כתבות אמצע - Technion - Israel Institute of Technology

Technion - Israel Institute of Technology > כתבות אמצע

The Technion community is profoundly shaken, mourning the devastating loss of lives; infants, children, seniors, women, and men, as well as entire families who were senselessly murdered in a recent act of terror targeting peaceful communities.

We also honor the valiant members of the security forces who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of their homes and loved ones.

The overwhelming sorrow and concern for the abducted, imprisoned, and missing weighs heavily on our hearts.

Our thoughts are steadfastly with our friends who have suffered unimaginable loss, as well as the families of those who have been abducted or injured. With heavy hearts, we extend our deepest condolences to them, and to the whole of Israel.

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Yoram Bar-Sinai z”l

Aged 75, from Kibbutz Be’eri

Graduate of the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning

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Captain (res.) Amit Chayut z”l

Aged 29, from Haifa

Amit completed his studies at the Taub Faculty of Computer Science this year

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Master Sergeant (res.) Shmuel (Sammy) Harari z”l

Aged 35, from Safed

Graduate with a master’s degree in real estate studies (MRE)

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Master Sergeant (res.) Dov Moshe Kogan z”l

Aged 32, from Nov

Graduate student and TA at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

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Captain (res.) Yakov Nedlin z”l

Aged 36, from Or Akiva

Graduate of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

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Dr. Hagit Rafaeli Mishkin z”l

Aged 48, from Hod Hasharon

Graduate of the Faculty of Education Science and Technology

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Major (res.) Moshiko (Maxim) Rozenwald z”l

Aged 35, from Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut

Graduate of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering

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Captain (res.) Alon Safrai z”l

Aged 28, from Jerusalem

Third-year medical student at the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine

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Major Dennis Krahmalov Wexler z”l

Aged 32, from Beer Sheva

Dennis was about to begin his studies at the Technion at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering

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Sergeant Major (res). Eliran Yeger z”l

Aged 36, from Tel Aviv

Master’s student at the Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences

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Major (res). Evgeny Zinershain z”l

Aged 43, from Zichron Ya’akov

Graduate of the Taub Faculty of Computer Science

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The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology extends its deepest condolences to the following individuals:

Shahar Amar, student in the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering,

on the death of her father, Chief Superintendent Avi Amar z”l

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Techlet Lev, student in the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering

On the death of her cousin, Sergeant Or Avital z”l

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Stav Benjo, student in the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering,

on the death of his sister, Staff Sergeant Omer Sarah Benjo z”l

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Assistant Professor Eilam Yalon, faculty member in the Andrew and Erna Viterbi

Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, on the death of his niece, Lin Dafni z”l

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Galit Weizman, administrative staff member in the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry,

on the death of her cousin’s son, Sergeant Shalev Dagan z”l

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Nir Ekstein, student in the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering,

on the death of his brother, Matan Ekstein z”l

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Prof. Emeritus Joseph Itzkovich, faculty member in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, on the death of his grandson, Sergeant First Class Adi Eldor z”l

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Guy Gavriel, student in the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering

on the death of her cousin, Sergeant first class Adar Gavriel z"l

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Noi Glass, student in the Faculty of Aeronautics and Space Engineering

on the death of her cousin, Sergeant Yam Glass z"l

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Yuval Golan, student in the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering,

on the death of her cousin, Major Sagi Golan z”l

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Yonina Novik, student in the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering

On the death of her cousin, Hersh Goldberg-Polin z”l

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Brothers, Bar Goren, student in the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, and Assif Goren, student in the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering,

on the death of their parents, Avner and Maya Goren z”l

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Stav Azulai, a student in the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, on the death of her cousin, Staff sergeant Oz Yeshaia Gruber z”l

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Yonathan Haion, administrative staff member in the Development and Maintenance Division, on the death of his brother, Warrant Officer Sebastian Haion z”l

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Michal Keren, teaching coordinator in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine,

on the death of her cousin, Gaya Halifa z”l

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Merav Berkovich, graduate student in the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning,

on the death of her father, Avraham Shraga Hasid z”l

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Omer Itach, student in the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning

on the death of his brother, Captain Harel Itach z”l

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Razan Kat, student in the Faculty of Biomedical Enginering

on the death of her mother, Safaa Kat Awad z”l

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Assistant Professor Raz Palty, faculty member in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine,

on the death of his father-in-law, Avraham (Rami) Katzir z”l

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Assistant Professor Raz Palty, faculty member in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine,

on the death of his brother-in-law, Elad Katzir z”l

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Yotam Keren, student in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine,

on the death of his grandmother, Hannah Kritzman z”l

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Rafi Nave, lecturer in the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences,

on the death of his son-in-law, Colonel Roi Levy z”l

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Naomi Maori, Technion retiree, on the death of her son, Major (res.) Dan Maori z”l

