MISTI MIT-ISRAEL
MIT INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE mit.edu/misti/israel [email protected] AND TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES
MISTI MIT-ISRAEL
Annual Report 2012-2013 The MIT-Israel Program was founded in 2008 and continues to grow.
Israeli innovations have shaped our lives in the 21st century— from mobile phone technology, voicemail and drip irrigation to conserve water, to renewable energy solutions and the ingestible pill camera to diagnose 21 cancer. MIT has also produced an unending stream of advancements, many of ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS them world-changing. Among them are duplicating photosynthesis in order to Since 2008 students hail store solar energy, using RNA interference to silence multiple genes at once, from across campus computer techniques that automatically decipher ancient languages and discovering evidence of water ice and organic material on Mercury. Spend a day at MIT, and you’ll notice that hands-on learning and out-of-the-box thinking pervade the Institute. The Israeli culture and economy, built on teamwork, initiative and innovation, is a great match for the MIT ethic. The MISTI MIT-Israel Program facilitates dynamic connections between the thinkers and ideamakers of the MIT community and their counterparts in Israel. 84 EVENTS On campus > MISTI MIT-ISRAEL Program MISTI MIT-Israel Program Annual Report 2012-2013
Christine Ortiz David Dolev
Professor, Materials Science and Engineering Center for International Studies Faculty Director, MISTI MIT-Israel Assistant Director, MISTI Dean for Graduate Education Managing Director, MISTI MIT-Israel e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected]
Jeanne Fahey, Program Assistant, MISTI MIT-Israel
Nahum Karlinsky, Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, MISTI MIT-Israel Instructor
Chappell Lawson, Associate Professor of Political Science, Director of MISTI
April Julich Perez, Center for International Studies, Associate Director of MISTI
Annual Report 2012-2013
Table of Contents
I. OVERVIEW………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………….3
II. INTERNSHIPS………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….8 > MIT-Israel Alumni/ae Stories > Internship Outcomes > MISTI Global Seed Funds > Global Teaching Labs
III. STUDENT PROFILES……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..17 > Research and Industry Internships > Global Teaching Labs
IV. HOST REMARKS…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..35
V. COUNTRY-SPECIFIC PREPARATION……………………………………………………………………………………...36
VI. IN-COUNTRY SEMINAR AND EVENTS…………………………………………………………………………………..37
VII. ADDITIONAL IN-COUNTRY ACTIVITIES………………………………………………………………………………..40
VIII. REFLECTION………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………41
IX. EVALUATION AND FUTURE PLANS………………………………………………………………………………………43
X. NEW INITIATIVES...... ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..44
XI. HOST COMPANIES AND INSTITUTIONS……………………………………………………………………………….46
XII. EVENTS...... …………………………………………………………………………………….……………………52
XIII. DONOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………………………………………..54
XIV. FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………………………………..55
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I. Overview Beginning in 2007, the MISTI MIT-Israel
program has achieved its continued goal of recruiting, selecting, and placing highly “...innovation and entrepreneurship have a new motivated and successful students in urgency — as a vital source of good jobs and economic growth, as the key to accelerating internships in a country marked by innovation, progress in fields from clean energy to entrepreneurship, and cutting-edge research. biomedicine, and as a pathway to deliver the As our sixth year draws to a close, it is our fruits of our research to the world.” pleasure to present the 2012-2013 annual
- MIT President Reif1 report in order to share a wide perspective of what we have accomplished and our future goals.
Again in 2012-2013, the MISTI MIT-Israel program has grown and developed. Participating students grew this year from 68 to 77, for a total of 282 since the launch of our pilot in 2005. Participants were drawn from 18 academic departments, and a broad range of academic levels ranging from freshmen to PhD.
Building on our core research and industry internships, MISTI has branched out into a diversity of subprograms with different educational components. Our newest subprogram is MISTI’s Global Teaching Labs (GTL), a program which enables MIT students to teach high school students in Germany, Israel, Italy and Mexico (mainly during IAP). In addition to country-specific preparation, GTL students also take part in MISTI-wide trainings in pedagogy to enable them to bring MIT’s unique hands-on learning to high school classrooms around the world.
MISTI Global Seed Funds (GSF), established in 2008, provide annually over $2 million of funding for MIT faculty to jump-start international projects. Faculty are encouraged to include MIT students in their projects. To date, MISTI MIT-Israel has had several students that did full research internships as part of MIT-Israel seed fund projects and took part in our country-specific preparation: two students in 2013 as part of the seed-fund grant led by Prof. Carroll and Dr. Glover; two students in 2012 as part of seed-fund grant led by Prof. Ben Joseph; one student in 2010 and 2008 as part of seed fund grant led by Prof. Ortiz.
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MISTI MIT-Israel Student Interns by Year 90 (282 Interns Cumulative to Date) 80 77 68 70
60 50 50
40 37 33 30
20 15
10 2 0 Number of students per year
2005 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives
The MISTI MIT-Israel program is part of the MISTI organization (MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives). To date, MISTI has sent over 5,000 students abroad, and awarded 365 grants and over $6 million to MIT faculty via MISTI Global Seed Funds. In addition to MISTI MIT-Israel, MISTI now offers internships and other experiences abroad through 16 other country programs (Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, Spain, and Switzerland), three country-program pilots, and several cross-MISTI initiatives.
At MISTI, we believe that a substantive practical work or research experience abroad should be an integral part of a world-class science and technology education. We support MIT’s core mission by creating hands-on international experiences for students — and by facilitating partnerships and research collaborations between MIT and other leaders around the world. MISTI works with MIT students, faculty, and international partners and sponsors to build strong intercultural connections, advance crucial research with global implications, and help MIT students develop into true world leaders capable of shaping the future.
Purpose
MISTI partners with a broad array of government, industry, foundation, and individual stakeholders to develop unique student programs and open new paths of innovation. We also provide intensive, country-specific training to our students before they go abroad. Upon completion of their MISTI
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experience, students report a higher level of self-confidence and an improved ability to adapt to new situations and communicate effectively with international peers. As our students and faculty connect with and learn from people in other countries, they gain the intercultural competencies essential for leadership in this globalized era.
Impact
As MIT’s largest international program, we increase the Institute’s global reach and impact. Each MISTI country program is led by a faculty director and a program manager, who matches students from all five MIT schools with internship, research, or teaching opportunities that are rewarding for everyone involved. Each year, we expand MIT’s international network through our connections with exceptional partners and sponsors. The network thrives — and our impact grows — because MISTI’s programs are practical, relevant, and meaningful.
The MISTI Model
MISTI MIT-Israel employs a unique programmatic infrastructure to deepen international learning at MIT, and to accomplish its ambitious learning objectives.
Internships Global Teaching Labs Application
Highly selective application process Submission of cultural essay, statement of personal and professional goals, interview, resume, and recommendations
Pre-departure Preparation
A comprehensive preparatory “tool kit” including a for- Country-specific preparation and MISTI-wide trainings in credit course on Israel, Hebrew lessons, and Israel- pedagogy to enable participants to bring MIT’s unique specific training sessions (details below) hands-on learning to high school classrooms around the world
Placement Process
Personalized internship matching Student instructors are matched with schools based on academic expertise and teaching ability
In-country Experience
• Hands-on experiential learning → education linked • Hands-on classroom teaching to research • Homestay living with Israeli teachers and cross-cultural • Generation of new knowledge across national and exchange cultural boundaries • Generation of new knowledge across national and
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• Development of a broader skill set to act on this cultural boundaries new knowledge • Field trips with schools • MIT alumni matches (via the Alumni Club of Israel) • Final report and assessment of the program quality and • In-country essay, 5-day seminar, and final recommendations for improvement project/report Opportunities Upon Return to MIT • Mentorship • Mentorship • MISTI Ambassador • MISTI Ambassador • Minor in Applied International Studies • Continuing Hebrew studies • Continuing Hebrew studies • On-campus activities related to the country of interest • On-campus activities related to the country of open to all students interest open to all students • Continued interaction (e.g., MISTI 2.0)
Global Career
Benefits of the MISTI Model
Create future global leaders
In an era of globalized scientific networks and supply chains, the ability to connect with, learn from, and collaborate with people from different countries is essential to global leadership. MISTI prepares MIT students to be leaders by helping them develop these practical intercultural skills through hands-on experience working alongside international colleagues. In addition to completing coursework in the language, culture, history, and politics of their host country, MISTI students participate in a series of MISTI-designed, location-specific training modules covering topics such as cultural awareness, current events, technology and innovation in the host country, navigating the workplace, logistics, and safety. Our students’ leadership skills are then reinforced through in-country assignments, post-internship reports, re-entry meetings, and subsequent coursework related to their experiences.
Why Israel?
Israel is a global leader and center of innovation and entrepreneurship in everything from high-tech to med-tech, solar energy to water recycling. Israel is ranked 26th out of 144 countries by the World Economic Forum’s 2012-2013 Global Competitiveness Report, despite limited resources and a very challenging political climate. It’s also third in innovation and 17th in financial market development.2
Israel’s own “Silicon Wadi” (wadi means “valley” in Arabic), a tech-rich stretch of land from Tel Aviv northward, is second only to Silicon Valley in number of business start-ups.3 Israel receives 2.5 times as much venture capital per capita as the U.S. and spends about twice the OECD average on civilian research and development, above and beyond military R&D spending.4 Since 2008, investors have paid roughly $17 billion (U.S.) for almost 300 start-ups.5 About 300 multinational companies, including Cisco, Microsoft, IBM, Google, and Intel, operate in Israel.6 Some manufacture products there, while many more operate research and development centers.
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Equally impressive, Israel’s universities are ranked among the top in the world, and with three in the top 100,7 they provide MIT students with technical experience on par with those available at MIT. Israel is unique in that it also can provide students with a rich and deep cultural experience through its long history. MIT has many connections to Israel via the several hundred MIT alumni in Israel,8 dozens of Israeli graduate students on campus, and the many research collaborations between MIT and Israeli scientists.
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II. Internships
In academic year 2012-2013, 77 MIT students participated in the MISTI-MIT Israel Program. Participation increased by 13% from academic year 2011-2012. Students were selected from 17 academic departments (i.e., Aeronautics and Astronautics, Architecture, Biological Engineering, Biology, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Comparative Media Studies, Computational and Systems Biology, Economics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Management, Materials Science and Engineering, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Political Science, and Urban Studies and Planning) and from a variety of academic levels.
MISTI MIT-Israel Class of 2013 (July 2013), Jerusalem, during the 5-day Israel seminar
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Caroline Shinkle and Stanley Fischer at the Bank of Israel Camille Richman at Keter Plastic
Ni Joyce Zhu at Ben-Gurion University Qian Lin at Orbotech Ltd.
David Wyrobnik at Google Israel Joanna Chen at Bar-Ilan University
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MIT-Israel Alumni/ae Stories
Nancy Hua Mathematics with Computer Science ‘07 Writing and Humanistic Studies ‘07
MIT-Israel Internship, 2005, at Mercury Interactive
Nancy on her Israel Experience and its impact
“I wrote unit tests using JUnit for the load-testing company Mercury Interactive, in Yehud. While learning this testing framework was interesting, the company culture was the most enlightening part for me.
