The People of the Book
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Tel Aviv University Review | 2017 The People of the Book Humanities Today Ariane de Rothschild 16 The number of women in academia is on the rise thanks to the Ariane de Rothschild Women Doctoral Program. Cover story: Humanities in Focus 6 Beyond preserving cultural heritage, the Humanities are helping frame some of today’s ISEF 20 most pressing issues. For over 40 years, ISEF has been nurturing students through university and onto academic careers. Tel Aviv University Review | 2017 Botanic Garden 24 Issued by the Strategic Communications Dept. With its diverse and fascinating Development and Public Affairs Division collection of plant life, TAU’s Botanic Tel Aviv University Garden is helping preserve Israel’s native flora. Ramat Aviv 6997801 sections Tel Aviv, Israel Tel: +972 3 6408249 Fax: + 972 3 6407080 E-mail: [email protected] innovations 2 www.tau.ac.il Editor: Louise Shalev Contributors: Rava Eleasari, Ruti Ziv, Melanie leadership Takefman, Tal Gerzon, Lisa Kremer, Michal Alexander, 28 Meitar 29 Lara Krasnostein, Roberta Neiger The Zvi Meitar Center for Advanced Graphic Design: TAU Graphic Design Studio/ Legal Studies is globalizing law Michal Semo-Kovetz; Dalit Pessach Dio’olamot studies and practice in Israel. Photography: Development and Public Affairs Division events 34 Photography Department/Michal Roche Ben Ami Additional Photography: Yoram Reshef; Israel Hadari; Israel Sun; Hai Ashkenazi; Thomas Koehler/photothek. de; Gal Hermoni; Shai Epstein newsmakers 38 Administrative Assistant: David Jozsef Printing: Shavit Print digest 41 Follow us! Global TAU TAU Review 2017 Issue Officers of Tel Aviv University Prof. Jacob A. Frenkel Chairman of the Board of Governors Dr. Giora Yaron Chairman of the Executive Council Prof. Joseph Klafter President Prof. Yaron Oz Rector Mordehai Kohn Director-General Prof. Raanan Rein Vice President Prof. Yoav Henis Vice President for Research and Development Amos Elad Vice President for Resource Development Robert Goldberg, Dr. Raymond R. Sackler, Michael H. Steinhardt Chairmen Emeriti of the Board of Governors Dr. h.c. Karl Heinz-Kipp Deputy Chairman of the Board of Governors Dr. h.c. Josef Buchmann, Dr. h.c. Stewart M. Colton, James Dubin, Prof. François Heilbronn, Dr. h.c. Raya Jaglom, Dr. h.c. Dear Friends, Adolfo Smolarz, Dr. h.c. Melvin S. Taub After about 200 years of the modern university as we know it, it’s time Vice Chairpersons of the Board of Governors to reboot. There’s no doubt that universities must continue to conduct research, disseminate knowledge and teach students. But we also have to Prof. Eyal Zisser Vice Rector be relevant. Prof. Aron Shai We see a growing inter-relationship between academia, business and Pro-Rector society, and not just on the local level but also the global one. Prof. Zvika Serper If the traditional stance of the university used to be, “We know the Dean of the Yolanda and David Katz answers, come learn from us,” then TAU’s position today is “We don’t Faculty of the Arts Prof. Yossi Rosenwaks know all the answers, come search with us.” Dean of the Iby and Aladar Fleischman We’re joining forces with other research institutions, companies, gov- Faculty of Engineering ernment agencies and our worldwide network of friends to create new and Prof. Michael Krivelevich exciting frameworks for discovery. Programs span a range of interdiscipli- Dean of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler nary subjects. These include Humanities in Engineering, Dead Sea studies, Faculty of Exact Sciences cancer research and the Internet-of-Things, to name a few. The University Prof. Leo Corry Dean of the Lester and Sally Entin is also putting an emphasis on inclusivity with a number of scholarship Faculty of Humanities programs aimed at periphery students, minority groups and women. Prof. Sharon Hannes Blowing wind into our sails is TAU’s 10-year, $1 billion Capital Campaign. Dean of the Buchmann Faculty of Law Old and new supporters are recognizing the opportunity to influence, Prof. Daniel Chamovitz through their involvement with TAU, scientific and social progress in Dean of the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences Israel and internationally. We’re grateful for their commitment and look Prof. Moshe Zviran forward to an inspiring shared journey. Dean of the Coller School of Management Prof. Ehud Grossman Yours sincerely, Dean of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine Prof. Tammie Ronen Dean of the Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences Prof. Tova Most Professor Joseph Klafter Dean of Students President, Tel Aviv University 1 Mining Big Data for Improved Learning How can pupils learn to learn bet- using learning analytics – previously ter? This is an age-old question being known as educational data mining – asked by experts at TAU’s Jaime and which involves the analysis of data that Joan Constantiner School of Education. is generated when students study in an To help develop new and improved online learning environment. In one of methods, Dr. Arnon Hershkovitz is his projects, by