociology and business.
The May 29 graduation ceremony at the Cornell University Ithaca, NY campus will include the Jacobs Institute — a partnership of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and Cornell University — and will mark the first time an international university has ever granted an accredited degree for studies on U.S. soil. Graduates will receive two degrees, one from the Technion and one from Cornell. The Institute’s 12 Connective Media graduates, from six different countries, are now launching innovative startups and securing jobs at industry-leading companies across the world.
“These graduating entrepreneurs are armed with the knowledge and experience in areas that are vital to the City’s economic health, and the betterment of society as a whole,” said Professor Adam Shwartz, director of the Jacobs Institute. “We look forward with anticipation to the great things they will accomplish and their impact on the economy, as well as the startups they will launch in New York City and beyond.”
“Congratulations to all of the graduating Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute students,” said Technion President Peretz Lavie. “This remarkable group, and all it will accomplish, is a clear example of what can happen when innovation, excellence and a commitment to the improving the lives of people around the world come together.”
The Jacobs Institute was established in 2013 with a $133 million gift from Dr. Irwin Mark Jacobs, founding chairman and CEO emeritus of Qualcomm, and his wife, Joan Klein Jacobs. It has quickly become a catalyst for global entrepreneurship and a driver of New York’s emerging tech ecosystem and local economy. The Jacobs Institute combines professors, research and resources from the Technion, a leading global research university, that was a vital factor in Israel’s emergence as the “Startup Nation,” and Cornell, a longtime leader in engineering and computer science, with a strong presence in New York City. The Jacobs Institute’s dual-degree program — accredited through Technion in Israel and Cornell in the U.S. — provides graduates with an international advantage and greater recognition in an increasingly global workforce.
The Connective Media graduate program was created by Jacobs Institute Professor Mor Naaman, whose Social Technologies Lab studies social technologies such as YouTube, Facebook and others, and creates new technologies to help people connect. Built as a strong technical degree, the Connective Media program is unique in expanding beyond tech and combines a wide array of human, business and social disciplines. The program challenges students to engage directly with industry leaders on new projects that can impact the world in significant ways, including creating startup concepts and companies. Connective Media students have worked directly with professionals at AOL, Microsoft, LinkedIn and more than a dozen other companies.
“These graduates have strong technical skills, but also skills and knowledge from the social sciences, business and design. Such set of skills is required to innovate and excel in the Connective Media landscape,” said Mor Naaman, Jacobs Institute professor and founder of the Connective Media program. “Their tech expertise, aimed towards the human and social aspects of media technologies, will be an asset to both established companies and startups, especially within communications and media spaces. These graduates are the next generation of this city’s CTOs, product chiefs, and tech leaders.”
The Jacobs Institute’s 12 inaugural graduates represent the global face of today’s tech industry and hail from the U.S., Canada, China, New Zealand, India, Indonesia, and Spain. Several graduates are already planning to begin careers at Facebook, Google, WeWork, Verizon and Bloomberg. Some will launch startup companies aimed at helping quadriplegics, transforming interactive education and changing other fields, and some will continue research partnerships with the Clinton Foundation and other major institutions.
“At the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute you have the opportunity to shape your education and to shape the courses,” said Shawn Bramson, one the inaugural Jacobs Institute graduates.“There’s an amazing entrepreneurial spirit here, reminiscent of the one I was immersed in while I was at the Technion, and an empowerment to apply what we’ve learned to make real social impact in the world.”
Graduates with Professor Adam Shwartz, director of the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute (right) and Professor Mor Naaman, founder of the Connective Media program(left
In the late 19th century, when he wrote Hatikva, which became the national anthem of the State of Israel, it is doubtful whether poet Naphtali Herz Imber dreamed that a robotic xylophone built by Technion students would play the national anthem in honor of Israel’s 68th Independence Day.
As part of their final project, Eli Zalianski (27) and Igor Kantor (28), undergraduate students at the Technion Faculty of Electrical Engineering, built a system of robotic arms for playing the xylophone. The system includes eight timed motors that play a selection of songs using MIDI files, which contain the notes.
