Category Archives: כתבות אמצע

Dr. Patricia Mora-Raimundo, a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Avi Schroeder’s research group in the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering, recently won first place in the Future Award competition of the EuroTech Universities Alliance. She received the prestigious award for working on an innovative method to transport drugs to the brain by using music.

Dr. Patricia Mora-Raimundo from the Technion has received the Future Award. Credit: EuroTech Universities Alliance

The EuroTech Alliance is a strategic partnership between leading science and technology universities. On January 1, 2019, the Technion joined the alliance as the sixth member of the network and the first outside Europe. The Future Award was established by the scientific-technological alliance last year to honor researchers expected to make dramatic changes in their fields for the benefit of humanity. Winners are chosen based on their existing and potential contributions to advancing the United Nations’ vision as reflected in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set in 2015 and adopted by all member states.

Twenty-eight early-career researchers competed for the EuroTech Future Award in 2024. Patricia Mora-Raimundo of Technion, Yudong Xue of EPFL, and Melisa Benard Valle of Technical University of Denmark made the top of the list. The award jury, composed of the Vice Presidents for Research of the EuroTech member universities and the Head of the EuroTech Brussels Office, assessed the impact of the applicants’ work in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals defined by the United Nations; their excellence as researchers; and their ability to communicate about their work in a way that allows non-experts, particularly policymakers and citizens, to understand their contribution to a more sustainable world.

Dr. Mora-Raimundo completed her academic education in pharmaceutical sciences at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. During here postdoc, she has focused on developing new treatments for Parkinson’s disease, solutions for crossing the blood-brain barrier to treat brain diseases and creating nano-lipid particles to deliver nucleic acids to the body. She has won numerous awards, including the Azrieli Fellowship, and is a member of Teva’s National Forum for Innovation in Life Sciences.

Dr. Mora-Raimundo began her research on nanometric drugs at the University of Madrid, in the context of bone cancer and osteoporosis treatment. In 2020, during the last year of her doctorate, she spent a short period in Prof. Schroeder’s laboratory. The initial period was extended due to her interest in the research areas at the Technion laboratory, and she decided to continue her postdoctoral fellowship at the University.

In her proposal that won her the Future Award, Dr. Mora-Raimundo presents the MINND model: Music Input in Nanotechnology-based treatments for Neurological Disorders.

Dr. Patricia Mora-Raimundo from the Technion has received the Future Award. Credit: EuroTech Universities Alliance

“My journey in the world of science began in 2012,” says Dr. Mora-Raimundo, “inspired by my grandfather, who instilled in me curiosity, faith in effort and perseverance, and shaped my character — and later my research. About a decade ago, my grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and his condition influenced me to choose research related to this disease. In the advanced stages of the disease, most of my grandfather’s abilities declined, but music continued to speak to him. This is the inspiration for the development I presented to EuroTech.”

Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disabilities and the second leading cause of death worldwide. Nanometric drugs promise improved solutions for treating these disorders — better than conventional treatments. One of the technological challenges in implementing nanomedicine is that to affect the brain, the nanometric particles must cross the blood-brain barrier. This barrier, which protects the brain from infections present in the blood, is a complex obstacle in therapeutic contexts as it hinders drug delivery to the brain. One of Dr. Mora-Raimundo’s tasks in her current research is to increase the number of particles crossing the barrier into the brain. Like the Pied Piper, she seeks to overcome the blood-brain barrier by using music allowing these particles to arrive to the brain.

“As mentioned, my grandfather is the inspiration, as despite suffering from Alzheimer’s, he continued to listen to music for a long time. I read extensive scientific literature on the subject and discovered that music creates new connections in the brain. Then I asked, could listening to music improve the delivery of therapeutic particles to the brain? The answer is still under research, and hopefully we will achieve promising results.”

Prof. Lihi Zelnik-Manor

The Office of the Executive Vice President for Innovation and Industry Relations is dedicated to enhancing the collaboration between the Technion and industry by identifying opportunities and maximizing their potential.

In a recent interview, Prof. Lihi Zelnik-Manor, Executive VP for Innovation and Industry Relations, talks about how Technion researchers have traditionally been at the forefront of cutting edge technologies, leveraging the university’s valuable multidisciplinary approach to create successful partnerships with industry players.