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Dr. Tamar Katz Peled, teaching fellow in the Department of Humanities and Arts,

on the death of her son-in-law, Sergeant First Class Gilad Molcho z”l

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Maya Nimri, student in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine,

on the death of her cousin, Captain Eden Nimri z”l

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Amiram Enkave, administrative staff member in the Faculty of Education in Science and Technology,

on the death of his cousin, Eden Liz Ohion z”l

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Assistant Professor Ben Engelhard, faculty member in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine,

on the death of his brother-in-law Sergeant First Class (res.) Yaacov Ozeri z”l

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Elad Tzur, student in the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, 

on the death of his brother-in-law Major Shay Uriel Pizm z"l

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Tamar Itzhaki, student in the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering,

on the death of his uncle, Major (res.) Uri Shimon Russo z”l

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Dvir Schwartz, graduate student in the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering,

on the death of his brother, Sergeant Segev Schwartz z”l

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Eyal Shachar, student in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, on the death of his brother, Amir Shachar z”l

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Prof. Yemima Ben-Menahem, visiting professor in the Department of Humanities and Arts,

on the death of her grandson, Staff Sergeant Aner Elyakim Shapiro z”l

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Associate Prof. Ayelet Shavit, faculty member in the Department of Humanities and Arts,

on the death of her son, Staff Sergeant Tal Shavit z”l

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Professor Daniel Shushan of the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning,

on the death of his nephew, Elisaf Shushan z”l

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Dr. Aliza Malek, lecturer in the Faculty of Mathematics and the Center for Promotion of Learning and Teaching,

on the death of her nephew, Eitan Refael Snir z”l

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Stav Alfasi, student in the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering,

on the death of her cousin, Ophir Tzarfati z”l

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Eyal Waldman, Technion honorary doctorate recipient, and Ella Waldman,

on the death of their daughter, Danielle Waldman z”l

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Noam Zyser, graduate student in the Grand Technion Energy program,

on the death of her brother, Major Ilay Zyser z”l

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May their memory be a blessing.

The Technion family offers its heartfelt sympathy to the families who have lost loved ones.

If there is an error on this page, or if you would like to share additional information with us, please contact Irit Gertzwolf at evpdg.officehead@technion.ac.il

The panel focused on the stories of the Technion’s heroes – students and faculty members who have shown military and civilian bravery since October 7, balancing the challenges of academic life, reserve duty, and family life. “I am honored to be here to host this panel of heroes,” Guri Alfi said in his opening remarks. “This moves me deeply. It has been a very difficult year, and I feel that we have rediscovered our country and its people during this period.”

Guri Alfi

The panel featured Dr. Hemi Rotenberg, a faculty member in the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, and students Bar Goren (Biotechnology and Food Engineering), Omri Natanson (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Naomi Silverstein (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Stav Aviram (Computer Science), Guy Finkelstein (Medicine), Alex Gerber (Aerospace Engineering), and Nimrod Sideman (Aerospace Engineering).

The panel was one of the first events held by the Technion’s new Resilience Center – a unit that consolidates all aspects related to campus resilience. The Center is led by Ayelet Freiman, overseen by Senior Executive Vice President, Prof. Oded Rabinovitch, and supported by Dean of Students, Prof. Ayelet Fishman. The Rothschild Foundation’s generous support enabled the Center’s launch and the resilience pilot program it operates.

Superheroes Panel

In his remarks to open the panel, Technion President, Prof. Uri Sivan said that “There is a direct link between a community’s resilience and the closeness of its members. We have learned this through all the crises we’ve faced over the past five years. The bond within the Technion community is extraordinary. This unique spirit has always been nurtured since the Technion was founded 100 years ago.”