“Based on an idea presented to us at the Faculty’s Control Robotics & Machine Learning Lab, we built a system of robotic arms that can play the xylophone independently,” Eli related. “In honor of Israel’s 68th Independence Day, we decided to teach the robot the national anthem, and we have no doubt that it’s the first robot that has ever played Hatikva.
“We didn’t think it would take such a long time to work on the system and build the robot,” added Igor. “We spent six months working on building, wiring and programming. We used existing motors and bases and built the whole thing around them. The greatest effort was to build the system itself – a construction that would last and not fall apart. We had to take the music file and translate it into the robot’s movements. MATLAB software converts the file and uses the Arduino controller to send the motors instructions for moving the arms. The user selects a song to play and the software will convert the selected MIDI file into a sequence of timed notes and begin playing the desired song.”
According to Eli: “Eight servo motors drive the four mallets – two motors for each mallet. Each mallet can move to the left and right and then strike the xylophone. I have a background in music that helped me understand how to work with notes and sound.”
Koby Kohai, head of the Control Robotics & Machine Learning Lab at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, advised the students on the project. “For us at the Faculty, the process that the students go through in order to establish themselves professionally is the significant part, rather than the final product. During the course, students must investigate new technologies, and they acquire hands-on experience with entrepreneurship and product development.”
The xylophone is limited to 25 tones and three octaves, and Hatikva meets this constraint. According to Igor, the robot can also play the opening theme of the series “Game of Thrones” and the background music of the video game “Mario”.
Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Officially Launch Global Cancer Research Initiative
Melanoma, Mesothelioma Are the Focus of First Joint Studies
Drug-carrying “nanoghosts” that battle melanoma and new treatments for malignant mesothelioma will be the focus of the first joint research projects led by NYU Langone Medical Center and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology under a groundbreaking research initiative supported by noted philanthropists and NYU Langone Trustees Laura and Isaac Perlmutter.
NYU Langone and its Perlmutter Cancer Center – which the Perlmutters named in 2014 with a separate gift of more than $50 million – and the Technion established the new partnership last year to advance global collaboration in cancer research and therapeutics. The joint program is positioned to attract additional, world-class support from institutions and individuals dedicated to eradicating cancer through focused and efficient research.
The first $3 million of the Perlmutters’ $9 million donation to the two institutions is earmarked to finance six joint research projects. Co-investigators on each project will receive a two-year, $500,000 grant—$250,000 for each site. The remaining $6 million is designated to establish a state-of-the-art research facility on the Technion campus in Israel to support these and other research projects, primarily in the emerging field of cancer metabolomics, the systematic study of the unique chemical fingerprints that cellular processes leave behind. These processes are both affected by, and can influence, a variety of human diseases, including cancer.
Examining a Novel Approach to Treat Metastatic Melanoma
In the first joint collaboration, NYU Langone and Technion researchers will test the ability of a nanotechnology based on stem cell “nanoghosts” to deliver to the brain a promising treatment for metastatic melanoma, skin cancer that has spread or metastasized, and is often incurable.
In earlier studies, researchers at the Technion took a stem cell, removed its contents, and then shaped a piece of the cell’s outer membrane into a vehicle to deliver treatments into the brain. The idea was to borrow the stem cell’s outer membrane ability to home in on cancer cells. As a fragment of the former stem cell’s membrane, the nanoghost encompasses particular mechanisms that slow it enough to traverse the barrier that filters blood flowing into the brain, and which keeps most drugs from entering.
The nanoghost’s cargo is a microRNA (miR), a stretch of genetic material that fine-tunes genetic messages by blocking the conversion of genes into proteins. First applied by NYU researchers to metastatic melanoma, miR-124a, in particular, blocks the expression of cancer-promoting genes. The joint team’s experiments will seek to determine the feasibility of encapsulating miR-124a in the nanoghost, and study how the vehicle reaches its target in mouse models of the disease.
“Our studies should provide important information on nanoghosts’ general value as drug and gene carriers to the brain, and create potential for new treatment approaches against brain tumors and metastases,” said Professor Marcelle Machluf, PhD, head of the Laboratory for Cancer Drug Delivery & Cell Based Technologies at the Technion, and inventor of the nanoghost with her colleagues there. “The difficulty of delivering agents to the brain represents a major impediment to improving outcomes in patients suffering from brain tumors. Our state-of-the-art nanovehicle promises safer, simpler and more clinically relevant treatments than existing vehicles, which are comprised of polymers or synthetic vesicles which largely lack the ability to enter the brain and to target evolving and changing pathologies.”
