| TAU WebFlash - March 2001 |  |
|
|
 
|
APRIL 1ST 2001 IN ISRAEL Prof. Emeritus Bracha Ramot of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine was announced as the winner of the Israel Prize in Medicine for 2001, to be awarded on Independence Day (April 26). Prof. Herzl Shmueli, one of the founders of the TAU Department of Musicology, and Prof. Yehezkel Braun of the Department of Composition, Theory and Conducting at the TAU Samuel Rubin Israeli Academy of Music were announced as the winners of the Israel Prize in Music for 2001. Prof. Shmueli passed away two days after the announcement. A project for powering electric cars directed by Prof. Emanuel Peled of the School of Chemistry, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, received a 42-month grant from the European Union. The project is being coordinated by SODETEG of France, and the contractors are SODETEG; TAU's RAMOT - the University Authority for Applied Research and Industrial Development Ltd.; Centro Ricerche FIAT (CRF) and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), both of Italy; and SOLVAY of Belgium. The purpose of the project is to develop a direct methanol fuel cell system that will be carried onboard electric automobiles for production of electric power. The Fleischman Faculty of Engineering is opening a new undergraduate Program in Bioengineering. Head of the Program is Prof. David Elad. The Department of Occupational Therapy at the School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, is opening a new diploma program entitled "Cognitive-Structural Change Theory and Its Implications for the Health Professions." Head of the Program is Dr. Noami Hadas-Lidor. The TAU Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration was ranked third in Europe in the category of reputation and academic level after the London Business School and INSEAD of France, in a survey published by Long Range Planning. The School was also ranked first in Israel. CONFERENCES "Zionism: Myth and Ethos in Film and History" is the title of the 2001 Rector's Lecture Series, "Wednesday at Noon." The series features Prof. Anita Shapira of the School of History, Entin Faculty of Humanities. "Economic Policy in the International Economy" was the title of an international conference held by TAU's Pinhas Sapir Center for Development to mark the 60th birthday of Prof. Assaf Razin of the Eitan Berglas School of Economics. A panel discussion on "Contemporary Issues in the International Economy," moderated by Prof. Haim Ben-Shahar, was held with the participation of Prof. Jacob Frenkel of Merrill Lynch and TAU; Prof. Paul Krugman of Princeton University; Prof. Anne O. Krueger of Stanford University; and Prof. Leonardo Leiderman of Deutsche Bank and TAU. Greetings at the opening session were delivered by TAU President Itamar Rabinovich and Rector Nili Cohen. The Conference was organized by Prof. Efraim Sadka and Prof. Elhanan Helpman. The TAU English Speaking Friends held a 10th anniversary conference entitled, "What Is the Human Genome and How Will It Be Used/Misused?" Greetings were delivered by TAU President Itamar Rabinovich and President of the Israeli Friends Raya Jaglom. Prof. Rabinovich presented the President's Award to Yemmy Strum, Chairperson of the English Speaking Friends. Moderator of the Conference was Eve Black and among the guest lecturers were Meir Sheetrit, Minister of Justice, who spoke on "Legislation and DNA: Risks and Protection"; Dr. Boaz Lev, Director-General of the Ministry of Health, who discussed "To Gene or Not to Gene - A Question of Policy"; Prof. Asa Kasher of the Department of Philosophy who spoke on "Human Genome Use: Philosophical Aspects"; and Prof. Amos Shapira of the Buchmann Faculty of Law who discussed "The Human Genome, Some National and International Ethical and Legal Perspectives. The Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research held the annual scholarship and fellowship awarding ceremony. Opening remarks were delivered by TAU President Itamar Rabinovich, Director of the Center Prof. Ephraim Yaar, and Daniela Steinmetz. The guest lecture entitled "The Peace Accord - Vision Tested by Reality" was delivered by Gilead Sher, co-chief negotiator with the Palestinians under the Barak Administration. TAU's Felsenstein Medical Research Center (FMRC) held its Fourth Annual Scientific Conference, entitled "Novel Strategies in the Treatment of Neurological and Psychiatric Diseases." Opening lectures were delivered by the organizers Prof. Eldad Melamed of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Chairman of the Department of Neurology at the Rabin Medical Center, who spoke on "Breakthroughs in Neurology During the Decade of the Brain," and TAU's Prof. Avi Weizman of the Gehah Psychiatric Hospital, who discussed "Progress in the Pharmacotherapy of Mental Disorders during the Last Decade." The TAU School of Government and Policy and the Security Studies Program held a conference entitled "Information Limits in National Security: From the Palestinian Refugees of 1948 to Nuclear Policy." Moderator of the conference was Prof. Zeev Maoz, Head of the School. Former Foreign Minister and National Security Advisor to the President of South Korea, Prof. Chong-Ha Yoo of the University of Sugang, delivered a guest lecture at the Department of East Asian Studies entitled "The Asian Financial Crisis and Its Security Implications," under the auspices of the Shoul N. Eisenberg Chair