Table of Contents The International Board...... 1

The Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee...... 9

Institute Officers...... 13

The Weizmann Institute of Science...... 17

Faculty of Biochemistry...... 21 Faculty of Biochemistry...... 22 Biological Chemistry...... 24 Molecular Genetics...... 35 Plant Sciences...... 47 Biological Services...... 58 The Avron-Wilstätter Minerva Center for Research in Photosynthesis...... 61 The Y. Leon Benoziyo Institute for Molecular Medicine...... 63 The Dr. Josef Cohn Minerva Center for Biomembrane Research...... 65 The Crown Human Genome Center...... 67 The Mel Dobrin Center for Nutrition...... 70 The Leo and Julia Forchheimer Center for Molecular Genetics...... 71 The Kekst Family Institute for Medical Genetics...... 72 The Charles W. and Tillie K. Lubin Center for Plant Biotechnology...... 73 The M.D. Moross Institute for Cancer Research...... 74 The David and Fela Shapell Family Center for Genetic Disorders Research...... 76 The Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Center for Plant Molecular Genetics Research....77

Faculty of Biology...... 79 Faculty of Biology...... 80 Biological Regulation...... 82 Immunology...... 91 Molecular Cell Biology...... 101 Neurobiology...... 112 Veterinary Resources...... 119 The Norman and Helen Asher Center for Brain Imaging...... 121 The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Neurological Diseases...... 122 The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Neurosciences...... 123 The Carl and Micaela Einhorn-Dominic Center for Brain Research...... 124 The Murray H. and Meyer Grodetsky Center for Research of Higher Brain Functions...... 125 The Helen and Martin Kimmel Institute for Stem Cell Research...... 126 The Kirk Center for Childhood Cancer and Immunological Disorders...... 128 The Belle S. and Irving E. Meller Center for the Biology of Aging...... 130 The Gabrielle Rich Center for Transplantation Biology Research...... 131 The Willner Family Center for Vascular Biology...... 133 Table of Contents Faculty of Biology The Women's Health Research Center...... 137 The Yad Abraham Research Center for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy...... 138

Faculty of Chemistry...... 141 Faculty of Chemistry...... 142 Chemical Physics...... 146 Environmental Sciences and Energy Research...... 154 Materials and Interfaces...... 159 Organic Chemistry...... 167 Structural Biology...... 175 Solar Research Facilities Unit...... 182 Chemical Research Support...... 184 The Center for Energy Research...... 203 The Fritz Haber Center for Physical Chemistry...... 204 The Ilse Katz Institute for Material Sciences and Magnetic Resonance Research....207 The Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Archaeological Sciences...... 208 The Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Molecular Design...... 210 The Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Nanoscale Science...... 211 The Helen and Milton A.Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure and Assembly...... 212 The Joseph and Ceil Mazer Center for Structural Biology...... 214 The Gerhardt M.J. Schmidt Minerva Center on Supramolecular Architecture...... 215 The Moskowitz Center for Nano and Bio-nano Imaging...... 220 The Sussman Family Center for the Study of Environmental Sciences...... 221 Additional Institutes that have contributed to Scientific Advancement...... 226

Faculty of Physics...... 229 Faculty of Physics...... 230 Condensed Matter Physics...... 231 Particle Physics and Astrophysics...... 239 Physics of Complex Systems...... 251 Physics Services...... 259 The Benoziyo Center for Astrophysics...... 261 The Center for Experimental Physics...... 262 The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for High Energy Physics...... 263 The Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Center for Submicron Research...... 266 The Albert Einstein Minerva Center for Theoretical Physics...... 267 The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger Center for Nanophysics...... 270 The Minerva Center for Nonlinear Physics of Complex Systems...... 271

Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science...... 277 Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science...... 278 Computer Science and Applied Mathematics...... 279 Table of Contents Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science Mathematics...... 289 The Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science....297 The Ida Kohen Center for Mathematics...... 299 The John von Neumann Minerva Center for the Development of Reactive Systems...... 300 The Prospective Institute for Biomatics...... 301

Feinberg Graduate School...... 303 Feinberg Graduate School...... 304 The Aharon Katzir-Katchalsky Center...... 339

Dean for Educational Activities...... 347 Science Teaching...... 348 Davidson Institute for Science Education...... 365

