JANUARY 26 • 2023 | 47
T
he Michigan-Israel Partnership
“Frontiers in Biomedical
Research” Conference, hosted by
the Technion, recently took place at the
Elma Arts Complex Hotel in Zikhron
Yaacov, Israel. The conference was part
of the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Scientific
Symposium — a joint initiative of the
Technion, the Weizmann Institute of
Science and the University of Michigan.
The conference focused on new advances
in biology and technology, aimed at
improving human health.
The event was sponsored by the D.
Dan and Betty Kahn Foundation, a major
Technion donor, and was attended by
the Kahns’ daughter, Andi Wolfe, and
her husband Larry Wolfe, who serves as
the Kahn Foundation’s president. Andi
is a member of the Technion Board of
Governors and the National Board of
the American Technion Society (ATS).
Besides this partnership, Andi and Larry
are involved in supporting the Michigan-
Israel Partnership for Research and
Education, in which the Technion plays a
central role.
“My father was in love with the
Technion,” says Andi Wolfe, who, last
month, together with her husband,
received the Albert Einstein Award —
the highest honor awarded by ATS.
“He later also became involved with the
University of Michigan, and that’s how
he came up with the idea of connecting
the two universities. His dream became
a reality with the help of Professor
Michael Aviram of the Technion and
Professor David Pinsky of the University
of Michigan.
“The collaboration sponsors joint
research projects by researchers from
both universities and, today, also from
the Weizmann Institute of Science.
Meaningful progress is possible only
through collaboration, and this initiative
encourages scientific, technological and
medical exchanges between researchers
from different institutions, different
fields and different countries. I come to
all these conferences, and I am especially
moved to see the young, brilliant
researchers who are driving the worlds
of science and medicine toward a better
future.”
Conference Chair Professor Peleg
Hasson of the Rappaport Faculty of
Medicine at the Technion, said, “In most
cases, breakthroughs do not come when
two people doing similar work and
speaking the same scientific language
collaborate. Synergism and key advances
are made when different disciplines are
united.
“One of the main objectives of this
program, apart from creating a bridge
between universities, is to ignite ideas,
disseminate the seeds that will enable
synergistic science to take place. We
heard in the last three days talks from
various fields, ranging from environment
to molecular cellular machineries. While
I am sure not every detail was understood
by everybody, we do know now what the
topics are, what the challenges are and
what capabilities the researchers have. I
am sure it will resonate in our minds for
some time and, even without knowing it,
we will think about it using the language
and tools we have in our labs. I would
thus like to thank all the speakers, chairs
and poster presenters for doing an
excellent job.”
The three keynote speakers at the
conference were Professor Charles Burant
of the University of Michigan, Professor
Asaph Aharoni of the Weizmann Institute
of Science and Professor Lior Gepstein
of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at
the Technion. The conference was also
attended by Professor Ada Yonath of the
Weizmann Institute, 2009 Nobel Laureate
in Chemistry, who talked about the
origins of life and the antibiotics of the
future.
The event included a poster
competition for students of the three
institutions, with participation reaching
a record high, unprecedented in the
conference’s history. Eleven students
won the contest, nine of them from the
Technion. Technion winners are Nadav
Ben Assa, Lama Awwad, Yassen Gharam,
Yara Ghnamah, Janan Abd Elkhalik,
Anna Kaganovsky, Tahani Kadah, Eman
Knaane and Eva Zanditenas. The winner
from the University of Michigan is Meera
Krishnamoorthy, and from the Weizmann
Institute of Science, Aliza Fedorenko.
Technion recently hosted Michigan-Israel Partnership
‘Frontiers in Biomedical Research’ Conference.
Platform for Science and
Medical Advancement
SUBMITTED BY TECHNION
Group photograph of the conference
participants from the three universities. In
front: Andi and Larry Wolfe and Technion
President Professor Uri Sivan.