Nancy Hua ‘07 with another alumnus and Bill Clinton Employees constantly put their superiors on the spot to at a Clinton Foundation poker event in 2013 explain decisions, and these debates made meetings extremely engaging and informative for me. Unlike what I’d observed in American corporate culture, people weren’t afraid to argue. Everyone was extremely friendly, proactive, curious, and fearless. I question everything because Israelis taught me the value of debate. I engage with people in every strata and arena of the corporation regardless of title because Israelis taught me every worker has a duty to question and understand every aspect of the business.
I am the CEO of a company in Silicon Valley called Apptimize that lets people A/B test their native Android and iOS applications. Before co-founding Apptimize, I led algorithmic trading teams in NYC and Chicago and am a world-class expert in electronic trading and exchanges. Working in Israel taught me the importance of culture to an organization. Vigorous debate, passion, strategic intelligence, mental flexibility, and curiosity are values that I first saw articulated in Israel, and I believe this national culture allowed the company to succeed so efficiently on a global scale in a competitive industry.”
Kathleen Kraines Mechanical Engineering ‘13 Recipient of the Suzanne Berger Award for Future Leaders
MIT-Israel Internship, summer 2011, at Keter Plastic Global Teaching Labs, IAP 2012, student instructor Global Teaching Labs, IAP 2013, team lead of twenty MIT student instructors
Prior to MISTI, Kathleen had never been overseas. In 2010-11 she applied to the MIT-Israel program, and after being accepted, she did an exceptional job at her internship at Keter Plastic. She worked on a manufacturing process for outdoor storage units, experimenting to find an alternative to styrofoam in the packaging of storage sheds. All of
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those engaged in the program compare other past and future interns to her. She was able to be assertive in an industrial company comprised of mostly male employees and supervisors many years older than she was. After the internship she shared her experience at the opening of an Israeli art exhibit at the MIT libraries and mentored two MIT students that did internships in the summer of 2012.
During IAP 2012, Kathleen was one of a team of four students that piloted the first Global Teaching Labs (GTL) in Israel. She was again very successful in her work teaching Israeli high school students. Upon her return she presented to a multitude of MIT communities: MISTI staff about GTL; to new interns at the pre-departure training; to her religious group; and at MIT Parents Weekend. She also started studying Arabic at Harvard.
In preparation for the first full-fledged GTL in Israel (IAP 2013), Kathleen agreed to be the student leader for the 20 students (three teams) teaching in 12 schools. She worked with the team leads to make sure materials were prepared, helped them coordinate in Israel, and ran one of the training sessions. She ensured all students had materials prepared and were able to navigate a new country. With a strong self-discipline and capacity to manage her time, she spent time with each of the GTL teams, moving from one location to another to support them. After IAP, she took part in all evaluation meetings and prepared a photo presentation of the experience.
One of the GTL school networks sent this letter to MISTI in regards to the organization of the whole program, in which Kathleen was a key part:
“Your team’s professional commitment was apparent from start to finish. The utmost consideration was given to every need of our students. Working with your team has been an honor for us all.”
In 2013, Kathleen was presented the Suzanne Berger Award for Future Global Leaders, which is presented annually to a graduating senior who, through his or her coursework and practical experience abroad, has demonstrated the potential to become a global leader. The award was established in 2012 in recognition of Suzanne Berger, Raphael Dorman and Helen Starbuck Professor of Political Science, who directed MISTI until 2011.
Kathleen has demonstrated the two parts of this award: global and leader. As a leader, she came to MIT as a young student and has grown as a leader with the program: from an intern in her sophomore year to the leader of twenty students; from a participant to a mentor; and from a trainee to a trainer. She prepares meticulously for all of her presentations and has learned to be a very moving and articulate speaker. In her student group, she has been a formal leader (president of the club) and an informal leader in sharing with other students how MISTI is a program which will enable them to grow, and many students have applied to MISTI MIT-Israel because of her work.
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Internship Outcomes This year we have made efforts to collect information regarding past internship outcomes and deliverables. The following are a selection of several of these outcomes as reported to us by hosts and alumni/ae.
Jaime Young co-authored a report with host Dr. Oded Potchter
Jaime Young, MIT-Israel intern at Tel Aviv University and the International Conservation Center in Old Acre in 2012, co-authored an article with Dr. Oded Potchter at Tel Aviv University entitled Climatic Planning According to Vitruvius and its Application in the Holy Land. She presented the research at the Eighth International Conference on Urban Climate in Dublin, Ireland in August 2012. Her presentation received the American Meteorological Society/International Association for Urban Climate student award for quality of research and engaging presentation at the conference.
Joint Publication — host Professor David Cahen, co-workers Pabitra Nayak, Lee Barnea Nehostan and intern Ron Rosenberg
MIT-Israel intern Ron Rosenberg, 2012, hosted by Weizmann Institute of Science Professor David
Cahen, co-authored a paper about O2 and organic
semiconductors. The publication is entitled O2 and Organic Semiconductors: Electronic Effects, and is published in the Journal of Organic Electronics.
Irene Kaplow contributed to published study under host Professor Eran Segal
As MISTI MIT-Israel 2009 intern at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Irene Kaplow’s work contributed to a recent publication entitled Two DNA-encoded strategies for increasing expression with opposing effects on promoter dynamics and transcriptional noise, published in Genome Research in 2013.
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Intern Melissa Gymrek co-authored papers with host Maya Schuldiner
MISTI MIT-Israel Intern 2010 Melissa Gymrek co-authored two papers with Weizmann Institute of Science host Maya Schuldiner: A novel single-cell screening platform reveals proteome plasticity during yeast stress responses and Interactions of subunit CCT3 in the yeast chaperonin CCT/TRiC with Q/N-rich proteins revealed by high- throughput microscopy analysis. She also expects an upcoming journal article in Nucleic Acids Research (LoQAtE — Localization and Quantitation ATlas of the yeast proteomE. A new tool for multiparametric dissection of single-protein behavior in response to biological perturbations in yeast).
Dr. Peter Krause publishes and collaborates with Israelis
Peter Krause, MIT-Israel 2009 & 2012, now an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Boston College, published one academic article and had another accepted at peer-reviewed journals: The Political Effectiveness of Non-State Violence: A Two-Level Framework to Transform a Deceptive Debate, Security Studies, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Summer 2013), 259-294 and The Structure of Success: The Distribution of Power in National Movements and the Effectiveness of Non-State Violence, International Security, forthcoming. He is currently co- authoring with an Israeli academic, Ehud Eiran, on two more articles.
Intern Qing Li co-authored award-winning paper with host Eitan Naveh
Qing Li, MIT-Israel intern 2012, won the distinguished Industrial and Systems Engineering Research Conference (ISERC) Best Paper Award for a paper called Improving Departmental Quality Performance with Interdepartmental Integration, which she co-authored with MIT-Israel host Eitan Naveh, MIT colleague Wiljeana Glover, and Michael Gross.
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MISTI Global Seed Funds
MISTI Global Seed Funds provide funding for MIT faculty to jump-start international projects. Faculty are encouraged to include MIT students in their projects. The program includes a general fund for projects in any country and several dedicated funds to support collaboration with colleagues in a specific country. Tangible outcomes reported by grantees, including papers published, grants obtained, and new career paths for students, point to seed funds as a practical, cost-effective way to spur international research collaboration from the ground up. Wiljeana Glover, postdoctoral associate MIT-Israel alumna ‘12 and postdoctoral associate Wiljeana Glover, from MIT’s and MIT-Israel alumna interdiciplinary Sociotechnical Systems Research Center was awarded a Global Seed Fund grant as part of Prof. John Carroll’s MIT team. This summer, two MIT students, Anirudh Arun, Biological Engineering ‘13, and Kyle Yuan, Chemical and Biological Engineering ‘16, joined the collaborative research team at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology with Prof. Eitan Naveh as their supervisor.
Key collaborators on this project are John Carroll - Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management Wiljeana Glover - Postdoctoral Associate, MIT Sociotechnical Systems Research Center Eitan Naveh - Associate Professor, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Margalit Goldfracht - Director of Quality Improvement, Clalit Health Services
Wiljeana summarized the collaborative project as follows: “On May 1, 2012, the Israeli Socio-Economic Cabinet of the Israeli Government approved a reform that transfers mental health provision from the Ministry of Health to the four Israeli non-governmental non-profit health maintenance organizations (HMOs) by 2015. The reform aims to improve access, operational processes, and the quality of mental health services via the integration of primary care and mental health services. In light of this large-scale transformation, the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) partnered with Clalit Health Services, the largest Israeli HMO, to examine the successes Clalit has had with integrating other services with primary care, specifically Group interview in an Israeli cafe. From left diabetes services, and what best practices might be transferred to right: Ani, Kyle, Zhanna (the PhD student to the newly integrated primary care-mental health services. we were working with), and 6 Israeli physicians/healthcare workers. “Over the summer of 2013, our MIT-Technion-Clalit team interviewed more than 60 healthcare professionals across Israel; we found that these providers were relatively satisfied (77%) with the amount of integration between primary care and diabetes services, but less satisfied with the current level of integration between primary care and mental health services (41%). In order to improve the integration of primary and mental health care, suggested integrative best
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practices included organizational (e.g., having a mental health provider within the primary care clinic), operational (e.g., tracking integration oversights via periodic audits), technological (e.g., shared medical records), and social changes (e.g., training opportunities that include both mental health and primary care providers to improve professional relations). In the next phase of the project (fall 2013-summer 2014), we will write a journal article summarizing Phase 1 results and plan to examine the benefit of such practices via simulation and survey approaches. We would like to thank Clalit Health Services and the MISTI program for their support of this research effort.”
Global Teaching Labs Program
MISTI’s groundbreaking experiential teaching programs enable students to teach STEM subjects and entrepreneurship at high schools and universities across the globe. MISTI’s teaching programs give MIT students the opportunity to learn through teaching: how to synthesize and present what they know, how to work in a team, and how to communicate effectively with peers of a different culture.
The Global Teaching Lab programs is one piece of our strategic direction to offer a diverse portfolio of opportunities during different times of the year for MIT students to engage professionally with Israel and learn hands-on how to navigate the global workplace. This experiential teaching program attracts top students looking to share MIT’s unique approach to science and engineering education. Students take part in country specific training, learn basic Hebrew, and with other MISTI GTL programs take part in several pedagogy training sessions.
In January 2012, we sent our first four students to teach at ORT High schools in the Karmiel area, and during IAP 2013, we sent 20 students as our second IAP group. In a collaboration between MISTI MIT- Israel, Amal, ORT/Israel Sci-Tech Schools, and ORT Braude College of Engineering, three teams of students were matched with ORT/Israel Sci-Tech Schools and Amal high schools around the country for four weeks in January. At each location students prepared tailored courses on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects, entrepreneurship, and English and Chinese, all of which complemented the schools’ curricula and highlighted MIT’s hands-on approach to education.