Nimrod Sideman, who was about to finish his master’s degree in the United States, knew on October 7 that he had to immediately return to Israel and enlist. Naomi Silverstein stayed home with her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter while her husband served in the reserves for a total of 175 days. Stav Aviram and Guy Finkelstein, a couple, shared a volunteer project they initiated after the war began – purchasing portable chargers for reservists and later baking cookies to raise money to continue their project. Alex Gerber, who came to the panel in uniform straight from reserve duty, shared that in the weeks before October 7, he was helping his sister, who had been diagnosed with cancer. Just as he returned to his studies, the war broke out, and he was deployed to the South, where he was injured in Gaza. He decided to return to duty two weeks later because his comrades were still fighting. He emphasized that as a student of aerospace engineering – a field that significantly contributed to Israel’s security this past year – his studies carry a clear meaning for him today.

From Left: Bar Goren, Nimrod Sideman, and Guri Alfi

Bar Goren, a student from Kibbutz Nir Oz, spoke of the immense devastation in his community, which was evacuated to Eilat, and his life since. On the night of October 7, his parents were declared missing. They were later identified as hostages and ultimately found murdered. He said one of the most important things in his life now is the Nir Oz community, where he remains active while studying at the Technion. “I discovered that helping others helps me; it strengthens me. We must remember that what matters most is the people around us.”

Omri Natanson shared how, during his reserve service in Operation Iron Swords, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Speaking before the large audience, which included his younger sister who donated bone marrow to him, and three of his oncologists, he said, “In oncology, you learn that you don’t get a prize for suffering, so there’s no point in suffering when you can ask for help. Asking for help is part of effectively managing your resources.” He added, “This year reminded us that some events have no justification, and there’s no point in asking why they happened to us. What’s left is to take colors and paint meaning into life – not necessarily the traumatic event itself, but what comes after. It may sound a bit artificial, but it’s something that can keep us going.”

TISI Workshop Participants

Tokushima University hosted the TISI (Tokushima International Science Institute) Research Workshop 2024 from September 11 to 14, in Tokushima, Japan. This pivotal event brought together 19 researchers from the Technion, despite the security situation in Israel. Participants included Nobel laureate Distinguished Prof. Aaron Ciechanover, Distinguished Prof. Moti Segev, Distinguished Prof. Ilan Marek, Technion’s former VP for Research Prof. Koby Rubinstein, Prof. Shulamit Levenberg, Prof. Ido Kaminer, Prof. Yehonadav Bekenstein, Prof. Lev Chuntonov, Prof. Haguy Wolfenson, and the Technion’s Artist-in-residence, Dr. Orit Wolf.

Lecture panel with live classical music: “Music, Science & Inspiration – From the Universal to the Personal.” From left to right: Prof. Shulamit Levenberg, Distinguished Prof. Aaron Ciechanover, Distinguished Prof. Moti Segev, Prof. Ido Kaminer, Dr. Orit Wolf.

Participants had the unique opportunity to share their research, engage in meaningful discussions with their research partners from Tokushima University, and strengthen the collaborative partnership between the two universities. The first half of the event featured inspiring and multidisciplinary presentations. The latter half was dedicated to in-depth individual research discussions and enriching cultural explorations. The workshop also hosted a special gala event in the format of the Technion’s series “Music, Science, and Inspiration” established and directed by pianist Dr. Orit Wolf. The gala event featured live music by Dr. Wolf and a traditional performance of the Awa Odori dance which is one of the highlights of the city of Tokushima.

The workshop was an opportunity to demonstrate the Technion’s pioneering research and its unique views on integrating science and art.

Distinguished Prof. Aaron Ciechanover

Established in 2021 with support from Nichia, TISI has been operating international collaborative research on a two-year cycle and has funded 14 research projects to date. In January 2025, five more collaborative research projects will be funded. The partnership with the Technion is led by Prof. Yasuhiko Kawamura, President of Tokushima University, VP Prof. Kiyoshi Fukui, and Prof. Takuya Sasaki, the TISI director.

In late 2020, an agreement was signed between the Technion and Tokushima University to promote academic collaboration, joint research, and the establishment of a special program for the exchange of doctoral and postdoctoral students. The agreement was facilitated through an intermediary from Nichia Corporation, the world’s leading company in making blue semiconductor lasers and white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) which have changed the world’s lighting. Nichia is headed by its President, Hiroyoshi Ogawa.

Situated in southern Japan, Tokushima University was established as a national university in 1949. Its research spans a wide range of disciplines. Many of its graduates have played important roles in research and cutting-edge product development at Nichia, and their significant contributions have led to Nobel Prize-winning discoveries in blue and white semiconductor light sources.