How can the Technion create and maintain fruitful collaborations with industry to ensure these make a real and meaningful impact?

Universities have historically focused their efforts on pursuing academic research, while industry has used its resources to manufacture products. Over the past few decades however, we have seen a spurt of collaborative relationships and a fluidity of roles: many academic institutions are facilitating the inception of companies while corporations have started to set up their own research and development centers. As the relationship between academia and corporations intensifies, universities are presented with different needs and challenges.

Ever since its formation, the Technion has strived to enrich research and academic development, generate valuable human capital, revolutionize knowledge, and impact the Israeli and global industry around the world. The university’s strategic vision emphasizes collaboration with industry, believing it can leave a significant mark on society by transferring the vast amount of knowledge and research it has accumulated within its labs to industry.

Over the years we have formulated and updated collaboration frameworks and plans, to make this knowledge transfer even more effective and impactful, with added productivity. We are formulating one such plan as we speak: we are taking a deep look at what works, what needs to be amplified and finetuned, and where resources should best be allocated. All of this is to ensure that the Technion continues to be the leading technological university in Israel, a pillar of its society and a driving force for industry.

What challenges and setbacks are you facing that could hinder collaborations?

To ensure collaborations with industry are successful we need to make sure that the two sides learn how to talk with each other: researchers tend to ask broad questions, look at the larger picture and deliberate issues for extended periods of time. Those who work at corporations are generally product oriented and focused on bringing the development to market as soon as possible.

One of our jobs is to help bridge these differences and match expectations, so that both sides can work with each other and create a collaborative and productive working environment.

People who work in industry are often so focused on developing a product that they can often be unaware of recent research findings that could impact their work. Since our labs are equipped with the latest technologies and are managed by skilled researchers who track global scientific developments, they can quicky update industry partners with this information. This can help modify products to suit the changing reality or help companies to make the necessary tweaks to resolve an even larger challenge.

Today, a significant part of our staff and students are immersed in research projects that could translate into commercial products. This is a source of pride, as the technologies developed in our labs are those that will make an impact on society and the medical world. Intensifying connections with industry, as is happening now, will only boost these results.

What distinct advantages and expertise do Technion researchers bring to collaborations with industry?

The Technion’s multidisciplinary approach to research is what confers upon its scientists an unprecedented and unparalleled level of flexibility when approaching a problem. Our research teams include members from a wide variety of faculties and fields, including chemistry, biology, medicine, and engineering. This enables them to work together to tackle challenges as varied as sustainability and human health and find solutions to a variety of other pressing humanitarian problems.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a fast-growing field in which Technion researchers have joined forces over the years. Whereas the study of AI first emerged in the 1950s, we have seen a flourishing of this science only in the last few years, made possible by faster chips and the development of cloud computing.

This has triggered a global AI frenzy, with corporations spending billions of dollars and valuable human resources to get an edge over others and create practical tools to best make use of this technology.

Since the very beginning, the Technion has been at the forefront of AI research. Today, the 120 researchers that work in the university’s labs can tap into decades of accumulated experience and experiments to bring that ripe knowledge to the industry that is hungry for new AI-based solutions and applications.

It is the role of the Technion’s tech transfer unit to convert these high-scale projects into strong commercial products.

Another advantage of the Technion is the fact that many of its researchers, including myself, have worked in industry at some point during their careers, and are thus able to understand its needs and unique viewpoints. This background enables us to tutor our students and our fellow researchers with the practical knowledge relevant to industry. It also allows our students to successfully blend into the business world after they graduate, providing their new employers with an all-rounded and better-prepared force to meet the challenges of the future.

One should not forget that there are many similarities between a talented researcher and a talented entrepreneur. Both need to have the ability to be thorough and pay attention to detail, undertake a comprehensive study of the field they wish to explore, ask the right questions, and think independently.

What will impact the Technion’s research going forward?

It has always been in our DNA to perform innovative research and align forces with the industry. This collaboration will expand in coming years, and the ongoing open discussion, flow of information and the sharing of ideas will continue to be beneficial and fruitful for both parties.

We have seen this in the past, we continue to witness it today and we will experience even more of it in the future.

The Zimin Institute Conference addressed the various stages of translating basic ideas and research into applications that impact human health through artificial intelligence.