Senior Mechanical Engineering major Kathleen Kraines, GTL ‘12, provided invaluable leadership to launch and lead the second GTL program in 2013 and returned as the lead instructor for all of the MIT student instructors.
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Hosts reported that MIT students were positive role models for their students. In reflecting on the student experience, one host said,
“Our students looked up to the MIT students as wonderful role models. They spent their breaks between classes talking to them and learning what it was like to be a student at MIT. They were very impressed with their serious attitude towards learning.”
The MIT students also reported a rewarding experience, and positive professional benefits to participation. Erica Du, a junior in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, has said of her time abroad, “I learned an immense amount about how to communicate with administrators, coordinate logistical information over long distances, and work with people with significant cultural and language differences. These skills and the global perspective I’ve gained this month are indispensable.”
This summer, 2013, we sent four MIT students to pilot a GTL program at Tomashin Qalansuwa Technological High School. Students received additional preparation beforehand on the Arab culture in Israel. During their summer teaching experience, they laid the foundation for what we hope to be an ongoing GTL. This sub-initiative will also enable students that want to work on their Arabic skills the opportunity to do so. The program includes homestay. The students were interviewed for Israel TV: http://youtu.be/oln74yP8kzc.
As we look forward, we plan to grow the program (funding permitting) with additional school hosts and integrating MITx and Open Courseware (OCW) into the curriculum. In order to promote this, three MIT students trained to be MITx ambassadors presented the platform to our Israeli partners. We will also be working with the students going in January 2014 to explore how to integrate the MITx modules into their teaching materials.
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III. Student Profiles Research and Industry Internships
Adrian Clarke, Senior, Mechanical Engineering Host: Oded Gottleib, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Project: Researched the appropriate non-linear mathematical models for small scale beams of a 3D-printed polymer material and utilized the principles of vibration analysis to attempt to fit experimental results to a model that captures the observed spatio-temporal dynamics.
“Meeting her [Adrian’s lab mate] inspired me to put more effort into adjusting to the workplace in Israel and to work productively and communicate effectively and solve problems efficiently.”
Alice Chen, Sophomore, Biological Engineering Host: Inna Slutsky, Tel Aviv University Project: Tested for the homodimerization of APP and its regulation using FILM- FRET measurements.
“By doing MISTI Israel, I was really able to push myself out of my comfort zone. I learned how to interact with people who are from another culture and who speak another language. I feel like my communication skills really improved from this summer just by this experience alone, and it will help me in future years at MIT.”
Allison “Sunny” Vanderboll, MS Candidate, Civil and Environmental Engineering Host: Nicole Adler, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Project: Studied how Europe can efficiently adopt new technologies in the SESAR air traffic management initiative.
“... my work helped me to accomplish my goal of experiencing and thriving in a global workplace... Consequently, I became more culturally sensitive and aware of differences between countries and cultures. As I enter my job in the U.S., I will undoubtedly work with foreign clients, and as a result of my MISTI Israel experience, I will be able to more quickly adapt to foreign clients’ needs and common vocabulary.”
Anirudh Arun, Senior, Biological Engineering Host: Eitan Naveh, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Project: Studied Israeli healthcare policy to better understand how this unique blend of cultures translates to the management and distribution of healthcare.
“As I start medical school next semester, this experience will certainly be of great relevance to my studies and future career. Learning about healthcare
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management allows me to explore healthcare from the opposite end of the spectrum... I have become motivated to pursue a Masters in Public Health in addition to my MD at Johns Hopkins... I hope to better understand the nature of the healthcare reform and potentially work on similar projects in the future in the different health systems around the world.”
Ariel Schvartzman, Sophomore, Mathematics Host: Robert Krauthgamer, Weizmann Institute of Science Project: Researched algorithms to produce mimicking networks from large graphs.
“...this experience has helped me learn a lot about myself. At a professional level, it has helped reassure me in my decision to pursue studies beyond my undergraduate degree. In particular, I am now considering coming to the Weizmann Institute to get my PhD in Mathematics/Computer Science.”
Beth Cholst, Freshman, Undeclared Host: Aharon Gedanken, Bar-Ilan University Project: Worked on a project of coating fabrics with antibacterial nanoparticles to test if they could dye and coat with nanoparticles at the same time.
“Doing research in Israel is unique. Researchers see how everything immediately helps Israel. They see how energy research will help the State of Israel. They see how it will help the geopolitical situation.”
Camille Richman, Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering Host: Eran Mendalbaum, Keter Plastic, via ORT Braude College of Engineering Project: Designed semi-automated table for packaging small parts with a goal to create an environment for elderly factory workers that is both comfortable and minimizes human error, using poka-yoke techniques.
“I have learned a lot about myself this summer. Starting over in a new place forces you to branch out and actively form connections if you want to establish a network. I am usually very introverted, but in Israel I found myself reaching out and trying to connect with people (and enjoying it) more than usual. I do not know if this is partly because it is easier to approach people when you are a foreigner who is curious to learn about people who live very differently, but this is a skill that I am hoping to take back to MIT with me and to keep up even beyond that.”
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Carine Moezinia, Senior, Brain and Cognitive Sciences Host: Naftali Stern, Tel Aviv University, Endocrinology Department at Ichilov Hospital Project: Researched Tay-Sachs disease as related to the generation of new proteins that can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and carry out some therapeutic function within the brain or, alternatively, be induced within the brain through viral-borne plasmids.
“During my time in this Israeli lab, I was treated like a family member. Everyone was so welcoming, kind and always ready to help if I needed it. I have never experienced this type of genuine warmth and hospitality in a lab or workplace before. I have noticed that these are inherent characteristics of most Israelis, which I have experienced not only in the lab. It made the lab such a pleasant environment to work in and I realized over time I became a more productive lab member because of it.”
Caroline Lowenthal, MS Candidate, Aeronautics and Astronautics Host: The Israel National Museum of Science, Technology & Space Project: Managed a $250,000 project to develop a new science museum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to open at the end of 2013; designed math activities for a $2.5 million interactive outdoor mathematics park for pre-school through high-school- aged children; and installed exhibition called “Beyond Planet Earth” in collaboration with colleagues from the American Museum of Natural History.
Caroline Shinkle, Sophomore, Management, Economics Host: Edward (Akiva) Offenbacher, Bank of Israel Project: Researched and wrote paper that analyzed recent issues in systemic risk regulation in Europe and their effects on smaller economies such as that of Israel.
“After living in Israel, I realize that it is a land of risk takers and creative thinkers who do not shy from debate. Israelis do not ask ‘why.’ Rather, they ask ‘why not’ as they transform an idea into a product, technology, or company. It seems that Israelis reject the idea of the impossible dream and replace it with a can-do attitude. Optimism is rampant, and failure is merely a temporary step on the path to eventual success.”
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Cecilio Aponte, Sophomore, Materials Science and Engineering Host: David Zitoun, Bar-Ilan University Project: Screened non-platinum group metal catalysts for hydrogen oxidation reaction in alkaline fuel cells.
“Working in Israel through MISTI pushed me out of my comfort zone way more than if I had stayed in the US, which is something I enjoy. Either place I worked, I would have learned new research skills, how to work with co-workers or how to deal with a boss, but with Israel, every learning experience was amplified by some added complication or alteration... I feel like being placed in such an environment will help me cope with any perturbations I find in future work places.”
Christiana Rosales, Junior, Mechanical Engineering Host: Adita Ela, S. Sense Design Project: Worked on sustainable product design development and research.
“... I have travelled abroad with MIT three times now (India, Spain, and Israel). Each time my circle of MIT friends expands and it’s refreshing to return to MIT with a new group of friends. Had I stayed in the U.S., I likely would not have made an effort to explore new places. Whenever I travel abroad, I aim to maximize my travel experiences and visit all the nearby cultural centers.”
Corinne Carland, Senior, Mechanical Engineering Host: Noam Shomron, Tel Aviv University Project: Used computational methods to explore short tandem repeats in the exome.
“We as Americans hear so much in the media about what’s going on the Middle East but very few of us have the opportunity to live daily life there, talk to individuals on both sides of the conflict, and engage in enlightened debate with those individuals who are most affected by the situation. Speaking with such individuals — including coworkers, new friends, and fellow travelers — was incredibly interesting...a learning opportunity and indeed I have learned a tremendous amount from living and working in Israel.”
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Dalia Leibowitz, Freshman, Undeclared Host: Igor Verner, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Project: Developed a virtual and physical multi-robot environment for spatial learning through programming and operating robotic cells; investigated spatial learning processes in the multi-robot environment.
“As someone who has already spent a significant amount of time here, and loves living here, I was happy to have an opportunity to spend a summer in Israel and see the sites. I also learned what the research environment looks like in Israel... I was also able to hone my communication skills in a different cultural context.”
Daniel Mascoop, Freshman, Civil and Environmental Engineering Host: Tomer Toledo, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Project: Researched in-vehicle data recorders for safety evaluations.
“The ideas and specific projects being pursued here in Israel take a different perspective than other projects across the world. There is a strong sense of being analytical (although that exists in most places, of course) and of looking for something that has not been considered before.”
Daniela Yuschenkoff, Junior, Biology Host: Noga Kronfeld-Schor, Tel Aviv University Project: Researched competition-induced reproductive suppression in a field study.
“While working in Israel, I had the opportunity to explore a whole new country. I was able to research species native to a different ecosystem and conduct field research in a completely foreign desert environment. By working in my lab, I learned so much about the animal species here and the desert ecosystem. At MIT, I would never have the opportunity to focus my research on a particular species like this. Field research is not an option. It was so fascinating to learn about a completely different ecosystem and biome that I’ve never had exposure to in the United States.”
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David Sessoms, Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering Host: Gal Kaminka, Bar-Ilan University Project: Built and programmed autonomous robots.
“The one thing about working there taught me was that being blunt in the workplace is a must... In Israel it is not bad to complain about something going wrong because the people there want to help and are just waiting to be asked. Over time I managed to gain the necessary energy to overcome the shyness and interact with my team and accomplish everything we needed to accomplish within the necessary time frame. My robot, which was initially a pile of junk, turned into a functional autonomous obstacle avoiding android.”
David Wyrobnik, Sophomore, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Host: Yoram Gat, Google Project: Developed alternative ways to recognize a user’s device.
“I gained a lot of insight and awareness about my surroundings and myself. I quickly noticed that Israelis are more relaxed in general and are more flexible. One rarely will make plans in advance and one takes care of things as they come. When I tried to get something done, it could get very frustrating, because people did not feel the need to take care of something too much in advance. I decided to adapt and relax. Be flexible. I found that it was good to take a breath and not try to fit as much as possible into a day as one tends to do when around MIT. I felt that I learned how to manage my time better...”
Dennis Wilson, Junior, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Host: Rotem Yaari, Infinidat Project: Improved and developed internal infrastructure for workflow operations and inventory management.
