Category Archives: כתבות אמצע

Photo Credit: Haim Zinger

On Monday, September 30, 2024, Iftach Mashal presented his final project at the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning at the Technion. Architect Gabi Schwartz and architect Dr. Dikla Yizhar supervised the project. The project will soon be displayed in the United States at the GA, the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America. The exhibition will open in Washington, D.C. on November 10.

Before the war, Mashal thought his final project at the faculty would be focused on his hometown of Ashkelon. However, the intense period he spent at Kibbutz Nir Oz – where he stayed for an extended time as a reservist – changed his initial decision. His special reserve unit settled in the kibbutzim near Gaza at the beginning of the war, and his connection with Nir Oz became a part of him. During his free time there, he worked on his final project at the Technion.

In the opening text of the project, titled “Nir Oz and I,” Mashal wrote, “For three consecutive months, I lived in the ruined kibbutz. Many homes were completely burned out, bullet marks on the reinforced safe-room windows, entire families were erased, and lives were cut short in an instant. Every day revealed more layers of the kibbutz’s story and the place’s complexities, its residents, and its history. I met survivors of the massacre who came to collect their belongings, spoke with the founders of Nir Oz, and encountered people who had lost their entire world. As a person, a soldier, and an architect, I kept asking myself how it would be possible to bring home a wounded and bleeding community that had experienced such a profound trauma.”

The final project focuses on the rehabilitation of Nir Oz in a way that does not turn the kibbutz into a memorial but restores it as a living place. “When thinking of rehabilitation, one must understand what Kibbutz Nir Oz is and what kind of life existed there before the ‘Black Saturday,’” he said. “Afterward, it is necessary to study the spatial trauma the place experienced, and the members’ feelings. The final step is to formulate principles for intervention and create a restored space.”

Mashal, 30, grew up in Ashkelon. His parents, Udi and Noga, are doctors, as are his two older sisters. He studied at an art school in Ashkelon and completed a five-unit matriculation in plastic arts. “There, I discovered that I wanted to be an architect, and by the age of 13, I had already started building model houses, so the path to the world of architecture was natural.”

After the army, he considered studying at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design or the Technion, and following an open day at the Technion, he chose the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning. “In addition to the Technion’s reputation, I liked the campus atmosphere and the green spaces near the faculty. Inside the faculty, I saw ‘Moti’s Workshop,’ a carpentry shop that reminded me of my school.” Mashal began his studies in 2018, and today, alongside his studies, he works at an architectural firm. “I am in the right place professionally, a place that allows me to develop and continue nurturing my passion for the profession.”

The paintings Mashal created in Nir Oz during the war were recently exhibited in the exhibition “From Reality to Memory” at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque, and the proceeds from their sales were donated to the “For Tomorrow” association, which helps released soldiers cope with their experiences. The exhibition came to the Technion during its annual Board of Governors meeting, then continued to the Israeli Knesset.

Doctoral student Shir Lissak from the Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences has been awarded the Scholarship for Excellence in Science and Innovation for Outstanding PhD Students.

This prestigious fellowship is awarded annually to 12 select researchers, who join an elite group leading science and innovation in Israel. This year, the scholarship, amounting to 150,000 NIS for each recipient, was dedicated to the theme of “Mental Health and Resilience – Theory and Practice.”

Doctoral student Shir Lissak

Lissak is an outstanding doctoral student conducting her research under the supervision of Prof. Roi Reichart. Her research is at the intersection of natural language processing (NLP) and mental health, focusing on developing methodologies for risk prediction, identifying risk factors, and providing emotional support in the field of mental health.

At the beginning of her research career, Lissak concentrated on uncovering risk factors associated with suicidal tendencies and developing methodologies for identifying these factors. The research revealed significant insights into risk factors and even led to the discovery of a new risk factor. The study was later expanded to identify success metrics for psychotherapeutic treatments in individuals diagnosed with depression and to develop approaches for providing emotional support to at-risk populations.

Lissak’s research success also stems from fruitful collaborations with leading professionals in the field, including Prof. Anat Brunstein Klomek, dean of the School of Psychology at Reichman University; Prof. Eyal Fruchter, faculty member at the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion and director of the Ma’ale HaCarmel Mental Health Center; Prof. Sigal Zilcha-Mano, head of the Psychotherapy Research Lab at the School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Haifa; and Dr. Yaakov Ophir, clinical psychologist and research fellow at the Hebrew University and the Technion.

In 2024, the Technion commemorates 100 years of research, teaching, and building a legacy defined by innovation, leadership, and excellence, both locally and internationally.

This week, the Technion commemorates the 20^th anniversary of one of its most significant milestones – the historic announcement by the Nobel Prize Committee to award the prestigious Nobel Prize to Distinguished Professor Avram Hershko and Distinguished Professor Aaron Ciechanover. The prize was awarded for their groundbreaking discovery of one of the most vital processes in cellular biology—protein degradation.

