Category: Uncategorized

FDA approved Robotic Brain Surgery from Mazor

Posted on by shlomi ben-oz
Mazor Robotics Renaissance surgical system
Image: Mazor Website.



FDA approves Mazor robot for brain surgery

“As neurosurgeons focus on both the spine and brain, brain surgeries represent a large market opportunity that is closely aligned with our current focus.”

Mazor Robotics Ltd. has announced that it has obtained US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its Renaissance surgical guidance system for brain surgery, in addition to spinal procedures. The company will include the brain surgical capability in the same device currently sold for spinal procedures
.
Mazor CEO Ori Hadomi has said in the past that Mazor is a company operating in the spinal procedures field, and that it expected to remain so. The expansion to the brain surgical field is an important addition, but not a core business. Mazor has previously said that the addition of new capabilities to the Renaissance surgical guidance system could allow the company to raise the system’s price, which is currently $750,000 per unit for the spinal surgery version.


Mazor had NIS 9.2 million in sales for the first quarter of 2012. Since April, the company has announced the sale of five additional systems in the US. The company also operates in other countries, where prices for its systems are a bit less than in the US, but the number of sales is about the same. The company obtained marketing approval in South Korea in June.


Mazor is now waiting for EU CE Mark approval for the marketing of the Renaissance system for brain surgery in Europe, where it is currently limited to use for spinal surgical procedures.


Mazor Surgical Technologies has pioneered the development of miniature Semi robotic bone mounted positioning systems SmartAssist platform for a wide range of orthopedic procedures. Mazor is a leading provider of the SpineAssist, a highly accurate, minimally invasive, easy-to-use, miniature surgical assistance system for a wide range of spine procedures. The company was founded by Prof. Moshe Shoham of the Technion Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in order to put his patented robotic innovations into practice.



The Renaissance technology, a surgical guidance system originally designed for use in spine surgeries, is applicable in brain procedures for many applications including biopsies, shunt placements and neurostimulation electrode placement for deep brain stimulation (DBS). Along with the system’s precision, simplicity, and safety profile, the Renaissance System will also provide a frameless treatment solution for brain procedures. Renaissance has already been successfully employed in several clinical brain surgical procedures in Europe. 34 hospitals globally are currently using Renaissance for the different types of spine surgery.
“While our core is spine surgery, we are thrilled that our technology can be expanded to improve other surgical procedures,” stated Ori Hadomi, chief executive officer. “As neurosurgeons focus on both the spine and brain, brain surgeries represent a large market opportunity that is closely aligned with our current focus. Achieving U.S. regulatory clearance provides us with the opportunity to assist neurosurgeons in improving brain surgery processes and the ensuing clinical outcomes.”

Technion Researchers Characterize a Zinc Transporter Mutation that Causes Zinc Deficiency in the Milk of Breastfeeding Mothers

Posted on by EladAdmin

This causes serious health problems to the infants and the mothers must provide them with a zinc-containing supplement; the researchers have developed a simple genetic test to identify mutations in the gene, which will allow pre-pregnancy screening

Technion researchers headed by Prof. Yehuda G. Assaraf and the doctoral student Inbal Lasry of the Faculty of Biology, in collaboration with researchers from the Sheba Medical Center, have identified and characterized a mutation in breastfeeding mothers which leads to zinc-deficient milk and could in turn cause serious health problems in exclusively breastfed Infants. These findings were published in the scientific Journal of Biological Chemistry and have garnered substantial interest, as breast milk is perceived as always being healthy for the infant.

“Zinc is a mineral which plays an essential role in growth and development processes, including the development of cognitive and motor functions of the brain as well as the proper function of the immune system and the skin. Thus, zinc is a highly essential mineral particularly for infants, as they undergo accelerated growth and development processes”, explains Prof. Assaraf, head of the Fred Wyszkowski Cancer Research Laboratory in the Faculty of Biology at the Technion. “A large number of proteins in our body relies on zinc for their normal function”, adds Prof. Assaraf.  Zinc deficiency could lead to rashes and dermatitis that have the appearance of severe burns; it could alos lead to diarrhea, hair loss, loss of appetite, impaired function of the immune system and impaired function of the nervous system”. Thus, for example, zinc deficiency could impede our ability to defend ourselves, through the immune system and the inflammation process, against foreign pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

