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10 Faculty Members were awarded the Yanai Prize for Excellence in Academic Education

Additionally, the Faculty of Mathematics received the Outstanding Faculty Award, a new prize awarded for the first time this year

The Yanai Prize for Excellence in Academic Education was awarded to ten Technion faculty members and to the Faculty of Mathematics. The awards ceremony was attended by the Yanai family, who endowed the prize, award recipients and their families, and Technion lecturers and students. This is the third year in a row that the prestigious prize has been awarded, “in appreciation of faculty members, who set an example through their endless contributions to teaching and learning and for their efforts to improve student involvement and sense of belonging to the Technion.”

The ten faculty members awarded the 2013 Yanai Prize for Excellence in Academic Education are: Prof. Moshe Baruch, Prof. Dafna Fisher-Gewirtzman, Prof. Moris Eisen, Prof. Alon Wolf, Prof. Idit Keidar, Prof. Oren Kurland, Prof. Liron Yedidsion, Prof. Havazelet Bianco-Peled, Prof. Amir Shpilka and Prof. Uri Shavit.

Additionally, a new prize awarded for the first time this year was given for Outstanding Faculty. The prize was awarded to the Faculty of Mathematics in recognition of championing teaching excellence and academic services to all Technion students. The Awards Committee emphasized that, “the Faculty’s activities are characterized by a high level of attention to the quality of teaching, excellent service, as well as for its demonstrated empathy to student needs and introduction of educational and technological initiatives.”

“This is a festive day for education at Technion,” remarked Technion President, Prof. Peretz Lavie at the awards ceremony. “We recognize today the award recipients who set an example to all lecturers on campus. It can be said that the ‘Yanai Prize’ has far-reaching effects on academic education at the Technion and even beyond.” The President referred to the consent of the Senate to approve the recommendations of the “Cohen Committee” to ease the academic workload: “All of the Committee’s recommendations were intended to lighten the pressure on our students without compromising academic excellence, which is our guiding principle.”

“We view our award winners as a unit of high quality dignitaries that influence teaching standards on campus,” remarked Technion’s Vice President for Research and Chairperson of the Prize Committee, Prof. Gadi Schuster. “Last year we announced that lecturers who do not meet good teaching standards will not teach core courses and it gives me great pleasure to report today that we have nearly achieved our goal. Today only 5% out of 800 core courses taught at Technion are not taught up to standard, and we are working hard to improve this figure.”

Merav Proyam, Chairperson of the Student’s Association’s Academic Committee who was party to the selection process of the award winners said that, “This is a period of blossoming and growth for Technion students. Over the past two years the Technion is has been putting the needs of students as one of its top priorities and has significantly improved teaching and learning conditions at the university. I thank the Yanai family, which gave us students, the opportunity to honor are most highly esteemed lecturers.”

Moshe Yanai, a global pioneer in the field of information storage, in his making his contribution sought to give back to the Technion in gratitude for the life skills that the institute bestowed to him during his studies here 40 years ago. Since he recalls the years of study at the university with hardship and periods of difficulty, he decided together with Technion President, Prof. Peretz Lavie, to contribute 12 million dollars to award lecturers who have demonstrated teaching excellence, a gift that will also greatly benefit Technion students. The prize, which awards 100 thousand Shekels to each recipient, will be given over a period of ten years. In Moshe Yanai’s closing remarks he thanked the Technion for enabling him to give back to the academic community in a way that is both noteworthy and beneficial. “To sign the check is the easy part,” he said. “The difficulty is in achieving the desired return. In the academic world, success is a product of research and the publication of academic literature, and I really appreciate those of you who also invest in teaching, because this isn’t always self-evident.”