for East Asian Affairs. Moderating the event was Prof. Aron Shai, incumbent of the Chair. Probability, a play of the theater group TMOONA, was performed at TAU under the auspices of Rector Nili Cohen, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Ilana Dayan. The performance and the panel were initiated by Prof. Daniel Segal of the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences. "Pollution of Water Sources from Road Runoff" was the title of a conference of the Committee for Public Transportation, the TAU Institute for Nature Conservation Research, and the TAU Porter School of Environmental Studies. Opening remarks were delivered by Dean of the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Prof. Eliora Ron; School Head Prof. Zev Levin; and Prof. Avital Gasith of the Institute. Guest speakers were Prof. Robert Pitt of the University of Alabama and Nicholas Rose, ISD Environment, France. The Israel Plasma Science and Technology Association (IPSTA) held the first session of the Inter-University Course in Plasma, organized by Prof. Eli Jerby of TAU's Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Chairman of the Education Committee of IPSTA, and chaired by Prof. Raymond Boxman of the Faculty. The Entin Faculty of Humanities, the Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences, and the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Center for the Media of the Jewish People held a round table entitled "Presenting the Economy in the Press and in the Media," moderated by Vice President and Director-General Niv Ahituv. Carmel Verania, Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Industry and Trade was guest speaker of the Information Technology Executive Forum of the Marcel and Annie Adams Institute for Business Management Information Systems. The conference "MOTAR 2001 - Model and Anti-Model in the Arts" was held by the Yolanda and David Katz Faculty of the Arts. Opening remarks were delivered by Faculty Dean Nurith Kenaan-Kedar. The TAU Physical Education Unit and the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center held a symposium in memory of Yitzhak Hochman on "Complementary Medicine - For Whom and Why? " The Department of Middle Eastern and African History and the TAU Israeli Friends opened a lecture series entitled Culture and Arts in the Middle East and Africa. The Department of Middle Eastern and African History and the Government Information Center together with the TAU Israeli Friends opened a lecture series entitled "The Middle East and Africa at the Beginning of the 21st Century." "In the Name of Liberation and Equality" was the title of a conference in memory of Prof. Walter Grab of the Institute of German History of the Entin Faculty of Humanities. Greetings were delivered by Head of the School of History Prof. Yosef Kostiner, and introductory remarks by Prof. Moshe Zuckermann, Head of the Institute. The Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies held a conference entitled "Images of Ataturk," organized by the Suleyman Demirel Program for Contemporary Turkish Studies. Lectures were delivered by Prof. Bernard Lewis of Princeton University on "Ataturk's Legacy to the Middle East" and Prof. Zafer Toprak of Bogazici University, Istanbul, on "Ataturk and Republican Visuality: A Post-Modern Revolution." The film Ataturk: Founder of Modern Turkey, produced and directed by Zelfa and Tarquin Olivier, was premiered in Israel at the conference. Prof. Bernard Lewis of Princeton University delivered a guest lecture at the Cymbalista Jewish Heritage Center entitled "Poets and Poetry in Muslim and Jewish History." TAU commemorated the 70th anniversary of TAU's Wiener Library with an international three-day conference on "Continuity and Change in Patterns of Jewish Reaction to Modern Anti-Semitism," organized by Prof. Dina Porat, Head of the Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Anti-Semitism and Racism. "What Is the Cost of Killing?" was the title of a panel discussion held by the Buchmann Faculty of Law and the Minerva Center for Human Rights, following the sentencing of six months' community service for the killing of a Palestinian child. The discussion was moderated by Prof. Chaim Gans of the Minerva Center. The Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, hosted Prof. George Witt of the University of Stockholm, Sweden, who lectured on "Clusters and Particles of Ice in the Upper Atmosphere." "The Arab World and Israel at a Crossroads" was the title of a conference of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies and the Yona and Dina Ettinger Chair in Contemporary History of the Middle East. Ambassador of the US Martin Indyk lectured on "The Syrian Option in the Past" and TAU President Itamar Rabinovich on "Is There a Syrian Option?" Prof. Jack Lissauer of the NASA Ames Research Center, USA, was guest lecturer of the Yuval Ne'eman Distinguished Lectures in Geophysics, Atmosphere and Space Sciences, endowed by Raymond and Beverly Sackler. Prof. Lissauer spoke on "Planetary Rings," "Chaos in the Solar System and Beyond" and "Extra Solar Planets and Planet Formation." Coordinator of the events was Prof. Zev Levin. The Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies held the annual Joseph (Buddy) Strelitz Lecture, delivered by Dr. Daniel Pipes of the Middle East Forum, Philadelphia, who spoke on "Muslim America? " The School of Computer Science inaugurated the Computer Undergraduate