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The Technion Society of the Netherlands
Written by Administrator   
Thursday, 21 July 2011 09:38

 

Technion Society

of the Netherlands in 2011

 

July Newsletter


 

The Technion Society of the Netherlands in 2011


Board of Governors 2011

 

The Board of Governors of the Technion is the supreme authority of the Institute. It sets policy,
appoints top management, oversees operations, and is empowered to act, decide and direct in
all matters pertaining to the Institute as regulated by the Constitution and Statutes.

This year’s BOG was attended by our chairman Kobi Kurtz, accompanied at several occasions by
fellow board members Henk van Esch, Thomas Cohn, Hugo Heymans and Pim van den Dam.

While the program officially started on June 11th, the Technion organized the Erev Shabbat Dinner
for overseas guests on the evening before. For the following five day the Technion organized a
wonderful program in which hundreds of Technion Governors and supporters from all around the
world gathered in a series of academic, cultural and social events.

The BOG 2011 was destined to be a memorable event for the Technion Society of the  
Netherlands, particularly due to its participation in the visit of Minister Maxime Verhagen, one of    
the highlights of the week.

 

Minister Verhagen Visits Technion

On the fourth day of the BOG, upon initiative of the Technion Society, Maxime Verhagen visited the Technion in his capacity as the Dutch Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation.

The Technion Society of the Netherlands had successfully nominated the Minister for an official Certificate of Appreciation for his steadfast and continuous interest and support of Israel. The certificate, in the form of a plaque was awarded to him during a festive lunch by the President of the Technion, Peretz lavie.

Prior to this, Minister Verhagen gave an interesting speech at Prof Golany’s Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management on : “ Innovation Nations Promoting Stronger Relations Between The Netherlands And Israel In A Changing Middle East”.

In this speech he advocated stronger academic and economic relations with Israel.

The minister made an inspiring statement with regard to the Technion and Technion Society of the Netherlands:

“I must say that I am envious of the number of start-up companies that emerge from this great university! And I hope that the Technion Society of the Netherlands will continue to grow”

Technion-Erasmus School of Economics

Recently the Technion Society received a letter from Prof Boaz Golany, Dean of Industrial Engineering and Management (IE&M) Faculty of the Technion in which he thanks the Technion Society for what has become a very successful collaboration with the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE).

In the past year, the Technion Society has set up and coordinated several meetings, cooperation efforts and a visit of the Dean of ESE to the Technion. As a result the Technion Society recently concluded an agreement to support specific collaboration activities between the Technion Faculty of IE&M and ESE. This provides the faculties with the (financial) means that enables them to set up collaboration efforts on three levels.

PhD Exchange: Vitalie Spinu and Amit Kothiyal, two PhD students from ESE, have been granted the opportunity to spend a full month at the Technion. From the Technion Kinneret Weiss has applied for a similar exchange to ESE in Rotterdam.

Staff exchange: The Technion Society has been evaluating the possibilities of having ESE lecturers teaching at the Technion, particularly in area of econometrics.

Joint Workshops in November: The Technion Society is currently involved in setting up a joint workshop on “Coping with Uncertainties in Operations Research and Engineering”. A group of renowned scientists from both faculties will run a program that covers the “hottest” topics in engineering and operations research. This workshop will take place in near the Dead Sea at Kibutz Ein-Gedi.

 

Technion-Erasmus Medical Center

With the goal of exploring possible avenues of collaboration, The Technion society arranged two visits of the Erasmus Medical Center to the Technion. This has resulted into Biomedical Engineering collaboration on Cardiovascular Ultrasound Techniques.

In this project the two institutes are complementing each other by exchanging research methods, materials, and PhD students. Assaf Hooghi, a PhD from the Biomedial Engineering group is currently spending 6 months in the Erasmus MC. He brought with him specific materials and is working in the laboratory while also giving lectures to Dutch students.

Prof Dan Adam, Dean of the Biomedical Engineering Faculty is particularly contented with the progress that has been made in such a short time:

“I would like to thank you for your initiative and support! It really made the difference between ideas/dreams – and reality. I do hope that other such activities will occur”

Prof Dan Adam, Dean Technion Biomedical Engineering Dept

 

Technion Executive Club

The Technion Society has finally made considerable progress with setting up the Technion Executive Club. The club has expanded with members from varying industries such as ING, Vanderlande Industries and KEMA.

The Executive Club is an exclusive club for corporate executives that have a strong affinity and interest in The Technion Israel Institute of Technology. Members pay an annual fee and enjoy several benefits the club has to offer, such as:

  • Exclusive Technion Executive Club events
  • Participation in the annual Board of Governors event at the Technion in Haifa
  • Firsthand access to Technion relations network in Israel
  • Access to research & development projects at the Technion
  • VIP Access to general events organized by the Technion Society of the Netherlands

New & Resigning Board Members

Resigning Board Member

  • Uri Rosenthal:

Due to his new position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Rosenthal had to resign                     
his position at Technion Society.