The ten faculty members awarded the 2013 Yanai Prize for Excellence in Academic Education are:

Prof. Moshe Baruch, from the Faculty of Mathematics

Prof. Baruch is a marvelous lecturer who can teach difficult material in a clear and understandable manner and who advances each of his students according to his/her abilities, all while creating a pleasant atmosphere in the classroom. Over the years he has received many teaching awards, including the Salomon Simon Mani Award for Excellence in Teaching and Outstanding Technion Lecturer. In addition to teaching, Prof. Baruch has invested many hours in developing and updating course materials, and as an active member of the academic committee that periodically reviews the Calculus courses (differential and integral calculus). Prof. Baruch has given numerous public lectures, including the keynote speech at the exhibition about Jewish mathematicians in German-speaking countries, held in conjunction with the Science Museum last year, which attracted a large audience and received very positive feedback. The highlight of his work in recent years has been his efforts in mobilizing of the Faculty’s youth activities, especially the management and organization of the summer camp “Thumba” on number theory, which is the first of its kind in the country. Many of the camp’s participants, in operation since 2007, continue to keep in touch with him and some are now Technion students.

Prof. Dafna Fisher-Gewirtzman, from the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning

Prof. Fisher-Gewirtzman is the course facilitator of the “Architecture Studio” consisting of bi-weekly meetings with student groups. The course is markedly different from the method of frontal teaching practiced in other courses. Prof. Fisher-Gewirtzman is much adored by her students, for the high quality content that she teaches and for her delivery in the classroom. Students strongly recommended her for the award and commented favorably on her positive and laid-back personality. According to Prof. Fisher-Gewirtzman, her goal as a lecturer is to instill in her students both knowledge and enthusiasm in the subject matter at the same time, in order to develop their required skill sets, provide them with the tools necessary for life-long learning, and encourage them to love learning and research as a way of life, which will enrich their life and improve their chances of becoming better Architects.

Prof. Moris Eisen, from the Faculty of Chemistry

Prof. Eisen is highly committed and dedicated to teaching and to its promotion within the Technion and beyond. He has served for several years as the Vice Dean in matters pertaining to instruction, and within the framework of this position, he managed to advance various aspects in matters pertaining to teaching within the Faculty and beyond it in the best possible manner. The Faculty of Chemistry provides instructional services to over 3,500 students from various faculties at Technion. As Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Eisen promotes issues involving teaching chemistry and facilitates support for undergraduate students through the establishment of a student club and the development and improvement of teaching methods at the Faculty of Chemistry. Prof. Eisen is best known for his successful chemistry courses designed for first-year students, exemplified as being a ‘complex teaching challenge.’

Prof. Alon Wolf, from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Prof. Wolf serves as the Coordinator for Undergraduate Studies at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and performs his duties faithfully and high efficiency. He is always ready to lend a sympathetic ear to students who find themselves in academic distress, and does his upmost to help them cope successfully with the university’s faculty. Prof. Wolf teaches the course “Introduction to the Creative Design” and coordinates all of the activities in this subject at the Faculty level and at the Technion, within the framework of the “Techno-Rosh” competition. He is in charge of proposing projects to challenge the student population, who have yet to learn the full range of basic engineering courses, to think like an engineer in a creative, original and independent way. Prof. Wolf is a natural leader with very high deductive abilities. He is a commendable citizen and outstanding lecturer who inspires his students with the best engineering studies has to offer.

Prof. Idit Keidar, from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering

Prof. Keidar is an excellent lecturer engaged in education in the broadest sense of the word. She has a rare ability to consolidate and summarize learning materials and presenting content in a concise and clear manner. This is evident both in her frontal lessons, in her mentoring meetings with graduate students and in her writing for the professional community. Prof. Keidar maintains a fair and transparent attitude toward all her students, out of a clear perception of her role as an educator; she invests a great amount of time and effort into providing each of her students with equal and fair treatment. She demands high level work from her students along with a heavy workload, but her attitude and the interest she arouses in her students makes them appreciative of the high level academics they are given.

Prof. Oren Kurland, from the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management

Prof. Kurland is a true asset to the Faculty. He has contributed greatly to the improvement of course instruction, and to mentoring activities for graduate students at the business intelligence laboratory that he initiated and developed, and which is led by the Faculty’s top students.  His ability to integrate relevant research insights within the framework of different courses at all levels, and successfully stimulate his students with intellectual challenges, is what drives students to come to his lectures and sign up in droves for all the elective courses he teaches. Prof. Kurland gives his students his all by making himself available to them 24 hours a day, and giving them a sense that there are no barriers stopping them from meeting with him. Despite the lack of clearly defined barriers, Prof. Kurland is highly respected by his students, supports and nurtures the students under his guidance, and serves as a model of excellence.