“It is much harder to secure funding for this type of high risk, high reward research,” said Eva Hernando-Monge, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pathology at NYU Langone, a member of the Perlmutter Cancer Center, and leader of the NYU team that first identified miR-124 as a suppressor of the growth of brain metastases. “The Perlmutters’ generous gift gives us the ability to be bold.”
Like the stem cells they are based on, nanoghosts are invisible to the immune system, which means they could potentially be made from donated stem cells, expanded to large numbers in the lab, and not just from the patient’s own supply. In the future, this could enable the stockpiling of nanoghost treatments used off the shelf without fear of immune reactions to treatments based on “foreign” cells.
New Approach to Mesothelioma
The second joint project will investigate whether an enzyme called heparanase can be used to diagnose and treat mesothelioma, a rare cancer that develops in the mesothelium, the protective lining of the lungs and other internal organs of the body. Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), the most common form of the disease, often occurs after exposure to asbestos and is resistant to most therapies.
Heparanase was first identified as a treatment target in 2004 by a team led by Israel Vlodavsky, PhD, one of the project’s co-investigators and professor at the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine. Past studies found that patients with high levels of this enzyme in their tumors have lower survival rates after surgery, and that related tumors in mice respond to treatment with heparanase-inhibiting compounds.
The enzyme breaks up molecular chains of heparan sulfate, a building block of the scaffolds that give organs shape and support. Cancer cells use the enzyme to break down tissue barriers around a growing tumor, providing new pathways for the cancer to spread and for the building of blood vessels that supply tumors. In addition, breaking up extracellular matrices releases pro-growth proteins stored there to further drive disease. Furthermore, the joint team has developed the novel theory that heparanase secreted by tumor cells primes local microenvironments in a “vicious” cycle where inflammation and tumor growth drive each other.
The co-investigators at NYU Langone — led by Harvey I. Pass, MD, the Stephen E. Banner Professor of Thoracic Surgery and vice chair for research, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, at NYU Langone, also a member of its Perlmutter Cancer Center — will use tissue samples from its Thoracic Oncology Archives to validate Dr. Vlodavsky’s findings in hopes of eventually evaluating the treatment potential of heparanase-inhibiting compounds in mesothelioma clinical trials. Dr. Pass has been collecting tissue samples from his surgical patients since 1989, when he was head of thoracic oncology at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The collection now houses frozen specimens from more than 350 mesothelioma patients.
“This project, supported through the generosity of the Perlmutters, enables us to collaborate with one of the world’s leading experts on the role of heparanase in cancer, and is crucial in developing new strategies,” Dr. Pass says. “We hope that these experiments can be translated into applications for ongoing funding from the NCI, and enable Phase I trials with new therapeutics that influence heparanase pathways.”
“Our collaboration represents the first attempt to focus on heparanase as a major risk factor in mesothelioma and a valid target for the development of heparanase-inhibiting drugs,” Dr. Vlodavsky says. “In fact, applying a potent inhibitor of the heparanase enzyme we have already demonstrated a most prominent inhibition of tumor progression in mouse models of human mesothelioma, resulting in a pronounced extension of mouse survival. This joint effort provides an opportunity to make important strides in both our fundamental understanding of mesothelioma and in translating this knowledge into therapeutics.”
Student-Built Machines Tell Passover Story (Inspired by Technion Rube Goldberg Video)
Four teams from schools around the world took high honors in the Technion Jewish Day School Challenge, created jointly by RAVSAK and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Their mission: to build a Rube Goldberg machine in the spirit of Pesach (and inspired by the intricate 2015 Technion Rube Goldberg machine). For the uninitiated, a Rube Goldberg machine is a contraption or device that is deliberately over-engineered to perform a simple task in a complicated fashion, generally including a chain reaction.