Institute-Wide Centers...... 379 The Clore Center for Biological Physics...... 380 The Dolfi and Lola Ebner Center for Biomedical Research...... 381 The J & R Center for Scientific Research...... 382 The Kahn Family Research Center for Systems Biology of the Human Cell...... 383 The Health and Sciences Center...... 385 The Center for New Scientists...... 386 The Jeanne and Joseph Nissim Foundation for Life Sciences Research...... 387 The Center for Scientific Excellence...... 388 The Mary and Tom Beck Canadian Center for Alternative Energy Research...... 389 The Yeda-Sela (YeS) Center for Basic Research...... 392

Directorate for Research and Academic Affairs...... 395 Directorate for Research and Academic Affairs...... 396 Academic Affairs Office...... 397 Research Grants and Projects Office...... 423

Division of Information Systems...... 425

Division of Logistics and Research Services...... 445

The Amos de-Shalit Foundation...... 451

Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd...... 455

Weizmann Institute Activities on the Internet...... 459

The International Board

Chair, International Board: Mandy Moross, U.K. Founding Chair: Dewey D. Stone, U.S.A Vice Chair, International Board: Lester Crown, U.S.A President, Weizmann Institute: Prof. Daniel Zajfman

Members of the International Board:

Abramov Ayala Zacks, Israel, Life Member Abramson Gary M., U.S.A Abramson Pennie, U.S.A Prof. Addadi Lia, Weizmann Institute, Ex-Officio Member Appelbaum Sally L., U.S.A Prof. Arnon Ruth, Weizmann Institute Prof. Artstein Zvi, Weizmann Institute, Ex-Officio Member Asher Helen S, U.S.A, Life Member Asher Robert H., U.S.A Assia David, Israel Assia Yehuda, Israel, Life Member Azrieli David, Canada/Israel Prof. Sir Ball, John M. FRS, U.K. Prof. Baltimore David, U.S.A Prof. Bar-Joseph Israel, Weizmann Institute, Ex-Officio Member Prof. Bard Allen J., U.S.A Beck Cathy, Canada Beck H. Thomas, Canada, Life Member Belfer Robert A., U.S.A Ben-Naftali Abraham, Israel, Chair Emeritus (Executive Council) Dr. Benassayag Emile, France Bennett Marshall, U.S.A, Life Member Prof. Sir Berry, Michael V. FRS, U.K. Esq. Blumberg Lawrence S., U.S.A Braginsky René, Switzeland Bronicki Yehuda L., Israel Prof. Chain Benny, U.K. Chais Stanley, U.S.A, Life Member Ciechanover Joseph, Israel Cohen Doron, Israel Prof.Cohen Marvin L., U.S.A Cohn Samy, Brazil, Life Member Prof.Crutzen Paul J., Germany Prof. Dafermos Constantine M., U.S.A Dan Leslie L., Canada 2 The International Board de Picciotto Raoul, Monaco, Life Member Diller Helen, U.S.A, Life Member Prof.Dinarello Charles A., U.S.A Dr. Dinstein Zvi, Israel, Chair Emeritus (Executive Council), Life Member Dissentshik Ido, Israel, Chair, Executive Board Dockser Sonnie, U.S.A Dollar Edly R., Israel Prof. Dorfan Jonathan M., U.S.A Prof. Dostrovsky Israel, Weizmann Institute, Life Member Drake Robert J. (Bob), the Netherlands, Vice Chair, Executive Board Prof.Drell Sidney D, U.S.A, Life Member Prof.Dresselhaus Mildred S., U.S.A Duffield Arabella, U.K. Dame Duffield Vivien, U.K. Dwek Julian, U.K. Dwek Maurizio M., Switzerland Equey Robert , Switzerland Prof. Estrin Gerald, U.S.A, Life Member Prof. Feigenbaum Mitchell J., U.S.A Prof. Sir Fersht, Alan R., FRS, U.K. Prof. Fink Gerald R., U.S.A Fischer Alan A., U.S.A Prof. Fischer Edmond H., U.S.A Prof. Fisher, FRS Michael E., U.S.A Fleck Mario, Brazil Flug Laura, U.S.A Prof. Garty Haim, Weizmann Institute, Ex-Officio Member Gavish Moshe, Israel Gerson Mauricio, Mexico Gerstel Martin S., Israel Ginsburg David, U.S.A, Life Member Prof.Goldberg Michel E., France Goldwasser Abraham M., Israel, Life Member Gordon Carol, Canada Prof. Green Michael