The Hong Kong philanthropist Li Ka-shing, came for a special visit to Technion for the signing of the historic agreement to establish a technological institute in Guangdong Province, China. As part of the agreement, the Li Ka Shing Foundation will donate 130 million dollars to Technion – the largest donation in the university’s history, and one of the largest in the history of Israel. The contribution will go towards developing the Technion Campus in Haifa and towards the welfare of its students and researchers.

In his first visit to Israel, Mr. Li was clearly moved at his visit to the Technion. Mr. Li expressed delight about the cooperation with the Technion and said,  “as many of you know, I have often referred to my own commitment to making a difference as being like having a “third son”. Ladies and Gentlemen, my third son and I are honored to be counted among your company today.”

Technion President, Professor Peretz Lavie, thanked Mr. Li and recalled the first time they met in September 2011, which led to the momentous agreement being signed today. “Most dreams never come true,” said Professor Lavie, “but this dream has, and will no doubt be realized because of the amazing similarities between the vision and values of the Technion and of the Li Ka Shing Foundation.”

Mr. Li Ka-shing met with Technion’s three Nobel Prize Laureates, Professors Avram Hershko, Aaron Ciechanover, and Dan Shechtman, and was given a model of the ubiquitin-protein ligase system – the scientific discovery made by Professors Hershko and Ciechanover for which they were awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2004. Mr. Li Ka-Shing was also presented with a special exhibition  of eight innovative technological developments conceived by Technion researchers and graduates, among them a snake robot developed for search and rescue operations, with uses for marine and medical applications, by Professor Alon Wolf from Technion’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering; a miniature robot for back surgery, developed by Professor Moshe Shoham, also from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering;  the “Rewalk” exoskeleton that enables paraplegics paralyzed from the waist down the ability to walk up and down stairs, developed by Technion alumnus Dr. Amit Goffer; The Pillcam, by Given Imaging, developed by a Technion alumnus, which when swallowed by a patient, provides an image of his/her digestive system;  and the technology by NanoSpun developed by Professor Eyal Zussman from the Technion’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, which uses patented nano-technology processes, for the development of advanced biological water and sewage treatment; “Z-Scan Technology”, presented by Prof. Ron Kimmel of the Faculty of Computer Science and a leading expert in geometric image processing; Ultra-filtration membranes for water purification and desalination, presented by Prof. Raphael Semiat, Dean of the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering and a top expert in water technology; and  Image2Text technology for real-time translation of images to concepts, presented by Prof. Yehoshua Zeevi, director of the Technion’s Ollendorff Minerva Center for Vision and Image Sciences.

The ceremony at the Technion was hosted by Professor Boaz Golany, Technion’s Vice President for External Relations and Resource Development. Professor Golany said, “Albert Einstein brought to the Technion an educational culture whose motto is to learn from yesterday, live for today and hope for tomorrow. Within one hundred years, Technion built advanced technological foundations and transformed the land of Israel from a remote province in the Ottoman Empire to a scientific and technological powerhouse.”

 In the photo: Li Ka-shing meets with Technion Nobel Laureates. From left to right: Prof. Aaron Ciechanover, 2004 Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry; Prof. Dan Shechtman, 2011 Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry; Mr. Li Ka-shing; Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie; Prof. Avram Hershko, 2004 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry

The Li Ka Shing Foundation

The Li Ka Shing Foundation was established in 1980 by global entrepreneur and philanthropist Li Ka-shing. Mr. Li considers the Foundation to be his “third son” and has pledged one-third of his assets to it. To date, the Foundation has granted over HK$14.4 billion (US$1.86 billion) in charitable donations, approximately 90 per cent in support of education reform initiatives and medical services in Greater China region.

The Foundation supports projects that promote social progress through expanding access to quality education and medical services and research, encouraging cultural diversity and community involvement.

The Bloomberg financial news network has released a new university ranking: “Top 10 Colleges for Tech CEOs” of companies worth $1 billion or more. The Technion is tied for 7^th place with three other American universities; Technion is the only university outside the United States placed in the top 10.

If you’re a Technion graduate, you have a good chance of becoming the CEO of a top technology company, according to a new university ranking released by Bloomberg Financial News network last weekend. The ranking was based on the academic backgrounds of 250 CEOs of leading U.S. technology companies with a net worth of over one billon dollars each.

Topping the list is Princeton, Harvard and Stanford. Technion shares seventh place, with MIT, Rice University and the University of Texas (Austin); it is the only university outside of the United States to place in the top ten.

Bloomberg: “Israel is now home to one of the world’s top tech hubs, and Technion is where many of the country’s brightest go to train. To prove its commitment to technology, the school is collaborating with Cornell on a plan to build a $2 billion tech campus and startup incubator on New York City’s Roosevelt Island.”

