Tel Aviv University Review | 2019 Alumni with Big Ideas Sustainable Development 12 TAU researchers and students are bringing novel solutions in agri-tech, water technology and food security to the developing world. Cover story: From revolutionary science to global TV hits, TAU alumni AI and medicine 16 are breaking TAU researchers and their clinical colleagues are leveraging new AI convention. 6 techniques for medical treatments and diagnostics. Tel Aviv University Review | 2019 Issued by the Strategic Communications Dept. Accessibility 20 Development and Public Affairs Division The Pinkas Accessible Learning Tel Aviv University Center is providing specialized Ramat Aviv 6997801 sections resources for disabled students on Tel Aviv, Israel campus. Tel: +972 3 6408249 Fax: + 972 3 6407080 E-mail: [email protected] innovations 2 www.tau.ac.il Editor: Louise Shalev TAU global campaign 21 Contributors: Rava Eleasari, Ruti Ziv, Idit Nirel, Melanie Takefman, David Jozsef, Lisa Kremer, Mayan Hoffman, Shira Rubin, Claire Polansky, next big ideas Marina Gorbonasov, Tallie Lieberman 24 Graphic Design: TAU Graphic Design Studio/ Michal Semo-Kovetz Photography: Yehonatan Zur, Yoram Reshef, events 27 Galit Botzer, Chen Galili, Israel Hadari, Daniel Leightley/ Dan Dyball, Shmuel Marco, Idan Malka, Tavor Nakash Administrative Assistant: David Jozsef digest Printing: Shavit Print 29 newsmakers Follow us! Global TAU 34 TAU Review 2019 Issue Officers of Tel Aviv University Prof. Jacob A. Frenkel Chairman of the Board of Governors Mr. Eli Gelman Chairman of the Executive Council Prof. Ariel Porat Incoming President Prof. Yaron Oz Rector Mr. Gady Frank Director-General Prof. Raanan Rein Vice President Prof. Yoav Henis Vice President for Research and Development Mr. Amos Elad Vice President for Resource Development Mr. Robert Goldberg, Dr. h.c. Michael H. Steinhardt Chairmen Emeriti of the Board of Governors Dame Shirley Porter Deputy Chairperson of the Board of Governors Dear Friends, Mr. Sylvan Adams, Dr. h.c. Marcus Besen, Dr. h.c. Josef Buchmann, Dr. h.c. Boaz Dotan, Another year of Big Ideas took a thrilling turn when, just as TAU Review Mr. James Dubin, Dr. h.c. Sami Sagol went to press, news broke of the first 3D printed heart engineered from Vice Chairpersons of the Board of Governors human tissue in the laboratory of Prof. Tal Dvir (Life Sciences), Head Prof. Eyal Zisser of the Sagol Center of Regenerative Biotechnology and a member of the Vice Rector Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. This global breakthrough Prof. Aron Shai opens the possibility of a safer, more reliable source for organ transplants. Pro-Rector Two weeks prior to the 3D heart story, the entire world followed Israel’s Prof. Zvika Serper Dean of the Yolanda and David Katz SpaceIL moon mission – brainchild of two TAU alumni, Yonatan Winetraub Faculty of the Arts and Yariv Bash, together with third co-founder Kfir Damari. Our wonder- Prof. Yossi Rosenwaks ful TAU alumni are proving again and again that they are committed to Dean of the Iby and Aladar Fleischman Israel’s scientific, economic and cultural advancement; in this issue you’ll Faculty of Engineering have a chance to meet a few more graduates who are making an outsized Prof. Michael Krivelevich impact on society. Other stories range from TAU’s inroads into medical Dean of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences AI, to our Initiative for Sustainable Development in India and Africa, Prof. Leo Corry to a new model of academic-industrial partnership through TAU’s new Dean of the Lester and Sally Entin Samueli-Broadcom building. Faculty of Humanities TAU’s diverse achievements inspire great pride, and it has been one of Prof. Sharon Hannes the pleasures of my 10-year tenure as President to introduce each issue Dean of the Buchmann Faculty of Law of TAU Review to our circle of friends and supporters. As I complete my Prof. Abdussalam Azem Dean of the George S. Wise term of office, I wish to bid farewell to our readership and to thank you Faculty of Life Sciences for joining me on a rewarding journey. May we all continue to feel joy and Prof. Moshe Zviran pride in the Next Big Ideas coming out of TAU and Israel. Dean of the Coller School of Management Prof. Ehud Grossman Warm regards, Dean of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine Prof. Tammie Ronen Dean of the Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences Prof. Tova Most Professor Joseph Klafter Dean of Students Outgoing President 1 Calling for a New Social Order in Education A planned “Interdisciplinary Center David Mioduser and Fadia Nasser, all the highest number of pupils taking for Improvement of Education” at TAU of TAU’s Jaime and Joan Constantiner advanced math and eligible for high- is answering Israel President Reuven School of Education, aim to narrow school matriculation certificates, fol- Rivlin’s call for a new social order that social and academic gaps through lowed by the national religious popu- fosters equality and integration among large-scale research. The team conducts