“The Technion is thrilled to have launched this new initiative together with RAVSAK,” said Technion President Professor Peretz Lavie. “In an ever-changing world we need to find new and relevant ways to connect younger generations of the Jewish people with Israel. What better way to do so than a thought-provoking, fun competition that has a strong STEM education focus? Congratulations to all who participated. I hope to see you all at the Technion – as students – in a few years,” he concluded.
“In partnership with Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, we were able to create an amazing new opportunity for students to blend their commitments to Jewish learning with the sciences, foster a connection to post-secondary education, and prompt them to apply their knowledge of Pesach traditions in a completely innovative way,” said Dr. Marc N. Kramer, RAVSAK’s Co-Executive Director.
More than 600 students from 41 Jewish day schools – located in Europe, North America, Australia, and Africa – participated in the Challenge. The judges marveled at the incredible entries received from around the world, noting with pride and appreciation the amount of time, energy and thought the students put into their creations.
Students followed a rigorous rubric, which called for the machines to ultimately reveal a Seder plate. In the weeks leading up to the Challenge deadline, students tinkered away, and got insider tips from world-renowned Technion Mechanical Engineering Professor Alon Wolf and other Technion faculty.
“I am delighted to see the Technion’s role in inspiring all of the participants to do such great work,” said Prof. Yoram Halevi, Dean of the Technion Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. “You have inspired us, as well, and we hope to see you grow and succeed in your science paths.”
In the closely contested High School category, first place went to the team from Abraham Joshua Heschel High School, in New York City. Thejudges cited their use of successful energy transfer elements and high creativity level as main reasons for their selection. Second place went to The Weber School in Atlanta, whose entry showed a true understanding for the mechanics involved to create a visually stunning display.
Photos/Videos: Videos of the winning Technion Challenge machines can be viewed on the Technion YouTube channel and you can follow all the conversations across social media via #TechnionChallenge.
Technion Cyber Security Research Center Inaugurated
“Technion will no doubt advance the field into new directions,” commented Head of the National Cyber Bureau.
Dr. Eviatar Matania, Head of Israel’s National Cyber Bureau, attended the inauguration ceremony at the Technion of the Cyber Security Research Center alongside Technion President Professor Peretz Lavie. At the ceremony, Dr. Matania said that the Technion was the first institute of higher learning that they approached about setting up the project; “We approached the Technion about establishing a center of this caliber because of its reputation for excellence, and especially the outstanding capabilities and knowledge power coming out of its Faculties of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Computer Engineering Center (TCE). “Its academic capabilities along with its technological prowess that has placed it among the top leading institutes of the world promise that the cyber field will advance into new directions.”
Professor Eli Biham, Head of the Cyber Security Research Center at the Technion (right) with Dr. Eviatar Matania, Head of Israel’s National Cyber Bureau, and Technion President Professor Peretz Lavie.
Professor Eli Biham from Technion’s Faculty of Computer Science will head the new center, which opened its doors last week. Prof. Biham explained that, “Today, Israel and the Technion in particular, are leaders in maintaining the country’s ability to withstand cyber threats. Yet to continue to do this we must promote interdisciplinary research that relies on the capabilities of the Technion. At the center, faculty members from various faculties will investigate the ‘lower layers of cyberspace.’ The study topics will focus on security and explore the weaknesses that endanger systems and methods of protection. The center will foster awareness of these issues and will hold seminars for engineers working in cyber security in order to broaden their knowledge and keep them abreast of the latest developments in the field. We invite industry collaboration and will be happy to host researchers and post-doctorate fellows from Israel and abroad.”
The new research center will focus on cyber security research such as software and hardware protection, operating systems security, cloud security, protection of IoT (Internet of Things) systems, verification of software and hardware, computer vision, safety of autonomous systems, cryptology and cryptanalysis, safety and privacy of medical and aeronautical systems, and many others. The center will manage research grants for researchers and graduate students (MSc and PhD), serve as a focal point for scholars, focus on disseminating innovative knowledge through conferences and international workshops, and deepen awareness of the field via courses, lectures and other outreach activities.
Technion President, Prof. Peretz Lavie, welcomed the establishment of the Cyber Security Research Center: “The State of Israel finally understands the importance of the field of cyber security, and the establishment of the center at the Technion is of great consequence. From my acquaintance with the brilliant minds that have come together to found this center I am certain that it will become a top leading cyber security research facility that will contribute greatly to the field.”