On May 27, the Zimin Institute Conference took place at the Technion, led by Tech-AI.Biomed – the medical arm of the Technion’s Artificial Intelligence Center, Tech.AI. The conference opened with welcoming remarks from Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan and Mr. Boris Zimin, president of the Zimin Foundation.

The conference focused on the translation of academic innovation into medical applications, and was divided into three main parts, all dealing with innovation in medicine: the idea, the transition from basic research to product, and real-world impact. During the conference, the winners of the 2024 Zimin Foundation grants were announced.

The partnership between the Technion and the Zimin Foundation was formalized in 2022 with an agreement in which the Foundation supports the establishment and operation of the Zimin Institute for AI Development in Medicine at the Technion.

According to Prof. Sivan, “This important partnership is a central component of the Technion Human Health Initiative (THHI), which aims to advance human health through interdisciplinary research that harnesses technologies, including artificial intelligence, for the benefit of medicine. As a leading institution in both medical research and artificial intelligence, the Zimin Institute exemplifies two of our prominent strengths. We thank the Zimin Foundation, appreciate its decision to establish its third institute at the Technion, and congratulate it on the first conference being held at the Technion.”

The Institute is headed by Prof. Shai Shen-Orr from the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine.

L to R: Prof. Shai Shen-Orr, head of the Zimin Institute, Dr. Mark Shmulevich, Zimin Institutes director

Participants in the conference included Zimin Institutes Director Dr. Mark Shmulevich, Zimin Institute Tel Aviv University Director Prof. David Mendlovic, Leonid Solovyev, director of operations at the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, and Ronit Samler, director of the Technion Technology Transfer Office (T3) at the Technion.

Supported by Mobileye, Nvidia, Harel Technologies, IBM Research, and Technion’s Zimin Institute for AI Solutions in Healthcare, the event drew 500 industry executives, academics, and students. Prof. Shen-Orr highlighted the rapid development within Tech.AI, noting the establishment of new centers and initiatives. The conference provided a valuable platform to present Technion’s AI capabilities and foster new partnerships.

Speakers at the conference, in order of appearance:

Prof. Rafael Beyar, former CEO of Rambam Health Care Campus and former dean of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, on innovation in medicine in clinical, academic, and industrial fields.

Prof. Yoni Savir from the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, on the use of artificial intelligence to improve medical diagnosis and biopsy-based treatments. Prof. Savir won the Zimin Foundation grant in 2023.

Prof. Uri Shalit from the Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences, on a personalized recommendation system for treating hospitalized patients suffering from heart failure and acute kidney injury. Prof. Shalit won the Zimin Foundation grant in 2023, together with Prof. Danny Eitan from the Rambam Healthcare Campus, and Dr. Oren Caspi.

Prof. Lihi Zelnik-Manor, Technion vice president of innovation and industry relations, on innovation in medicine at the Technion.

Prof. Shai Shen-Orr from the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, head of the Zimin Institute at the Technion, on CytoReason, the company he founded.

Prof. Tamir Tuller from Tel Aviv University on a computational model of gene expression: introduction and biomedical applications. OncoDecipher, the company founded by Prof. Tuller, grew out of a Zimin Foundation grant.

Dr. Renana Sabi from the Faculties of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at the Technion, manager of Tech.AI-Biomed, on the mindset changes needed to turn an idea into a product.

Dr. Orna Berry, former chief scientist at the Ministry of Economy and Industry and current senior executive at Google Cloud.

Leor Stern from Google Research Center.

Prof. Michal Rosen-Zvi, director of AI and life sciences research at the IBM Research Laboratory, on the promise of generative AI in overcoming challenges in drug development.

Udi Goori, general manager, Israel, at Elevance Health, proactive care.

Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry, Distinguished Professor Dan Shechtman from the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, on internal entrepreneurship as a key to success in large organizations.

