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.
Jun 12, 2020...
The list of sophisticated eavesdropping techniques has grown steadily over years: wiretaps, hacked phones, bugs in the wall—even bouncing lasers off of a building's glass to pick up conversations inside. Now add another tool for audio spies: Any light bulb in a room that might be visible from a window.
Researchers from Israeli's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Weizmann Institute of Science today revealed a new technique for long-distance eavesdropping they call “lamphone.” They say it allows anyone with a laptop and less than a thousand dollars of equipment—just a telescope and a $400 electro-optical sensor—to listen in on any sounds in a room that’s hundreds of feet away in real-time, simply by observing the minuscule vibrations those sounds create on the glass surface of a light bulb inside. By measuring the tiny changes in light output from the bulb that those vibrations cause, the researchers show that a spy can pick up sound clearly enough to discern the contents of conversations or even recognize a piece of music.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/a-measure-of-smell/
Nov 11, 2020... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—November 11, 2020—Fragrances – promising mystery and intrigue – are blended by master perfumers, their recipes kept secret. In a new study on the sense of smell, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers have managed to strip much of the mystery from even complex blends of odorants, not by uncovering their secret ingredients, but by recording and mapping how they are perceived. The scientists can now predict how any complex odorant will smell from its molecular structure alone. This study may not only revolutionize the world of perfumery, but eventually lead to the ability to digitize and reproduce smells on command. A proposed framework for odors, created by neurobiologists, computer scientists, and a master perfumer and funded by a European Commission initiative called Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) Open, was published in Nature.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/israel-joins-quantum-computing-club/
Mar 22, 2022...
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—March 22, 2022—Building a working quantum computer is such a daunting venture that many believe it’s only for tech giants and superpowers, something on a scale beyond Israel’s reach.
Prof. Roee Ozeri of the Weizmann Institute of Science begs to differ: “One of the world’s first computers, WEIZAC, was built here in the 1950s, when all Israel had was swamps and camels. Today Israel is a technological empire; there’s no reason we shouldn’t be front-runners in the quantum computing race.”
Jun 17, 2022... Over the last quarter-century, artificial intelligence (AI) has made the leap from science fiction to everyday life. A world leader in computing since the 1950s, the Weizmann Institute of Science remains at the forefront of progress with its Artificial Intelligence Enterprise for Scientific Discovery. In this webinar, Prof. Roee Ozeri provided an overview of this growing flagship initiative and shared insight on how AI can help every scientist, in every discipline, on the Weizmann Campus. Prof. Yaron Lipman of the Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics later joined the session to discuss how AI is already beginning to transform daily activities – such as driving, computer graphics, and artwork – before elaborating on how Weizmann scientists are using this knowledge to accelerate progress in other applications, including cardiac ultrasounds and other health care needs. After the presentation, Prof. Lipman answered questions from webinar participants.
Jul 13, 2022... “Dan, we have to talk.” These were the words Prof. Barak Dayan had for his old army buddy, high-tech entrepreneur Dan Harash, when they met at a class reunion three years ago. Dayan, head of the quantum optics laboratory at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, was excited. He had recently realized that a breakthrough achieved in his lab may remove key physical obstacles facing researchers and companies seeking to develop a quantum computer. “We realized that we were sitting on gold,” he recalls.
Nov 18, 2022... Dr. Sivan Refaely-Abramson of the Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science department at the Weizmann Institute shares a story about sunlight. She explains how, through the amazing world of materials, the power of the sun can transform quantum particles and be used as a main energy source. Dr. Refaely-Abramson’s research in materials science is dedicated to designing intelligent energy conversion in order to consume energy in a way that is clean, green, and unlimited. “Understanding materials and the way particles interact within them allows for new and smart ways to harness sunlight, leading us to a cleaner greener future.”
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/building-better-enzymes-by-breaking-them-down/
Jan 13, 2023... REHOVOT, ISRAEL— January 12, 2023—Enzymes have the potential to transform the chemical industry by providing green alternatives to a slew of processes. These proteins act as biological catalysts, and with the help of molecular engineering, they can make naturally occurring reactions shift into turbo mode. Tailor-made enzymes could, for example, lead to nonpolluting drug manufacture; they could also safely break down pollutants, sewage and agricultural waste, and then turn them into biofuel or animal feed.
Apr 03, 2023...
Jerusalem, April 3, 2023 — The Blavatnik Family Foundation, the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and the New York Academy of Sciences, announced today the Laureates of the 2023 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in Israel. This year’s Laureates, who will each receive $100,000, are:
The Blavatnik Awards recognize outstanding, innovative scientists at the early stages of their careers for both their extraordinary achievements and their promise for future discoveries. The prizes are awarded to researchers aged 42 and younger for groundbreaking work in the disciplines of Life Sciences, Chemistry, and Physical Sciences & Engineering. The Blavatnik Awards in Israel sit alongside their international counterparts, the Blavatnik National Awards and Blavatnik Regional Awards in the United States, and the Blavatnik Awards in the United Kingdom.
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