B., U.K. Adv. Green Yair, Israel Greenberg Scott D., U.S.A Baroness Greenfield, Susan A. CBE, U.K. Prof. Groner Yoram, Weizmann Institute Prof.Gros François, France, Life Member Hackmey Joseph D, Israel Hamburger Gideon J., Israel Prof. Harari Haim, Weizmann Institute Harel Shimshon, Israel Hollander Yossie, Israel The International Board 3 Prof. Hunt Timothy (Tim), U.K. Ilin Ephraim, Israel, Life Member Imberman Arlyn, U.S.A Prof. Jäckle Herbert, Germany Jinich Armando, Mexico Dr. Kadishay Yair, Israel, Life Member Kahn Morris S., Israel Esq. Kamins Shelly B., U.S.A Prof. Karp Richard M., U.S.A Prof. Katzir Ephraim, Weizmann Institute, Life Member Kaul Isaac, Israel Kay James F., Canada Kekst Gershon, U.S.A, Chair Emeritus (Board of Governors), Life Member Kimmel Helen L., U.S.A, Life Member Kirk Donald L., U.S.A Kleeman Derrick ,Switzerland, Life Member Kleeman Peter J., U.K. Klepetar-Fallek Andrea, U.S.A Prof. Sir Klug Aaron, U.K., Life Member Koffler Marvelle, Canada Koffler Murray B., Canada, Chair Emeritus (Board of Governors), Life Member Prof. Kohn Walter, U.S.A Köstenbaum Alain, Switzerland Landa Benny, Israel Prof. Lehn Jean-Marie, France Leitersdorf Jonathan D., Israel Dr. Leshner Alan I., U.S.A Prof. Levine Arnold J., U.S.A Levine Morton, U.S.A, Life Member Dr. Levy Jay, U.S.A Lewis Robert, U.K. Prof. Libchaber Albert J., U.S.A Prof. Lieber Charles M., U.S.A Machinist Robert B., U.S.A Makov Israel, Israel Mantoux Pascal Olivier, France Maor Joshua, Israel Mayer Dan, France Mayer Rina, Israel Merlo Ellen, U.S.A Prof. Mirelman David, Weizmann Institute Lord Mitchell Parry A., U.K. Mondry Ira, U.S.A Morse Andrew R., U.S.A Morton Lon, U.S.A 4 The International Board Prof. Naaman Ron, Weizmann Institute, Ex-Officio Member Prof. Nir Yosef, Weizmann Institute, Ex-Officio Member Nissim Joseph G., Italy Prof. Oren Moshe, Weizmann Institute Paisner, Martin D. CBE, U.K. Prof. Pawson Tony, Canada Peres Chemi, Israel Petschek Charles I., U.S.A Pickman Morton (Mac), U.S.A, Life Member Prof. Pincus Philip A., U.S.A Prof. Pines Alexander , U.S.A Pollack Bruce G., U.S.A Porath Moshe, Israel, Life Member Prof. Prior Yehiam, Weizmann Institute, Ex-Officio Member Propper Dan, Israel Prof. Rich Alexander, U.S.A, Life Member Sir Ritblat John H., U.K. Rose Barrie D., Canada Prof. Ross John, U.S.A, Life Member Prof.Roth Jesse, MD, FACP, U.S.A Lord Rothschild Jacob, GBE, Life Member Prof. Sakmann Bert, Germany, Life Member Schoenheimer Pierre L., U.S.A Schupf Sara L., U.S.A Dr. Schwartz John, U.S.A Segal Modi, Israel Prof. Sela Michael, Weizmann Institute, Life Member Shapell David, U.S.A, Life Member Shapiro Daniel S., U.K. Dr. Sherman Barry C., Canada Prof. Sheves Mudi, Weizmann Institute, Ex-Officio Member Prof. Shilo Ben-Zion, Weizmann Institute, Ex-Officio Member Sir Sieff David, U.K. Sieff Jonathan, U.K. Siem Karen A., U.K. Dr. Singer Maxine F., U.S.A, Life Member Dr. Smith Jay A., Canada Steinberg Gregg M., U.S.A Steindling Rudolfine, Austria Stillmann Luis E., Mexico Lord Stone of Blackheath, U.K., Life Member Tamir Doron, Israel Tanner Marvin, Canada Tenenbaum Evelyn, U.S.A Teplow David. I., U.S.A The International Board 5 Teplow Theodore H., U.S.A, Life Member Townsley, Barry S. CBE, U.K. Dr. Vardi Yossi, Israel Dr. Waksal Harlan W., U.S.A Prof. Weidenmüller Hans A., Germany Prof. Weissmann, MD, PhD Charles, U.S.A Dr. Willner Albert, U.S.A Dr. Winter Herbert , Switzerland Wolff Peter M., U.K. Lord Wolfson of Marylebone, U.K., Life Member Prof. Yarden Yosef, Weizmann Institute Prof. Yonath Ada, Weizmann Institute Prof. Zacher Hans F., Germany Zimand Henri, Israel Zoller Lois, U.S.A Zucker Uzi, U.S.A Zuckerman Sharon, Canada