The research was conducted in collaboration with a team from the Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital in the Sheba Medical Center, headed by Dr. Yair Anikster, Director of the Pediatric Metabolic Diseases Unit. The research began with the referral, by Soroka University Medical Center and Bikur-Holim Hospital, of two infants from two different Israeli families who suffered, among others, from an especially severe rash which has the appearance of a severe burn. Blood tests and breast milk analysis led to the hypothesis that the illness is due to zinc deficiency, and this in turn led the researchers to examine the sequence of the ZnT-2 gene. The importance of the ZnT-2 transporter is critical during the breastfeeding period because it acts as a transporter which delivers zinc from the mother’s blood to the breast milk on which the infant feeds. The researchers identified in the mothers, a specific mutation in the ZnT-2 gene in a highly evolutionarily conserved region, that appeared essential for the preservation of the proper structure and function of this zinc transporter protein. “We have discovered that the mutation in the ZnT-2 zinc transporter disrupts its activity, and this consequently prevents the transport of zinc to the breast milk. As a result, an infant who is exclusively breastfed and who does not receive any food supplement does not receive the appropriate zinc levels, which in turn leads to disease”, explains Prof. Assaraf. This part of the research was conducted in collaboration with Prof. Shannon L. Kelleher of Pennsylvania State University, USA.

“Every gene has two genetic components known as alleles – one originates from the father and the other from the mother. In the present disease – one of the two alleles was defective. Supposedly, the second, healthy allele, being entirely normal, should have protected the infant from this defect”, explains Prof. Assaraf. The Technion researchers have found an answer to this scientific-medical dilemma: the current research made the discovery that the ZnT-2 zinc transporter operates as a couple known as a dimer, namely: two identical ZnT-2 proteins couple to create the mature, active zinc transporter which transfers zinc from the mother’s blood to the breast milk. Therefore, if one of these proteins is impaired – the zinc transporter becomes inactive. That is, even a single mutation, either in the paternal allele or in the maternal one, is sufficient to shut the zinc transporter down, a phenomenon known in the scientific language as a dominant negative effect.

This discovery paves the way for pre-pregnancy genetic screening in women, toward providing them with genetic counseling to clarify to those of them who harbors the defective gene that while they are breastfeeding, they will have to provide their baby with a zinc-containing food supplement, in order to avoid health problems to the infant. Among others, the researchers are currently examining the prevalence of the mutations in the ZnT-2 gene.

Diabetes innovation: 3D vascularized pancreatic islets

Posted on by shlomi ben-oz
Technion Researchers Construct a Polymeric Scaffold Array with Pancreatic Islets Surrounded by a Vascular Network. This heralds the potential for the fabrication of transplantable “islets”.



Technion researchers have succeeded in constructing a three-dimensional polymeric scaffold array with pancreatic islets surrounded by a vascular network, reports the scientific journal PLoS ONE.
“We have shown that the three-dimensional environment and the engineered blood vessels support the islets – and this support is important for the survival of the islets and for their insulin secretion activity”, says Prof. Shulamit Levenberg of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. “We have shown that these laboratory-made polymeric scaffolds can be transplanted subcutaneously and can heal a diabetic mouse. The ability to increase the islets’ vasculature and to support their post-transplant survival could allow the transplant of four times less islets than is customary in transplants in mice, while still achieving decreased blood sugar levels and diabetes relief”. 
The mechanism which causes the failure of pancreatic islet transplants is as yet not entirely clear, but the prevailing opinion is that it has to do with ischemic damage – and a delay in the creation of new blood vessels.
The Technion researchers hypothesize that blood vessels also have an active role in inter-cellular communication that supports the survival and function of pancreatic islets. To test this hypothesis, the researchers developed a three-dimensional network of endothelial blood vessels in engineered pancreatic tissues produced from islets, fibroblasts and endothelial cells. This triple array, which was seeded on highly porous polymeric scaffolds, mimics the natural anatomical context of pancreatic vasculature.
“We have shown that the increase in islet survival is correlated with creation of surrounding endothelial tubes”, says Prof. Levenberg. “Adding fibroblasts to pancreatic islet and endothelial cell cultures encouraged the creation of the vascular network, which supported islet survival as well as insulin secretion. Significant differences were seen in many variables – gene expressions, profiles of the growth factors of endothelial cells, ECM, morphogens and screening markers – between two-dimensional culture systems and three-dimensional culture systems that allow an endothelial network, and such differences were even greater after fibroblasts were added that support the creation of the engineered blood vessels.”
Transplanting the vascularized engineered islet tissue has improved the survival and acceptance of such islets in diabetic mice, and has even improved their function in decreasing blood glucose. The Technion researchers hope that these findings herald potential strategies for the fabrication of transplantable islets with improved survivability.
The work was done by research student Keren Francis in Prof. Levenberg’s laboratory and in cooperation with Yuval Dor from the Hebrew university, under a joint research grant provided by Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International.
The laboratory is now researching the effect of the vascular network and the three-dimensional growth on human islets, under joint finance of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International and the Israel Science Foundation.  


