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.
The Weizmann Institute brings together scientists from a variety of disciplines to tackle cancer head-on. In the fourth episode of Weizmann in Focus, CEO Dave Doneson highlights a recent headline-making breakthrough from the labs of Profs. Ido Amit and Amos Tanay. Working with hospitals across Israel, the scientists identified a very small number of malignant cells in what is considered a pre-malignant stage of multiple myeloma—the second-most common type of blood cancer. Their discovery holds the promise of earlier, more precise treatment.
Imagine the ability to prevent all strains of the flu for many years—in a single shot. In the third episode of Weizmann in Focus, CEO Dave Doneson spotlights Prof. Ruth Arnon’s remarkable progress on a universal flu vaccine. The vaccine, being brought to market by Israeli startup Biondvax, holds the promise of protecting us from current and future varieties of the virus.
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The Midwest Region’s annual Gala Dinner took place at The Geraghty in Chicago with over 600 guests in attendance. Local civic and community leaders came together to honor Michael Polsky, Founder and CEO of Invenergy. A dedicated philanthropist and energy industry pioneer, Mr. Polsky received the Weizmann Leadership Award. The evening’s program, emceed by ABC 7 reporter Janet Davies, also consisted of presentations by University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer and Prof. Avigdor Scherz, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, who discussed his cutting-edge cancer research. Chaired by Janet and Steven Anixter and JoAnn Anixter Silva, the highly successful gala raised over $1.3 million in support of the Weizmann Institute.
In the second episode of Weizmann in Focus, CEO Dave Doneson discusses how the Institute’s plant scientists are tackling the challenge of global food security. These innovative researchers are figuring out how plants can better resist drought, provide higher-quality nutrition, and more. Dave spotlights a breakthrough by Prof. Jonathan Gressel, who discovered a method of killing a parasitic weed that was destroying corn crops in sub-Saharan Africa.
Catch a glimpse of one day in the life of the Weizmann Institute, where scientists and graduate students collaborate in a unique culture of curiosity. Meet some of the passionate researchers on campus who question, explore, and discover.
We invite you to watch Weizmann in Focus, a new video series featuring American Committee CEO Dave Doneson. In this inaugural episode, Dave introduces one of the Weizmann Institute’s newest initiatives: the Artificial Intelligence Center for Scientific Exploration. He then explains how Prof. Yaron Lipman’s recent AI breakthrough is improving health care for heart patients.
Four of the Institute’s newest recruits—Drs. Amir Abboud, Yaron Antebi, Noam Tal Hod, and Sergey Semenov—kick off this review of the Weizmann Institute’s phenomenal progress in 2018. They lead us into the David Lopatie Conference Centre, where we’re introduced to other new faculty members who came aboard this year: Drs. Moran Shalev-Benami, Naama Kanarek, Filipe Natalio, Serge Rosenblum, Sivan Refaely Abramson, Giora Alexandron, and Yael Kiro.
The Sparks of Science Program in Memory of Moshe Pergament offers talented Israeli-Ethiopian youth the guidance they need to pursue higher education in science and technology. An initiative of Weizmann’s Davidson Institute of Science Education since 2001, Sparks of Science provides students in grades 9-12 with extracurricular classes, a mentoring program, and courses in math and English. In this video, Weizmann MSc student and mentor Tzahi Gabzi and participant Mayan Desta give a behind-the-scenes look at this innovative program.
Each year since 1969, the Dr. Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute (ISSI) has welcomed about 80 talented high school graduates from around the world to spend a month on the Weizmann Institute campus. Students conduct research alongside renowned Weizmann scientists, experience life in Israel, and form close bonds with one another. Here, participants discuss how the program has nurtured their passion for science. Alumna Prof. Yardena Samuels credits ISSI with solidifying her desire to become a scientist and to establish her own lab at the Weizmann Institute.
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