“More than anything, this experience let me see how much space I still have to grow, especially as a programmer. I was learning as much as I was programming, probably more learning, and I still feel like I barely scraped the surface. When I get back to MIT, I will be equipped with a completely new set of knowledge and tools that have already helped me be a better programmer. Not just the way I program but the entire way I interact with computers was shaped by this experience.”
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Esther Njuguna, MS Candidate, Civil and Environmental Engineering Host: Tomer Toledo, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Project: Researched how to develop models that better predict the travel behavior of air passengers with respect to the choice of itineraries that they make from available alternatives and the timing of the purchase.
“Doing my research project at the Technion this summer was a great learning experience. I thoroughly enjoyed doing research in the academic context and am now considering a career in academia. The opportunity afforded me by the MISTI program is one that I am very grateful for. Visiting Israel in the capacity that I did may never have been possible were it not for the program. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and would definitely do it again.”
Eunice Lin, Freshman, Undeclared Host: Zeev Volkovitch, ORT Braude College of Engineering Project: Worked on developing new algorithms through two methods: a clustering algorithm and a link prediction algorithm.
“Working abroad through MISTI gave me the opportunity to experience a different culture, in both the workplace and in daily life. I got to meet people with completely different backgrounds, lifestyles, and languages from me and work or live with them for three months. I learned how to work with people who are different from me, learned from their ideas, and tried to see things from their perspective.”
Fangdi Sun, Junior, Biological Engineering Host: Elkabetz Yechiel, Tel Aviv University Project: Researched mechanisms of generating heterogeneity in neural stem cells (NSCs) during mammalian development.
“The most influential thing I’ve learned over the course of this MISTI experience is the value (and difficulty) of communication. When I’m in my comfort zone in the lab I’ve worked in for years with a principal investigator who I know on a personal basis, it’s easy to approach an authority figure with questions or concerns that might arise over the course of a project. The same cannot be said of a new environment where everything from the people to the facilities is vastly different. All of a sudden everything is not so simple.”
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Gideon Lee, MS Candidate, Aeronautics and Astronautics Host: Avi Seifert, Tel Aviv University Project: Designed a rooftop wind turbine to be installed on the rooftop of the mechanical engineering building at TAU. The purpose of this wind turbine is to serve as a research test bed for techniques to improve the performance of vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWT), which are suited for urban power generation.
Hannah Wood, Sophomore, Comparative Media Studies Host: Mira Kosman, eCamp - Science and Technology Summer Camp Project: Taught at eCamp, an international summer camp focused on technology, media arts and gaming for children and teens ages 7-18.
Inbar Yamin, Sophomore, Materials Science and Engineering Host: Yair Reisner, Weizmann Institute of Science Project: Researched immature dendritic cells (DCs) that express perforin, a cytolytic molecule normally found in natural killer cells and cytotoxic T cells and engaged in host defense against pathogens and tumor cells.
“Working abroad made me much more aware of every choice I made. Whether it was interacting with people in lab or going on trips, I really thought through what would be the best decision to make in each moment. When I’m at MIT I am so comfortable that I do not push myself as much as I did in Israel, especially when it comes to being proactive in lab. Now, I am going to take this new attitude which I gained in Israel and bring it back with me to MIT.”
Jasmine Florentine, BS, Mechanical Engineering Host: Nimrod Rotem, Gizmo Engineering Project: Conceptualized and designed prototypes for clients.
“My experience gave me a lot more confidence in my abilities as an engineer and a designer. Living in Israel also furthered my confidence in my ability to go to a new country and feel comfortable with a different culture.”
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Jason Tong, Freshman, Undeclared Host: Rafi Shikler, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Project: Characterized and fabricated organic solar cells.
“Being in Israel also meant that I could see firsthand some of the consequences of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and even talk to people on both sides about the issue. It was enlightening to see the range of opinions from Israeli individuals and sobering to realize how much more of a human problem it is than simply a political one as media in America often portrays it to be.”
Jesse Kirkpatrick, Sophomore, Biological Engineering Host: Chen Varol, Tel Aviv University Project: Studied the role of a regulatory protein, COMMD10, in the development of inflammatory bowel disease.
“By working in Israel this summer, I had a chance to go out of my comfort zone and submerge myself in something unfamiliar. I had to learn how to fit into conversations in a language over which I have little command. I also had to relinquish a lot of my habits and customs that would be unusual in Israel, as well as pick up new ones. It was a thought-provoking experience that transcended my lab work.”
Joanna Chen, Sophomore, Materials Science and Engineering Host: Gilbert Nessim/Yaakov Tischler, Bar-Ilan University Project: Made a “quantum” light bulb and studied how it reacts to electrification/heat.
“One thing I experienced that I don’t think would have happened in the United States was being treated like I was on the same level as the graduate students working in my lab. They talked very familiarly with me right away, even though I’m younger than them and only an undergraduate. They helped me use something I’m not trained on, and in turn I helped them do thermal depositions (using an instrument that is new to the lab and no one has used before — I’ve been using it the most).”
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Jody Fu, Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering Host: Ido Bachelet, Bar-Ilan University Project: Studied how function and architecture integrate in the nests of the edible nest swiftlet found in south-east Asia, and designed 3D-printed models of nest-inspired building materials.
“I strongly believe that working at Bar-Ilan and living in Tel Aviv gave me a very balanced work and social life. I would be focused at work until 5 pm, which left me plenty of time to play beach volleyball for at least three hours every night, go out to dinner with friends, shop around, check out a few places later at night, and maybe even grab a late-night snack... MISTI introduced me to a life that allowed me to be much more focused and happier at work through the balance with social life. In fact I loved working in Tel Aviv area so much that I am strongly considering coming back to either continue working on this project or at a company in the near future.”
Keith Tanner, MS Candidate, Urban Studies and Planning Host: Atar Geva, the Ecological Greenhouse at Kibbutz Ein-Shemer Project: Project focused on contributing to water, agriculture, and renewable energy projects integrating principles of biomimicry, while fostering an inclusive learning environment for local youth.
“I learned a lot from this experience. I learned I know more about green building, waste diversion systems, energy efficiency, and sustainable management than I thought — and I have much to teach to others. I learned the usefulness an outsider can bring to an organization, and how asking the right questions can stir introspection and evaluation among even the most senior staff members. I learned I can teach even while not working directly as a teacher, and the importance of mentors at all stages in life. I learned that while I may struggle with new languages, I am very adept at navigating and being open-minded to new cultures. This experience reinforces my urge to return to California and work in the environmental sector, especially after seeing how a similar climate handles its water much differently.”
Kyle Yuan, Freshman, Chemical Engineering Host: Eitan Naveh, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Project: Researched the integration of mental and physical health systems in Israel.
“Working abroad through MISTI Israel was a phenomenal experience that I could not have had in the U.S. Many of my friends who have worked for industry or took classes basically had a summer that was very much like the school year. However, I treated this summer as an adventure, a chance to explore a new land and learn more about who I am on a personal level. Ultimately, the journey I underwent this summer made me
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personally, academically, and professionally stronger, and MISTI Israel was the catalyst of my adventure.”
Marisa Lau, MS Candidate, City Planning Host: Eran Feitelson/Yoav Kislev, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Project: Researched large-scale seawater desalination, environmental security, and statutory planning reforms.
“The work culture was more informal than others I’ve experienced. I learned that some of the most important conversations you might have often took place outside of the office, over a cup of coffee. This translated into a friendly and supportive working environment, where it was easy to make the transition from colleagues to friends... The trials and tribulations of living and working abroad increased my resiliency to setbacks or unexpected events. This experience has made me more adaptable, and taught me the value of seeing the humor in unlikely situations.”
Meena Subramaniam, Junior, Computational and Systems Biology Host: Asaph Aharoni, Weizmann Institute of Science Project: Studied plant metabolomics.
“I learned a lot about myself from this MISTI experience. Since this was the first time I was working and living in a foreign country, at first I was a little nervous that I would not feel comfortable navigating Israel on my own. However, I learned that I was responsible in new situations, and that I was able to function on my own with little help from people who had been to Israel before. In the future, I think I will be less hesitant (and more excited!) to travel to new countries and immerse myself in the culture. This experience has also taught me to be more assertive and independent at MIT.”
Michael Handley, Freshman, Undeclared Host: Efriam Inbar, Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Bar-Ilan University Project: Produced summaries and found information on various events in the Middle East.
“I found my experience in Israel to be immensely enriching. This summer gave me so many new experiences, even if just in the form of my work, new people to learn from, and new ways of thinking.”
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Michelle Anand, Sophomore, Brain and Cognitive Sciences Host: Eva Gilboa Schechtman, Bar-Ilan University Project: Examined attention biases in individuals with social anxiety; helped create a computer program to perform data analysis on eye-tracking data collected from previously run experiments.
“I learned a lot about myself during my MISTI experience. My work overall definitely increased my confidence, and I feel like I am much better at interacting with people in positions higher than me than I thought I was previously. I think this will help me in my future research endeavors at MIT, as well as other encounters with faculty.”
Michelle Dutt, Sophomore, Civil and Environmental Engineering Host: Osnat Gillor, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Project: Researched quantification of pathogenic bacteria in treated and disinfected gray water used for irrigation, using culture-based methods and qPCR. The second project has been an investigation into a new method of quantifying bacteria in environmental soil samples using enrichment, qPCR, and most probable number (MPN) calculations.
“MISTI has helped solidify my passion for science and increased my desire to pursue a degree in higher education. I had a tremendous experience in my lab in Israel, where I felt a real sense of ownership of my research. I loved this. Being in Israel opened my eyes to the world of science outside of MIT — I am now more intrigued by the possibility of studying outside of the U.S. I love the cooperation that exists between countries for the sake of science and advancement.”
Minami Kusama, MBA Candidate, Management Host: Eytan Markovitz, Netafim Project: Researched how to penetrate smallholder markets in Africa.
“During the project at Netafim, I found some characteristics from the Israeli military: The organization structure in the project is flat; each team member has multiple functions; and discussion is highly spirited. These features are similar to the Israeli military’s management style. ...in the Israeli military one soldier plays the same role as a staff officer and a general at once. Israeli soldiers in battlefield must analyze the current situation and surroundings, and figure out the solution toward the problems. They are required to create new, innovative approaches toward the problems, which they have recognized in the battlefield, through discussing thoroughly.”
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Nancy Chen, Senior, Management, Political Science Host: Daphne Gottschalk, Amdocs Project: Researched innovation methods and labs of telecommunication companies and service providers; researched start-up accelerators and incubators from around the world and compared them in order to determine whether the model would be applicable in a corporate setting.
“My MISTI summer internship in Israel has reinforced my goal of working abroad in the future, whether it means as a business traveler or on a longer-term assignment... The idea of working at a multi-national company is thrilling, challenging, and satisfying — all at the same time. Not only do I feel like I got the experience to learn about Israeli culture and work culture, I feel like I have a greater understanding of what it means to work at a multi-national firm that values cultural diversity and diversity of experiences. While challenging at times, my summer in Israel solidified my goal of working in Israel or elsewhere in the future.”