Prof. Liron Yedidsion, from the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management

Prof. Yedidsion is a faculty member in the field of industrial engineering. Already from the first course he delivered, he set new standards to the concept of teaching excellence. He developed an innovative and unique teaching method, which encourages students to get highly involved in the course study material and deepen their knowledge of the learning material. He allows students take an active role in the management of the course, by letting them experience writing and testing out exercises, and prepare lesson plans and summaries. Despite the high demanding and uncompromising level of his courses, students take on the responsibility and own up to it from a standpoint of genuine curiosity and desire to be challenged and not out of obligation. Prof. Yedidsion builds warm and personal relationship with his students. In his students he looks for those with high potential and encourages them to excel and continue onto graduate studies. Prof. Yedidsion is a relatively new faculty member, and yet he managed from the start, to set a higher standard of excellence in teaching.

Prof. Havazelet Bianco-Peled, from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Prof. Bianco-Peled is an exceptional lecturer at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering, teaching various subjects. She coordinates the biochemical aspects of the faculty and teaches a number of courses. Prof. Bianco-Peled is known for her in-depth knowledge in the subject area, her desire to teach, her patience with students’ endless questions, her willingness to explain again and again, and her great investment in her students. She also serves as the Graduate Coordinator at the Faculty, and is very attentive to listening to students who come to her with their problems. Her positive attitude has made a lot of “fans” among the student population, and she from her point of view, attempts to maintain a warm relationship with her students in the classroom and beyond, in order to test her teaching effectiveness. Prof. Bianco-Peled truly cares about her students and it shows. However, she does not make concessions and demands a high academic level from her students. Prof. Bianco-Peled is an exemplary professor for her building commendable relationships with her students and for her achievements, without compromising high academic level.

Prof. Amir Shpilka, from the Faculty of Computer Science

The course entitled “Database Systems” is a very difficult course to teach, and one which consistently receives low teaching scores. However, for the past decade, Prof. Shpilka has received the highest overall score for teaching this course. In addition, he has received the highest scores in interest, active learning, and general assessment of this course over the past decade. Owing to his excellent performance and the outstanding treatment of students, two years ago Prof. Shpilka was appointed the Coordinator of Graduate Studies at the Faculty and Head of the Excellence Program. His activities within the framework of these positions have been extensive and important. He has invested a lot of his time and helped a large number of students.

Prof. Uri Shavit, from the Faculty of Civil Engineering

Prof. Shavit lectures in the field of water engineering. According to him, thinking like an engineer “through equations” is the basis for analyzing and dealing with unsolved scientific and engineering problems. The challenge for him as a teacher is to find the right balance between the teaching of the classical tools (which are indispensable) and the study of the processes and mechanisms through fundamental laws and equations that describe them. “Teaching students properly is challenging,” says Prof. Shavit. “When a hall full of students understand something they did not previously comprehend it becomes an extremely exciting moment for me from which I gain a great feeling of satisfaction.”

Mayor Bloomberg, Cornell President Skorton and Technion President Lavie officially transfer 12 acres of Roosevelt Island to Cornell Tech.

Construction on a Sustainable, Innovative Technology Campus Will Begin in January;

First Phase to Open in 2017

Project a Key Piece of the Mayor’s Applied Sciences NYC Initiative, Designed to Transform New York City’s Innovation Economy

19/12/2013

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Cornell University President David J. Skorton, and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology President Peretz Lavie today formally executed a 99-year lease between the City of New York and Cornell Tech, which will pave the way for construction of the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, exactly two years after Cornell and academic partner Technion were named the first winners of the City’s Applied Sciences NYC competition.