Mr. Gilad Erdan, the Minister of Public Security, sent his well wishes for the establishment of the center and wrote, “The Technion is a world leading institute and a source of great national pride. I am confident that the establishment of the center will contribute greatly to our national security and the Israeli economy.”
In his letter of congratulations to the Technion President, Mr. Ofir Akunis, Minister of Science, Technology and Space, wrote: “The combination of knowledge power and the brightest minds that distinguish the Technion, coupled with the keenness to lead and succeed and uncompromising determination, will empower us and make us into an unstoppable force against those who seek to harm us.”
As part of the inauguration festivities of the Technion Cyber Security Research Center, the following lectures by experts from the Technion’s Faculties of Computer Science and Engineering were held at the Technion: Associate Professor Eran Yahav lectured on new tools to find similarities in computer programs with applications to locate malicious code (viruses); Assistant Professor Mark Silberstein gave a presentation on the use of graphic cards as a means through which to break into computerized systems; Daniel Genkin talked about side channel attacks on computers and mobile devices using external measurement of physical variables such as electrical power and acoustic measurement; and Professor Eli Ben-Sasson lectured on new technology to ensure the ‘computational integrity’ of financial processes and other practices.
Technion breakthrough improves chances tissue grafts will survive and thrive
A better understanding of the effect of mechanical forces on blood vessel assembly in engineered tissues aids optimal growth of new blood vessels after tissue transplantation
Researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and colleagues in the U.S. have developed technology to tailor grafted tissues that can respond to certain natural forces affecting blood vessels. The researchers also found that matching the structure of the engineered vessels to the structure of the host tissues at the site of implantation helps the tissue implant integration, improving the chances that grafted tissues will survive better. The findings were published recently in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
“Developing functional and mature three-dimensional (3D) blood vessel networks in implantable tissues is critical when using these engineered tissues to treat a number of conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and trauma injuries,” said lead researcher Prof. Shulamit Levenberg of the Technion Department of Biomedical Engineering. “Matching the tissue structures will improve the long term viability and strength of tissue grafts when new blood vessel growth – called ‘angiogenesis’ – can be manipulated and exploited for the purpose of attaining optimal blood supply.”
The team’s laboratory studies were aimed at determining just how vascular networks are regulated by various kinds of “tensile forces”- by stretching the constructs (3D engineered tissues).
“Although mechanical forces play a central role in all biological processes as well as influence the shape and organization of cells, mechanical forces had not been previously investigated in relation to vascular networks in 3D,” explained Prof. Levenberg. “Our study used a number of techniques to monitor the impact of tensile forces on vascular network construction and properties.”
The researchers examined the effects of cell-induced forces on vascular networks by applying variety of stretching forces, both cyclic (on-and-off) and static (constant) forces. The researchers found that the vessels aligned in response to the stretch.
To test the effects vessel alignments on tissue integration, the researchers grafted engineered tissues into mouse abdominal muscles with the vessel direction placed both parallel and vertically to the natural mouse muscle fibers (host tissues). They found that tissues with vertically implanted blood vessels had greater stiffness and strength when they corresponded to the vertical direction of the host tissue fibers.
This study was conducted in collaboration with Professor Dave Mooney, of Harvard University, who hosted Prof. Levenberg during her sabbatical year. The project was carried out by Dr. Dekel Dado-Rosenfeld as part of her PhD thesis, under the mentorship of Prof. Levenberg. Dr. Dado-Rosenfeld is currently a postdoc at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, under the auspices of the MIT-Technion Post-Doctoral Fellowship
No. 1 2015 paper on solar fuels: A study by Technion Professor Yeshayahu Lifshitz
Professor Yeshayahu Lifshitz
A paper by Technion Professor Yeshayahu Lifshitz and his Chinese colleagues received significant international praise. It was rated the top solar fuels paper of 2015 by the Solar Fuels Institute (SOFI) based on the number of citations it gained in scientific journals and on its usage (internet downloads). The study honored its authors with a prize from the Chinese Science and Technology Office as one of China’s top ten technological progresses of 2015. It is the most cited article (with about 195 citations in the Science Citation Index) out of all Israeli (about 20,000) and Chinese (about 300,000) articles printed in 2015.