The Founding Chairperson

The late Dewey D. Stone (served from 1949 to 1971)

Members Emeritus

Almaleh Sem, Switzerland Prof. Arigoni Duilio, Switzerland Prof. Bach Fritz H., U.S.A Barness Amnon S., U.S.A Begam Robert G., U.S.A Prof. Benacerraf Baruj, U.S.A Bernstein Stuart A., U.S.A Besen Marc, Australia Bildner Albert, U.S.A Borman Paul, U.S.A Brender Joseph, Australia Bronfman Edgar M., U.S.A Cameron Hugh T., Canada Cohen, Stanley S, OBE, U.K. Sir Cowen Zelman, Australia Prof. Dausset Jean, France Dennis, David L., Canada Sir Djanogly, Harry, CBE, U.K. Dobrin Melvyn A., Canada Prof. Edelman Gerald M., U.S.A Prof. Eigen Manfred, Germany 6 The International Board Ezralow Marshall S., U.S.A Prof. Feher George, U.S.A Sir Frost David, CBE, U.K. Gelfand Herbert M., U.S.A Prof. Goldhaber Maurice, U.S.A Dr. Goldman Carlos, Venezuela Dr. Goldman Jacob E., U.S.A Goldman Richard N., U.S.A Goldsmith Bram , U.S.A Goodman Richard F., U.S.A Greisman Joel, Canada Grofman Shlomo, Israel Dr. Hansen Niels, Germany Harmelech Yeheskiel, Israel Dr. Haunschild Hans-Hilger , Germany Prof. Sir Kornberg Hans L., FRS., U.S.A Lautman Dov, Israel Prof. Lederman Leon M., U.S.A Levine William, U.S.A Marcus André, Monaco Prof. Marks Paul A., U.S.A Mason John J., U.S.A Prof. Mitchison N. Avrion, FRS, U.K. Monod Henri M., France Prof. Mostow George D., U.S.A Rosenfeld Jackie, OBE, U.K. Dr. Rosenkranz George, Mexico Dr. Rothstein Aser, U.S.A Schaefer Rowland, U.S.A Prof. Scheraga Harold A., U.S.A Schoenfeld Walter E., U.S.A Siegel Jerome A., U.S.A Singer William H., U.S.A Prof. Staab Heinz A., Germany Stulman Stephen L., U.S.A Prof. Sir Thomas John M., FRS, U.K. Waring Saul, U.S.A Lord Weidenfeld, U.K. Weissman Alan B., U.S.A Prof. Winicki Bernard, France Dr. Zaffaroni Alejandro, U.S.A The International Board 7 8 The International Board The Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee

Co-Chairs

Prof. Jonathan M. Dorfan, SLAC, Menlo Park, CA, USA Prof. Herbert Jäckle, Max Planck Society, Munich, Germany