Nathan Landman, Sophomore, Biological Engineering Host: Rosa Azhari, ORT Braude College of Engineering Project: Researched effects of electro-mechanical stimulation on the development of engineered skeletal muscle tissue on hybrid scaffolds or targeting of atypical neuroleptic drugs to the CNS.
“During my MISTI experience, I realized that whatever job I get when I finish studying has to be fulfilling and enjoyable throughout the whole process. Doing MISTI made me realize that I thoroughly enjoy the international point of view that people from other cultures can bring to the table.”
Ni Joyce Zhu, MS Candidate, Civil and Environmental Engineering Host: Chris Arunsch, Zuckerberg Institute of Water Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Project: Researched the development of a microbiological assay for biofilm growth on reverse osmosis membranes.
“Now as I am continuing graduate school at Virginia Tech, I begin to gear my course planning and research interest towards innovative environmental biotechnology. I greatly appreciate that MISTI gave me such an opportunity to explore my interest and to find an area I am truly passionate about. The MISTI experience definitely stands as an irreplaceable milestone in my life.”
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Nisa Ari, PhD Candidate, Architecture Host: Merav Yerushalmy/Ruth Iskin, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Project: Studied contemporary art and alternative art spaces in and around Jerusalem.
“Working abroad through MISTI, I came into contact with intelligent, endearing, kind, and energetic artists and academics who are also engaged in the type of questions I am. Not only did I have the opportunity to get to know those who work in the region, but because the art centers I was studying attract researchers from all over the world, I made connections with people from Dallas to Tokyo. Furthermore, I found that by living in a country where I did not speak the language, nor have any close connections, I had less social distractions and obligations and was able to focus more intently on my research than I would have done in the U.S. Researching in a new country reinvigorated some of my previous impulses and I believe that I am able to leave Israel with different and more thoughtful questions than those with which I arrived. I am also extremely pleased to have established a network of friends and colleagues in the region — the type of friendships that could never have been developed over e-mail.”
Noam Buckman, Freshman, Undeclared Host: Avraham Ebenstein, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Project: Researched the phenomenon in Asia of having abnormally high male sex ratios at birth due to aborting girls during pregnancy.
“My MISTI experience taught me that in order to work in a different country and culture one needs to be prepared for different surroundings. By coming in to my experience with very little expectation, I was never surprised by any differences or peculiarities about working in Israel. If you keep an open and optimistic mind, any obstacle or cultural difference that comes your way can be turned into a positive.”
Paige Finkelstein, Junior, Chemical Engineering Host: Howard Cedar, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Project: Worked on understanding how the methylome is affected by sexual dimorphisms — and if those methylation differences truly indicate why males tend to have a much higher likelihood for developing liver cancer.
“In Israel, there is a much stronger group mindset; lab work is less focused on what ‘I’ can accomplish and emphasizes more what ‘we’ can do together. Though we have our own projects, is there something we can do to help our neighbor? There is no need to rush to finish my own project — there is usually almost always time to help someone else. Though different from America, this mindset reflects how the value of friendship is more important than personal gain in Israel. This is a country that had it not been for helping each other, probably would not exist on the map today... To be able to ask for help, I believe, streamlines progress.”
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Perla Villarreal, Sophomore, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Host: Dave Zeevi, Weizmann Institute of Science Project: Researched how to decipher the relationships between a person’s lifestyle, microbiome, food consumption, and the physical response to food, measured mainly by the blood glucose response.
“...the biggest difference I experienced while working in Israel is the lack of hierarchy and the directness of opinions. During lab meetings the presentations were surrounded by open discussions. I believe this attitude affected the lab work in a very positive way. Everyone felt free to express their opinions towards the topic at hand, which allowed for thorough feedback for the presenter and faster movement in the science overall.”
Qian Lin, Senior, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Host: Zvi Kotler, Orbotech Ltd. Project: Researched the field of laser-matter interaction using a deep UV laser source interacting with several polymeric materials and understanding the role of such processes in industrial applications relating to printed circuit boards and printed electronics.
“My experience in Orbotech helped me realize the practical value of scientific research. Coming from a research background, the question ‘How is this high-end research related to real life?’ used to bother me quite often, and I found the answers through my MISTI project... The invention of femtosecond lasers took place in academia some ten to twenty years ago. Now fs lasers have just entered the commercial product market and have provided better solutions for the glass- drilling problem I’m working on. Seeing the whole process of technical transfer from research lab to marketplace makes me more aware of the social value of scientific research... Knowing that there are so many people who love science and believe in its potential to change our lives is awesome. I feel encouraged to go back to MIT and do some good research that will have an impact on modern technology.”
Ruby Maa, Junior, Chemical Engineering Host: Naama Frost, OrbiMed Advisors Project: Researched biotech and pharma mapping companies in Israel, clinical stage and other various projects including being more familiar with the Israeli biotech and pharma arena.
“Working at OrbiMed’s Herzliya office this summer complemented my understanding of the healthcare industry. As an undergraduate researcher at MIT, I have been heavily involved in the discovery of the technology developed to benefit the greater community. Being at the VC firm made me realize that there is a completely different world beyond the discovery of the technology. Things like the distribution of surgical procedures can
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make or break a technology. Having this different experience has helped me understand the healthcare industry more.”
Sarah Weiss, Junior, Biological Engineerings Host: Nachum Ulanovsky, Weizmann Institute of Science Project: Participated in neural recordings from the hippocampus of bats flying in 3D, and took part in data analysis of these data and existing 3D data.
“The main thing that I will take away from my MISTI experience in Israel is the importance of having a work-life balance. While at MIT, it’s easy to get sucked into solely placing value on the work that you accomplish. Through my labmates and my own experience in Israel, I saw the value of both... I really felt that my time in lab was a precious resource that I needed to make the most of. Thus, going forward this year at MIT (and beyond), I aim to incorporate this ‘exploration outside of work’ aspect into my life.”
Simmy Willemann, MS, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Host: Udi Tirosh, IDE Technologies Project: Focused on business development for water desalination.
“From day one of my internship, I realized that I could comfortably voice my opinions and debate freely with co-workers in a manner more natural than at any other company I had been at previously... Overall, these cultural styles allowed for a fruitful two-way exchange of ideas in which I applied much of my shipping and ship-design background, and IDE got me up to speed on their approach to desalination and how my particular project fit into their strategy.”
Susana Vasserman, Senior, Mathematics, Economics Host: Michael Schapira, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Project: Researched a way to provide a computational perspective on behavioral game theory.
“... Experiencing the friendliness and neighborliness firsthand as a young woman (relatively) alone in the country, I appreciated [this] experience.”
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Valerie Chia, Senior, Materials Science and Engineering Host: Tamar Yaniv and Haggai Klorman, Preen.me Project: Focused on business development and social media.
“Through MISTI, I learned that start-up culture isn’t as terrifying as I thought it would be. Given the U.S. economic recession that we all experienced, I always felt that job security was one of the most important factors in choosing my career path. However, after being in Israel and having the opportunity to network with many entrepreneurs through my job, I realized that it’s not as scary as it seems. I attended an event hosted by Google and UpWest Labs where there were panels from entrepreneurs as well as big-name investors who gave tips on how to succeed in the start-up world. I also got to speak with Jared Morgenstern (former product manager and one of the earliest employees hired at Facebook) at an event through Aleph, a major VC firm in Israel. What I’ll take away from these experiences is an appreciation for the unknown and I believe it will force me to think outside of the box in my career choices. The passion and the camaraderie amongst those in the start-up community is simply unrivaled.”
William Gaviria, Senior, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Host: Avner Rothchild, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Project: Researched tandem cells for solar energy conversion and storage. The project aims at optimizing electrical and optical coupling between photovoltaic cells and photoelectrodes for water splitting to construct tandem cells for solar energy conversion and storage in the form of hydrogen fuel.
“I learned some interesting things about myself and the American mindset. I learned that going the extra mile to help someone else can be risky but it’s probably more rewarding for society overall, making the individual risk seem insignificant when viewed from this context. Although Americans can be really helpful towards each other, this is often seen mostly in times of emergency rather than daily life. I decided to take this lesson from Israel to heart and will go out of my way to help people in the future as much as I can.”
Yiming Wu, MS Candidate, Engineering Host: Gaddy Weissman & Daniel Ben Yehuda, The DevTech Hub Project: Helped build a venture accelerator from day one. This venture accelerator aimed to build a development technology platform connecting Israeli innovations with the developing world’s market needs.
“This experience was breathtaking and it prepared me to be ready for my entrepreneurial career thereafter. MIT’s MISTI Israel program has enabled and empowered me to work on cross-border opportunities and turn them into fascinating high-tech startups. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is interested and wants to become an entrepreneur one day.”
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Global Teaching Labs For more information on Global Teaching Labs, see page 15.
ORT/Israel Sci-Tech Schools Team: Maria Chan, Chemical Amal Network Team: Erica Du, Electrical Engineering ‘14; Bridget McCoy, Aeronautics and Engineering and Computer Science ‘14; Emma Astronautics ‘15; Mika Braginsky, Brain and Cognitive Broderick, Chemical Engineering ‘14; Alice Huang, Sciences, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science ‘14; Mechanical Engineering, Business ‘15; Callie Nancy Chen, Management, Political Science ‘13; Eric Emer, McRee, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Mathematics Mathematics ‘15; Sarah Edris, Electrical Engineering and ‘15; Sara Huang, Mathematics ‘15; Yiyang (Robert) Computer Science ‘15; Lyndsy A. Muri, Aeronautics and Luo, Mathematics, Economics ‘15; and Amal Astronautics ‘15; Kathleen Kraines, Mechanical Engineering students ‘13; and Sarah McMillian, Mechanical Engineering ‘15
Amal Network Team: Dextina Booker, Mechanical Engineering ‘15; Tomashin Qalansuwa Technological Sheila Lee, Management, Economics ‘13; Joy Ekuta, Brain and High School Team: Carlos Castellanos, Cognitive Sciences ‘13; Carlos Castellanos, Biological Engineering Biological Engineering ‘13; Dextina ‘13; Tzu-Hsien (Jeff) Chan, Electrical Engineering and Computer Booker, Mechanical Engineering ‘15; Science ‘14; and the Amal administration and teachers Sarah McMillian, Mechanical Engineering ‘15; and Krystal Johnson, undeclared ‘16
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IV. Host Remarks
The majority of our hosts were very satisfied with the students doing internships. Almost three-quarters of them are interested in hosting again next year. Several of those who could not cited conflicts of scheduling or project issues.
Below are some comments from our hosts collected from an end of internship survey:
“The two MISTI students that went through my lab at the Weizmann Institute were simply fabulous — it was a great experience and great help for us, and it was certainly a wonderful academic and cultural learning experience for them.”
> Dr. Nachun Ulanovsky, Weizmann Institute of Science
“It was a joy to host the MISTI student, who in just three months could generate publication-ready data!”