Distinguished Professor Aaron Ciechanover (left) at the Nobel Prize ceremony

The human cell contains thousands of proteins that carry out essential functions. These proteins are continuously breaking down and renewing, enabling the cell to maintain proper function. Disruptions in this continuous cycle can impair cellular function and lead to various diseases.

The pioneering research of Distinguished Professor Hershko and Distinguished Professor Ciechanover and their Nobel co-recipient, Professor Irwin Rose, began in the 1970s. At the time, global research primarily focused on the formation of proteins, but the three researchers adopted an original approach, shifting the focus to the mechanisms of protein degradation. Their revolutionary insights not only reshaped our understanding of cellular processes but also proved to have far-reaching practical applications.

Distinguished Professor Avram Hershko (left) at the Nobel ceremony

Thanks to their research, it was discovered how the cell identifies, and marks proteins destined for degradation using a molecule called ubiquitin. These tagged proteins, whether defective or no longer needed, are then transported to proteasomes – specialized complexes responsible for breaking them down. This process is vital for maintaining cellular health and stability.

These discoveries led to a deeper understanding of diseases caused by disruptions in protein degradation, including cancer, cystic fibrosis, inflammation, and neurological diseases. This knowledge continues to drive the development of innovative treatments and medications for these diseases and serves as a foundation for further extensive research.

For this invaluable contribution, Distinguished Professor Avram Hershko, Distinguished Professor Aaron Ciechanover, and Professor Irwin Rose received the highest international honor in the scientific world – the Nobel Prize.

Dr. Hemi Rotenberg was named by the European Research Commission as one of the winners of its ERC Starting Grants, which assist promising young scientists in advancing their research, forming research teams, and pursuing bold and original ideas. Winning candidates for the awards, which were announced in September, must demonstrate the potential for scientific breakthroughs, strong ambition, and the feasibility of their research proposals.

Dr. Rotenberg completed all of his degrees at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and conducted his postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago. Today, he heads the Laboratory for Bio-Electrical and Bio-Mechanical Interfaces at the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering.

Dr. Rotenberg is developing methods for precise stimulation of cells and tissues. In 2022, he published a new technology to restore damaged nerve tissues and heart pacing using an external light source to the body. The grant will be used to develop an electro-mechanical interface for brain tissue engineering. This interface will combine optoelectronic and magnetic components and will enable researchers to apply precise electrical and mechanical modulations to different parts of the cell. According to Dr. Rotenberg, this is a complex project, and he hopes to recruit new students and postdoctoral researchers to work on it with him.

“The research we will conduct with the help of the grant will examine how electrical and mechanical stimulation of nerve cells and neural tissues affects their regeneration,” he explained. “The idea is to apply mechanical or electrical stimulation to the cell, which may improve tissue regeneration. In the mechanical context, we will develop a technology that will allow us to stretch and/or compress different parts of the nerve cell such as the axon or the cell body. In the electrical context, we will develop a new optoelectronic nano-material, which is a material that generates an electrical potential when illuminated. In both cases, we are talking about non-invasive intervention, carried out using light and magnetic fields originating outside the body, which has significant advantages.”

The peripheral nervous system differs from the spinal cord and brain in that its cells regenerate after injury, and the new technology is expected to accelerate that regeneration. Furthermore, the new technology may even trigger regeneration in brain and spinal cord cells, which do not naturally regenerate. Nerve cell regeneration is an important ability that can improve recovery from spinal cord injuries and neurological damage to the brain.

ERC Starting Grants are highly competitive. This year, only 14.2% of the 3,474 applications submitted were accepted. The selection process includes submitting written proposals and interviews. Dr. Rotenberg undertook this process while serving many months on reserve duty during the Iron Swords War.

As an infantryman in the Alexandroni Brigade, he was called up for reserve duty on the morning of October 7, and since then his unit has moved between different fronts. “During this period, I worked on the application, and it wasn’t easy, especially since some of my students also had spouses who had been called up for reserve duty. At the end of February, I was released after five months of reserve duty, and I started to prepare for the grant interview, but then another call-up order arrived. Fortunately, my unit was considerate and allowed me to join them after the interview.”

In addition to being a researcher, lecturer, and reservist, perhaps most importantly, Dr. Rotenberg is a father of four. One of his sons celebrated his bar mitzvah last November. “Balancing homelife, the military, and the Technion is not simple; there is no doubt that the main burden fell on my wife, who managed life with the kids and her career, during a very challenging period.”

