Academic Solidarity Visit

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

MIT-Berkeley Delegation

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

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

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