The paper was published in the prestigious scientific journal Science on February 27, 2015 by Prof. Lifshitz and his colleagues including Profs. Zhenhui Kang and Shuit-Tong Lee from the Soochow University in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. The article describes a breakthrough in the production of hydrogen through solar energy driven water splitting.
Hydrogen is considered a most promising future fuel source because of its potential use in powering motor vehicles and generating electricity without the involvement of unwelcomed by-products and greenhouse gas emissions. This is the reason for the worldwide effort to invest in the development of hydrogen producing technologies and usage. The U.S. alone invested billions of dollars in programs such as the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, supporting research and development of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies capable of lowering America’s dependence on imported oil and reducing the environmental impacts of fossil fuel combustion.
According to Prof. Lifshitz, “Concentrated attempts over the past four decades to develop photocatalysts for splitting water into its constituent elements (hydrogen and oxygen) by solar light have failed for a number of reasons: (1) low solar to hydrogen energy conversion efficiency (2) poor catalytic stability, causing catalytic activity to end within a few hours of operationand (3) high cost of catalysts’ materials, which often contain rare and precious metals.”
No. 1 Solar Fuel Article for 2015: “Metal-free efficient photocatalyst for stable visible water splitting via a two-electron pathway,” Science, 347(6225), 970, February 27, 2015
Prof. Lifshitz and his colleagues were able to overcome these problems by developing a cheap, metal free, Earth-abundant and environmentally friendly catalyst made of a carbon nanodot–carbon nitride (C3N4) nanocomposite. Their findings showed a 2000% higher performance efficiency (20 times larger) as compared with other stable catalysts previously reported, working with unchanged hydrogen output for more than 200 days. “The novel nanocomposite allows for the first time the development of a simple (photocatalytic) system for hydrogen production using solar energy. This is the reason why this report has received such worldwide interest,” explains Prof. Lifshitz.
Professor Emeritus Yeshayahu Lifshitz is a faculty member at Technion’s Faculty of Materials Engineering. He holds three physics degrees (a Bachelor’s from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Master’s from Tel Aviv University, and a PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science). He served as a senior research associate at the Soreq Nuclear Research Center (SNRC), where he became the founding head of the space technology center. This is a national center of knowledge supporting the Israeli space industry in all aspects related to the compatibility of materials, electronic devices and systems to the space environments. Prof. Lifshitz is the originator of the “subplantation model” describing modern film deposition techniques, and explained for the first time the nucleation mechanism of diamond crystals in laboratory settings at low pressures. In 2004 he joined the Technion’s Faculty of Materials Engineering, and since 2014 he has also served as a Chair Professor at Soochow University in Suzhou, China, where this study was carried out.
Prof. Lifshitz is listed as one of the world’s top 100 researchers in material science in 2000-2010 by Thomson Reuters and the Times Higher Education.
No. 1 Solar Fuel Article for 2015:
“Metal-free efficient photocatalyst for stable visible water splitting via a two-electron pathway,” Science, 347(6225), 970, February 27, 2015
A study by Prof. Noam Adir of the Technion: this is how bacteria protect their photosynthetic system from overexposure
Prof. Noam Adir (on the left) and doctoral student Dvir Harris of the Technion Schulich Faculty of Chemistry
Photosynthesis, which we are familiar with from the plant world, is essential to the animal kingdom – not only for organisms that perform photosynthesis themselves, but for all living things. This is because even animals that do not perform photosynthesis consume the primary product of photosynthesis – glucose.
Due to the importance of this process, these organisms have developed mechanisms that protect them from overexposure to sunlight. Just as film in pre-digital cameras can be overexposed, natural photosynthetic systems are also liable to become impaired as a result of overexposure, leading to the death of the organism.
One of these defense mechanisms has now been revealed in a study conducted by Prof. Noam Adir and doctoral student Dvir Harris of the Technion Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, in collaboration with Dr. Diana Kirilovsky and her laboratory at I2BC-CEA, in France. The article was published in the scientific journal PNAS.