Prof. Sir John M. Ball, FRS, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Prof. David Baltimore, Caltech, Pasadena, CA, USA Prof. Allen J. Bard, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA Prof. Sir Michael V. Berry, FRS, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK Prof. Benny Chain, UCL, London, UK Prof. Marvin L. Cohen, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA Prof. Paul J. Crutzen, Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie, Mainz, Germany Prof. Constantine M. Dafermos, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA Prof. Charles A. Dinarello, MD, University of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA Ido Dissentshik, Tel-Aviv, Israel Prof. Sidney D. Drell, SLAC, Menlo Park, CA, USA Prof. Mildred S. Dresselhaus, M.I.T., Cambridge, MA, USA Prof. Sir Alan R. Fersht, FRS, MRC Centre for Protein Engineering, Cambridge, UK Prof. Gerald Fink, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA Prof. Edmond H. Fischer, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA Prof. Michael E. Fisher, FRS, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA Prof. Michael B. Green, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK Prof. François Gros, Académie des Sciences, Paris, France Prof. Sir Richard Timothy (Tim) Hunt, FRS, London Research Institute, London, UK Prof. Richard M. Karp, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA Prof. Sir Aaron Klug, FRS, Medical Research Council, Cambridge, UK Prof. Walter Kohn, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA Prof. Jean-Marie Lehn, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France Prof. Arnold J. Levine, Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton, NJ, USA Prof. Albert J. Libchaber, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA Prof. Charles M. Lieber, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA Mandy Moross, London, UK, ex-officio member Prof. Anthony J. Pawson, University of Toronto, Canada Prof. Philip A. Pincus, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA Prof. Alexander Pines, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA Prof. Alexander Rich, M.I.T., Cambridge, MA, USA 10 The Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee Prof. Bert Sakmann, Max-Planck-Institut für Medizinische Forschung, Heidelberg, Germany Dr. Maxine F. Singer, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC, USA Prof. Hans A. Weidenmüller, Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg, Germany Prof. Charles Weissmann, MD, PhD, Scripps Florida, Jupiter, FL, USA Prof. Daniel Zajfman, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, Israel, ex-officio member The Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee 11 12 The Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee Institute Officers

President Professor Daniel Zajfman

Vice President Professor Haim Garty

Vice President for Administration and Finance Gad Kober

Vice President for Resource Development and Dean for Educational Activities Professor Israel Bar-Joseph

Vice President for Technology Transfer Professor Mordechai Sheves

Chair, Council of Professors Professor Daniella Goldfarb

Chair, Scientific Council Professor Ron Naaman

Vice Chair, Scientific Council Professor Eytan Domany

Advisory Committee to the President

Professor Lia Addadi Professor Zvi Artstein Professor Israel Bar-Joseph Professor Haim Garty Professor Benjamin Geiger (until September 2009) Professor Michal Neeman (from October 2009) Professor Daniella Goldfarb Professor Adi Kimchi Gad Kober Professor Ron Naaman Professor Yosef Nir Professor Yehiam Prior Professor Mordechai Sheves Professor Ben-Zion Shilo 14 Institute Officers The Feinberg Graduate School (chartered by the New York State Board of Regents)

President Robert A. Belfer Chairman Emeritus of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science (ACWIS) and of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Robert Asher President Emeritus of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science (ACWIS) Robert G. Begam Chairman of the American Committee - Lawrence S. Blumberg LLP Founding Chairman Abraham Feinberg (deceased) Senior Vice President Andrew Morse President Emeritus, Carnegie Institution of Washington Maxine F. Singer Consultant and former President - Theodore H. Teplow Dean of the Feinberg Graduate School Professor Lia Addadi

Deans of the Faculties

Biochemistry Professor Ben-Zion Shilo

Biology Professor Benjamin Geiger (until September 2009) Professor Michal Neeman (from October 2009)

Chemistry Professor Yehiam Prior

Physics Professor Yosef Nir

Mathematics and Computer Science Professor Zvi Artstein

Senior Administrative Officers

Academic Secretary and Head, Directorate for Research and Academic Affairs Dr. Boaz Avron

Chief Legal Counsel Shulamit Geri Institute Officers 15 Head, Construction and Plant Maintenance Division Eliezer Elhadad

Head, Finance Division Yuval Lazarov

Head, Human Resources Division Vered Liverant Kessler (until April 2009) Roni Leers (from May 2009)

Head, Logistics and Research Services Division Asher Bar-on

Head, Procurement Division Nathan Shtark

Internal Auditor and Ombudsman Doron Yonai

Secretary of the Association Kelly Avidan

Resource Development and Public Affairs - Senior Officers

Director, Resource Development Ronit Neaman-Anukov (until May 2009) Director, Resource Development Kelly Avidan (from June 2009) Director, Strategic Development Gila Shmueli Head, Barbara and Morris Levinson Visitors Center Navit Kopelis Head, Publications and Media Relations Department Yivsam Azgad 16 Institute Officers The Weizmann Institute of Science

The Weizmann Institute of Science, one of the worlds leading multidisciplinary research centers, is located in Rehovot, south of Tel Aviv on Israels coastal plain. Today, around 2500 scientists, postdoctoral fellows, Ph.D. and M.Sc. students, and scientific, technical and administrative staff work at the Institute, where lush lawns and sub-tropical gardens serve as a backdrop to the cutting-edge research performed in its labs. In addition, visiting scientists and their families over 700 from 29 countries in 2009 and numerous participants in international scientific conferences and symposia are regularly hosted at the Institute, which also offers a wide range of cultural and educational activities to the public at large.