> Professor Christopher Arnusch, Ben-Gurion University
“We have had a great experience hosting Qian Lin in our labs. Although quite a short period (three months) and still with dedication and professionalism excellent results were obtained to our great satisfaction. We will definitely consider having more MISTI students spending their internship with us in the near future.”
> Zvi Kotler, Orbotech Ltd.
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V. Country-Specific Preparation
Hebrew
We strengthened our efforts to ensure our students’ basic knowledge of Hebrew. All students that did not have basic prior Hebrew knowledge took part in one of the following Hebrew trainings:
• An Ulpan (Hebrew language class) taught over IAP, run by MIT-Hillel, in collaboration with MISTI. • Beginner level classes taught during IAP and the spring as two day courses. • Online classes taught by LingoLearn.
Israel Related Courses
As with all MISTI programs, students need to acquire academic-level country-based knowledge in order to prepare themselves for their internship abroad. Forty students took our for-credit MIT course, “Israel — History, Culture and Identity” with Professor Nahum Karlinsky (12 credits during the spring/9 credits during winter IAP). In addition to MISTI students, additional MIT students also enrolled in these courses. The purpose of this course is to give a basic understanding of modern Israel to MISTI MIT-Israel students and the general MIT student body through lectures, discussions, and projects. This course introduces Israel’s history, national identity, political and legal institutions, social texture, and culture. The object of this course is to familiarize students with Israel’s multifaceted aspects through lectures, discussions, films, and projects. Among the topics that were explored: the history of Zionism and the history of the Arab/ Israeli conflict; Israel’s political system and society; ethnic relations in Israel; and Israel’s political economy.
Eighteen students that for scheduling reasons could not take the Israel History, Culture and Identity course took part in other Israel-related for-credit courses on campus and participated in a supplementary four-hour workshop with Dr. Ehud Eiran of Haifa University, “Israel Startup Nation: Challenges and Opportunities,” and learned about the factors that have made Israel the startup and research powerhouse it is today.
We also ran an intensive for-credit 8-hour class for Sloan Students and MISTI graduate students on Israel and entrepreneurship.
Training Sessions
In addition to the course and Hebrew study, we organized ten hands-on training sessions and a retreat.
Students explored personal goals and visions for the internship; how to prepare for internship; how to navigate Israeli culture; and differences between U.S. and Israeli culture.
Student learned about places to see in Israel and in the region; safety and security; cross-cultural communication; navigating the Israeli workplace; why Israel is a “Start-up Nation”; Israeli music; and how to network in Israel.
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Students met with MISTI MIT-Israel alumni/ae; Slava Menn, MISTI alumnus and MBA 2011, who presented “Leveraging your Network”; Israeli students at MIT, who told them about historic sites, beach destinations, Israeli food, and top travel destinations in Israel); and Tutti Druyan and Gitit Shoval, who presented “Israeli Music: A Retrospective.”
VI. In-Country Seminar and Events
During the students’ stay in Israel they took part in several organized activities aimed at deepening their understanding of Israeli society and widening their network. Five Day Educational Seminar in Israel: The primary goals of the five day seminar in Israel were as follows: a) To introduce students to Israeli politics, society, and technology and their impact on Israel and Israeli behavior. b) To give students the understanding of the context and culture of a society and how it impacts the workplace, in order to support them in their future global careers. Sub-goals included: • To tour important sites in Israel. • To encourage relationships/interactions with Israelis. • To learn from high-level, exceptional Israeli leaders. • To learn about the Israeli Cleantech sector.
Itinerary:
Thursday, July 11th • Netafim (drip irrigation): tour of greenhouse park; exploring current Netafim challenges; workshop on finding global solutions with Danny Ariel • Tour of Caesarea National Park, an ancient multi-cultural center in Phoenician, Roman, and Byzantine times • Hadag Nachash Concert at Shuni Amphitheatre
Friday, July 12th • Visit Jerusalem, a holy city to the world’s three monotheistic religions • Guided tour of Yad VaShem, Israel’s National Holocaust Museum • Dr. Rachel Korazim: “Impact of the Holocaust on Israeli society” • Kabbalat Shabbat experience • Shabbat dinner at the hotel
Saturday, July 13th • Free time/visits to local synagogues or churches for morning services • Afternoon options: 1) Guided tour of Jewish and Christian sites in the Old City of Jerusalem 2) Israel Museum — This newly renovated museum is an architectural beauty in and of itself. The museum houses exhibits and treasures from pre-historic times to the present.
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3) Tisch Family Zoological Gardens (a.k.a. “The Biblical Zoo”) — The gardens contain more than 140 species of animals with two major themes: animals mentioned in the Bible and endangered species from around the world. 4) Bible Lands Museum — This is the only museum in the world dedicated to the history of the Bible and the Ancient Near East. The permanent exhibition spans from earliest civilization to the Early Christian era in the Lands of the Bible. • Evening and dinner on their own on Ben Yehuda Street
Sunday, July 14th • Presentation and discussion with the Bereaved Parents Forum • Lunch at ORT Braude College of Engineering, Karmiel, tour, and student-to-student program • Tour of Keter Plastic plant in Karmiel
Monday, July 15th • Iman Kaddah: “The Arab Israeli Community” • Tour of the Golan Heights to understand its history and strategic importance to Israel • Rafting at Kfar Blum, along the Hatzbani, Banias, and Jordan Rivers
Photos from 5-day seminar, 2013
MIT-Israel and ORT Braude College of Engineering students, 2013
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Selected student comments about the 5-day seminar: “The trip has encouraged me to try to meet and get to know more Israelis to get a true living experience here. I also, after reflection on the trip, hope to take a little more control and initiative for the rest of my internship.”
“Getting to know the people and culture of Israel better. For example, I understand the different aspects and opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict better. Also, we got to meet Israeli students, people from Israel and Palestine, and people from different religions (i.e., Jews, Muslims, Druze).”
“Loved being with the MIT group at the middle of my MISTI experience. The Israel Museum in Jerusalem was amazing.”
“I am more informed about Israeli culture, history, and politics, and that will definitely help me explain issues to people and help others better understand this place. Whether it’s cultural interactions or
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something like drip irrigation that’s unrelated to my field or more pertinent academic/work experience, I will always be able to look back at these experiences and benefit from them.”
“Having an opportunity to meet so many people (Israelis) from all walks of life was something that imbued me with a better idea of why this society functions as it does. These realizations I will take with me as I finish up my work this summer, and even when I return home.”
VII. Additional In-Country Activities (co-sponsored by MISTI MIT- Israel) MISTI MIT-Israel/Hillel Tech Trip for MIT students In Israel MIT Hillel together with MISTI MIT-Israel organized a 5-day June tech trip in Israel, led by Hillel’s Israel/Engagement staffer, Shoshana Gibbor, for MIT students who had just participated in the 10-day MIT Birthright Israel trip. The group of 12 MIT graduate and undergraduate students had the unique opportunity to see the amazing high-tech, startup, science, and technology side of Israel while exploring opportunities for internships and meeting MIT alumni/ae. The trip included visits to MISTI MIT-Israel host companies: Dev Tech start-up, Conservation Interns at ICC in Acre, and Check Point. The group also got to engage with MIT-MEET (Middle East Education through Technology) alumni/ae and visit the Jerusalem MEET hub. Special thanks to Mrs. and Mr. David A. Polak ‘59 for supporting this initiative.
Massachusetts Water Delegation to Israel MIT graduate student David Cohen-Tanugi, supported by a grant from MISTI MIT-Israel, joined Professor Christine Ortiz, Dean for Graduate Education and MISTI MIT-Israel Faculty Director; Ranaan Miller, MIT Energy Initiative Deputy Director; and Jonathan Fleming, Senior Lecturer, Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship on the Massachusetts Water Mission to Israel in December 2012.
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Annual MIT Alumni Club Cocktail Reception Hosting Participants of the MIT Sloan Trek to Israel
Every year, MIT Sloan MBA students travel all over the world during spring break on “treks” or delegations. The Israel Trek shows students from all over the world a side of Israel they do not see on the evening news and gives them a deeper understanding of Israel’s dynamic economy, culture, and history. The reception featured three engaging entrepreneurial presentations called “The Crowd, The Sun, and The Power and keynoted by guest speakers: Mr. Gadi Mazor, Founder, President, CEO, Nobex Technologies; General Partner, CTO, OurCrowd, Dr. Yossi Kofman CEO, bSolar; and Mr. Oren Ahronson, Chairman & CEO, Power Offer.
VIII. Reflection
As part of the comprehensive educational process, several reflection opportunities were integrated into the internship experience. Prior to being accepted to the program, students submitted essays comparing the MIT culture to another culture they have experienced. Building on this, during the cultural understanding training and first month of internship, students submitted cultural reflection essays. In these essays students described one scene that exemplified a different cultural practice they encountered in Israel. They shared data about Jeanne Fahey, MIT-Israel; Esther Njuguna, MS, the encounter and analyzed how the behavior could be Civil and Environmental Engineering; and MIT- understood in the context of what they had learned about Israel students at the re-entry seminar Israel and communication in other cultures. This enabled the students to reflect on and better understand the cultural differences they had encountered.
During the MISTI MIT-Israel 5-day seminar, Managing Director David Dolev met with students in small groups during the in-country seminar to help them focus on some of the current highs and lows of the experience; led a group session during the seminar for the students to re-explore the aims of their internship and how they could achieve them; and explained the next step in their reflection process: their final project. Students were required to interview two MIT alumni/ae in Israel, to explore how their project/field fit into an Israeli and a global context, and to share more in detail how going about solving/researching their current project is different in Israel than it would be in the U.S. Students were also required to send in photos that exemplified work, for example, “In what way is the work culture different from what you have experienced before?”, “community: the communal Israel,” and “culture: the modern, the ancient, and you.” Upon returning from Israel, students took part in a re-entry session
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to learn how to articulate to others what they learned from the experience (i.e., elevator speeches) and explore next steps in their global journey.
The majority of students reported their international experience as eye-opening in terms of the way they view themselves, Israel, MIT, the Unites States, and the workplace. In addition to reporting positive gains in their fields of study, students discussed a greater understanding of their time management in a new cultural context and communication style in the workplace. For example, many students reported increased awareness of different communication styles and learned how to more effectively communicate in multinational teams by adjusting their own communication style to accommodate others.
Numerous students reported increased self-confidence and independence and the valuable learning experience of navigating Israeli workplace norms. Some reported the need to be more assertive in the workplace in order to overcome cultural and language barriers. Three-quarters of the students reported feeling well-prepared to function in Israel’s culture and society and well-informed regarding Israel’s culture, history, and politics, and more than three-quarters reported having a solid understanding of Israeli beliefs and values within a global context.
Lastly, almost half of the students cited that they either contributed to concrete deliverables or foresaw internship outcomes (i.e., paper(s), conference presentation(s), departmental presentation(s), etc.)