Cornell Tech is a revolutionary model for graduate-level technology education and is establishing itself as a world-leading institution, conferring graduate degrees and conducting research that drives technology, innovation, commercialization and the creation and retention of businesses and jobs in New York City. The land transfer will allow for groundbreaking on the campus to begin in January, with the first classrooms on Roosevelt Island set to open in 2017. Cornell Tech students began classes this fall in space donated by Google at their Chelsea headquarters on Eighth Avenue. Construction of the entire 2 million square foot build-out, which will span 12 acres on Roosevelt Island and house approximately 2,000 students and nearly 280 faculty and researchers, will be completed by 2043. New details and renderings for the first phase of the full campus were also released today, revealing how the physical campus will be designed to support Cornell Tech’s focus on innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration between academia and industry. Mayor Bloomberg and President Skorton signed the lease documents at a City Hall ceremony to finalize the official land transfer to Cornell Tech, where they were joined by President Lavie, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel, New York City Economic Development Corporation President Kyle Kimball, U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney, Council Member and Borough President-Elect Gale Brewer, Council Member Jessica Lappin, Cornell Tech Vice President Cathy Dove, Cornell Board Chair Robert Harrison, Cornell Provost Kent Fuchs, Cornell Tech Dean Daniel Hutenlocher, Forest City Ratner Companies President and CEO MaryAnne Gilmartin, and Hudson Companies Principal David Kramer.

“Our goal has been to make New York City the global capital of technological innovation, and this new campus on Roosevelt Island is a central part of our strategy for achieving it,” said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.  “It is one of the most ambitious and forward-looking economic development projects any city has ever undertaken, and it’s going to help add thousands of new jobs to our economy in the decades ahead.”

“The State was proud to work closely with the Mayor’s Office, RIOC and Cornell because we strongly believe that the path to New York State’s continued economic growth will largely be defined by partnerships that start with our State’s academic institutions,” said Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. “This project leverages two of the world’s most notable institutions in a way that will help foster technological innovation within New York State, while creating jobs and spurring business investment.”

“Cornell Tech is the proof that government and universities can work together to innovate and support economic growth, and we will be forever grateful for Mayor Bloomberg’s leadership in making this campus possible,” said Cornell University President David J. Skorton. “The Roosevelt Island campus is being built for the future, to be the place that generates the next big ideas, the new companies and extraordinary talent that will change New York and the world.”

“Thanks to Mayor Bloomberg’s vision, New York City is fast becoming a leading global center of innovation,” said Technion President Peretz Lavie. “Through the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute, our international partnership with Cornell Tech, we look forward to helping to further the city’s future as the technology capital of the world.”

Applied Sciences NYC was launched by Mayor Bloomberg in 2011 in an effort to capitalize on the considerable recent growth and even larger opportunity for future growth in technology-related jobs and businesses in New York City, and builds on the Bloomberg Administration’s record of creating a more diversified economy for the City’s future. In July 2011, NYCEDC issued an RFP seeking a university, institution or consortium to develop and operate a new or expanded campus in the City in exchange for City capital, access to City-owned land and the full support and partnership of the Bloomberg Administration, and subsequently received seven responses from 17 world-class institutions from around the globe. Cornell Tech was the first of four Applied Sciences projects to be announced by the City in an effort to strengthen New York City’s global competiveness – including its growing technology sector – and ensure that the City establishes itself as a worldwide hub of science, research, innovation and urban solutions for the digital age and the information economy. Cornell Tech was selected for this initiative based on its innovative model for graduate technology education and its emphasis on the intersections between academia and industry and forward-thinking areas of study. When completed, the new Roosevelt Island campus alone will nearly double the number of full-time, graduate engineering students enrolled in leading New York City Master’s and Ph.D. programs.

The four Applied Sciences NYC projects that have been announced by the Mayor include:

• Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island
• The Center for Urban Science and Progress in Downtown Brooklyn, operated by an international consortium led by New York University
• The Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering at Columbia University
• Carnegie Mellon University’s Integrative Media Program at Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Collectively, the four Applied Sciences NYC projects are expected to generate more than $33.2 billion in nominal economic activity, over 48,000 permanent and construction jobs, and approximately 1,000 spin-off companies by 2046, fulfilling the initiative’s goal of dramatically transforming the City’s economy for the 21st century. These institutions are already strengthening the City’s position as a hub of science, research, innovation and world-class urban solutions in a global economy driven by technological fluency and innovation.