The defense mechanism was deciphered in cyanobacteria (formerly known as “blue green algae”). The main player in this mechanism is the protein OCP – a protein that modifies its structure and color in response to intense light. This change blocks the flow of energy that reaches the center of the photosynthetic reaction by means of a reaction between the active species of OCP and phycobilisome (PBS) the protein complex that functions as a light harvesting antenna in the cyanobacteria.
“In this study we discovered how the OCP blocks the energy,” explains Prof. Adir. “In effect, the protein acts as a biological switch. In response to strong light, part of the protein penetrates into the PBS, changes the PBS structure, thereby diverting the flow of energy to the reaction centers. According to experiments done by the Kirilovsky lab, this defense mechanism blocks more than 90% of the sun’s radiation. As soon as the radiation diminishes, the protein returns to its normal state and the flow of energy resumes.”
Marine and freshwater cyanobacteria protect themselves from over-excitation in high-light by activating the Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP). The OCP is activated by strong light illumination, changing from its orange to red form. The picture depicts three bacteria, one in full sunlight (top, reddish), one in shade (bottom, orange hue) and one in the middle. Harris et al. PNAS 2016 have proposed a mechanism by which the after activation, the N-terminal domain of the OCP burrows in between units of the Phycobilisome antenna complex, thereby diminishing the flow of energy to the reaction centers
Technology, creativity and safety displayed at the 2016 Nadav Shoham RoboTraffic Competition
Hundreds of students from Israel, the U.S., Argentina, Russia, Ukraine and Mexico participated at the Nadav Shoham RoboTraffic Competition held at the Technion on March 17, 2016. “It is so exciting to see the next generation of Israeli leaders who will bring Israel to the forefront of international robotics,” said Prof. Moshe Shoham, Head of the LeumiRoboticsCenterat Technion and father of the late Nadav.
This year marks the seventh RoboTraffic competition. It has been named after Nadav Shoham who was an engineer and Master’s student at Technion’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. He lost his life in a devastating snowstorm while on a trek in Nepal on October 15, 2014. “Nadav loved to watch the teams compete and regularly attended the competition each year,” remembers Prof. Shoham. “He especially enjoyed viewing the designs of the school-aged children and teenagers from Israel and around the globe, and appreciated their abilities to build complex systems and their creativity already from an early age. Naming the competition after him honors his engineering talent, curiosity for technology, and volunteering spirit working with youth over many years.”
The competition involves small autonomous vehicles modeled after motor cars on a track simulating road conditions (including typical road obstacles). Students are required to program the cars to drive safely along the track according to universal road rules. The overall goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for safe driving, in order to minimize the involvement of young drivers in road accidents.
According to Dr. Evgeny Korchnoy, Director of the Leumi Robotics Center at the Technion, “Students prepare for the competition by learning about mechanics, electricity, programming, control and electronics, as well as road safety skills. In preparation for the competition, the Leumi Robotics Center developed a ‘safe roads’ track course consisting of sensors. These sensors produce contact between the robotic car and road conditions, enabling the car to automatically respond to road obstacles including traffic lights and road signs. During the competition, the cars move along the track autonomously, in a manner that upholds traffic rules and prevents road accidents.”
Alexander Satanowsky, manager of Technology Transfer at Daimler AG – the maker of Mercedes, visited the RoboTraffic competition for the first time. He was very impressed both by the scope and achievements of students he saw. “In Germany, which is much larger, similar competitions are held that barely a hundred students attend, while here we find hundreds of pairs of bright eyes. The context of the competition – an autonomous vehicle – is very important and relevant especially today since such advanced technology is already available in this industry although it has given rise to public concern as well. People are still afraid to entrust their wellbeing to a robotic driver. The kids here today are attempting to handle this issue not from the side of the consumer but from the part of the manufacturer, so when they grow up it will be obvious to them that a robotic driver is always preferable over a human driver in all related aspects.”
The RoboTraffic competition, which started out as a national contest with 5 Israeli schools, has become an international completion with hundreds of students competing from Israel, the U.S., Argentina, Russia, Ukraine and Mexico. It is organized by the Leumi Robotics Center at the Technion’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, World ORT Organization, and the World Zionist Organization in cooperation with the YTEK Foundation and Eytam Robotics Ltd.