Selected Student Comments: “I learned how to work with people who are different from me, learned from their ideas, and tried to see things from their perspective.” > Eunice Lin
“This freedom to suggest alternatives was a consequence of the work culture in Israel, where opinions and criticism are freely offered and graciously received (though not without a heated but well- intentioned argument first if both parties believe themselves correct). I believe that this forthright nature of communication led to a more efficient development and refinement of ideas that may not have been as easy to achieve in a more reserved culture in which respect for authority is more religiously observed.” > Jason Tong
“Working abroad through MISTI was a true blessing and really influenced my experience in ways that I would not have gotten had I stayed at MIT or in the U.S. Yes, I would have had an enriching and unique experience somewhere else, but I would not have gotten to experience the culture shock, language barrier and independence required of someone on their own for the first time in a foreign country; I would not have been able to travel and really dig into the history of a land with so much significance and adapt to the ways of life of people so different and yet so similar to myself.”
> Joanna Chen
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“Working abroad through MISTI was a totally different experience than I would have gotten staying at MIT or elsewhere in the U.S. What I love about MISTI is the duality of the education and experience you get there. Research could be done easily in the U.S., but research in a new culture, amidst people whose first language is not English, whose mannerisms and social norms are different from your own, is something you can get much more from working abroad. Thus, I was able to not only gain experience in research, but also gain experience in navigating a foreign environment. It also brought the learning out of the classroom, in a sense. Not only did I learn in lab, I learned everyday: while buying groceries, while purchasing train tickets, while visiting historic sites, and while talking to locals.”
> Michelle Anand
IX. Evaluation and Future Plans
The goals of the MISTI MIT-Israel Program for the upcoming year (pending fundraising) include the following: increasing the number of students in the program; deepening the rigorous educational process; exploring a dedicated MIT-Israel seed fund to enable collaborations between MIT and Israeli scientists built on the MISTI Global Seed Funds model; raising the number of biotech and cleantech company internships; and continuing to build the Global Teaching Labs.
Students filled in pre- and post-internship surveys, took part in small group meetings in Israel, prepared internship reports and projects, and took part in a re-entry session upon return to campus. Israel hosts responded to a mid-internship survey and an end-of-internship report. Students and supervisors had very positive and beneficial personal and professional experiences. The following improvements will be explored based on feedback from the assessment:
(1) Preparation: All of the students are required to take the on-campus Israel class, training sessions, and 8-hour Hebrew training (for those with no Hebrew knowledge). Students that missed a training session are required to make up a session with an online module. As the interns are a very diverse group (graduate and undergraduate, students that have never been overseas and those that have spent a year in Israel), we will explore new ways to work with those students that have been to Israel already and graduate students as team leaders for those that have not been. Upon return students stated that knowing more Hebrew would have been helpful to them. We will explore several options: a for-credit Hebrew IAP class; in-country weekly classes; and online on-campus learning.
(2) In-Country Practical Challenges: Finding lodging for Tel Aviv students continues to be a challenge, as do in-country travel restrictions (driven by State Department guidelines). We aim to come to an agreement with a local real estate agent to secure studio apartments for our students in Tel Aviv. As lodging and living conditions in Israel differ from what some of the students are used to, we will have a dedicated training session to explain lodging in Israel.
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(3) Internships: Based on past years, we did mid-internship host surveys and this was very helpful for us to be aware of any issues that came up during the internship. We will continue to emphasize strong pre- internship communication between students and hosts and regular check-ins between students and supervisors during the internship.
X. New Initiatives - Water
The 2012 the Massachusetts Water Mission to Israel of nearly 50 professionals from Massachusetts included entrepreneurs, scientists, technology executives, venture capitalists, lawyers, and policy makers. The U.S. group met with foreign counterparts, including Israel’s chief scientist, Avi Hasson, and the minister of energy and water, Uzi Landau, Department of Civil Engineering MIT ‘76, and toured the country’s desalination and wastewater treatment facilities. The delegation came away with valuable partnerships that will benefit both the Bay State and Israeli businesses; learned valuable lessons from Israel’s leading water experts while also encouraging Israeli water companies to set up shop in Massachusetts; and opened the door to new potential hosts for MIT students. One of these was IDE Technologies Ltd. (IDE). IDE provides water solutions for industrial and domestic applications worldwide. Upon returning, delegation member and MIT MS candidate David Cohen-Tanugi led a training session on Israeli water innovation.
MIT graduate student Simmy Willemann did a 10-week internship at IDE this summer. Her project focus was business development for water desalination. Simmy’s reflection on her desalinization project at IDE were insightful:
“I wanted firsthand exposure to the thriving business climate of the clean energy and water industries in Tel Aviv... Water scarcity is a heightening global issue requiring increasingly more advanced and innovative solutions. Desalination is a growing global industry, and ship-based Simmy Willemann, MS Candidate, desalination is a new concept that could potentially serve markets that Civil and Environmental are on the coast and in need of short-term water solutions. IDE would Engineering provide the core technology, the RO membranes, probably from Israeli- based manufacturing companies. The ship, once fitted with a desalination plant, would be a global enterprise, serving any location where there is market need, regulatory approval, and environmental feasibility to connect a ship.”
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In May, MISTI MIT-Israel co-sponsored the MIT Water Night. The event was organized by the MIT Water Club and co-sponsored by MIT Earth System Initiative, Grad Friendly, MIT Copytech, SAO-Large Events Fund (LEF), and MISTI MIT-Israel. This was a unique opportunity for the MIT community to showcase research and created an opportunity for networking among MIT community and industry. It also enabled MIT-Israel to highlight the internship opportunities in the water industry and research in Israel: MISTI MIT-Israel alumna Marisa Lau presented her poster on her water research internship at Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel; a map of Israel’s Water Ecosystems was displayed; and MISTI MIT-Israel staff shared about internship opportunities in Israel.
In June 2013, a reverse Israeli delegation to Massachusetts continued to build these ties. Managing Director David Dolev met with delegation companies and followed up with visits to companies during the summer. We also used the time in the summer to research new water companies that would be relevant to host MIT students for internships.
These efforts have led to the fact that we now have more water research and industry-related internship opportunities. Among the companies internships, there are these organizations:
This fall we are making a concerted effort through the MIT water club, past students, and the departments to get the word out about these opportunities to our students.
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XI. Host Companies and Institutions
Our list of participating companies and institutions and willing to host MIT student is continually growing and currently includes the following:
Amal Network Amdocs Arava Power Company
Amal is a nationwide network of educational institutions engaged in the advancement of comprehensive and technological education for tens The Arava Power Company (APC), of thousands of youths and adults. Amdocs provides customer care, formed in 2006, is Israel’s leading billing, and order management solar developer, seeking to supply systems for telecommunications 10% of Israel’s electricity needs. carriers and Internet service providers.
Bank of Israel Bar-Ilan University Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Bloomfield Science Museum BrightSource Energy BT9 Ltd. Jerusalem
The Bloomfield Science Museum BrightSource Energy’s mission is to Jerusalem is an informal cultural make solar energy cost-competitive BT9 generates cold chain supply and educational institution that with fossil fuels by developing, information. presents exhibitions consisting of building, owning, and operating the interactive exhibits on subjects of world’s most cost-effective and science and technology. reliable large-scale solar energy projects.
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CasaVersa CellEra Consumer Physics
CasaVersa is a website that helps you swap your home for a vacation, The company’s mission has Consumer Physics builds a pocket so you can enjoy an authentic and remained the same since the spectrometer for smartphones, comfortable stay in a real home. concept was first drawn on a napkin enabling a variety of consumer in a Boston seafood restaurant — to apps, and is a co-investment with dramatically reduce fuel-cell costs Khosla Ventures. and thereby finally unlock their mass market potential.
Cellepathy The DevTech Hub eCamp
eCamp is an Israeli technology
Cellepathy is pioneering the field of The developing world is in need of summer camp in Israel for children context-based services. They collect sustainable technological solutions and teens ages 8-18. data from accelerometers, to advance its own economic gyroscopes, and other sensors on development. Israel is uniquely smartphones and tablets to power poised to help. The DevTech Hub innovative, algorithmic solutions to brings the “Start-Up Nation” to real-world problems. international development and emerging markets.
The Ecological Greenhouse at Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy Emefcy Kibbutz Ein-Shemer
Ein Shemer is a kibbutz in Israel in Emefcy was founded in 2008 with a the Shomron region. This project aspires to turn the vision of fundamentally changing region into an international center the energy economics of for development of technologies for wastewater treatment. production of renewable energy, while at the same time making the region energy independent and free of fossil fuel and carbon emissions by 2020.
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Endospan Ltd. Galilee Foundation Given Imaging For Value Education
The Galilee Foundation for Value Endospan is a preclinical stage Education has been engaging in medical-device start-up that is education for intergroup Given Imaging is a world leader in developing a novel indovascular understanding since 1992: Jewish- developing and marketing patient- system. Arab, Jewish-Jewish, and Israel- friendly solutions for visualizing and Diaspora. detecting disorders of the GI tract.
Gizmo GoAroundMe Google
GizmoMaker.com is a full-service The GoAroundMe platform serves engineering firm, specializing in as a launching point to engage in In Israel, Google is committed to working with inventors and start- conversations and activities with focusing on Israeli web surfers, ups to make their inventions and people in a nearby radius and stay advertisers, and website operators, product dreams come true. connected with their friends, in addition to developing their wherever they might be. worldwide operations.
HelioFocus IDE Technologies IMI Tami
IMI’s primary goal is to expand the HelioFocus is developing a full- business of the Israel Chemicals system solution for providing solar Group by improving existing heat using air as a heat transfer IDE provides water solutions for chemical production processes for fluid. industrial and domestic applications “me-too” products. worldwide.
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Infinidat Intel Intigua
Intel is developing small, fast, and Intigua simplifies IT infrastructure and operations management for energy-efficient technologies to Pounds help create the next revolutionary virtualized and cloud data centers. Infinidat is a start-up involved in step in mobile, desktop, and data Intigua offers the only automation hardware and software in the field center computing — as well as platform for centralized, policy- of computerized data storage. technologies that power the engine based provisioning, configuration, of change for our entire industry. and ongoing control of the entire management stack.
Israel Antiquities The Israel National Museum of Keter Plastic Society/International Science, Technology & Space Conservation Center - Acre
The Center aims to provide training in conservation professions, serve as a place of study for researchers
and students, and develop new Madatech sparks the curiosity and public and community programs inspires inventive genius in 400,000 Keter Plastic Ltd. is one of the that target all tangible and guests, who visit over 20 exhibits world’s leading manufacturers and intangible heritage values of the featuring more than 600 hands-on marketers of resin-based household city. exhibits, and watch 7 Cinematrix and garden consumer products. multi-sense 3-D movies.
Kivunim Lerner Consulting Mellanox Technologies, Ltd.
Kivunim promotes youth with Since 1995, Lerner Consulting, Ltd. special needs. Mellanox is a leading supplier of has developed Web applications for end-to-end InfiniBand and Ethernet dozens of organizations around the interconnect solutions and services world. for servers and storage.