“Mayor Bloomberg’s Applied Sciences initiative will transform the City’s economy, doubling the number of engineering faculty and graduate students in New York City. These are the skills we need to compete in the knowledge and information economy of the 21st Century,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel. “The closing of the Cornell Tech lease is a major step toward that goal and I congratulate Presidents Skorton and Lavie on this critical moment in the arc of Cornell and the Technion’s history.”

“Over only two years, thanks to an unprecedented model of collaboration across City and State government, top academic institutions, and the private sector, we have transformed Applied Sciences NYC from a visionary idea into a physical reality that is already reshaping our City,” said NYCEDC President Kyle Kimball. “Since selecting Cornell and the Technion as our first winners, in partnership with the Health and Hospitals Corporation we have built and opened a new hospital in Harlem that is currently serving former Coler-Goldwater patients; secured all necessary approvals for the Roosevelt Island campus; selected three additional Applied Sciences winners; and launched classes. Thanks to Mayor Bloomberg’s leadership, this initiative will create jobs, businesses, and technologies, resulting in transformative economic activity that will help secure the City’s future.”

“Cornell Tech is extremely grateful for the unwavering support of the Roosevelt Island community throughout the public review process and we are committed to being great neighbors during construction and beyond,” said Cornell Tech Vice President Cathy S. Dove. “We are also fortunate to have such extraordinary development partners in Forest City Ratner and Hudson/Related to help us make this vision a reality.”

“We are thrilled to be working with Cornell and so many great partners to help create a truly extraordinary new place on Roosevelt Island,” said Forest City Ratner Companies President and CEO MaryAnne Gilmartin. “Under Mayor Bloomberg’s watch the City’s tech sector has grown enormously and we are well poised as a company and as a project to continue with that growth at Cornell Tech.”

“With Mayor Bloomberg’s vision guiding the way, Cornell Tech will be at the leading edge of the next generation in tech and applied sciences,” said David Kramer, partner of The Hudson Companies. “We look forward to bringing out-of-the-box thinking to a best-in-class building on the forefront of design and sustainability.”

“I am pleased to join Mayor Bloomberg for this monumental step toward making the Cornell Tech camps a reality. I have strongly supported bringing Cornell Tech to Roosevelt Island from the very beginning of this process,” said U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney. “The campus holds great promise for Roosevelt Island and for New York City, attracting future leaders in the technology and engineering industry.  Many of the amenities included in the plans will be open and available to the public, including areas of park space.  I commend Cornell for its transparency during the planning process and commitment to being a good neighbor to Island residents.”

“Cornell Tech will generate opportunities and innovations for generations to come, and today we take a step closer to our city’s future,” said Council Member Jessica Lappin.

“I applaud Mayor Bloomberg, Cornell Tech, and the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation on their historic lease signing to build a new applied sciences campus on Roosevelt Island,” said Manhattan Borough President-Elect Gale A. Brewer. “This partnership will play a key role in the growth of New York City’s tech sector in the coming years, and will attract new development to Roosevelt Island. I look forward to working with all parties to ensure the success of this venture.”

Academic uses of the campus are anticipated to include classrooms, laboratories, teaming areas, and lecture halls, as well as start-up incubator/accelerator space to encourage entrepreneurship. The remainder of the space in the campus will be devoted to corporate co-location space designed to facilitate the interaction between academia and industry, residential uses, an executive education center, and ancillary uses, such as retail in support of the faculty, staff and students on the campus, as well as the creation of new open space.

While planning is underway for the opening of the permanent campus in 2017, Cornell Tech is already operating in temporary space in Manhattan. The campus master plan, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill with James Corner Field Operations, includes a number of innovative features and facilities across a river-to-river campus with expansive views, a series of green, public spaces, and a seamless integration of indoor and outdoor areas. Cornell Tech will combine cutting edge technologies to create one of the most environmentally friendly and energy-efficient campuses in the world, not only employing, but developing new environmental technology.

A sustainable and innovative academic building will be designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects and, in a significant departure from traditional academic facilities, take its cue from the tech world by offering open-plan space and extensive collaborative workspaces. The phase one academic building, if completed today, would be the largest net-zero energy building in eastern United States, with all of its power generated on campus.