The Israeli Sustainable Aviation Fuel Knowledge Center (iSAF) was inaugurated at the Technion, supported by the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology, and in partnership with Boeing, the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer. The center marks a significant step towards producing sustainable fuels for the aviation sector.

The center aims to lead Israel toward its 2030 goals, which focus on developing technologies for the local production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), and prepare for 2050, when international regulations will mandate the exclusive use of SAF.

Dr. Alon Grinberg Dana

Led by experts from the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering, including Center Director Dr. Alon Grinberg Dana and Center Manager Ido Lieberman, the center includes 14 researchers from the Technion, Bar-Ilan University, and Ben-Gurion University. The center is supported by teams from the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion, the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at the Technion, the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering at the Technion, the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Technion, the Faculty of Material Science at the Technion, The Faculty of Chemistry at Bar-Ilan University, and the Faculties of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Ben-Gurion University.

The center’s establishment is part of the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology’s efforts to promote applied research that bridges government, academia, and industry, aimed at developing economically viable SAF. The ministry issued a call for proposals to establish a national knowledge center to consolidate expertise and research infrastructure accessible to all SAF researchers in Israel.

The Technion, selected to lead the initiative, will collaborate closely with Boeing’s global research center. Additionally, the center will contribute to training the next generation of scientists and engineers through a “Doctoral Network” and organize annual events, including national conferences, professional workshops, and hackathons.

The center will operate with five primary goals:
1. Developing a national research strategy for alternative aviation fuels.
2. Creating world-class advanced research infrastructure.
3. Fostering scientific and engineering leadership while training the next generation of scientists in the field.
4. Encouraging Israeli and international collaborations between academia and industry.
5. Accumulating and disseminating knowledge to researchers, the public, and decision-makers.

The center is guided by a steering committee comprising representatives from each participating university. The committee is chaired by Prof. Dan Major of Bar-Ilan University and includes Dr. Avi Raveh (representing the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology), Mr. Haggai Mazursky (Boeing), Prof. Gidi Grader (Technion), Prof. Idan Hod (Ben-Gurion University), and Dr. Alon Grinberg Dana (Technion), who will serve as the center’s director.

The establishment of this center positions Israel at the forefront of alternative aviation fuels and global sustainability efforts.

The hanukkiah was designed and 3D-printed using ceramic materials and natural blue and white pigments at the DD Lab research laboratory, led by Architect Shany Barath. The design incorporates the message “100 Years of the Technion” as an encoded texture on the body of the hanukkiah.

The hanukkiah features colorful candles made of semiconductor perovskite nanoparticles, produced in Prof. Yehonadav Bekenstein’s research lab. These candles glow under ultraviolet light, and their colors are determined by their size and chemical composition.

Together, the hanukkiah and candles symbolize growth, collaboration, and hope.

For the video click here

Researchers from the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering have developed an approach that grants rigid surfaces “electromagnetic transparency” that is maintained for any angle of wave incidence on the surface. Prof. Ariel Epstein and doctoral student Amit Shaham conducted the research, which was recently published in the journal Advanced Optical Materials.

The innovative technology is based on an electromagnetic principle called the Generalized Huygens’ Condition, which enables the creation of advanced metasurfaces that maintain electromagnetic transparency at any angle. This omnidirectional transparency manifests at the level of the engineered unit cell (meta-atom) and the entire surface (metasurface).

Prof. Ariel Epstein

Existing metasurfaces suffer from numerous limitations when waves hit them from wide angles, and the new approach addresses this issue. This breakthrough and its implications could be used in many different technologies, including flat antennas, optical devices for analog image processing, thin mirrors and lenses, and compact imaging systems.

Amit Shaham

The research and its derivatives were presented this year by Amit Shaham at major conferences in the field. At the European Conference on Antennas and Propagation held in Glasgow (EuCAP 2024), the conference’s judging committee awarded him the Best Paper in Electromagnetics. At another conference (hosted by IEEE) held in Florence (IEEE APS/URS 2024), he won second place in the student paper competition.

For the full paper: click here

From these humble beginnings, the Technion grew steadily, and today it hosts approximately 15,000 students. With campuses in China and New York, around 575 faculty members, four Nobel Prize laureates, approximately 100,000 alumni, and as one of the world’s top 100 universities, the Technion is a globally renowned institution deeply committed to the State of Israel and impacting humanity.

The first class of architects – seated in the center: Zipporah Neufeld (the Technion’s first female student) alongside the legendary lecturer Prof. Alexander Baerwald. Courtesy of the Yehoshua Nessyahu Technion Historical Archive.