Instruction Laboratory donated by INTEL Israel. Greetings were delivered by President Itamar Rabinovich; Rector Nili Cohen; Dean of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences Uri Liberman; and Head of the School Prof. Yishay Mansour. INTEL was represented by Eli Ramon. The School of History hosted Prof. Alan Knight of St. Antony's College, Oxford, who spoke on "The Mexican Revolution: Cardenismo and Caciquismo," at an event chaired by Prof. Raanan Rein. Thirty new immigrant students were awarded Lottie and Charles Zucker Scholarships. Opening remarks were delivered by Dean of Students Ruth Shalgi, and greetings by Dean of Immigrant Absorption Dan Huppert. Mr. Benjamin Zucker responded in the name of the family, and Tzernikov Maxim in the name of the recipients. Tammy Koren was the recipient of the Bernice Schaffer Bessin Poetry Prize, awarded at a ceremony chaired by Dr. Karen Alkalay-Gut of the English Department in the presence of Mr. Benjamin Zucker. Mrs. Barbara Zucker responded half of the family. The Hendrik and Irene Gutwirth Research Prize in Diabetes Mellitus was awarded to Dr. Hagit Eldar-Finkelman of the Department of Human Genetics and Dr. Gloria Rashid and Prof. Jacques Bernheim of the Department of Nephrology and Hypertension at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine. Opening remarks were delivered by Prof. Bernheim. Mrs. Vivien Zimmet responded on behalf of the family. Prof. Ed Greenstein of the Department of Bible delivered a lecture entitled "The 'Fugitive Hero' in the Ancient Near East and the Bible" at the annual ceremony of the Moshe Dorf Fund for the Publication of the Te'uda Research Series of the Chaim Rosenberg School of Jewish Studies. Greetings were delivered by Prof. Yair Hoffman, Head of the School. Col. (res.) Haim Ganel responded on behalf of the family. The first lecture of the Aharon Katzir Memorial Series of TAU and the Israel Academy of Sciences, "In the Smeltery of Revolution," was delivered by Prof. Daniel Friedmann of the Buchmann Faculty of Law, laureate of the Israel Prize in Jurisprudence, on "The Book of Ruth." Introductory remarks were delivered by Rector Nili Cohen. The Dror Sadeh Astronomy Olympics took place at TAU. Greetings were delivered by TAU President Itamar Rabinovich. Prof. Tsevi Mazeh of the School of Physics and Astronomy, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, delivered a lecture entitled "The Search for Planets Near Faraway Stars." Organizer of the event was the Unit for Science Oriented Youth at the TAU School of Education. The NCJW Women and Gender Studies Forum and the Virginia Snitow Women to Women Fund held a panel discussion chaired by Orit Lubin of the Department of Hebrew Literature following the screening of Yael Katzir's documentary film Company Jasmine - Women Field Officers School. Participants included MK Yael Dayan, Chairperson of the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women; MK Noami Chazan, Vice Chairperson of the Knesset; Brig. Gen. Suzi Yogev, Head of the IDF Womens Corps; and Orit Adato, Commissioner of the Israel Prison Service. Ambassador of El Salvador Ernesto Arrieta-Peralta was guest-of-the-month of the International Forum of the English Speaking Israeli Friends of TAU and the Department of Political Science of the Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences. Mr. Arrieta-Peralta delivered a lecture entitled "Latin-America and Israel: A Perspective from El Salvador." The event was chaired by Dr. Gad Barzilai. The Department of Sociology, the Zalman and Sima Weinberg Chair in Political Sociology, and the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Chair in the Sociology of Labor, Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences, held a conference chaired by Prof. Eliezer Ben-Rafael, incumbent of the Weinberg Chair, entitled: "On the Table of the New Government: Old Problems, New Dilemmas?" ABROAD Prof. Paul Zimmet AM, Director of the International Diabetes Institute, Monash University, delivered the 2001 Oration of the Australian Friends of TAU (Victoria Chapter) on "Hunting Genes - From the Negev Desert to Tasmania." The event was chaired by President of the Victoria Chapter Dr. Harry Perelberg. The Oration is sponsored in memory of the late Mr. and Mrs. Adam Perelberg. President of the TAU French Friends Hugo Ramniceanu hosted a gala dinner in honor of Cardinal Jean Marie Lustiger, Archbishop of Paris. Among the participants were TAU Vice President Yehiel Ben-Zvi; Israeli Ambassador to France, Prof. Elie Barnavi of TAU; former French Ambassador to Israel Alain Pierret; Minister Prof. Hubert Curien, TAU Honorary Doctor; and 70 guests and members of the TAU Friends. Cardinal Lustiger delivered a lecture entitled "The Jews and the Christian World: Beyond the Dialogue," which was followed by a discussion. Vice President Yehiel Ben-Zvi was guest of honor at a dinner hosted by TAU's Prof. Elie Barnavi, Israeli Ambassador to France. The TAU Friends in Frankfurt held an evening benefiting the Liesel Christ Scholarship Fund, sponsored by UBS Schroder Munchmeyer Hengst AG. Television personality Frank Lehmann spoke on "High Profits, Only a Risk or Also a Chance?" COMING EVENTS The 2001 Annual Meeting of the BOG will take place from May 11-18, 2001. OBITUARY TAU mourns the passing of Prof. Herzl Shmueli, 2001 Israel Prize laureate, former Dean of the Faculty of the Arts, former Chairperson of the Department of Musicology. |