Published Scientific Paper.

PATENT DETAILS3D vascularized pancreatic islets – for islets transplantation
Ref. CTT-0895
The present invention provides a unique 3D pancreatic-like model for co-culture of isolated pancreatic islets with endothelial cells on a PLLA/PLGA biodegradable polymeric scaffold.
Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is a chronic inflammatory disease in which there is autoimmune-mediated organ-specific destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans, resulting in glucose homeostasis abnormalities and metabolic complications that are debilitating and life-threatening. Islet transplantation is a potentially curative treatment since replacement of these cells could prevent mortality, however thus far islet cell transplantation has had poor success due mainly to the fact that the tissue grafts must establish new vasculature from the host to survive. Native islets in the pancreas have a rich microvasculature that provides efficient oxygen and nutrient delivery and ensures rapid dispersal of pancreatic hormones to the circulation, and therefore after implantation, the survival and function of islet grafts depends on reestablishment of new blood vessels. During the time required for revascularization, there is a much-increased susceptibility to loss from ischemic injury, so that rapid and adequate islet revascularization is crucial for the survival and function of transplanted islets. In both experimental and clinical islet transplantations, islets are cultured for several days between isolation and transplantation.
The present invention provides an advanced tissue-engineering technique for development of 3D co-culture systems that reconstruct vascularization of pancreatic tissue ex-vivo. In this novel engineered 3D pancreatic model, isolated pancreatic islets can be co-cultured with endothelial cells using PLLA/PLGA biodegradable polymeric scaffolds. The endothelial cells organize into 3D tubes throughout the engineered construct and form vascular network-like structures resembling in-vivo vasculature. This presence of endothelial cells forming 3D vessel-like structures was found critical for islet survival. This model can provide an important tool for therapeutic transplantation of islets, greatly increasing the success of the procedure by increasing islet survival and reducing the number of organ donors needed per transplant and the number of repeated transplants, making this procedure more available, biologically and economically. This model also provides new exciting tools for studying central problems in molecular and cell biology of the pancreas.
In the U.S, an estimated 20.8 million people (7% of the population) have diabetes mellitus. In the next five years, around US$2.5 billion will be spent worldwide on diabetes mellitus research. 

 

Technion Researchers Construct a Polymeric Scaffold Array with Pancreatic Islets Surrounded by a Vascular Network

Posted on by EladAdmin

This heralds the potential for the fabrication of transplantable “islets”

The scientific journal PLoS ONE reports that Technion researchers have succeeded in constructing a three-dimensional polymeric scaffold array with pancreatic islets surrounded by a vascular network.

“We have shown that the three-dimensional environment and the engineered blood vessels support the islets – and this support is important for the survival of the islets and for their insulin secretion activity”, says Prof. Shulamit Levenberg of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. “We have shown that these laboratory-made polymeric scaffolds can be transplanted subcutaneously and can heal a diabetic mouse. The ability to increase the islets’ vasculature and to support their post-transplant survival could allow the transplant of four times less islets than is customary in transplants in mice, while still achieving decreased blood sugar levels and diabetes relief”.