In the 100th cohort, there are approximately 2,100 undergraduate students, 48% of whom are women. This is a significant change compared to the first cohort, where women comprised less than 6%. The percentage of female deans and senior management has also increased over the past decade.

The Technion and its graduates are associated with a series of notable Israeli discoveries and inventions, including the invention of the disk-on-key (USB flash drive), the development of a miniature satellite launched in 1998, the creation of the international data compression standard (Lempel-Ziv), Azilect – a drug for Parkinson’s, the discovery of the protein degradation mechanism in cells, the discovery of quasicrystals, technology for manufacturing giant space lenses (in collaboration with NASA), DNA-based electronics, innovative diagnostic technologies, the Nano Bible, an exoskeleton that allows paralyzed individuals to walk, and the Iron Dome defense system, whose importance has been made indisputably clear in the past year.

Since the Technion opened its doors, a quarter of a century before the establishment of the State of Israel, national service has been a core component of its mission. Since the start of the Iron Swords War, the Technion and its graduates have rallied to support Israeli society. In the next 100 years, the Technion will continue to conduct groundbreaking research and train the next generation of engineers, scientists, doctors, architects, and educators who will secure the future of the State of Israel.

A consortium led by Prof. Hossam Haick of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology has secured an €8 million grant from the European Union, a remarkable achievement given the competitive nature of such funding. Prof. Haick, dean of Undergraduate Studies and faculty member in the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering with a secondary affiliation in the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, spearheads this groundbreaking project titled VOLABIOS.

Prof. Hossam Haick

The project focuses on improving early diagnosis and monitoring of schizophrenia – a chronic condition affecting approximately 1% of the global population (80 million people). Schizophrenia is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, reducing life expectancy by an average of 10–15 years.

VOLABIOS aims to develop advanced, cost-effective diagnostic tools that improve patient quality of life, reduce diagnostic errors by 30%, and optimize treatment and monitoring processes. Utilizing cutting-edge technologies, including multi-omics (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics), portable spectrometry, and artificial intelligence, the project seeks to identify chemical and biochemical signals of the disease – non–invasive biomarkers excreted from the human body.

This initiative unites 20 partners from 11 countries across Europe, including Aachen University (Germany), the University of Cambridge (UK), the Greek Ministry of Health, and the French company FIRALIS. Together, they bring expertise in academia, technology, medicine, law, and public policy to drive innovative solutions for early schizophrenia diagnosis and care. The advisory board features renowned experts in the fields of psychiatry, healthcare policy, and decision-making.

Technion Executive Vice President for Research Prof. Noam Adir said, “One of the goals of modern medicine is to develop technologies that will identify human diseases at early stages at high precision. This includes psychiatric diseases, such as Schizophrenia, that are typically difficult to diagnose. Prof Hossam Haick is one of the world’s premiere scientists in the field of disease diagnostics using molecular marker identification methods. In the research described here, Prof. Haick has brought together scientists from academia, government, and industry to merge molecular marker technologies with AI, to significantly improve the speed and accuracy of schizophrenia diagnosis. Importantly, the group believes that their research will lead to a system that will be applicable to mental health providers, worldwide.”
The project will analyze biomarkers derived from various sources in the body. Initial stages include a retrospective analysis of 9 million medical records, including 120,000 related to schizophrenia. This will be followed by a clinical study involving 3,692 patients across six medical centers in Europe and a blind validation study with 1,000 participants to confirm biomarker accuracy and relevance.

VOLABIOS aims not only to enhance medical treatment but also to make advanced diagnostic tools accessible to healthcare systems worldwide. It will create an open knowledge base to support future research and develop new approaches to diagnosing complex mental health disorders.

The leadership team includes Prof. Haick as chair and coordinator, Dr. Yoav Broza, and Ms. Liat Zuri, both of the Technion, as consortium manager and financial and administrative manager, respectively.

About Prof. Hossam Haick
Prof. Hossam Haick, head of the Laboratory for Nanomaterial-Based Devices in the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering at the Technion, is a world-renowned expert in non-invasive disease diagnosis using volatile compound analysis. A paper published last year in the Journal of Cancer Research recognized him as the most-cited researcher globally in this field, highlighting his significant scientific achievements and exceptional contributions to early cancer detection research.