The fellowship, amounting to $3,000, supports the career development of outstanding doctoral students through international travel, networking opportunities, and more. According to the Academy’s statement, “The fellowship recipients are the cutting edge of Israel’s future researchers in the fields of natural sciences, life sciences, engineering, mathematics, data science, and computer science.”

The fellowship award ceremony took place on Sunday, September 29, 2024, as part of the annual Adams Seminar, with the participation of a family representative, Mr. Sylvan Adams, and former Academy President, Prof. Nili Cohen.

In the photo from the left: Head of the Adams Fellowships Program Ms. Batsheva Shor, Prof. Moshe Oren, Academy Member and chairperson of the program’s Steering and Approval Committee, Former Academy President Prof. Nili Cohen, Former Academy President Prof. Ruth Arnon and Mr. Sylvan Adams, with the Adams Fellows of 2024-2025. Photo: Michal Fattal, Courtesy of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities

 

 

The Technion recipients are:

Jonathan Somer from the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Somer completed a bachelor’s degree in computer science at Tel Aviv University and a bachelor’s degree in medicine at the Technion, both summa cum laude. He is currently a PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Shie Mannor from the Technion and co-supervised by Prof. Uri Alon from the Department of Molecular Biology at the Weizmann Institute. Somer is enrolled in the MD/PhD program, which trains physician-scientists at the Technion’s Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and has published seven academic articles so far. His research focuses on developing computational tools for cancer research and treatment using machine learning and principles from physics and control theory.

Evgenii Zheltonozhskii from the Faculty of Physics. Zheltonozhskii was born in Russia and immigrated to Israel at the age of 14 as part of the Na’aleh program. After his military service, he was accepted into the Technion Excellence Program, completed a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude (in computer science and physics-mathematics), and continued to a master’s degree in computer science, which he also completed summa cum laude under the supervision of Prof. Alex Bronstein and Prof. Avi Mendelson. Currently, he is working on the theory of material phases, primarily in the context of topological quantum computing, aiming to improve the performance of “traditional” quantum computing.

Ron Ruimy from the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Ruimy completed a dual bachelor’s degree in physics and electrical and computer Engineering at the Technion, during which he began working in Prof. Ido Kaminer’s lab. Even during his undergraduate studies, which he completed summa cum laude, he was a lead author on a paper published in the prestigious journal Physical Review Letters. In his direct-track PhD, he focuses on electrons, electron microscopy, and possibilities for creating new types of quantum technologies.

Majd Machour from the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering. Machour completed a dual bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and medicine at the Technion summa cum laude after which he was accepted into the MD/PhD program and began his research in Prof. Shulamit Levenberg’s lab at the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering. His doctoral research involves 3D bioprinting of multi-layered tissues containing blood vessels, and developing new printing methods and materials that can serve as bio-inks for printing thick and mechanically stable tissues intended for implantation. During his PhD, Majd co-authored nine scientific papers and three patents and won the 2023 Rappaport Award for Outstanding Doctoral Students.

Michael Birk from the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology program. Birk completed a dual bachelor’s degree in physics and electrical and computer engineering as part of the “Psagot” military-academic program and is currently a PhD student under the joint supervision of Prof. Ido Kaminer (AdQuanta) from the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Prof. Oren Cohen from the Faculty of Physics. His doctoral research focuses on the theory and application of quantum optics. According to Prof. Kaminer, “Michael’s contributions were crucial to our publications in Nature Physics and Nature Photonics last year, where he was one of the lead authors. Together, these two papers laid the foundation for a new research field—quantum optics of strong fields—which has already begun to engage researchers worldwide. In a third paper, published in the Journal of Optics, Michael led the Technion’s contribution in an international collaboration, demonstrating impressive leadership and teamwork skills.”

The Adams Fellowship Program, now celebrating its 20th anniversary, is a joint initiative of the Academy and Mr. Marcel Adams from Canada. Each year, the Adams Fellowships are awarded to around eight young researchers starting from the second year of their PhD studies, for a period of up to four consecutive academic years. The fellowship amount is currently 100,000 NIS per year. In addition, the Adams Fellowship Program allocates up to $3,000 annually to each fellow for active participation in scientific conferences and workshops abroad, scientific collaborations, or travel to interview for postdoctoral positions overseas. Participation in the fellowship program greatly contributes to the professional advancement of the fellows. Adams Fellows have the opportunity to form connections with each other and build a young scientists’ community through meetings at the Academy for students from all cohorts.

The founder of the fellowship program, the late Mr. Marcel Adams (1920–2020), was a passionate Zionist. He was born in Romania and, during World War II, was imprisoned in a labor camp established by the Nazis. He managed to escape, immigrated to Israel, and even fought in the War of Independence. In 1951, he emigrated to Canada, and seven years later, founded a real estate company, which grew and expanded over the years. Mr. Adams established the fellowship program as a way to give back to the country where he found refuge. He passed away in the summer of 2020 at the age of 100.