The mechanism which causes the failure of pancreatic islet transplants is as yet not entirely clear, but the prevailing opinion is that it has to do with ischemic damage – and a delay in the creation of new blood vessels. The Technion researchers hypothesize that blood vessels also have an active role in intercellular communication that supports the survival and function of pancreatic islets. To test this hypothesis, the researchers developed a three-dimensional network of endothelial blood vessels in engineered pancreatic tissues produced from islets, fibroblasts and endothelial cells. This triple array, which was seeded on highly porous polymeric scaffolds, mimics the natural anatomical context of pancreatic vasculature. “We have shown that the increase in islet survival is correlated with creation of surrounding endothelial tubes”, says Prof. Levenberg. “Adding fibroblasts to pancreatic islet and endothelial cell cultures encouraged the creation of the vascular network, which supported islet survival as well as insulin secretion. Significant differences were seen in many variables – gene expressions, profiles of the growth factors of endothelial cells, ECM, morphogens and screening markers – between two-dimensional culture systems and three-dimensional culture systems that allow an endothelial network, and such differences were even greater after fibroblasts were added that support the creation of the engineered blood vessels.”

Transplanting the vascularized engineered islet tissue has improved the survival and acceptant of such islets in diabetic mice, and has even improved their function in decreasing blood glucose. The Technion researchers hope that these findings herald potential strategies for the fabrication of transplantable islets with improved survivability.

The work was done by research student Keren Francis in Prof. Levenberg’s laboratory and in cooperation with Yuval Dor from the Hebrew university, under a joint research grant provided by Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. The laboratory is currently conducting a continuing research of the effect of the vascular network and the three-dimensional growth on human islets, under joint finance of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International and the Israel Science Foundation.

The “God Particle” & Technion

Posted on by shlomi ben-oz
atlas.jpg
A view of the center of the ATLAS

Technion researchers are playing important roles at the LHC project in CERN – the world’s most powerful particle accelerator.  Recently, news reports say the greatest scientific experiment in history has had amazing results and that the Higgs Boson – alias the “God particle” – has been discovered.

During the sixties and seventies, a model was developed that explains phenomena observed in the world of particles that comprise the entire universe. The model, which is called the “Standard Model”, explains brilliantly and accurately all experimental results and observations. But this model has originally had a problem: it could not be used to explain particles that have a mass. It is simply that mathematically, the equations did not hold if the mass of these particles was added to them. In the mid-sixties, several physicists, among them Peter Higgs, suggested what is currently known as the “Higgs mechanism”, through which mass can be added to the Standard Model. But adding this mechanism meant that a new particle had to exist – the Higgs Boson. We have been searching for it ever since. Last night, the world was told of its discovery.

This is, without a doubt, a technological achievement, but the real achievement is not in the technological realm, but rather in the news that the model we have been following is likely the correct one. We have, in fact, completed our first puzzle. We can now safely proceed in search of the next puzzle, namely the “new physics” or “physics beyond the Standard Model”, where we investigate phenomena that are not described by the Standard Model. Each such discovery, if made, will completely change our perception of the universe around us.

The Technion group has made a major contribution to the discovery, in that the construction and examination of the muon detectors, which are a critical part of the experiment’s ability to measure the events, were done in Israel.  The muon detection software was developed by Prof. Tarem, and Prof. Rozen is responsible for the tremendous grid computing system. Students guided by Prof. Tarem developed the detector control system, and several students and researchers are now working under her guidance on one of the Higgs decay channels, as presented in the press conference last night.

About three years ago, only a moment before the huge tunnel in which the accelerator was built was sealed, Avi Blizovsky visited the place and we now bring his impressions once again.

We visited “ATLAS” – one of the main detectors in the LHC project in CERN. In a modest office in building number 40 – one of the main buildings on the CERN campus – seats Prof. Shlomit Tarem, of the High Energy Group in the Technion’s Department of Physics. Prof. Tarem is participating in the project together with her colleague in the group, Prof. Yoram Rozen, and their graduate students. The office houses also post-doctoral fellow Sofia Vallecorsa (originally of Rome) and doctoral student Sagi Ben-Ami. Among the Israeli group members are also researchers from the Weizmann Institute and Tel Aviv University. With them works Arwa Bannoura, a student from Birzeit who lives in Bethlehem,  and who is  currently in CERN for the summer semester.