Distinguished Prof. Dan Shechtman

For photos from the conference see here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jwfAV3Apa5TrdqKDo6Jud3E-6_DquTzr?usp=sharing

An article published by Technion researchers in the prestigious journal Nature presents new insights about the evolution of the immune system. The team’s findings highlight the modularity and flexibility of the evolution of immunity. The study was led by researchers from the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Shai Shen-Orr, Dr. Tania Dubovik, and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Martin Lukačišin, in collaboration with Rambam Health Care Campus and Carnegie Mellon University.

l to r: Dr. Martin Lukačišin, Elina Starosvetsky, Prof. Shai Shen-Orr and-Dr. Tania Dubovik

The immune system is complex, and its main function is to protect the organism from viruses, infections, and other hostile agents.  At the core of this system are different types of immune cells, each with its own function, which work together to provide the necessary protection for the body. The interaction between the immune system and the dynamic environment requires it to change constantly. The primary mechanism that drives changes in the living world is evolution, based on adaptation to environmental changes through the formation of mutations — random genetic changes. However, due to natural selection, not every random genetic change is beneficial to the individual, and even if the change is beneficial, it is not preserved and passed on to future generations.

Immune system genes evolve faster than other genes in the genome, especially in mammals and birds, indicating the importance of the role of the immune system in adapting to the environment in health and disease.  Despite this, its evolutionary dynamics have not been studied in depth until now. This is largely due to the fact that the immune system is complex, and highly variable between individuals, which has resulted in a tradition of studying it in laboratory animals inbred for genetic uniformity and kept in a clean, bug-free environment.

The Technion researchers leveraged a unique model of genetically different mice, which harbors similar variation to that observed in humans. Using this model, the researchers measured the variation in immune cell types between the mice and identified the genes that control the abundance of each immune cell type.  Many of these genes affect the entire system through the regulation of cell division, migration, and death, by controlling the same cell type in which they are expressed. However, within these genes, the researchers identified a set of genes that are expressed in one cell type and control another. By scanning the genomes of 60 vertebrates spanning an evolutionary timeline of ~600 million years, the researchers demonstrated that the latter group is richer in mutations and provides a favorable space for evolution to generate novel interactions between cell types by increasing diversity without significant damage.

According to Prof. Shen-Orr and his team, “One of the important implications is that the ability of the immune system to evolve new functions is dependent more on the interaction between different cells than within a cell type, giving us an understanding of how complex modular systems evolve. This modularity was observed in the past in how genes and proteins evolve new functions, but it has never been studied in complex network systems, such as the interacting cells of the immune system.”

Further research into immune system evolvability could thus not only enlighten the design principles behind immune responses, but also contribute to biomimetic solutions, e.g., in the system-of-systems approach to engineering, which, similarly, is based on interactions between functional units.

The research was generously supported by the Israel Science Foundation (ISF), the Applebaum Foundation, the Milgrom Foundation, the Kollek Research Fund, the Bruce and Ruth Rappaport Cancer Research Center, and the Eli Kaufman Fellowship.

For the full paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07661-0

A Technion study reveals that observing natural elements during daily actions such as walking to and from work improves mood and reduces stress and anxiety, according to participants’ reports. The research was led by Dr. Whitney Fleming, a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Assaf Shwartz’s research group. Prof. Shwartz is a socioecologist and head of the Landscape Architecture Department in the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning at the Technion.

Prof. Assaf Shwartz

The study used eye-tracking technology to examine the benefits of daily interactions with nature. As part of the study, Technion students were asked to take a walk around campus, simulating a regular walk to or from work or studies. The students were divided into three groups. The first group was asked to observe nature during the walk and stopped ten times at “green” points with natural elements. The second group was also asked to stop ten times, but at “gray” points with built, artificial elements such as buildings, roads, and cars. The third group combined both, observing both natural and artificial elements.

Examples stopping points for different groups. The “spots” indicate the places where participants are looking.

 

Individuals who directed their gaze more frequently at green elements reported a decrease in stress and anxiety after the walk, compared to measurements taken before the walk. This reduction was not recorded in the other groups. Researchers tracked the participants’ eye movements and found a correlation between the duration of viewing natural elements such as trees, bushes, and lawns, and improvements in mental health indicators. The most beneficial impact was observed from viewing trees.

Prof. Shwartz stated: “We are in a very stressful period with complex mental challenges, and nature can play a central role in our ability to cope. By using cutting-edge eye tracking technology, our research shows that simply being mindful of nature, even during a regular walk to or from work or studies, can be beneficial to mental health and help relieve stress. Previous studies have shown that interaction with nature has benefits for mental health and quality of life, but this study demonstrates for the first time that even a few fleeting glances at nature during daily routines can yield these benefits.” Prof. Shwartz added, “Our research shows how important it is to incorporate natural elements in urban planning. However, this integration is not enough, landscape architects and planners should also think about innovative means to enhance the experience of this nature and ensure that residents actually notice these elements. The challenge is to design our cities in a way that encourages interaction between people and nature. Such interactions will improve both the residents’ quality of life and their connection to nature, and desire to preserve it.”

