Technion Canada’s Virtual Gala was a huge success!
Thank you to our wonderful community for their support!
With over 200 households in attendance, we surpassed our goal of raising $250,000 in support of the Andrew & Aviva Goldenberg Architecture Studio Pavilion at the Technion, and local Canadian initiatives. Honourees Irwin & Sara Tauben were feted for their exemplary volunteerism, leadership & philanthropy and keynote speaker Moshe Safdie spoke about his internationally renowned career and his personal ties to Technion.
Please click here for more information and a list of our sponsors.
Watch a video showing the highlights of Technion and hear from Technion students!
From Right: Dr. Hen Dotan, Prof. Avner Rothschild, Dr. Avigail Grader and Prof Gideon Grader of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. (Courtesy, the Technion)
H2Pro, a company founded by a research team from the Nancy and Stephen Grand Technion Energy Program, is advancing Israel’s quest for a hydrogen-fueled future. The technology behind H2Pro was developed by Professor Gideon Grader, Professor Avner Rothschild, Dr. Hen Dotan, and Dr. Avigail Landman, who was a Ph.D. student while the research was being conducted.
H2Pro uses a water-splitting method called E-TAC (electrochemical thermally activated chemical) that draws hydrogen out of water by separating it from oxygen. The E-TAC water splitting system is 98.7% efficient.
October 9 is National Nano-Technology Day – an initiative to help raise awareness of nanotechnology, how it is currently used in products that enrich our daily lives, and the challenges and opportunities it holds for the future.
Technion’s Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI) was inaugurated in 2005 aand is comprised of over 150 faculty members and 300 graduate students and post-doctorate fellows from 14 different faculties, trailblazing nanoscale science and technology in Nanoelectronics, Nanooptics, Nanomaterials & Nanoparticles, Nanomechanics and their interface with Nanobiotechnology & Nanomedicine.
Nano-Scent Technology for COVID testing and beyond
Nanoscent, an Israeli startup, has started a trial with Sheba Medical Center to detect coronavirus using an innovative 30-second screening device. People puff into a plastic bag equipped with sensor chips, and the chip electronically “smells” the deadly virus. The core sensory chip used in NanoScent was developed by Prof. Hossam Haick of the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology. NanoScent CEO and co-founder, Oren Gavriely, is a Technion alumnus.
Nano-chips deliver Alzheimer’s therapy to the Brain
Prof. Ester Segal
Researchers at the Technion, led by Professor Ester Segal of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, and researchers at Bar Ilan University, have developed new technology for transporting drugs within silicon nanostructures to the brain.
These nanostructures release an essential protein, which can inhibit the development of Alzheimer’s disease, and provide targeted delivery in the brain with the use of a “gene gun.” The research was conducted with the support of the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute at the Technion.
ProtectionProf. Eyal Zussman of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Technion and the COVID-19 National Emergency Team of the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense R&D (DDR&D) have developed a unique sticker that can be affixed to surgical masks and renders them more effective. The sticker, named ‘Maya,’ is manufactured using a 3D printer and consists of nanometric fibers coated with antiseptics – which improves the trapping of nanometric particles and efficiently neutralizes viruses from droplets that might reach the mask.
A cancer drug may work wonders in one patient and do nothing for another. Professor Avi Shroeder’s research group is aimed at improving patients’ quality of life and bettering their treatment by targeting metastatic cancer with nanotechnology, and on constructing miniature medical devices that couple diagnosis to therapy (theranostic devices).
Nano-satellites will receive signals from Earth
An advanced and unique innovative receiver and a satellite computer has been developed in a close collaboration between Technion and the Israeli Aerospace Industry (IAI) which will help receive signals from Earth. The development could be used to pinpoint exact locations for rescue purposes, and to detect distress signals among other applications.
The Technion’s RBNI aims to position the Technion and the State of Israel at the forefront of global Nanotechnology research and development. Nano-technology has many applications will open up new horizons to enhance human life and health in the future.
After selling his first aviation company, Rafi Yoeli had time to ponder his next move. He’d already served in the Israeli Air Force, earned two Technion graduate degrees as well as a pilot’s license, and had worked at Boeing and Israel Aircraft Industries, where he was one of the chief designers of the Lavi Fighter Jet.
Grad Year: 1974 Faculty/Degree: Electrical Engineering Current Location: Toronto, Canada
Professional Highlights: My career has been incredibly diverse and exciting. After completing engineering studies at the Technion and a nine-year-long service as an officer with the Israeli Air Force, I become a serial entrepreneur. As such, I built more than a dozen tech companies. In 1984 I pioneered the speech recognition industry, which brought me to Canada to serve as an Executive VP of Magna International. Later, in 1999, I built a company that I took public in Nasdaq that invented and produced the world's first hand-held GPS navigation systems. Later, a company that developed and patented a tele-health technology used by the US military and the Veterans Administration.
Q & A
Why did you choose to attend Technion?
I made Aliyah from Chile in 1970 and went straight to Technion. At that time, the Israeli tech industry was at its early development stage, so I was lucky to live through the transformation from an agricultural driven economy into a Start-Up Nation with a rich tech ecosystem.
What were some of the highlights of your Technion education?
Technion provides excellent education, not only by teaching you technical knowledge but also by stimulating students to be creative and to think out of the box. This factor, plus the typical Jewish Chutzpah, molded me into an engineer/entrepreneur. In 1974, shortly after the Yom Kippur War, I joined the IAF, where I earned enormous responsibility and authority. With that in hand, I was able to develop ideas and deliver inventions that possibly saved lives.
How did your Technion education and experience prepare you for your career and contributed to your professional success?
When I was sent along with other engineers and pilots to the US in 1980 as part of the F16 project, I still remember how surprised our counterparts were when they saw that Israel sent young people for this project of significant magnitude and strategic importance. But that's the secret of Israel. At the military service, soldiers and officers get tasks and responsibilities requiring leadership and creativity at a very young age. As a result, these same people gain confidence that they incorporate and use throughout their lives.
What makes you most proud to be a Technion Alumnus?
Thanks to the Technion, I have been inspired to create technologies in multiple disciplines, including healthcare, life science, and others. The Jewish genes, the Chutzpah, plus the formal Technion education, and, in my case, the IAF formation helped me to become innovative and to participate in the buildup of the tech industry in Israel that nowadays drives the economy.
What is your message to anyone giving back to Technion or considering doing so?
Technion is not just another university. It’s a part of a tech ecosystem of the kind few countries have. It is an institution that forges engineers who are creative and productive, and entrepreneurs who shape the future. In summary -- Contributing to Technion can have a tremendous impact.