New board member

  • Prof Hugo Heymans:

Prof Heymans is a graduate of the Technion and former chairman of Emma Children’s Hospital AMC. Prof Heymans has a strong affinity with Israel and after retirement, spending his time between Haifa and Amsterdam. 

 

 

Looking ahead: plans and events for 2011

Fall event

Our next big event will take place this fall. More information about the details will follow.

 

If you have any comments or questions you are more than welcome to contact us via telephone (+31-10 4531320) or email (www.technionfriends.nl).

 

We look forward to seeing you at the next event!

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Last Updated on Monday, 07 November 2011 15:22
 
Minister Verhagen visits Technion
Written by Administrator   
Wednesday, 15 June 2011 14:14

Minister Verhagen Visits Technion

June 15

Upon initiative of the Technion Society, Maxime Verhagen visited the Technion yesterday in his capacity as the Dutch Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation. This visit coincided with the annual Board of Governors Event, which is Technion’s biggest event of the year.

The Technion Society of the Netherlands has successfully nominated the Minister for an official Certificate of Appreciation for his steadfast and continuous interest and support of Israel. The certificate, in the form of a plaque was awarded to him during a festive lunch by the President of the Technion, Peretz lavie.

Prior to this, Minister Verhagen gave an interesting speech at Prof Golany’s Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management on :  “ Innovation Nations Promoting Stronger Relations Between The Netherlands And Israel In A Changing Middle East”. In this speech he advocated stronger academic and economic relations with Israel.

The minister made an inspiring statement with regard to the Technion and Technion Society of the Netherlands:

“I must say that I am envious of the number of start-up companies that emerge from this great university! And I hope that the Technion Society of the Netherlands will continue to grow”

The Minister’s entourage with: Prof Lavie (President) and Prof Rom (VP external relations) from the Technion and Kobi Kurtz (Chairman), Henk van Esch, Thomas Cohn, Hugo Heymans, Pim vd Dam from the Technion Society of the Netherlands.

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Last Updated on Thursday, 06 October 2011 09:42
 
Independence Day Israel
Written by Technion user   
Wednesday, 11 May 2011 08:53

 

The Huffington Post

Happy Birthday, Israel!

David Harris, AJC Executive Director

May 8, 2011

This week, Israel celebrates its 63rd birthday.

For most countries, that number would elicit a shrug of the shoulders. Not in Israel's case.

Considering Israel's extraordinary history, each birthday is a cause for celebration -- and admiration.

It's quite a story -- and it drives Israel's foes bonkers. Try as they might, they haven't managed to sap Israel's will to survive, nor its capacity to thrive.

How can it be that this tiny nation, the size of New Jersey or Wales, could defend itself through thick and thin against determined, well-funded, and numerous adversaries?

How can it be that this small sliver of land, one percent the size of Saudi Arabia and bereft of any natural resources until recent offshore discoveries of natural gas, could catapult itself into the top tier of advanced nations?

And how can it be that the flag of democracy could be planted in Israel in 1948 and celebrated in this lone oasis to the present day, while surrounded by what the world today should better understand as a prevailing culture of despotism, emergency rule, torture, cronyism, and corruption?

No, Israel is not perfect. Of course not. And yes, Israel, like other democratic societies, remains very much a work in progress.

There's still much to be done in addressing relations between Jew and Jew, Jew and Arab, democracy and religion, and rich and poor. Moreover, the quest for a durable peace -- a lot tougher than the editorial writers at the Financial Times or New York Times would have you believe -- raises difficult and divisive questions about how best to get there, and whether it's even possible in the current regional environment.

These issues aren't going away anytime soon. Nonetheless, Israel's birthday provides an occasion to pause, take a deep breath, and marvel at what has been achieved.

An ancient people, born and rooted in this land, have built a modern, dynamic state.

The age-old cry of the Jewish people, "Next year in Jerusalem," is now this year.

The psalmist's remembrance of the tears of exile in Babylon has been replaced by the joy of the return home.

A language of old has been restored.

A dry, barren soil has become lush with the fruits of the earth.

A people decimated by the Nazi Final Solution experienced sovereign regeneration only three years after the Holocaust.

A nation confronted by a war of extinction on its very first day -- and relentlessly thereafter with more wars, waves of terrorism, economic boycotts, blood-curdling incitement, assaults on its legitimacy, you name it -- has never given up or given in.

Despite the ever-present threats, Israelis have embraced life to the fullest, not succumbing to a siege mentality, nor losing the yearning for enduring peace and normalcy.

Israeli society has developed rapidly, enriched by wave after wave of new immigrants. In recent years, for example, thousands of African Christians and Muslims have risked life and limb, crossing inhospitable lands such as Egypt, to seek a new start in, yes, Israel.