The Israeli group is headed by Giora Mikenberg of the Weizmann Institute, who has held in the past formal positions in CERN. According to Mikenberg, the credit for Israel joining the project is due, first and foremost, to the late Prof. Paul Singer of the Technion’s Department of Physics, who served as Chairman of the Israel Science Foundation.

During its construction, Israeli engineers collaborated with engineers of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, and Israeli equipment allows fast and accurate optical communications between the facilities and the enormous server cluster. Many Israeli companies participated in building “ATLAS”, the huge facility that comprises 2,700 detectors on eight “wheels” 20 meters in diameter. Once the tunnel was sealed in August it could no longer be entered, which emphasizes the importance of the examinations conducted toward this move, to avoid technicians having to enter the tunnel in order to make repairs once the experiment begins.

The different elements of the CERN project were indeed examined prior to the start of the experiment, but the operation of the project as a whole could not be tested at the time. As was announced, the project was shut down for two months shortly after it began, because of a helium leak, but Prof. Tarem cautions against any concern. “This experiment will last for at least a decade, so two months are not too significant a period. Besides, malfunctions cannot be avoided in such a big, complicated experiment.”

Today, Profs. Tarem and Rozen and thousands of their colleagues worldwide can smile with pride and satisfaction.  They were part of the discovery of the “God particle”.

cern.jpg
A graphic diagram of the particle accelerator in Geneva
rozen-team.jpg
From right to left: Eli Hadash, Shikma Bressler, Silvia Behar, David Cohen, Yoram Gernitzky, Alon Hershenhorn and Yaniv Katan. In the second row: Sofia Vallecorsa, Dikla Oren, and Enrique Kachomovitz. Prof. Rozen (horizontal).

In a heartbeat: INTEL snaps up Technion graduate ingenuity

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Intel buys heart beat biometrics company IDesia Biometrics, which provides technology through which heart beats can be used to recognize users on PCs and mobile devices

Idesia Biometrics  provides technology through which heart beats can be used to recognise users on PCs and mobile devices. The technology can also be used to provide health information.


With over 500 patents to his name, Technion graduate and co-founder of Idesia Biometrics Yossi Gross is one of Israel’s most powerful pioneers at the vanguard of biotech innovation. Launching his technological career within the Lavi program of Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), Gross went on to initiate 27 medical device companies. Intel’s recent acquisition could be energized by the search for more secure forms of identifying users, and/or even by its new ventures into mobile applications for health care. Idesia has 14 employees of which 10 are in Israel.


Co-founder and inventor Technion graduate of Electrical Engineering (1987) Dr. Danny Lange is also an ongoing source of biotech innovation.  “As an entrepreneur, the most important thing is that the technology will be brought to market, and it looks like Intel is the company that can ensure that,” Lange told Globes , which first reported the story.

Dr. Danny Lange
Dr. Danny Lange,
Technion graduate in Electrical Engineering.
Lange is experienced in running both fledgling and well-established technology businesses. Prior to IDesia, he co-founded and held executive positions of two medical device companies in the field of patient monitoring (Algodyne Ltd. and Earlysense Ltd.), invented their core technologies and authored more than a dozen patents covering his inventions. Earlier still, Dr. Lange served as senior R&D engineer at Hewlett-Packard Research Laboratories, and as a Research Associate and Lecturer at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. Dr. Lange holds a B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D., all in Electrical Engineering from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.



Intel has not yet commented on how much it paid for Idesia or how it will use the biometric technology. Fingerprint readers and face recognition have been used for some time to recognize users, but there are concerns that those technologies can be easily tricked. Monitoring heart beats could provide Intel a more advanced and secure way to recognize users.


Technion graduates at Intel’s R&D center in Israel developed the architecture behind the popular Core and Core 2 microprocessors, and the country’s operations are headed by Technion graduate Mooly Eden, who previously managed the PC client group at Intel.

Intel has a big interest in the health care industry and is in a joint venture with General Electric to provide in-home heath care products. The joint venture, called Care Innovations, provides products like tablets targeted at the health care industry. Intel is also conducting research on health care for senior citizens.


Technion Alumn Yossi Gross 
Gross received an MSc degree in 1976 in aeronautical engineering. 