As an example of a tech CEO who is a Technion alumnus, Bloomberg  mentions David Reis, the CEO of Stratasys, which manufactures 3D printers. Mr. Reis previously headed Objet, a 3D print technology company based in Rehovot, Israel, and when Stratasys and Objet merged in 2012, he was appointed CEO of the merged company, which maintains its operation in Israel, with nearly 300 employees. Overall, Stratasys employs over 1,500 people worldwide, with a market value of $1.4 billion.

In response to the Bloomberg ranking, Technion President, Professor Peretz Lavie, said: “The high ranking given to Technion by the Bloomberg network and the complimentary ranking of Technion by the University of Shanghai are further indications of our university’s high academic level and its prominent status in the world. About a quarter of Technion graduates hold senior management positions. Technion has played a pivotal role in transforming Israel to a start-up powerhouse.”

The prestigious list was published in the MIT Technology Review

“Over the years we have chronicled success in the selection of women and men whose inventions and companies they established have made a deep impact on the different trends in human society,” said Jason Pontin, publisher and Editor in Chief. “Previous winners include Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the cofounders of Google; Mark ­Zuckerberg, the cofounder of Facebook; Jonathan Ive, the chief designer at Apple; and David Karp, founder of Tumblr. We are proud of all our nominees and the range of achievements they have made, and are proud to add Kira to this distinguished list.”

Dr. Radinsky began her studies at Technion at age 15, joined Technion’s Excellence Program and completed three degrees under the tutelage of Professor Shaul Markovitch from the Faculty of Computer Science. During her studies, she developed a new prediction method that can foresee events with 80% accuracy. This was done by means of scanning literature written over the last 500 years, including all the materials published in the New York Times from 1880 onwards, and finding strong correlations between various events.  Among other findings, she discovered that the combination of droughts and storms is a good indicator to a potential cholera outbreak. Today, Kira networks with genocide prevention organizations and medical organizations for the purposes of implementing her research findings and provide potential solutions for suffering populations.

In the course of her studies, Dr. Radinsky went to work at the Microsoft Research Division in the US, headed by Eric Horvitz, and worked there with him and Susan Dumais.  Eventually, she went on to found SalesPredict with Yaron Zakai-Or, which has already raised one million dollars. SalesPredict provides predictive analysis to foretell sales expectations, and some of its clients have already effectively grown their sales potential.

Dr. Radinsky’s research earned her awards from numerous organizations, including Google, Yahoo and Facebook.

“Kira is a brilliant researcher gifted with unique skills which support her inclusion on this list,” said Professor Shaul Markovitch from the Faculty of Computer Science at Technion. “Kira possesses intense intellect, creativity and curiosity – a rare combination typical of outstanding inventors. In her doctoral study, she tackled a problem that seemed to be unsolvable with the tools currently available – the development of algorithms capable of accurately predicting global events through the use of vast reservoirs of web-based information sources. Her boldness for taking on such a problem and scientific competence that demonstrated her successful solution is what brought her to be included on this list.”

Dr. Kira Radinsky said today in response to the publication: “This is a great honor for me to be nominated to the list of “young innovators” of MIT. I hope that it will encourage more Israeli researchers and scholars to study this field, to facilitate the building of an empirical superpower in Israel.”

Above: Dr. Kira Radinsky. Photographed by: Technion Spokesperson’s Office

This week, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Israel became the leading pre-university program of Technion. The agreement, signed by Technion President, Professor Peretz Lavie, and the Chairman of FIRST Israel, Lieutenant General (retired) Avihu Ben Nun, specifies that the program will become an official educational project of the Technion.

FIRST is an international non-profit organization that hosts competitions and events in the area of robotics. Its mission is to motivate teenagers to engage in science, engineering and technology. The organization was established over twenty years ago by Segway inventor and founder Dean Kamen, an advocate for encouraging curiosity and exposure of youth to the challenges facing the engineering and scientific world.

FIRST initiatives in Israel began nine years, and since its founding has received support by the Technion and partially by the Israel Technion Society (ITS). Today, Technion has given the program its full patronage.

Over the past year, some 250,000 students participated in a variety of FIRST programs across the world, including 5,000 Israeli students between the ages of 6-18 years. These students were exposed to the fascinating world of science and technology through various robot building competitions.

Technion President Professor Peretz Lavie, welcomed the initiative and said, “Technion is the natural place for students interested in pursuing and advancing in the fields of engineering, technology and science.”

For more information on FIRST programs in Israel, see: www.firstisrael.org.il

For FIRST programs around the world see: www.usfirst.org

Students at a FIRST Israel Robotics program. Photographed by Avishy Finklestien and FIRST Israel

In computer science, Technion is #18 in the world and #1 in Israel

The Technion is among the 100 best universities worldwide, and #18 in computer science, according to the Shanghai ranking of universities, considered the world’s most reliable and comprehensive ranking system.