The study was supported by a European Union ERC Starting Grant and the Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program.

Read the full paper here: The nature gaze: Eye‐tracking experiment reveals well‐being benefits derived from directing visual attention towards elements of nature – Fleming – People and Nature – Wiley Online Library

Since the start of the war, more than 3,000 IDF soldiers have been injured, including dozens of Technion students. The Dean of Students Office supports them and their families from the moment they receive the news of the injury until today. Many of the injured have already returned to their studies, receiving assistance according to their needs – academic help, financial aid, dormitory support, and emotional and psychological assistance.

The Technion’s psychological services have opened support groups for soldiers who were in life-threatening situations, both injured and uninjured reservists, to process their experiences and feelings. Those interested in further individual treatment were provided with fully funded therapy by the Dean of Students Office. Severely injured students living in the dormitories received a full rent exemption until they return to the Technion.

“One of our first tasks when the war broke out was to compile the names and details of the injured students,” says Dean of Students, Prof. Ayelet Fishman. “As soon as we received the information, the Student Counseling and Support Center advisors contacted the injured or their relatives to see how we could help. I also personally contacted the injured.”

Prof. Fishman states, “Unfortunately, I cannot heal the injured students, but in my role, I can assist them financially, whether it’s funding rent or psychological treatment, providing favorable loans, funding tutoring sessions and online courses, and if necessary, even financing a taxi from the hospital to the Technion every morning. I thank the Technion administration and the friends of the Technion in Israel and worldwide for the extensive assistance that enabled our office staff to respond to every student. Above all, it is important to me that they receive personal and humane attention from all the parties in the Dean of Students Office. I appreciate their service and sacrifice for the sake of all the citizens of the country and wish them and all the injured a speedy recovery.”

Yuval Zarkovsky: “The injury won’t change the course of my life”

Yuval Zarkovsky

On October 7, 2023, Yuval Zarkovsky, 22, a student in the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was staying at his mother’s house in Herzliya. “Last year I did a summer semester and in early October, I was preparing for exams.”

There was no doubt that as a combat soldier he would be called to duty. Indeed, two weeks later, his unit was conscripted; first to the north, then to Gaza, and then back to the north. In the north he met a female soldier, and soon they became a couple. On December 7, she was discharged and he remained on duty. The next day, an event occurred that changed his life.

On the afternoon of December 8, the position where Yuval was stationed was bombed, and the building collapsed on him and another soldier. He recalls, “Only my leg was injured, but the other soldier was literally buried under the rubble; I couldn’t believe he would make it out. Fortunately, he did.”

Yuval vividly remembers the moment of impact. “I applied a tourniquet to myself and sent a text message to my mom and my girlfriend to say that I was injured. Someone arrived, reinforced my tourniquet, and went to treat the other injured soldiers. One of the combat soldiers came and escorted me to a protected area. I was treated there and later flown with the other injured soldier by helicopter to the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa.”

Yuval Zarkovsky in hospital

At Rambam, Yuval was informed that they would likely have to amputate his leg. Initially, there was some hesitation, but within a few days, the decision was clear; the amputation was necessary. “I realized there was no choice and accepted it. I also received a prosthesis and rehabilitation at the Beit HaLochem (IDF Disabled Veterans Center), where I am still working on strengthening my upper body and practicing walking.” Today, he is able to walk without crutches, and according to his doctors, he will fully return to function after the rehabilitation process.

Following the injury, he travelled to the United States with a delegation from the “B’lev Ehad” (One Heart) association, which assists the sick, elderly, and needy. There he met donors and doctors, and was shown an advanced prosthetic unlike his own; later, he received such a prosthesis. The new prosthesis has improved his walking ability.

He started the semester remotely, and only recently returned in person to studies at the Technion. “At the beginning of the semester, I only came to the lab sessions because they can’t be done remotely and they are very difficult to catch up on if you miss them. I want to emphasize the tremendous help I received from the from the lecturers and administrative staff of the Faculty.”