When the Institute was conceived in 1933, the embattled Jewish population of Palestine numbered 400,000 and Rehovot was a tiny agricultural community surrounded by orange groves. In this milieu, Dr. Chaim Weizmann, who would later become the first President of the State of Israel, envisioned the establishment of a world-class scientific research center. Though resources were extremely scarce, Dr. Weizmann, a successful chemist and tireless statesman for the Zionist cause, believed such an institute was crucial to securing the future of a Jewish state, both economically and politically.

Fortunately, there were others who shared his dream. In 1934, his friends Israel and Rebecca Sieff established the Daniel Sieff Research Institute in memory of their son. Dr. Weizmann had his lab in the Daniel Sieff Institute, alongside those of 10 other full-time researchers in organic chemistry and biochemistry.

Throughout WWII and Israels War of Independence, Institute scientists were deeply involved in the war efforts, yet under Dr. Weizmanns direction, the Institute continued to grow. The end of WWII and the founding of the new Jewish state brought an influx of new scientific talent, and with it a new determination to make Israel a center of scientific excellence. By the time it was formally dedicated in 1949, shortly after Israels declaration of independence, the Weizmann Institute housed 60 labs in nine fields of research, including organic, inorganic and bio- chemistry, optics and electronics, bacteriology and biophysics, polymer and isotope research, and applied mathematics. The Wolfson Institute of Experimental Biology was under construction and the first residential quarters were nearing completion.

The Feinberg Graduate School was established in 1958, and the first PhD was conferred there in 1964. About 1000 M.Sc. and Ph.D. students are enrolled each year in studies covering the Institutes 18 departments, which are grouped into five faculties: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and 18 The Weizmann Institute of Science Mathematics and Computer Science. To meet the challenges of modern research, a number of multidisciplinary centers have been created to allow scientists from completely different fields to work together in developing new approaches to everything from creating new diagnostic tools to revealing the mechanics of living cells to artificial intelligence. In keeping with Dr. Weizmanns vision of Israel as a scientific world leader, the Institute continues to invest resources in ensuring the future of science: through the Science Teaching Department, established in 1968 and the Davidson Institute of Science Education, founded in 2001.

In 1959, the Yeda Research and Development Co. was founded to function as the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute. The first company of its kind in Israel, Yeda initiates and promotes the transfer of innovations stemming from the research of Weizmann Institute scientists to the global marketplace. The Weizmann Institute was also a key player in the establishment of the Kiryat Weizmann Industrial Park, a 40 acre site housing over 60 hi-tech companies, many based on Institute discoveries, ranging from aircraft instruments to bioengineered drugs.

More than 70 years since the first labs were erected in the midst of bucolic orange groves, and over 60 since its official dedication, the Weizmann Institute, today more than ever, is at the forefront of global science. The Weizmann Institute of Science 19 20 The Weizmann Institute of Science Faculty of Biochemistry

Dean: Ben-Zion Shilo The Hilda and Cecil Lewis Professor of Molecular Genetics

Ephraim Katchalski-Katzir, Ph.D.(deceased May 2009) (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) Institute Professor The Theodore R. Racoosin Professor of Biophysics 22 Faculty of Biochemistry

Faculty of Biochemistry

Dean: Ben-Zion Shilo The Hilda and Cecil Lewis Chair of Molecular Genetics

The faculty is comprised of three scientific departments, including Biological Chemistry, Molecular Genetics and Plant Sciences, as well as the Biological Services unit. A number of Research Centers operate within the different departments: Plant Sciences -- The Avron-Willsttter Minerva Center for Research in Photosynthesis; The Charles W. and Tillie K. Lubin Center for Plant Biotechnology. The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Center for Plant Molecular Genetics Research; the Mel Dobrin Center for Nutrition. Molecular Genetics -- The Leo and Julia Forchheimer Center for Molecular Genetics; The Crown Human Genome Center; The M.D. Moross Institute for Cancer Research, (headed by Prof. Yoram Groner in this Faculty), and the newly-established David & Fela Shapell Family Centre for Genetic Disorders Research. Biological Chemistry -- The Dr. Josef Cohn Minerva Center for Biomembrane Research. In addition, the Institute for Molecular Medicine, commemorating the late Y. Leon Benoziyo, is now operating under the auspices of the Faculty.