Prof. Haick’s work demonstrates innovative technologies that enable the diagnosis of various cancers. He has also showcased the effectiveness of these technologies in diagnosing additional diseases, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis, and kidney diseases. His technological developments have received substantial funding from the European Union, including support for a smart patch for tuberculosis monitoring, which earned a multi-national grant from the Gates Foundation.

A pioneer in leading major international scientific consortia, Prof. Haick has spearheaded several influential projects, including:

• LUCIA, focusing on lung cancer risk assessment;
• A-PATCH, developing and clinically testing a smart patch for tuberculosis diagnosis and monitoring;
• SNIFFPHONE, creating miniature systems for disease diagnosis through breath analysis.

His latest consortium, VOLABIOS, marks his first initiative dedicated to brain diseases. This project aims to advance non-invasive diagnostics to new frontiers, revolutionizing the field and paving the way for innovative approaches to mental health care.

The Technion has opened a new season of its multidisciplinary series “Music, Science, and Inspiration,” founded and artistically directed by pianist Dr. Orit Wolf. These free events, open to the general public, enrich the interface between science, music, and art.

Dr. Orit Wolf. Photo: Yoel Levy

Initiated in 2022 under the auspices of the Technion President’s Fund, and with the generous support of American donor Ms. Sonia Marschak, the series was spearheaded by Dr. Wolf, a member of the inaugural cohort of the “Artist in Residence” program launched by Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan. This series’ vision is to create a platform for dialogue and inspiration among scientists, engineers, artists, and musicians. Since its inception, dozens of scientists, engineers, Nobel laureates, and international artists have participated.

The first of its kind in Israel, the series brings together scientists, academic and administrative staff, students, alumni, and the general public. Each meeting is dedicated to a different theme shared by multiple disciplines, blending music, science, and technology, with participation from Technion researchers and guest artists.

According to Dr. Wolf, “The connection between science and art is not just ‘possible’ but ‘essential.’ These seemingly distinct fields share much in common. The interdisciplinary meetings at the Technion expose artists, scientists, engineers, and the wider audience to new content, inspiring creativity and operational innovation in both art and science.”

The first event of this season will take place on Wednesday, December 11, focusing on the power of emptiness and space. It will explore the concept of void across physics (the creation of the universe), biology, landscape architecture, sculpture, and music. Dr. Wolf will host Prof. Hagai Perets from the Faculty of Physics, Prof. Tal Alon-Mozes from the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Prof. Dori Derdikman from the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, art lecturer Dr. Gilit Ivgi, internationally acclaimed violinist Michael Shaham, and composer Noam Yaakoby, a Technion student in mathematics and computer science.

The event will take place in the Heller Student Union Cinema, starting at 3PM and lasting approximately 90 minutes without intermission. Admission is free but requires prior registration.

For details and registration, click here

A new course that will train students in social-technological entrepreneurship with an emphasis on solutions for people with disabilities has started at the Technion. Disability Breakthrough Technology is open to all Technion students, as well as students studying physiotherapy at the University of Haifa. It will include visits to the Loewenstein Rehabilitation Hospital and the Rehabilitation Hospital at Sheba Medical Center. Course topics will include accessibility, psychology of people with disabilities, aspects of design, and background in biomedical engineering, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy.

Dr. Yacov Malinovich

According to Dr. Yacov Malinovich, who leads the course, “In recent years, awareness of the needs of disabled people has increased, and this has become even more important in light of the ongoing war. Some of the solutions lie in the development of suitable technologies for rehabilitation, and this is an opportunity for students and engineers to contribute significantly and directly to people’s well-being. Israel has extensive knowledge in this field, with many examples – unique wheelchairs, emergency bracelets, special surfboards, and more.”

Example of an assistive device

Dr. Malinovich is one of the founders of Haifa3D (www.haifa3d.org). Haifa 3D is a volunteer organization that designs and manufactures assistive devices for children and adults with upper limb disabilities, including “robotic” hands for children and many other devices tailored to the requests of those with disabilities. The organization has a long-term collaboration with the Biorobotics and Biomechanics Lab (BRML) in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and other faculties at the Technion.

“The new course will be conducted from an interdisciplinary approach and will feature guests from various academic and rehabilitation institutions,” said Dr. Maliovich. “Through our connection with rehabilitation institutions and people with disabilities, we aim to develop relevant technological solutions that will truly assist those in need. At the end of the course, each student team will submit their product as a final project.”

The course will be held at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in collaboration with t:hub – the Technion Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub, the Department of Physiotherapy at the University of Haifa, and the Technion Social Incubator. It is an annual course worth six academic credits.