It's hard to visualize the real Israel if the only lens is the conflict-obsessed media. In actuality, Israel today is a high-octane, multicultural, and open society.

First-time visitors are inevitably surprised.

They often expect to be met with dark colors, a brooding mindset, and the shadow of war. Instead, they soon discover why Lonely Planet named Tel Aviv the third hippest city in 2011, and why the 2010 UN Human Development Report ranked Israel #15 among the world's nations -- ahead of the United Kingdom and Denmark and just behind France -- in terms of education, health, and other indices of an advanced society.

They also might learn that Israelis have won more Nobel Prizes than all the countries surrounding them combined. Or that, incredibly for a nation of only seven million, Israeli high-tech companies -- prominent in such fields as biotechnology, alternative energy, and communications -- now rank second, after the U.S., in the number of listings on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

They see Arabic as an official language of the country, and functioning mosques and churches throughout the land.

And, above all, perhaps, visitors to Israel encounter a deeply-rooted and pervasive national spirit that is hard to put in words. Apropos, maybe if more of Israel's adversaries would see it up close with open eyes rather than judge it blindly from a distance, they'd come to understand two things. First, Israel is a far cry from the place they've conjured up in their one-dimensional minds. Second, Israelis will not be defeated in their determination to defend their country.

There's a story that God became so furious with the sorry state of the world that he announced a new flood would engulf the planet in two weeks. In response, the French president told the nation that, as the end was near, there'd be no more work and everyone was encouraged to enjoy la joie de vivre. The Italian prime minister announced that, with only 14 days left, all Italians should take full advantage of la dolce vita. Meanwhile, the Israeli prime minister informed the Israeli people: "We have exactly two weeks to learn how to live underwater."

That just about says it all.

Through courage, inspiration, sacrifice, and innovation, and in defiance of all the odds, Israelis have built a remarkable country in their ancestral home. Again, the work is unfinished and the challenges are many. But in 63 short years, Israelis have proved the late Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion right when he said: "In Israel, in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles."

Happy 63rd birthday, Israel!

For more information, visit ajc.org.

To rate and comment on this article, go to the Huffington Post.

Editor's Note: David's blogs are having worldwide impact. If you enjoy reading them, please share this one with your friends and make a donation to AJC.

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Last Updated on Wednesday, 11 May 2011 09:02
 
Technion Breakthrough with Detecting Nose for cancer
Written by Technion user   
Thursday, 21 April 2011 08:20

Researchers have designed an "electric nose", which is able to detect chemical signals of cancer in the breath of people. These are forms of lung, head and neck cancer.

The discovery is a first step towards a simple diagnosis of cancer in the room of the doctor. Types of cancer in the head and neck are difficult to determine without specialized research. As a result, these types of cancer are diagnosed at a late stage,to which the likelihood of success of a treatment benefit decreases.

Patterns
Researchers from Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, studied with an artificial nose the breath of eighty volunteers. 22 of the volunteers had head or neck cancer, 24 had lung cancer and 36 people were healthy.

The breath test showed that in the breath of head and neck cancer patients, specific recognizable patterns of molecules were present.

"For now it is important to check our results  at a larger populations," said leading researcher Hossam Haick. If the breath test proves to be effective, it may lead to a new screening method in an early stage of the disease.



Hossam Haick

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Last Updated on Thursday, 21 April 2011 08:51
 
IE&M collaboration with ESE
Written by Technion user   
Monday, 18 April 2011 11:23

"I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the Dutch Technion Friends Society for building the foundations towards academic collaboration between the Industrial Eng. & Mgt. Faculty at the Technion and the Erasmus school of Economics."

Proffesor Boaz Golany thanks the Technion Society of the Netherlands for the effort in buidling foundations towards academic collaboration between the Industrial ENg & Mgt. Faculty and the Erasmus School of Economics. To fully read the letter click here .

Dr. Golany is a Professor in the Industrial Engineering and Management Faculty at the Technion. He has a B.Sc. (Summa Cum Laude) in Industrial Engineering and Management from the Technion (1982), and an interdisciplinary Ph.D. from the Business School of the University of Texas at Austin (1985).

He was awarded the Naor Prize of the Israeli Operations Research Society in 1982 and the Yigal Alon Fellowship from the Israeli Education Ministry in 1986. In 1991 he was a recipient of the Technion Academic Excellence Award. Since 1994 he has been a Senior Research Fellow at the IC2 Institute, University of Texas at Austin and since 1996 he has been the Vice President of the Israeli OR Society. Prof. Golany has published over 50 papers in academic and professional journals and books. His publications are in the areas of Industrial Engineering, Operations Research and Management Science.

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Last Updated on Thursday, 21 April 2011 10:08
 
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