“Today the number of robotic applications automating many different aspects of our daily life is growing, and consequently the field has been identified as a strategic investment in our future,” explained Prof. Hagit Attiya, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Technion. “Like many other industries that combine science and technology, the basis for its development rests on human capital – the people who are engaged in the field. Therefore, the Technion attaches great importance in attracting youth to the field of robotics and autonomous systems, and invests many resources to this end in promoting this field of study among the student population.”
“The RoboTraffic competition is one of our flagship international events and we are happy to bring to Israel students from schools all over the world to participate in such a high level robotics competition which also teaches them about road safety,” said Avi Ganon, CEO of the World ORT Kadima mada-Israel. “Technology education is a powerful tool through which we can strengthen the ties between Israel and the Jewish Diaspora.”
In his opening speech, Prof. Zvi Shiller, Chair of the Israeli Robotics Association, emphasized to the student audience, “The robotics industry in Israel is developing rapidly, and in a few years you will head up its development. The experience you have gained at an early age will help you in this great future task.”
This year thousands of elementary school and high school students participated in the competition. High school students compete in six different categories: safe driving, speed, knowledge of road rules, road safety ideas, robotic design innovation, and design skill in structuring the robot using the Solidworks drawing software.
First place overall in the elementary school student competition was awarded to Shimrit Elementary School; this was the first year this school competed in RoboTraffic.
In the racing category, the winning team was from the “Future” program of Karnei Shomron near Kfar Saba. They completed the track at a record time of 12 seconds – the fastest result ever achieved at the RoboTraffic competition. The sixth grade students who programmed the robotic vehicle were Noam Hetzroni, Matan Yosef Madmoni, Shmaya Yaid and Boaz Wolgelanter. “This is the second year our school has competed in the competition and we very much enjoyed working on the programming of the vehicle, which took us about a month,” explained Noam Hetzroni. “The main challenge was programming the vehicle so that it didn’t go off course.” Hetzroni’s classmate Shmaya Yaid added, “We won the racing category with record time – 12 seconds – it’s the fastest result at the competition.” Matan Yosef Madmoni summed up the experience, “The main programming challenges we had included adjusting the engine power and the ability to turn the vehicle back on the track course.”
First place in the racing category of the high school student competition with the fastest result was a team from Novosibirsk, Russia; in the safe driving category the winning team was from ORT Odessa, Ukraine; and in the advanced safety driving category the team from ORT Argentina placed first. The team from Misgav, in northern Israel, won first place in the road safety innovations category and for the programming design using the Solidworks drawing software.
This weekend, Prof. Hossam Haick of the Technion received the Humboldt Research Award in Germany. In addition, Prof. Haick was selected as one of the 100 influential figures published by the American GOOD Magazine
Prof. Hossam Haick with the SniffPhone system
This weekend, Prof. Hossam Haick of the Technion received the Humboldt Research Award, awarded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany. The award is given to prominent researchers who have significantly influenced their fields of study, provided they maintain some type of cooperation with research institutes in Germany. It is granted in recognition of a researcher’s achievements as a whole – discoveries, theories, and insights.
Prof. Haick, a member of the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering and a member of the Technion’s Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, received the award for his tremendous contribution to the diagnosis of diseases through innovative markers that he discovered in his research at Technion. These are markers that are present in the breath and skin.
At the same time as the announcement about the Humboldt Research Award, Prof. Haick was included in the list of the world’s 100 most influential people published this week by GOOD Magazine in Los Angeles. The list includes people from 37 countries who contribute to the welfare of humankind in various aspects, including science, education, and business. What they all have in common, according to the list’s compilers, is that they are figures “who spearhead change and refuse to accept the existing reality as the end of the story. Not one of the 100 people we have chosen operates out of a desire for fame – which is precisely why it is important to recognize their activity.”
Prof. Hossam Haick earned his doctorate in the field of energy and only later switched to biomedical technology. He said, “Precisely because I am not a doctor I was able to conceive such a unique development – an inexpensive and noninvasive system for diagnosing diseases based on breath. Inspired by dogs, who know how to identify disease but not to tell the person what disease he has, I developed this digital system that accurately diagnoses the disease and its stage of development. Today, we are working on several aspects of the system, including diagnosis of additional diseases and an interface that connects it to a smartphone.