Technion graduate Yossi Gross (born February 5, 1947) is an Israeli medical device innovator and entrepreneur. He is a founding partner of Rainbow Medical, an operational investment company, established to launch companies based on the technological ideas and inventions of Gross. Gross first started his professional career as a project manager of the Lavi (IAI Lavi ) program for the Israel Air Force. 

Since the 1990, Gross initiated 27 medical device companies based on his various inventions in electronics, signal processing, nanotechnology, drug delivery and neurostimulation. Gross’s companies have developed or are currently developing treatments for diabetes, gastroenterology, stroke, ophthalmology, asthma, congestive heart failure, and urology. In total, Gross has 567 filed patents.


See also: The Creative Mind of Yossi Gross [PDF]

Also on the IDeasia Biometrics Team:

Dikla Horesh

Technion graduate Dikla Horesh: 
Over 5 years experience as Biomedical engineer in IDesia Biometrics and Healthcare.
ECG signal processing as part of the Algorithm team for 3 years.
Managed the consumer Healthcare department in IDesia for 2 years.

Technion graduate Mooly Eden

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Technion graduate Mooly Eden named as among CNN’s top 10 Technological visionaries in June 2012.

Shmuel (Mooly) Eden is vice president and general manager of the PC Client Group (PCCG). In this capacity, he is responsible for the platform planning, architecture, enabling and marketing of Intel’s PC solutions for the desktop and mobile computing segments.
Eden joined Intel in 1982. He held numerous technical and management positions in microprocessor design for several Intel microprocessors, including the Intel® Pentium® processor with MMX™ technology. From 1999 – 2003 Eden was director and general manager of the Israel Development Center. He was responsible for the development of the mobile microprocessors and chipsets, including Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology and the Intel® Pentium® M processor, formerly codenamed Banias.
In 2004 he served as vice president and director of marketing for the Mobile Platforms Group, responsible for driving growth in the notebook computing segment. In 2005 he was promoted to vice president and general manager of the Mobile Platforms Group, where he was responsible for ramping the notebook and later on the netbook categories. In 2009 he was promoted to the current position as the vice president and general manager of the PC client group.
Prior to joining Intel in 1982, Eden was an engineer for Tadiran Communication, Ltd. Eden received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Technion Institute of Technology in Israel in 1973 and a senior business management degree from Jerusalem University. He taught as an adjunct senior lecturer at the MBA program of the Technion Institute of Technology from 1999 – 2002.

 

Together: the Story of the Century.

Posted on by shlomi ben-oz
100 years of Technion history was celebrated at the 2012 Board of Governors meeting at Technion City with the festive dedication of the 234-page history book: Together: the Story of the Century on June 10th. The book was made possible by a gift of the Canadian Technion Society.
Featured on the cover is the legendary, Italian-born Prof. Luisa Bonfiglioli, who taught descriptive geometry to generation of Technion student, including 2011 Nobel Laureate Prof. Dan Shechtman.
For information about how to acquire a copy, contact Technion PARD.

Sustainable Engineering – Technion

Posted on by shlomi ben-oz
Newly Created UNESCO Chair at Technion for Sustainable Engineering
Date: 13/06/2012
Prof. Mark Talesnick of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering is the incumbent of the newly established UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Engineering in Developing Communities.The specific objectives of this Chair are to develop undergraduate and graduate teaching programs in engineering for developing communities, in cooperation with partners;  carry out research on engineering for developing communities and disseminate results widely;  design, test and apply, jointly with partners, ground-level projects to test and further refine the concept of sustainable engineering; and,  provide short-term theoretical and practical training, as well as facilitate visiting professorships.

Talesnick reports that the University of Colorado and Kathmandu Universities are also involved and that he will be travelling to Ghana, Ethiopia and Batswana soon to enlist their collaboration as well.

Talesnick also spearheads Engineers Without Borders – Technion (EWB).

Currently, 739 UNESCO Chairs and 70 UNITWIN Networks in 134 countries provide an innovative modality for international academic cooperation. They act as think-tanks and bridge- builders between research and policy-making, and between academia, civil society, local communities and the productive sector.