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Naiot Venture Accelerator Nasvax NDS
NDS creates innovative technologies
NasVax develops improved vaccines that allow pay-TV operators to and immunotherapeutics. generate revenues by securely NAIOT helps entrepreneurs delivering digital content to various translate innovative ideas into devices. commercially viable businesses.
Netafim Neurophage Pharmaceuticals OrbiMed Advisors Ltd.
The mission of NeuroPhage is to From biopharmaceuticals to medical Netafim is the global leader in smart advance the treatment of chronic devices, diagnostics, and healthcare drip and micro-irrigation solutions neurodegenerative diseases services, OrbiMed is scouting the since introducing the world’s first through a novel, multi-target globe for innovations that will drip irrigation system solutions in approach to reducing pathologic help ensure humanity lives 1965. deposits misfolded proteins. healthier, longer, and more productive lives.
Orbotech ORT Braude College ORT/Israel Sci-Tech Schools Network
Israel Sci-Tech Schools are an Orbotech designs, develops, educational network of manufactures, markets, and services comprehensive schools in Israel, automated optical inspection (AOI) specializing in the high-tech and systems for bare PCBs, FPDs, and science fields and in instilling imaging solutions for PCB knowledge, skills, and values in their production. pupils. Preen.me Protalix Biopharmaceutical RAD BioMed
Find new beauty inspiration every Protalix is a biopharmaceutical RAD BioMed is a success-accelerator day with gorgeous looks you can company focused on the for Israeli life-science start-ups. recreate. Preen.Me gives you development and commercialization detailed how-tos and the products of recombinant therapeutic proteins used. based on their proprietary ProCellEx® protein expression system.
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Rambam Health Care Campus Ramot Reut Institute
Ramot fosters, initiates, leads, and Rambam Health Care Campus is The Reut Institute is a non-partisan manages the transfer of new northern Israel’s largest hospital and non-profit organization, technologies from the laboratory to and a tertiary referral center for 11 designed to be the most effective the field. district hospitals and the north’s force of change in Israel and the
address for advanced surgical Jewish world. Our designated departments in all specialties and taskforces focus on socio-economic subspecialties. developments, national security, and global affairs.
Shatil S-Sense Design Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Shatil increases citizen involvement Promoting in-depth sustainable in the processes of government and design practice and thinking, S- the quest for equality and Justice. Sense Design aspires to design products and systems that embody the outlook of sustainable design and support the promotion of sustainable lifestyles and habits.
Tel Aviv University Teva Pharmaceuticals Tomashin Kalansawa Technological High School
Technical High School in Israel.
Teva specializes in the development, production and marketing of generic and proprietary branded pharmaceuticals, as well as active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Tower Semiconductor Weizmann Institute of Science Yedioth Information Technologies
TowerJazz manufactures integrated YIT is in the forefront of technology circuits for more than 200 in the publishing field. customers worldwide.
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XII. Events
This past year we sponsored or co‐sponsored 15 Israel‐related events on the MIT campus. Here are highlights of a few events:
Wartime Cooking in Jerusalem Co-sponsored by: G@MIT, MIT-Hillel, MIT Israeli Association, MISTI MIT-Israel, Sloan Jewish Students Organization, SloanLGBT, Consulate General of Israel to New England
MISTI MIT-Israel was delighted to co- sponsor this event, which brought Israeli author and celebrity chef Gil Hovav to MIT to talk about love, war, great food, and growing up in Jerusalem. Hovav, with his illustrious career in journalism, in television, and as an author, has played a major role in changing Israeli cuisine from one of basic traditional foods to one of enviable gourmet dining.
A Modern Day Challenge: safeguarding, conserving and protecting the cultural heritage of Israel Sponsors: Center for International Studies, MISTI MIT-Israel Program, Hillel (MIT)
In her presentation at MIT, Shelley-Anne Peleg, Director of the International Conservation Center (ICC) and MIT-Israel host, addressed the questions How can ongoing excavations at sites such as the Western Wall, Tunnels, the City of David or the Tomb of King David continue although they are bustling tourist destinations? and How does the stream of visitors affect the sites and what are the conservation procedures that have been implemented in order to protect the cultural heritage remains at these sites? Opportunities for conservation-related internships in Israel were also presented.
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BIRD Foundation - Come learn how you can get up to $1M for your next technology collaboration through the BIRD U.S.-Israel Binational Industrial R&D Foundation Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, Israeli Students Club, MISTI MIT-Israel Program, New England-Israel Business Council
The BIRD Foundation (BIRD-F) is a 35-year-old endowment funded by the Israeli and U.S. governments. The foundation offers funding of up to $1 million to U.S. and Israeli companies that jointly develop and commercialize innovative technologies in such fields as communications, cleantech, electronics, internet and media, homeland security, life sciences, semiconductors, and software.
Companies interested in partnering through BIRD-F and MIT students were invited to an informative seminar in advance of the March 6 submission deadline for Executive Summaries to the General Technology Fund and Homeland Security Fund (promoting technologies relating to first responders, disaster management, cyber security, and explosives detection).
Contrasting Secular & Religious Agenda Terror and Guerrilla Warfare: From Che Guevara to Osama bin Laden Sponsor(s): MISTI, MISTI MIT-Israel Program, Center for International Studies, Security Studies Program
A presentation by Dr. Jonathan Fine, moderated by Prof. Fotini Christia, enabled members of the MIT community to understand more in-depth this important issue. Dr. Fine is a former advisor on arms control and conflict resolution at the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) strategic division planning branch. He often lectures elite IDF units and courses such as the IDF air force pilot course, naval officer course, IDF ommando units, and teaches at the IDF Tactical Command College. He is a member of ICTAC (the International Counter-Terrorism Academic Community) and the International Center for Study of Radicalization and Political Violence (ICSR) in Kings College, London. Dr. Fine received his PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and is a graduate of the Executive Course in Counter Terrorism at the ICT and the special program in Intelligence Services and International Security sponsored by the University of Cartagena in Spain.
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XIII. Donor Acknowledgements We are thankful to the many who have helped us launch and continue to grow the program, including the following supporters:
Mr. Anirudh Arun ‘13 Rebecca and Laird M. Malamed ‘89
Dr. Jeffrey J. Blumenstein PhD ‘87 Kent Massey ‘82 and Dr. Julie Safirstein Massey ‘88 Eran Broshy ‘79 and Feigue Berman-Broshy Mr. and Mrs. David A. Polak ‘59 Larry Broutman ‘59, SM ‘61, SCD ‘63 Arthur Reidel BS ‘73 Arie and Ida Crown Memorial Foundation (Charles Goodman ‘54) Janice Rossbach ‘51
Ilana Rotmensch ‘09
Jay (‘77) and Shoshana Dweck Edward M. (‘59) and Harriet Safran
Fisher Family Foundation (Ron Fisher and Joshua and Eileen Schein
Lisa Rosenbaum ‘77) Arlene and the late Harold Schnitzer ‘44
Mr. Chaim Katzman and the late Dr. Jake Seid BS ‘98, MEng ‘98 Shulamit Katzman Lionel C. Kimerling, Thomas Lord Professor, Alan Sicherman ‘69, ‘75 Department of Materials Science and Mr. Philip J. Solondz ‘48 Engineering Ann and Rick (‘70) Tavan The Kogan Family Arnee R. and Walt A. Winshall ‘64 Robert and Myra Kraft Family Foundation
Mr. and Mrs Mason I. Lappin
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XIV. Further Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all of the student-host sponsoring organizations and faculty hosts for their generous financial and administrative contributions: International Conservation Center, Akko, Amdocs, Bank of Israel, Bar-Ilan University, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, eCamp, the Ecological Greenhouse at Kibbutz Ein-Shemer, Google, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, IDE Technologies, Infinidat, Keter Plastic via ORT Braude College of Engineering, Netafim, OrbiMed Advisors Ltd., Orbotech, Preen.me, S-Sense Design, Tel Aviv University, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, and the Weizmann Institute of Science.
We would especially like to thank the MIT Club of Israel for their continued partnership in helping to recruit host institutions, organize alumni student matches, and really being a home away from home for the students.
Rafael Reif, President of MIT Dan Grotsky, President MIT Sloan Club of Israel, MS /MBA ‘02; Boaz Tamir, PhD, ‘87 Philip Khoury, Ford International Professor of History and Associate Provost, MIT Consulate General of New England: Shai Bazak, Consul General of Israel to New England; Ronit Eric Grimson, Chancellor, MIT Nudleman Pearl, Deputy Consul General of MIT Hillel: Rabbi Michelle Fisher, Director; Israel to New England; Oshra Barzel-Shapira; Marissa Feinman, Director of Student Life and Meirav Dvora; Leehe Ralph; Oren Shamay; and Programming; Shoshana Gibor, Hillel’s Meggie Wyschogrod Israel/Engagement Staffer The Department for Jewish Peoplehood-Oren, Deborah Fitzgerald, Kenan Sahin Dean of the Shdemot: Roberta Bell-Kligler and Lori School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, Abramson MIT New England-Israel Business Council: Eldad The MIT Israeli Association: Tal Tchwella ‘14 and Amir, Adi Golani, and Meital Mendel Nadav Gan MBA ‘13, Presidents The American Technion Society: Joel Berkowitz MIT Sloan Israel Business Club: Ron Lerner and and Ruth Gold Michal Davis ‘13 David Goodtree, Co-Chair, Massachusetts MIT UROP: Michael Bergren and Sara Nelson Water Innovation Mission to Israel
Richelle Nessralla, Associate Counsel, Office of Jonathan Shapira, Associate, Goodwin Procter the General Counsel LLP, and Co-Chair of NEIBC Cleantech Committee The MIT Club of Israel: Haim Alcalay, Past President, EECS ‘61 and Galya Racine, President, MBA ‘02
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References
1 https://entrepreneurship.mit.edu/news/president-reif-calls-for-intense-strategic-focus-on-innovation- and-entrepre 2 The Global And Mail. http://m.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/canada- competes/legs-for-paraplegics-and-other-startups-from-israels-silicon- wadi/article12948522/?service=mobile 3 The Global And Mail. http://m.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/canada- competes/legs-for-paraplegics-and-other-startups-from-israels-silicon- wadi/article12948522/?service=mobile 4 Saul Singer, co-author of the book Start-Up Nation 5 Advanced Technology Industries (IATI) 6 Advanced Technology Industries (IATI) 7 http://www.shanghairanking.com/Country2012Main.jsp?param=Israel 8 Association of Alumni and Alumnae of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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The MIT-Israel Program was founded in 2008 and continues to grow. 21 47 ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS HOSTS Since 2008 students hail Current & past from across campus host institutions 84 280 EVENTS INTERNS On campus 2008 - 2013 > MISTI MIT-ISRAEL Program mit.edu/misti/israel [email protected]
MISTI MIT-ISRAEL
Annual Report 2012-2013
MIT International Science & Technology Initiatives MIT-Israel Program Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1 Amherst Street, E40-413, Cambridge, MA 02139 (617) 324-5581 • [email protected] mit.edu/misti/mit-israel >