He doesn’t think the injury will change the course of his life. “I came to the Technion to study civil engineering from a love of engineering and construction. I have five more semesters to go, so there is still plenty of time to decide what I will do next.”

Yair Tikotzky: Taxis funded by the Technion

Yair Tikotzky

Captain (Res.) Yair Tikotzky, 25, grew up in Nahariya and studied computer science in high school. After  his military service in the Paratroopers’ Regiment  and Nahal Brigade, he was discharged as a squad commander and went on a trip abroad. Upon his return from the trip about two years ago, he began studying at the Technion in the Henry and Marilyn Taub Faculty of Computer Science. He said that, “even before the war, I had to do a lot of reserve duty during the semester. Last year in the winter semester, the unit conducted training. During the last spring semester, the unit carried out operational activity in Samaria.”

Events on October 7 found him in his apartment in Nesher preparing for exams, and on the same day he was called up. “We started travelling to our base to equip ourselves, but the terrible news from the south began to break, and we received an order to travel in our own cars to the Gaza Envelope in order to save whoever we could,” he said. “While we were on the way there, they sent us back to the unit; all the soldiers arrived, and we got organized. The next day, on October 8, we were sent to the north. I was moved from my unit to the unit of a friend of mine, Captain (Res.) Itay Mizrahi, and joined him as an additional officer in the Paratroopers’ 55th Brigade in reserves.” After a period in the north, the unit was called south to prepare for a ground entry into the Gaza Strip. They trained until they were well prepared, and “as soon as the command came, we confidently entered the strip.”

Brigade 55 entered Khan Yunis and stayed there to secure the entry axis. “The first day was particularly challenging. While we were leading the force, hours after crossing the border, we were fired upon by terrorists and lost a soldier in the platoon. A few weeks later during tunnel detection activity, a missile was fired at us; it killed a soldier from the platoon accompanying us. I managed to identify the source of the fire and we immediately took cover; many lives were saved.”

Yair Tikotzky injured next to Itay Mizrahi

On December 25, while shooting at a suspicious building, Yair’s leg was caught in a wave of stones and metal, and he collapsed under 30 kilograms of gear. “I fell and couldn’t move. I shouted to my friends, who thought I was hit by a bullet, and they rescued me. Because of the adrenaline I didn’t feel much pain; the medical team thought it was a sprain, so they gave me morphine and sent me home. The next day, I went to hospital, and it turned out to be a broken ankle, and no less problematic – torn ligaments. Thus began a prolonged process of recovery.”

And then the semester at the Technion began. “The semester was postponed to January 14 out of consideration for reservists, but I didn’t know if I would be able to study on campus so early in the recovery process. I started studying remotely, and after a few weeks I returned to my apartment in Nesher and hoped I would be able to cope. To my delight, the Technion came to my aid. The Dean of Students Office provided me with a taxi from my apartment to the Technion and back. It was very meaningful to sit in class, to meet friends, to feel part of the semester. In general, I feel that there is a lot of consideration and understanding at the Technion for the reservists’ situation. Course instructors called to say they would help me adjust. It’s very heartening.”

One of Yair’s messages to the other reservists is the importance of psychological treatment. “It’s something that has helped me a lot, and I recommend that anyone who was in the reserves in wartime takes advantage of this option. Sometimes everything seems okay, both in how a person feels and in what they outwardly project, and yet there are processes happening internally. So, I think you need to go for treatment to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”

Prof. Yair Goldberg, a faculty member in the Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences, received the Technion President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement this week for his tremendous contribution to human health, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was awarded the honor for his thorough work and its impact on human health in Israel and worldwide.

“The President’s Award is given for outstanding achievements that have a significant impact on society,” said Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan at the event that opened the session of the Technion Board of Governors. “Prof. Goldberg is a very humble researcher, but his work during the pandemic largely dictated how Israel, and the entire world, managed the pandemic. Prof. Goldberg, a statistician, showed us all that theoretical statistics can bring about significant change in the world.”

Prof. Yair Goldberg, a biostatistician with extensive knowledge of statistical theories and applied research in human health, leads an interdisciplinary research group at the Technion. This group harnesses statistical methods and computational learning to solve theoretical and applied problems. During the COVID-19 period, he played a crucial role as a leading statistician who helped decision-makers at the Ministry of Health manage the pandemic response. He conducted joint research with leading experts and decision-makers, including Prof. Nachman Ash, who was the national overseer in the fight against the coronavirus, and Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of Public Health Services at the Israeli Ministry of Health. The findings from these studies led, among other things, to understanding the decline in vaccine efficacy over time and to the decision to allocate booster shots to the elderly population. These findings were presented to the FDA and formed the basis for the organization’s decision to promote booster shots, which significantly reduced morbidity and mortality during the Delta wave.