According to the The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), conducted by researchers at the Center for World-Class Universities of Shanghai Jiao Tong University:

• In Natural Sciences and Mathematics (SCI), the Technion is ranked #38. The Hebrew University is in 40^th place, and the Weizmann Institute of Science is ranked between 51 to 75. Harvard University placed first in SCI.
• In Engineering/Technology and Computer Sciences (ENG), Technion is in 46^th place, and is the only Israeli university to place in the top 100 in the field of engineering. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) topped the global list.
• In the field of computer science, the Technion is ranked #18 in the world, only one of two universities outside of North America to make the top 20 in this field. The Weizmann Institute of Science is ranked #23 in computer science, and the Hebrew University is #28.
• In the overall global ranking, Technion is in 77^th place. Last year it was in 78^th place.

Following the publication of the 2013 ARWU, Technion President, Professor Peretz Lavie, said, “Indices and ratings should be treated with caution, especially when a fraction of a point either way can change the rankings of a university from year to year. Nonetheless, the Shanghai Ranking is the leading academic ranking of world universities and there is no doubt that it flatters Israeli science. The fact that it lists three Israeli universities in its top 100 list while including only four from countries such as France, Germany, Switzerland, and Canada, points to the quality of science in Israel and its world status. I am especially thrilled that Technion has been placed among the elite institutes in the fields of engineering and science, especially in computer science. It is critically important to ensure the continued advancement Israeli research universities.”

August 1^st, 2013, Haifa, Israel. Sealantis Ltd., a private start-up, from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology that develops alga-mimetic tissue adhesives, reports that it has received the CE Mark for Seal-V^TM, its vascular sealant. Seal-V^TM is a protein-free bioresorbable sealant, intended to achieve hemostasis by mechanically sealing areas of potential leakage in surgical reconstruction of large blood vessels such as the carotid, femoral, brachial and iliac arteries.

Seal-V^TM commences a new generation in tissue sealing. Being alga-mimetic it has an intrinsic ability to bind strongly to both native blood vessels and synthetic grafts, even in wet and moist conditions. In addition, the protein-free composition relieves Seal-V^TM from risks associated with the use of protein-based products. Unlike hemostats, which are designed to cause blood to clot, Seal-V^TM is not dependent on the presence of blood in order to be effective, and can be used as a prophylactic sealant.

“We are excited to be able to introduce Seal-V^TM to the European market and to provide surgeons with a new and better option for controlling bleeding from suture-lines.” says Mr. Tomer Fuchs, Sealantis CEO. Mr. Fuchs recently joined Sealantis, after serving over two decades in lead executive positions in global companies including Medtronic Ventor, Anorad and Vishay.

“Sealantis has been working closely with surgeons to leverage the extraordinary capabilities of its alga-mimetic technology and design products that will be strongly positioned in the multibillion dollars market of wound closure.” Says Dr. Zeev Gilkis, Sealantis Chairman.

In addition to Seal-V^TM, Sealantis has a pipeline of advanced solutions for a variety of clinical needs. Among them is a gastro-intestinal sealant, designed to prevent leakage of intestinal content from anastomoses, a potentially fatal complication of GI surgery; an adhesive for space obliteration in esthetic surgeries, which can significantly reduce the recovery time from face and body lifts and innovative combination devices for site-specific drug delivery.

Sealantis is currently working on strategic partnerships towards the coming market launch of Seal-V^TM.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

About Sealantis Ltd.

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

They will take part in the Science-Engineering Summer Course supported by the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education

In addition to their studies at Technion, the students will also tour Israel’s major tourist sites, dabble in entrepreneurship, visit at Israeli high-tech companies, take a history course on Israel and the Middle East, learn about Israeli culture, and meet with Israeli writers and opinion leaders.

“I welcome the arrival of the students to Technion and the start of the Summer Course,” said Ariel Geva, Managing Director of the Technion International School. “The delay in the issuance of visas for the students was caused by employee sanctions at the Foreign Ministry last month,” he explains. “The Technion administration made great efforts with the various ministries to make possible the arrival of the students to Technion. I am confident that the students will enjoy their time in Israel and will serve as good-will ambassadors of the university and Israel in their home countries.”

Professor Anat Rafaeli, the Deputy Head of the International School and Deputy SVP for International Academic Relations at Technion, added, “The Summer Courseis an excellent opportunity for us to meet excellent students from India and China, and appeal to their interest in wanting to pursue advanced studies at Technion.

The students arrived to Israel with the support from the PBC (Planning & Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education), which provided them with scholarships aimed at strengthening the connection between Israel and their home countries. In total, 210 students from China and India came to Israel to study at Israeli universities as part of this unique summer program.

Above: The students with the israeli author Eshkol Nevo. Photograph by Moran Maayan, Technion Spokesperson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(1) InMyShoes:

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

(2) SeeCare:

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

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

(3) CheckCity:

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

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

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

(5) Groopiez:

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

(6) ProTect:

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

(7) Verify.me:

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

(8) BackVision:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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