16 Technion graduate students together with a similar number of German students from Aachen and Jülich research center participated in a series of lectures and seven different hands-on laboratory sessions. The lectures covered fundamental principles of electron microscopy, and applications in material science, life science and quantum physics. The experimental part introduced the students to some of the most advanced electron microscopy systems worldwide.  Social events for the students and staff were also included in the program. The Technion delegation was headed by Professor Gadi Eisenstein, director of RBNI. Two Technion faculty members, Professor Yeshayahu (Ishi) Talmon and Professor Ido Kaminer were among the lecturers. 

The school was a late follow up of a very successful RBNI winter school on the same topic held in 2018 in Kfar Bloom. 

Prof. Michael (Miki) Elad received the prize for his research in engineering, which has led to practical developments, including reducing radiation levels in CT scans and shortening MRI scan times.

Prof. Michael (Miki) Elad received the prize

Distinguished Professor Mordechai (Moti) Segev received the prize for his pioneering contributions in photonics and nonlinear optics, and the innovative research paths he developed. His groundbreaking work in optical communications has had a global impact, advancing new technologies to improve wireless communication and the Internet.

Distinguished Professor Mordechai (Moti) Segev received the prize

The Rothschild Prize has been awarded by Yad Hanadiv, the Rothschild Family Foundation, in ten academic fields, since 1959. Yad Hanadiv also contributed to the construction of the Knesset, the Supreme Court, and the National Library.

2024 Rothschild Prize winners

Photographed by: Yoni Kelberman

The materials, which are expected to lead to significant improvements in the quality of Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and expand their usage, are presented in a newly published article by Prof. Aharon Blank and Dr. Itai Katz in Science Advances. The research, supported by the Technion Human Health Initiative (THHI) and the European Research Council (ERC), included contributions from Prof. Boaz Pokroy and Dr. Arad Lang from the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering at the Technion, who worked on preparing some of the unique nature-inspired materials, and Dr. Benno Meier from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. 

Prof. Aharon Blank (left) and Dr. Itai Katz

MRI is a non-invasive, radiation-free imaging technology used in diagnosing various clinical conditions. One of the limitations of conventional MRI devices is that they have trouble detecting metabolites, which have a very low concentration in tissues. Metabolites are small molecules involved in chemical process in the body, many of which serve as clinical markers indicating various health conditions, including malignant tumors, abnormal cell division, cell death, and cellular stress. This is the motivation for many research groups trying to find a solution that allows the identification of metabolites in non-invasive imaging scans. 

In their article, the researchers present a new method enabling the identification of metabolites in MRI. The method, called MMV, is based on new composition of metabolites characterized by two significant advantages in this context: a dramatic enhancement (by about four orders of magnitude) of the magnetic resonance signal and the preservation of signal strength for a relatively long time compared to existing metabolites – about ten minutes versus one minute. 

The practical implication of the findings is that the new materials will allow tracking metabolites in various tissues over time. Furthermore, due to the new qualities these materials provide to MRI scans, such tests could, in certain cases, replace expensive and radiation-intensive tests like PET-CT. 

One of the stages in the preparation process of the unique materials. This stage includes high-voltage plasma disintegration passing through the material grains

According to Prof. Blank, “Our discovery is very exciting for us, as the new method will provide physicians with a broader time window to perform the scan, and we estimate it will expand the use of radiation-free MRI scans. These materials will improve the capabilities of medical and research teams in early disease diagnosis, tissue characterization, disease progression monitoring, surgery planning, optimal treatment selection, and informed decision-making.” 

Click here for the paper in Science Adva

In 2017, the Technion awarded Dr. Ciechanover an honorary doctorate “in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the international standing of the State of Israel; in recognition of his many and varied achievements as a jurist, economist and statesman; and as a sign of gratitude for his longstanding support for the Technion and its students as chair of the Dr Jacob Isler Foundation”. Distinguished Professor Aaron Ciechanover spoke at the honorary doctorate ceremony and said, “Words cannot describe my brother’s work on behalf of the State of Israel, and I too owe him so much. We lost our parents when I was a young boy, and Yossi [Joseph], who was 14 years my senior, supported me along every step of the way ever since. He brought me to where I am today. Without him, I would not be standing here before you.”

Dr Ciechanover was a diplomat, businessman and entrepreneur. He served as director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was part of the team that negotiated the peace accord with Egypt, worked as the defense establishment legal advisor, and was chair of the board of directors of El Al. In 2021 he was awarded the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement — special contribution to the state and Israeli society — “for his significant contribution to the State over many years in numerous areas of public life, the economy, security, diplomacy and jurisprudence — both within the public service and outside of it.”

May his memory be a blessing.