2012 Centennial Technion Board of Governors

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Among the International Board of Governors June 2012 events in this cornerstone centennial year were dedications of new facilities, prizes for research and academic excellence, book launches celebrating Technion’s contributions to Israel and the world, and honorary awards to public figures.


Opening the week, Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie described the Technion in 2012, as it is poised to meet the challenged of the next century. Read more.


100 years of Technion history was celebrated at the 2012 Board of Governors meeting at Technion City with the festive dedication of the 234-page history book: Together: the Story of the Century on June 10th.


An exhibition of handcrafted jewelry created by Nobel Laureate Dan Shechtman was opened at Technion City. Designed for his wife, Prof. Zipora Shechtman, the exhibition showcases 15 unique pieces ranging from earrings to bracelets with a single item – an Aztec-inspired silver belt buckle – which he made for himself.


In this year’s Dr. Bob’s TechnoBrain competition, supported by Dr. Robert Shillman in memory of Neev-Ya Durban, students met the challenge to recreate the laying of Technion’s cornerstone in new and original ways. As part of Technion’s 100th anniversary since the cornerstone was laid in 1912, TechnoBrain 2012 took place on June 13, 2012 – the last day of Technion’s annual International Board of Governors meeting.






Technion Honorary Fellows, 2012.

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Among the International Board of Governors June events in this cornerstone centennial year are dedications of new facilities, prizes for research and academic excellence, book launches celebrating Technion’s contributions to Israel and the world, and honorary awards to public figures.

Honorary Doctors
Prof. Srulek Cederbaum, Germany
Prof. François Diederich, Switzerland
Gary Goldberg, Canada
Itzhak Nissan, Israel
Dr Eli Opper, Israel
Joan Seidel, USA
Prof. Günter Spur, Germany
Moshe Yanai, Israel		 Honorary Fellows
Drora Avissar, Israel
Jeffery Cosiol, USA
Ruth E. Flinkman-Marandy, USA
Raphael Mishan, USA
Prof. Gerd-Volker Röschenthaler, Germany
Maurice Shashoua, Brazil
Senator Paul B. Steinberg, USA
The Honourable Laura Wolfson Townsley, UK


 Drora Avissar, Israel


In recognition of your outstanding contribution to the Technion over the years, first as a staff member of the Israel Technion Society, and later as the Society’s director for two decades; for initiating and directing large-scale, vital projects for the Technion; for establishing a wide-ranging and impressive network of donors and supporters; for your role in narrowing educational gaps – an area that you see as your mission; and for serving as a role model for social involvement, dedication, and ceaseless efforts.  

Jeffery Cosiol, USA

In recognition of your passion for Israel and the Technion based on your belief in the centrality of science and technology to Israel’s future; in gratitude for your support, especially for Technion graduate students; and in appreciation of your effective leadership at the local and national levels of the American Technion Society.  
Ruth Elaine Flinkman-Marandy, USA 
In acknowledgement of your devotion to Israel and to the Technion; your deep understanding of the importance of medical science to the people of Israel and the world; and your service on the local and national levels of the American Technion Society.
Raphael Mishan, USA

In sincere appreciation for your profound love of Israel and dedication to the Technion; in thanks for your support of Technion research and caring for our students; and with gratitude for your understanding of the Technion’s vital role in Israel’s future, and for being a role model for Technion alumni.
Prof. Gerd Volker Roeschenthaler,  Germany

In acknowledgement of your active leadership role in the German Technion Society; in tribute to your continuing devoted engagement as bridge-builder between Israel and Germany; and in recognition of your active volunteer efforts on behalf of the Technion as well as Jewish and Israeli causes in German society.
 Maurice Shashoua, Brazil


In recognition of your active leadership as president of the Brazilian Technion Society and your active membership of the Brazilian Jewish community; in gratitude for your longtime friendship, devotion and persistent support of the Technion; and in appreciation of your voluntary role as a good-will ambassador for the Technion and through it for the State of Israel.
Senator Paul B. Steinberg, USA



In acknowledgement of your devotion to the Technion and the State of Israel; in appreciation for your sincere commitment to Israel’s future through your support of the Technion; and in admiration for your many accomplishments on behalf of the American Jewish community and the State of Florida.
Laura Wolfson Townsley, UK
In recognition of your support for the State of Israel and the Technion in both a personal capacity and through your Chairmanship of the Wolfson Family Charitable Trust and Trusteeship of the Wolfson Family Foundation whose outstanding contributions have had a major impact on higher education and charitable institutes in Israel; in gratitude for your commitment to many worthy Jewish causes in the UK and throughout the world; and in appreciation of your work as Honorary President of the British Technion Society.


