Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Steps in to Fight Coronavirus

Special Edition!

May 2020 / Vol 64

AtidimEducation. Excellence. Enrichment. Equal Opportunity. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Steps in to Fight Coronavirus

Gideon Weiss (left) meets with a European dignitary.

In a candid interview, Gideon Weiss, VP of Business Development, Marketing and Strategy at Rafael’s Air & C4ISR Systems Division, talks about the company’s quick mobilization, ingenuity and innovation to fight the spread of coronavirus, and the role of Atidim graduates in

Rafael’s groundbreaking developments. continued on next page Photo: Nir Ben Yosef, Aviation NirPhoto: Photography Ben Yosef, Israel is a modern-day miracle; a small country and administer drugs. This decreases the contact surrounded by enemies that is adept at mobilizing between coronavirus patients and medical personnel, across industries when it is under attack. Now, decreases contamination and the nurse’s workload, and coronavirus is the enemy, and Israel’s defense industry can be used in emergency rooms long after coronavirus has been called up to develop and repurpose its state- has been contained. of-the-art technology and know-how for the medical sector. “With all that we are doing, these days our real heroes are the nurses and doctors who tirelessly and selflessly “As one of Israel’s leading companies, the Ministry of keep on with their tasks, COVID-19 related and all others, Defense approached us at the very beginning of the as well as the women and men of our law enforcement coronavirus outbreak,” says Gideon. “Our teams are and IDF. This is not a given and we are all thankful to working in shifts 24/7 to help answer the country’s them,” he says with feeling. needs.” Gideon, who was a high-ranking officer in the Israeli Air Rafael has accomplished much in a short time. It Force, was captivated by Atidim’s mission when he first teamed up with a local ventilator maker to ramp up the heard about the program in 2010. “I saw the incredible supply chain and expand production of these lifesaving manpower that resulted from Atidim’s giving bright machines from 50 ventilators a month to 500. young people from the periphery the chance to utilize their talent and get engineering and science degrees,” It has repurposed its groundbreaking “Wisdom Stone” he says. technology, which “extracts executable intelligence from big data” and uses advanced and sophisticated “Today, Rafael must have more than 100 Atidim algorithms to reveal patterns and insights. Wisdom graduates working throughout the company,” Stone assists in understanding how the virus is says Gideon. “Many have been directly involved in transmitted, how to track the transmission, how to developing Israel’s most advanced systems, from the prevent contamination now and in the future and how Iron Dome to David’s Sling to our newest Trophy Active to enable the normalization of life. Protection System.”

“We are also answering the needs of the medical Gideon recalls an Atidim graduate who was part of the community in hospitals,” explains Gideon. Rafael has team to develop the Iron Dome Air Defense System. He converted weapon systems’ thermal cameras into high- grew up in Kiryat Shmona, and was determined to help definition cameras for taking a person’s temperature find a solution to the missiles from Lebanon, especially using complex algorithms. since his family was directly affected.

“This, combined with our computer imaging and “Atidim graduates have grit, ingenuity and the Israeli advanced sensors, allows us to check the temperature “chutzpah” never to give up. They are smart, determined of every person that walks into a hospital, even if and a real asset to this country,” says Gideon. “Our they are in groups, and direct those people with enemies will unfortunately be around long after temperature to coronavirus testing,” explains Gideon. coronavirus. We need to make sure that we have the most talented people on board, and that we maintain Using advanced facial recognition and robotics, Rafael our competitive edge.” has developed a robotic nurse to maneuver in hospitals

חגחג עצמאותעצמאות שמח!שמח! !HappyHappy IndependenceIndependence Day!Day 72 Yaniv Evgi (right) with Atidim founder Shaul Mofaz and dedicated friend Ruth Alter from Australia.

Israel Aerospace Industries is Key Player in Battle Against Corona – Atidim Graduate Yaniv Evgi Leads Development Team