A corporate co-location building, designed by Weiss/Manfredi and developed by Forest City Ratner Companies, will bring together corporate innovators, world-class researchers and energetic start-ups under one roof, a concrete reflection of the campus’ mission of fusing academia and industry to encourage innovation for the public good. Cornell Tech will be an anchor tenant. Renderings of this building and the academic building were released today, and are available at tech.cornell.edu/press/.

Ensuring that the campus is active 24/7, a residential building, designed by Handel Architects and developed by Hudson and Related Companies, will be built to provide convenient and affordable campus housing for students, faculty and staff. It will rely on passive sustainable design features to reduce energy usage and further advance the campus’ sustainability goals.

Plans are also under underway for an Executive Education Center and Hotel, which will help ensure that Cornell Tech is a magnet in New York City for innovation by providing conference, executive program and academic workshop space along with a hotel and destination restaurant.

The 12-acre footprint of the Cornell Tech campus includes the site of the former Goldwater Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility, which has been replaced by the new state-of-the art, 365-bed, $300 million Henry J. Carter Specialty Hospital in Harlem, built by NYCEDC, which is operated by the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation and provides world-class medical care for New Yorkers in need of highly specialized, complex treatment. Former Goldwater patients were relocated to the new hospital last month. The campus footprint also includes property formerly controlled by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation. Cornell Tech has spent the past year working with the Roosevelt Island community on plans to minimize the impact of construction on residents, including deployment of the largest barging program in New York City to remove demolition materials from the site.

Cornell Tech classes began earlier this year in space donated by Google in Chelsea. The school now includes masters and Ph.D. students, world-class faculty and established collaborations with dozens of industry-leading organizations contributing to graduate study in areas such as Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Information Science, Operations Research and Business. Cornell Tech also launched its commitment to partnership with New York City’s public school students earlier this year, working with numerous organizations to bring tech education to a diverse audience. A director of K-12 education for Cornell Tech will be announced early in 2014.

Beginning in January, the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute at Cornell Tech will welcome a number of postdoctoral students to the current campus. Later in 2014, the Jacobs Institute will launch a master’s degree program in Connective Media designed to educate the entrepreneurial engineers and technologists needed in the media sector to steward the continuing digital transformation of the industry. Students in this two-year program will receive degrees from both Technion and Cornell.  Also in 2014, Cornell Tech will launch a Johnson MBA that will combine business, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship in a fast-paced, hands-on learning environment.

Cornell Tech will host entrepreneurs-in-residence, organize business competitions, provide legal support for startups, reach out to existing companies to form research partnerships and sponsor research, and establish a pre-seed financing program to support promising research. In addition, the campus will structure its on-site tech transfer office to facilitate startup formation and technology licensing. Cornell Tech will also invest $150 million that will be solely devoted to start-up businesses in the City.

In keeping with the focus on community involvement contained in the RFP, the Cornell Tech proposal outlined a number of areas in which the universities will touch the lives of New Yorkers — the type of involvement to which both schools have been committed for many years in their primary campus communities. Plans for community involvement in New York City include the creation of education enhancement programs that will impact a minimum of 10,000 New York City students and 200 New York City teachers per year. Cornell Tech also intends to work closely with PS/IS 217 on Roosevelt Island to enrich their curricula and participate in STEM-oriented programming. They will also work to meet the goals of the City’s HireNYC employment program and develop partnerships for job placement and training. In furtherance of its community outreach goals, Cornell Tech will offer significant programming on and off its campus designed to engage with residents of Roosevelt Island and the larger City. Cornell’s campus plan will further create new public open space on the campus.

The 2013 IEEE Signal Processing Society Technical Award will be awarded to Professor Yonina Eldar from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Technion

Professor Yonina Eldar has been selected for the 2013 IEEE Signal Processing Society Technical Achievement Award for her “fundamental contributions to sub-nyquist and compressed sampling, convex optimization and statistical signal processing.”

Professor Eldar, who heads the Sampling Research Laboratory in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Technion, is a member of: the Council for Higher Education (CHE) in Israel, the Young Academy of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and the Commission for making higher education accessible to Haredim (Orthodox). She also serves as a research fellow at MIT and as a visiting professor at Stanford University. In addition, she consults for high-tech companies.