Modern research in Biology is characterized by the broad range of disciplines involved, and the wide sweep of approaches in which a problem or system can be addressed: from the single molecule to the whole organism. Similarly, it is now possible to examine a gene or protein in the context of its immediate pathway, or as part of a broader, systems level analysis. These different approaches are represented in the Faculty of Biochemistry.

The department of Biological Chemistry, which is the largest scientific department at the Weizmann Institute, focuses on the structure and function of proteins. It addresses topics ranging from the structure and association between proteins, including analysis of large complexes such as the proteosome, to their trafficking and targeting to different cellular compartments. Accelerated evolution of proteins in the test tube allows the generation of new properties and novel insights into forces that shape evolution of proteins. Groups within the department also focus on DNA repair, gene expression in a variety of systems including ES cells, and mechanisms of neuronal migration and injury repair.

The department of Molecular Genetics focuses on the analysis of biological Faculty of Biochemistry 23 processes in whole organisms. The projects include analysis of neuronal functions and bone development in mice, and examination of the roles of micro-RNAs during embryonic and post-embryonic development. In Drosophila, processes of spermatogenesis, muscle fusion and attachment, and signaling during development are studied. Extensive work on yeast includes localization of transcripts, as well as systems analysis and microscopy-based screens for genome wide properties. Processes of cell death and cytokine signaling are also addressed. Genomic approaches are utilized to study processes such as olfaction.

The department of plant sciences examines a broad range of topics, from biophysical aspects of photosynthesis, to issues of recombination, innate immunity, leaf morphogenesis and application of metabolomic approaches, in combination with plant genetics.

Continuous progress in the Life Sciences is more and more dependent extensive cooperation between scientists of different expertise, as well as the ability to introduce modern equipment. During 2007 the facilities were expanded especially in the areas of new microscope facilities and mass spectroscopy. In order to maintain the vibrant scientific environment, we are constantly searching to recruit talented young scientists and continue to invest in the establishment of new facilities and the acquisition of new equipment. http://www.weizmann.ac.il/homepage/pages/dbiochem.shtml 24 Biological Chemistry

Biological Chemistry

Eitan Bibi, Head The Ruth and Jerome A. Siegel and Freda and Edward M. Siegel Professor

The Department of Biological Chemistry is home to more than 24 research groups, whose scientific activities span several areas in the Life Sciences. The common thread is the study of the biochemistry of life. Emphasis is on the investigation of proteins, whether soluble or membrane-bound, and their key biological functions. We seek a molecular understanding of their structure, function, and interaction with other factors. A variety of biochemical, biophysical, structural, computational and molecular biological methods are being employed, with many overlapping interests and inter-group collaborations. Current research activities evolve around the following seven foci of interest:

1. Protein structure, function, design and evolution

Gideon Schreiber and his coworkers study the basic physico-chemical principles governing protein-protein interactions, and how these relate to complex biological processes. The gained understanding is implemented in several medically relevant systems such as the binding of interferon to its receptor, as well as in algorithm development. Meir Wilchek and his group are studying the structure of avidin and its exceptionally high affinity to biotin. The avidin-biotin complex is being utilized for a variety of new biotechnological applications. Edward A. Bayer and his colleagues are studying the structure, architecture and biotechnological applications of the multi-enzyme cellulosome complex, its interactions with cellulose and other plant cell-wall polysaccharides, and the utilization of recombinant designer cellulosomes for enhanced decomposition of cellulosic substrates in the conversion of biomass to bioenergy. The group of Dan S. Tawfik is interested in the mechanism and evolution of proteins, and enzymes in particular. They perform laboratory evolution experiments aimed at understanding how new proteins evolve, and at the creation of novel enzymes with tailor-made activities. Michal Sharon's goal is to understand the relationship between structure and function of molecular machines involved in the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Specifically her group investigates the mechanisms that control and Biological Chemistry 25 regulate these cellular machines and identifies the network of intermolecular interactions that ensure the integration of this cellular process. A novel mass spectrometry method is utilized for analysis of these multiprotein complexes in their native state. This approach is particularly adept at providing new insights into subunit stoichiometry, composition and structural arrangement.