investigating how pu- Nipping Skin Cancer in the Bud How does skin cancer spread? before the metastatic stage. the skin – that had never before been According to researchers who’ve been “The threat of melanoma is not in reported. studying the disease for decades, know- the initial tumor that appears on the The researchers looked for substances ing this particular bit of information skin, but rather in its metastasis – when that could block the metastatic process could be the difference between life and tumor cells are sent off to colonize vital and they found two: one that inhibits death for thousands of sufferers. Now, organs like the brain, lungs, liver and the delivery of the vesicles from the a team of TAU researchers led by Dr. bones,” says Levy. tumor to the dermis and the other that Carmit Levy of the Sackler Faculty of Even in the earliest stages of cancer, prevents changes to the dermis even Medicine, in collaboration with col- the tumor sends out tiny sacs called vesi- after the vesicles arrive. It’s those two leagues in Israel, Europe and the US, cles containing molecules of microRNA. substances, Levy says, that could be- has laid the groundwork for more ef- The key lies in blocking those vesicles. come successful drug treatments. “Our fective blocking of melanoma – the Levy and her team examined samples study is an important step on the road most aggressive and lethal form of skin of early melanoma before the vesicle to a full remedy for the deadliest skin cancer. The team has discovered how launching began. To their surprise, they cancer,” said Levy. “We hope that our the cancer spreads to distant organs found changes in the form and struc- findings will help turn melanoma into a and has found ways to stop the process ture of the dermis – the inner layer of nonthreatening, easily curable disease.” 2 TAU Review 2017 Issue pils and teachers learn a new computer For example, he examines factors programming language, he hopes to such as the time required to complete provide teachers with the tools to help different tasks; the use of educational their pupils learn more efficiently. materials such as video; interactivity; Hershkovitz’s goals are twofold: and the integration of external and To deepen understanding of learning enrichment sites. processes in a more validated, reliable “By observing learning solely in and accurate manner, and to plough classrooms, as we once did, we could his findings back into the education get information only in a limited way, system with a view to helping teachers and certainly not on a large scale,” says better respond to the educational and Hershkovitz. “Our research approach emotional needs of their pupils and enables us to follow learners’ behavior enhance teaching processes. on an unprecedented scale.” The Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the world as we know it. Mobile phones, cars, appliance sen- sors and other devices are generating massive amounts of real-time data that is constantly streamed to and from the Internet. Yet, IoT presents a double- edged sword. On the one hand, it contributes to economic growth and improved quality of life; on the other, it poses major security concerns, since Using IoT to this universal connectivity renders eve- rything more vulnerable. Against this backdrop, Dr. Roey Prevent Crime Tzezana of the TAU Blavatnik Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center sourcing and artificial intelligence to grids. Other worrying scenarios includ- is trying to predict how criminals and create and rank thousands of scenarios ed hacking into people’s “wearables” terrorists will take advantage of the IoT involving criminal and terrorist acts (such as Fitbit bracelets) and disrupting and, conversely, how the security and that use the IoT. He found that the the daily routine of smart cities. These intelligence communities can prepare most dangerous, high-impact scenarios and other scenarios are now being con- to combat such acts through policy. were those in which terrorists targeted sidered by international security agen- His research project utilizes crowd- infrastructure such as power plants and cies as a basis for future policymaking. 3 Telomere Famine Is Forever? Apparently, a person’s genetics can mosomes called protect the sensitive tip from be affected by starvation conditions even “telomeres.” deterioration, are the genetic key generations after a famine ends. New re- The TAU study to longevity. They shorten with every search led by Prof. Eugene Kobyliansky focused on survivors chromosome replication cycle and are of TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine, of a mass famine that took place in the associated with growth and aging. Prof. and conducted by doctoral student 1920s in several rural regions of Russia. Kobyliansky’s research reinforces other Dmitry Torchinsky of TAU’s Raymond Kobyliansky and his team discovered findings showing that even moderate and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact that men born after the mass famine caloric restriction can shorten the hu- Sciences, suggests that the effects of ended in 1923 had shorter telomeres man lifespan.