About Us
Founded in 1944, the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science develops philanthropic support for the Weizmann Institute in Israel, and advances its mission of science for the benefit of humanity.
If you’re like me, you may have relaxed at the beach or by the pool this summer. Jacob Chandran, a 2017 graduate of River Hill High School, had more ambitious plans. He recently returned from Israel, where he spent four weeks conducting advanced scientific research at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Chandran was one of 19 teens from the United States selected to participate in the annual Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute (ISSI). He received a full scholarship to this prestigious program, which accepts only one in five applicants. The program gives students the opportunity to conduct research with world-renowned scientists in biology, chemistry, mathematics and computer science.
August 31, 2017
Maya Schuldiner, a yeast biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, won the 2017 European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Gold Medal award for discovering the functions of proteins that no one had previously studied. She explains how finding her voice helped her to build a productive career, which has included launching and teaching a highly sought-after graduate-level course in soft skills.
July 19, 2017
“As a country we don’t fully realize how dangerous this threat is,” says Dr. Ariel Heimann, former director-general of the Davidson Institute of Science Education (the educational arm of the Weizmann Institute), “Everyone keeps talking about the Iranian threat, but it’s not so certain a bomb will ever reach us. What is certain, however, is that without Israeli science, we have no Israeli future.”
April 27, 2017
The Safe-Cracking Club at the Weber School in Sandy Springs (near Atlanta) was one of dozens of teams from all over the world to travel to the Weizmann campus and challenge other teams to break into their safes. But they were the only team to place first among Americans. The annual safecracking tournament challenges high schoolers to use physics to construct a secure safe.
April 03, 2017
As the Atlanta Jewish Times reports, students from the Atlanta Jewish Academy are taking part in the Weizmann Institute’s International Safe-Cracking Tournament for the second consecutive year. In the tournament, teams from all over the world use the principles of physics to build a safe, and try to break into each other's constructions.
March 06, 2017
Shari-Lynn Odzer and daughter Jamie both took part in the Dr. Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute, which attracts talented high-school graduates from all over the world. The summer before college, the lucky few who were accepted arrive on the Weizmann campus to conduct basic research alongside the scientists. This past summer, as the Sun-Sentinel reports, a third Odzer woman took part: younger daughter Nicole.
In a Haaretz special section on innovation, Weizmann Institute President Prof. Daniel Zajfman talks about a major ingredient in scientific innovation: curiosity. He refers to Thomas Friedman's “passion quotient” as a measuring stick for students – and teachers.
Dr. Yael Schuster, who is a research consultant at the Weizmann Institute, takes us on a tour of a day in the life of a scientist. Dr. Schuster is passionate about science and sharing it – particularly with girls, whom she aims to inspire. As “Dr. Mom,” she reveals the mysteries of the planet during the day – and is a parent all the time.
September 08, 2016
Eric Sun, a Colorado high-school graduate, spent his summer at Weizmann's Bessie Lawrence International Summer Science Institute, which gives participants hands-on research experience. Now at Harvard, Sun studied neural networks at Weizmann, and was so happy with the results that, he says, “I hope to expand on this work throughout college and beyond.""
September 01, 2016
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