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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.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/chaim-weizmann-s-acetone-discovery-was-key-to-british-wwi-effort/
Nov 10, 2022...
More than a century ago, in 1915, a senior lecturer in biochemistry at the University of Manchester named Dr. Chaim Weizmann invented a fermentation process that converted starch — a poly-sugar readily available from corn and potatoes — into acetone and butyl alcohol, facilitated by a bacteria, Clostridium acetobutylicum, that Dr. Weizmann had previously isolated.
This novel method of acetone production became known as “the Weizmann process.” As serendipity would have it, acetone was a key component in the production of the smokeless gunpowder (cordite) used by the Allies in World War I. Acetone had previously been made from calcium acetate imported from Germany, but since the Allies were at war with Germany, this was no longer possible, and the U.S. had a sparse supply. So, Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, requested that the “Weizmann process” be used to mass produce acetone in England, Canada, and the U.S.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/maya-schuldiner-connecting-organelles/
Feb 15, 2022... Prof. Maya Schuldiner of Weizmann’s Department of Molecular Genetics studies how cells function, which in turn can help understand disease – particularly, rare diseases.In the end, it’s all about making a connection. In their recent study, Prof. Maya Schuldiner and her team from the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Molecular Genetics Department uncover for the first time how the cell’s Most Valuable Players – the nucleus and mitochondria – communicate through the formation of dedicated contact sites. Being able to tune in on these correspondences will allow scientists to better understand conditions where they are disrupted from cancer to neurodegenerative diseases. These findings join a series of recent discoveries in the budding field of contact site biology, some of which were made in Schuldiner’s lab.
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