The Technion awarded Israeli author David Grossman an honorary doctorate “in recognition of the extensive impact of his literary works in Israel and around the world and the talent through which he described the diversity and complexity of Israeli society; in gratitude for his deep love of the Hebrew language and his commitment to truth and dialogue; and for his inspiring efforts to foster coexistence and peace and to establish a better and more ethical society.”

Prof. Ada Yonath of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry for 2009,  received an honorary doctorate “in recognition of her pioneering contribution to ribosome research – the universal complex for translating genetic information into proteins – in mapping its structure and deciphering its function, and for discovering the mechanisms of antibiotic effects on bacterial ribosomes; and with great appreciation for her outstanding contribution to the advancement of science in Israel and worldwide.”

An honorary doctorate is the highest honor bestowed by the Technion on individuals who have excelled in their scientific and cultural endeavors or in their contributions to Israel, the Jewish people, and humanity. Previous recipients of this honor include Chaim Weizmann (1952), Albert Einstein (1953), Niels Bohr (1958), David Ben-Gurion (1962), Eugene Wigner (1971), Margaret Thatcher (1989), Yitzhak Rabin (1990), and Angela Merkel (2021).

“David Grossman is one of the greatest Israeli authors of our generation,” said Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan. “His contribution to Israeli literature and culture is immense, as is his contribution to the Hebrew language. Through his penetrating gaze, he has vividly described complex Israeli reality in all its aspects, the struggle with pain, loss, and bereavement, and the individual’s place in society.”

Regarding Prof. Yonath, Prof. Sivan said, “Great scientists are distinguished not only by their scientific achievements but also by their courage – the courage required to choose unique and innovative paths that may seem hopeless to the scientific community. Prof. Ada Yonath demonstrated exceptional personal and scientific courage when she embarked on that journey to terra incognita, which eventually led her to decipher the structure of the ribosome through crystallography. Her long journey has provided humanity with deep insights into the ribosome and opened new applied horizons.”

David Grossman was born in Jerusalem in 1954 and acquired his love of literature at home. After studying at “Leyada” (the Hebrew University Secondary School), he enlisted and served in the Intelligence Corps. He studied philosophy and theater at the Hebrew University and won awards for his early stories. Grossman has published eleven internationally renowned books, including “See Under: Love,” “To the End of the Land,” “Falling Out of Time,” “A Horse Walks into a Bar,” and “More Than I Love My Life.” He has also published five non-fiction books, including “The Yellow Wind,” a collection of short stories, numerous children’s books, a children’s opera, and a play. Several of his books have been adapted into films. In memory of his son Uri, who was killed during the Second Lebanon War by an anti-tank missile, Grossman wrote the song “The Spring Is So Short.” Grossman’s work has been translated into 45 languages and has earned him numerous prestigious awards, including the Prix Médicis for translated literature, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the National Jewish Book Award (USA), the Man Booker Prize (UK), the Royal Society of Literature International Writers Award (UK), the EMET Prize, and the Israel Prize for Literature. For the past forty years, David Grossman has actively worked for peace between Israel and its neighbors. His articles and essays on this subject have been published in leading newspapers worldwide.

Prof. Ada Yonath completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry and biochemistry at the Hebrew University, her doctorate at the Weizmann Institute of Science (1968), and post-doctoral research at Carnegie Mellon University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 1970, she established the first laboratory in Israel for protein crystallography at the Weizmann Institute, and for nearly a decade, it remained the only laboratory of its kind in Israel. The research that led to her Nobel Prize began in the 1980s and focused on the ribosome, the “protein factory” in the cell. She heads the Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure and Assembly at the Weizmann Institute and previously led a research unit at the Max Planck Institute in Hamburg. In 2009, Prof. Yonath received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with colleagues from Yale University and the University of Cambridge for their contribution to understanding the mechanisms of protein synthesis in living cells.

Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan presented the two with their degrees in a festive ceremony on Monday, June 3, as part of the Technion’s annual Board of Governors Meeting, which this year has the theme of solidarity.

The Wolf Foundation announced the selection of promising researchers in Israeli academia, including the new winners of the 2024 Krill Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research. Among the ten winners of the prize, three are faculty members from the Technion: Dr. Renana Gershoni-Poranne from the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Dr. Hila Peleg from the Henry and Marilyn Taub Faculty of Computer Science, and Dr. Yaniv Romano from the Computer Engineering Center, which is jointly part of the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Taub Faculty of Computer Science.

Prof. Naama Brenner, Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Technion, stated, “Young researchers in Israel will carry science and technology into the coming decades, and it is a proud moment to see three of our young researchers winning this prestigious award. The Krill Prize is awarded to faculty members who ‘have demonstrated significant research breakthroughs and are expected to lead research and academia in Israel in the future,’ researchers who ‘have shown determination, initiative, and creativity and have led to significant breakthroughs in scientific research.’ I congratulate our three researchers – Renana, Hila, and Yaniv – on joining this prestigious club, and wish them challenging, exciting, and fruitful years ahead.”

Dr. Renana Gershoni-Poranne

Dr. Renana Gershoni-Poranne from the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry will receive the prize “for her work in the field of physical-organic chemistry and artificial intelligence for designing new organic molecules to be integrated into organic electronic technologies.” Dr. Gershoni-Poranne completed all her degrees at the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion and her post-doctorate at ETH Zurich. Her work focuses on polycyclic aromatic systems (multi-ringed) of different molecules. Her research combines physical-organic chemistry with computational methods and artificial intelligence for the design of new organic molecules to be integrated into carbon-based organic electronic technologies and various applications, including flexible OLED screens, transparent solar cells that can turn glass windows into energy producers, and sensors that can be implanted in biological environments. An additional advantage is that such molecules are abundant in nature and less polluting than the currently prevalent electronic components.

Dr. Hila Peleg

Dr. Hila Peleg from the Taub Faculty of Computer Science will receive the prize “for significant contributions in developing tools that enhance productivity and reliability in code writing by programmers.” Dr. Peleg completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Tel Aviv University, her doctorate at the Technion, and her post-doctorate at the University of California, San Diego. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in literature, and participates in organizing conferences for the Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy. Her research focuses on programming languages, software engineering, and human-computer interaction, specifically on developing tools and software that enhance productivity and reliability in code writing by programmers. She studies software synthesis and programming tools. Software synthesis allows programmers to focus on the fundamental aspects of their work – problem-solving.

Dr. Yaniv Romano

Dr. Yaniv Romano from the Computer Engineering Center, part of the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Taub Faculty of Computer Science, will receive the prize “for his groundbreaking contribution to the field of data science, machine learning, and signal processing.” Dr. Romano completed all his degrees at the Technion and then went on to a post-doctorate at Stanford University. At the Technion, he explores possibilities for integrating data collection and machine learning capabilities for various applications, including computer vision for autonomous vehicles, credit fraud detection, and evaluating the effectiveness of medical treatments. His work focuses on developing statistical technology that “wraps around” learning systems and ensures their reliability, accuracy, and stability. The tools Dr. Romano developed for prediction interval estimation were used by The Washington Post for reliable election outcome predictions in the 2020 U.S. elections.

Since 2005, the Krill Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research has been awarded annually by the Wolf Foundation and the Krill family, in memory and honor of Benjamin and Gittela Krill-Mansbach Schlanger. It is given to outstanding academic faculty members and promising researchers from research universities in Israel who have led significant research breakthroughs and are expected to lead research and academia in Israel in the future in the exact sciences, life sciences and medicine, engineering, and agriculture. The prize is funded by the estate of Avraham Hirsch Krill Schlanger, who was born in 1912 in Chemnitz, Germany. A year before the outbreak of World War II, Avraham Krill married Deborah Kertzic and emigrated to South America, where he established a successful textile factory. Avraham Krill was active in the community of Jews from Germany in South America and was an enthusiastic supporter of the State of Israel from its establishment. The prizes awarded in memory and honor of his parents symbolize the Krill family’s connection to Israel and their belief in the close relationship between science and vision.

The prizes will be awarded to the winners at a ceremony to be held in Ramat Hasharon on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at 19:00.