lation and then Arab students. The the secular Jewish, national religious, ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration Ultra-Orthodox, who are gradually Ultra-Orthodox and Arab sectors. with the Ministry of Education and integrating the national core-curric- Without adequate education, the other stakeholders in the education ulum of math and English into their doors to academic and career success sector. schools, remain the lowest performers. can be closed for pupils on the socio- With the support of Circle of Service These results will serve as a bench- economic and geographical periphery. (COS) and the Davidson Foundation, mark for planning interventions and To redress this, Prof. Audrey Addi- the first phase of study has been com- policies. Raccah, in collaboration with Profs. pleted. Findings reveal that the secu- Dan Gibton, Moshe Israelashvili, lar Jewish education system produces Warding Off Evil Spirits One Amulet at a Time 2 TAU Review 2019 Issue The Jedis of Messaging Apps Apps like WhatsApp and Telegram have changed the way we communicate. We can affordably reach nearly anyone, anywhere, at any time thanks in part to the behind-the-scenes tree codes, a class of error-correcting code (ECC) that ensures the accuracy of transmitted messages. “Tree codes are pivotal to digital messages,” says Dr. Gil Cohen of TAU’s Blavatnik School of Computer Science. But the requirements are becoming increasingly complex, creating a demand for new algorithms. Now, Dr. Cohen and his co-researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and California Institute of Technology have made the biggest breakthrough in ECC tree codes since the 1990s. Their new algorithm removes the un- necessary repetitions from the prior code, which will improve upon the reliability and speed of messages. Imagine the code as an ever-growing pyramid of Jedi knights wielding colorful lightsabers, ready to defend your data. Although algorithms like this have their roots in the military and government, they are vital to all of us in the digital age. The research builds upon probability theory, perhaps best known for game of chance predictions like casino games, and algebraic structures to help computer engineers predict the seemingly unpredictable patterns in information transmission. “Now we have a better understanding of the theoretical core of interactive message encoding. Hopefully, this will equip us to handle the complexities of the evolving technology,” says Dr. Cohen. Judaism is no stranger to protective ing such a vessel so close to the Temple a common item in Phoenician house- amulets and talismans, despite their mount is puzzling and intriguing as holds that settled in the Mediterranean resemblance to forbidden “idolatry.” it exposes popular beliefs that are not region. Similar vessels have been discov- From the mezuzah containing bibli- always mentioned in the Biblical text. ered in other parts of Israel, Shushan, cal scriptures to Kabbalistic jewelry The jar decoration they found, de- Persia, Persepolis, and other cities along engraved with mystical Hebrew letters, picting the Egyptian deity, Bes, can the ancient Persian trade route. any number of objects are said to possess be traced to the Persian period (4th–5th The round, cartoonish eyes, bulbous protective and healing properties. Thus, century BCE), the time of the Second nose, and other circular features on the it should come as no surprise that Prof. Temple. “Pottery from this period was “Bes-Vessel” fragment are believed to Yuval Gadot of TAU’s Lester and Sally exposed in the past in the City of David bring women and children joy and to Entin Faculty of Humanities and Dr. site, but this is the first time that such a ward off evil spirits. Having his image at Yiftah Shalev of the Israel Antiquities vessel has been found in archaeological home ensured good luck and protection. Authority have uncovered a fragment excavations in Jerusalem or anywhere in This finding reveals that no matter how of an ancient clay talisman in their joint the Judean highlands,” say Prof. Gadot secular or religious society becomes, excavation in Jerusalem’s City of David and Dr. Shalev. Although Bes originated superstition is ingrained in the human National Park in Jerusalem. Still, find- from the Nile region, this type of jar was psyche and culture. 3 One of the most complex tasks hu- “If you know what’s wrong, you mans and animals have to face is social know what to fix,” he explains. Dr. behavior. Even a normally functioning Barak and his research team have made person can struggle to navigate social a promising discovery of a gene dele- norms. However, someone with a de- tion associated with the neurodevelop- velopmental disability such as autism mental disorder Williams syndrome. spectrum disorder or Williams syn- His findings reveal that when a gene drome can experience lifelong behav- called Gtf2i is missing from neurons, ioral challenges that can impact his or the protective myelin layer around them her education, human relationships, and becomes abnormally thin.