Technion Honors, 2012, Centennial Events.

Posted on by shlomi ben-oz

Among the International Board of Governors June events in this cornerstone centennial year are dedications of new facilities, prizes for research and academic excellence, book launches celebrating Technion’s contributions to Israel and the world, and honorary awards to public figures.

Honorary Doctors
Prof. Srulek Cederbaum, Germany
Prof. François Diederich, Switzerland
Gary Goldberg, Canada
Itzhak Nissan, Israel
Dr Eli Opper, Israel
Joan Seidel, USA
Prof. Günter Spur, Germany
Moshe Yanai, Israel		 Honorary Fellows
Drora Avissar, Israel
Jeffery Cosiol, USA
Ruth E. Flinkman-Marandy, USA
Raphael Mishan, USA
Prof. Gerd-Volker Röschenthaler, Germany
Maurice Shashoua, Brazil
Senator Paul B. Steinberg, USA
The Honourable Laura Wolfson Townsley, UK



Prof. Lorenz (Srulek) Cederbaum
Lenz
In recognition of your many significant contributions to molecular sciences, in particular for your contributions to the understanding of the quantum mechanical foundations of structure and dynamics of molecules, and for the discovery of the ICD (Intermolecular or Interatomic Coulombic Decay) phenomenon, which has emerged to be a highlight in chemical and physical science; and for your many years of support for and cooperation with the Technion.


Prof. François Diederich, Switzerland

In tribute to your outstanding scientific achievements and your important fundamental contributions to the fields of organic chemistry, advanced materials and chemical biology; in recognition of your outstanding leadership in the international scientific community; and in gratitude for your friendship and support of the scientific community in Israel and the Technion in particular.



Gary Goldberg, Canada

In recognition of your selfless commitment to social and communal responsibility, your charitable pursuits for the benefit of your community, and in particular your efforts on behalf of the Technion and the State of Israel; in gratitude for the transformative influence that you have had on the Canadian Technion Society; and the effective visionary leadership you have demonstrated.


Itzhak Nissan, Israel

For your contribution to the security of Israel in your many roles in the defense industries; for your contribution to the Israel Aerospace Industries, which you have helped lead to unprecedented achievements, making it a leader in aviation, space, electronics, science and security; and for your role in establishing a fruitful collaboration between Technion and Israel Aerospace Industries, which serves as a model of cooperation between industry and academia.

For your contributions to the promotion of research and development in the State of Israel in your capacity as chief scientist of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor and chairman of EUREKA, the leading industrial R&D program in Europe; for your part in laying the foundations for the development of advanced technologies in general, and the advancement of the State of Israel and the Technion in the field of nanotechnology in particular, efforts that resulted in the establishment of six research centers, including the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute at Technion; and for your leadership and vision – a role model for Technion alumni. 


Joan Seidel, USA

With admiration and gratitude for your many years of devoted and skillful leadership at the helm of the American Technion Society; in tribute to your inspiring and infectious enthusiasm, which helps expand our circle of supporters; and in appreciation for the valuable professional expertise you bring to your involvement.


Prof. Gunter Spur, Germany  

In recognition of your outstanding scientific achievements through significant contributions to manufacturing systems and processes, and machine tools technology; for educating generations of leaders in mechanical engineering; for your continuous and dedicated support of the Technion and promotion of its cooperation with German universities; and for your unveiling the contributions of Jewish scientists in Berlin prior to World War II.


Moshe Yanai, Israel 

In recognition of your pioneering technological leadership in revolutionizing computer storage systems and advancing this industry, both globally and in Israel; in tribute to your being an iconic “high-tech sabra” and an inspiring role model for Technion students and alumni; and in gratitude for your friendship and support of the Technion and your unique contribution to the quality of teaching by establishing the Yanai Awards for Excellence in Education.