Professor Eldar has developed a new paradigm allowing to break through the Nyquist barrier, traditionally believed to be the ultimate limit for analog to digital conversion (ADC). She was able to exploit signal structure in the sampling stage in a hardware efficient way so as to reduce sampling rates, power, size and DSP rates, while attaining better communication performance. Beyond her achievement in the development of theory and algorithms, Eldar achieved a global breakthrough in the field of sampling, when she built, along with her research students and development team at her laboratory, hardware prototypes and working demos (in the form of an electric card) that prove the theory, enabling sampling and processing of a wide class of continuous-time signals, at especially low rates. These methods can allow the miniaturization of a wide array of communication devices: from smart phones to ultrasounds, radars and more.

The technology she developed demonstrates practical application in many areas including improved performance of radar systems and fast three-dimensional ultrasound imaging. A potential market is the healthcare industry, where sampling speed translates into less exposure of patients to dangerous radiation emitting devices. From an economic point of view, this may serve as a great advantage, as it will allow for a greater number of patients to undergo testing. The defense industry is also very interested in this technology as it allows for fast scanning of a very wide frequency range.

Professor Eldar has been awarded many prestigious awards, among them the Krill Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research, The Michael Bruno Memorial Award from the Rothschild Foundation, the Weizmann Prize for Exact Sciences, the Hershel Rich Innovation Award, the Haifa Municipality Award for Women with Distinguished Contributions, and many others.

The IEEE Signal Processing Society Technical Achievement Award is foremost prize in the field of signal processing, awarded to researchers who have over the years contributed significantly to the theory and application of technical issues within the spectrum of areas in which the Society is engaged in, including publications, patents and recognized impacts in the field. This year Professor Eldar shares her prize with Professor Alfred  Hero, a former head of the IEEE Signal Processing Society and a pillar of the community (he received the IEEE Third Millennium Medal).

Technion President, Professor Peretz Lavie, congratulated Professor Eldar: “The Technion is proud that Professor Yonina Eldar has been selected for this important award and congratulates her on her great achievements.”

In the photo: Professor Yonina Eldar in her lab.

Photographed by: Click Photographers, Technion’s Spokesperson’s Office

Often referenced as a powerful example of Technion graduate ingenuity, Given Imaging – the Israeli start-up that introduced the pill that a patient can swallow for real-time, non-invasive examination and diagnosis, is being acquired for $860 million, it was announced yesterday.

Covidien Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire Given Imaging

DUBLIN, Ireland & YOQNEAM, Israel–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec. 8, 2013– Covidien plc (NYSE: COV) and Given Imaging Ltd. (Nasdaq: GIVN) today announced a definitive agreement under which Covidien will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Given Imagingfor $30.00 per share in cash, for a total of approximately $860 million, net of cash and investments acquired. This transaction provides Covidien additional scale and scope to serve the multibillion dollar global gastrointestinal (GI) market and supports the Company’s strategy to comprehensively address key global specialties and procedures.

Given Imaging provides one of the broadest technology platforms for visualizing, diagnosing and monitoring the digestive system, including its flagship PillCam®, an innovative swallowed capsule endoscope.

“We believe GI is one of the most attractive specialty procedure areas. Acquiring Given will enable Covidien to significantly expand its presence in a $3 billion GI market,” said Bryan Hanson, Group President, Medical Devices & U.S., Covidien. “Adding Given’s portfolio of diagnostics to our portfolio accelerates Covidien’s strategy of providing physicians with products that support the patient along the care continuum from diagnosis to treatment. It also confirms our leadership in developing less-invasive screening, diagnosis and treatment solutions that can improve patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs.”

“Given Imaging revolutionized GI diagnostics over 12 years ago with the launch of PillCam and created an entirely new diagnostic category — capsule endoscopy. The combination of Covidien’s established global presence and Given Imaging’s innovative capabilities has the potential to transform this market,” said Homi Shamir, President and CEO, Given Imaging Ltd. “After thoroughly evaluating our strategic options we determined that this transaction is in the best interests of Given Imaging, its shareholders and employees and provides unique benefits to patients globally.”