Israel Lupa, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Elta Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), says that with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the company’s R&D and production teams went into high gear to provide innovative and out of the box solutions to help Israel fight this battle. The results have been extraordinary. Yaniv Evgi has played an integral role in some of these developments. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is recognized worldwide A room-scale disinfection prototype developed by IAI for its state-of-the-art defense technologies. It has now engineers enables rapid and efficient sterilization of switched gears to help find lifesaving solutions for the medical facilities using powerful UV light. coronavirus crisis. Yaniv, 33, who began working at IAI/Elta as an Atidim With little fanfare, it stepped into national emergency intern, was recently appointed Advanced Mechanical planning and repurposed some of its advanced Manufacturing Manager at Elta, and has a team of defense systems for medical use. Its innovative military brilliant engineers working with him. Upon requests radar systems used to secure Israel’s borders can from hospitals, his team produced a ventilation helmet now remotely monitor and measure the vital signs of for medical personnel using 3D printed parts alongside coronavirus patients, with a combination of radar and other materials. This allows for quick and efficient electro-optical sensors. production without the need to import materials. At the same time, they are using their 3D printing expertise to The results are seen by physicians on a monitor, thus provide additional parts that are lacking in hospitals. limiting contact with patients and maintaining sterile environments. This Tamar system was named for an Within a week, Yaniv and his team played an integral Elta employee who died from coronavirus and was role in IAI’s retooling of a missile production line into a adapted by the National Emergency team of the ventilator producing facility, delivering critically needed Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and ventilators. Development (DDR&D). “The people who work at IAI are committed to finding learn,” says Yaniv. “Whatever I needed, Atidim was there. breakthrough solutions for this unprecedented crisis,” At the end of my sophomore year I had a 90 GPA. I says Yaniv. “They are dedicated, incredibly smart and graduated first in my class.” able to work under intense pressure and meet the tightest deadlines.” Yaniv started his Atidim internship at Elta, and never looked back. “This is simply an incredible place to This sentiment is echoed by Israel Lupa, who explains work,” he says. “We are developing advanced systems that some of the company’s solutions were found from scratch. We must always be one step ahead and during an all-night brainstorming session. this is motivating and challenging.” He was part of the development team of the Iron Dome Missile system, “We know how to come together to fight an enemy and which protected his family in Netivot. now coronavirus is the deadliest enemy. Even with our employees working in shifts in order to abide by the Today, Yaniv is married with three small children and still government’s directives we are responding rapidly. We finds time to volunteer and give back to the community, know that the country is depending on us.” which he learned from Atidim.

Yaniv, who grew up in the underserved southern He is passionate about his family, his work and his town of Netivot, was not sure that he would be able to country. “I am privileged to be working every day to afford to go to college. His father, a mechanic, passed protect our people and our country. I am so proud of the away when he was 14. When Yaniv finally got accepted way IAI stepped up to battle coronavirus,” says Yaniv. to Ben-Gurion University’s mechanical engineering department he failed every course during his freshman “Today’s Zionism is about building a better society. This year because he was so stressed financially. is what Atidim inspires us all to do.”

The next year he was accepted to Atidim, and this transformed his life. “Atidim took away all of the obstacles for me and gave me the strength to really

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Dovid Parnas, 23, has not had an easy life. His family circumstances are very difficult, and he has been independent from a young age. Dovid made aliyah on his own in 2015, and served as a lone soldier in the Israel Defense Forces. Atidim has been a lifesaver for him. For the first time, he feels that someone is looking out for him, and cares about his education and his future.

Dovid Parnas was born in St. Louis. When he was five years old his parents divorced and he and his sister went back and forth between them every few years.

“My mother suffered from chronic health problems and depression, and my father was unable to give us the emotional support we needed,” says Dovid. Despite his unstable childhood, he graduated high school with honors in 2013.

After high school, Dovid did a gap year in Israel at a Yeshiva. “I felt a deep connection to Israel that I had never felt in the US. I felt like I had come home,” he says.

Dovid made aliyah in 2015 and joined a program that combined army service and religious learning. He began his army service in a logistics unit and continued on to become an officer. Immediately after completing his service in September 2018, he began studying at the Technion’s Pre-Academic Preparatory Program (Mechina).

In addition to moving to Haifa, Dovid made a very return to work. He can no longer support Dovid’s mother dramatic personal change. “I grew up in a religious or help his sister in any way. home, and had been religious all of my life,” he says. “But I had many questions, and I decided that I did not “I am a lone immigrant in Israel, without family or financial want to be religious anymore. This separated me from help,” says Dovid. “Atidim has given me incredible the religious community that had been my support support, from tuition to a living stipend to academic network in Israel, and from my mother who is not in counseling. The director of the Takeoff program really contact with me anymore. Suddenly I was not only a cares about me; congratulating me when I get good lone soldier, but very much alone.” grades and calling to make sure that I know about the online and one-to-one tutoring options available to all At the Technion, Dovid found a wonderful community, Atidim students.” including the people at Atidim who have been his lifeline. Dovid is majoring in data science, which combines big data and artificial intelligence. He wants to forge a career At the same time, Dovid’s family has been going through path in which he can “contribute to building this great a very difficult time. His mother, who never worked as country”. a result of her health problems, lives on welfare and support from his father. But his father was diagnosed “I thank Atidim and the people who support this program with bone marrow cancer and underwent a bone for believing in me and for giving me the chance to work marrow transplant; a long and dangerous procedure. hard and build my future in Israel. I am deeply grateful,” He is now recovering, but it is unclear when or if he will says Dovid with a huge smile.