2. Structure and function of ion channels, pumps, other transporters, membrane protein involved in viral infection and innate immunity, viral envelope proteins, and photosynthesis proteins

Several groups are investigating proteins that form specific pores across the cell membrane. Eitan Reuveny is investigating the molecular properties and physiological function of a group of neuronal K+ channels and their interaction with G-proteins. Yechiel Shai's group uses a multidisciplinary approach to study the insertion, assembly and function of membrane proteins involved in immune response (TCR, TLR), infectious diseases (host-defense peptides; i.e. antimicrobial and anticancer peptides), and viral envelopes (HIV/SIV gp41). These studies also led to the design of novel potential antimicrobial, anticancer, immunosuppressive, and antiviral drugs. Nuclear pore complexes, multi-protein structures, that transport macromolecules in and out of the nucleus, are being studied by Ziv Reich. His work utilizes biophysical methods such as atomic force microscopy. Haim Garty focuses on two themes in the regulation of ion transport, which participate in maintaining body salt and water balance. One is the epithelial Na+ channel, which mediates the aldosterone-dependent Na+ reabsorption in the kidney and intestine, and the other is a new group of tissue specific regulators of the Na+/K+ ATPase, the FXYD proteins. Steven J. D. Karlish and his colleagues are exploring the structure and organization of Na,K-ATPase, and its regulation by FXYD proteins. This ion pump plays a central role in maintaining Na and K gradients across the cell membrane and is involved in the pathophysiology of essential hypertension. Another family of transport proteins, which extrude toxins from cells and hence pose a major obstacle in cancer chemotherapy and antibiotic treatment, is being studied by Eitan Bibi. The groups of Steven J. D. Karlish and Eitan Bibi are also interested in solving membrane protein structures by X-ray crystallography. Other researchers are interested in photosynthesis and its relation to ion transport. Shmuel Malkin's research in photosynthesis concentrated on interpreting photoacoustic signals from plant leaves under special conditions, which indicate gas uptake. These signals may be related to oxygen photoreduction by photosystem I and/or proton movements to the thylakoid lumen. Uri Pick's group studies the mechanism by which the alga Dunaliella copes 26 Biological Chemistry with extreme salinity and iron deprivation and also collaborates with Avihai Danon (Plant Sciences) to develop technologies to produce biodiesel from green algae. The groups of Uri Pick and Ada Zamir are collaborating to elucidate the mechanisms by which the green alga Dunaliella copes with extreme changes in external salinity and with iron deprivation.

3. Mechanisms by which proteins and lipids are transported from their point of synthesis, sorted, and inserted into various organelles

Studies related to this general problem in cell biology are being carried out in a number of laboratories. Eitan Bibi and his co-workers are studying the role of the signal recognition particle (SRP) and other cellular components in the biogenesis of prokaryotic membrane proteins. They seek to identify new components of the machinery, and to understanding how ribosomes target and associate with the membrane, and how membrane protein synthesis is regulated. Zvulun Elazar is investigating intracellular protein traffic in eukaryotic systems. His work has led to the identification of new factors that couple transport vesicles to cytoskeletal elements. Delivery of lipids to the cell membrane, and their role in neuronal growth is being studied by Tony Futerman works on two main areas, namely the lysosomal storage diseases, Gaucher, Tay-Sachs, and Niemann-Pick disease; recently, together with I. Silman and J. Sussman he solved the structure of Cerezyme, the enzyme given to Gaucher disease patients. The other area concerns mechanisms of ceramide signaling, and has characterized a gene family encoding mammalian ceramide synthases.

4. Signal transduction, and molecular pathogenesis

Several researchers in the department are interested in problems related to signal transduction, chemotaxis and pathogenesis. Michael Eisenbachs group is investigating, at the molecular level, how bacteria navigate according to chemical cues (chemotaxis), and how human sperm cells are guided to the egg. In bacteria, they focus on the mechanism by which the switch of the flagellar motor receives signals from the receptors and modulates the direction of flagellar rotation. In sperm, the Eisenbach group showed that guidance is essential for fertilization and it involves at least two mechanisms: chemotaxis and thermotaxis. The group of David Wallach is studying mechanisms that control cell death and tissue damage, and involve the caspase cysteine-protease family, and transcription factors of the NF-kB family. They have cloned and characterized several proteins that participate in the induction of cell death and inflammation by receptors of the TNF/NGF family, and explore their mechanisms of action. Biological Chemistry 27 Using transgenic mouse models, they currently focus on elucidating the contribution of genetic variations in these proteins to skin pathology, inflammatory disorders and cancer. Retrograde signaling complexes which govern neuronal growth and regeneration are being investigated by Michael Fainzilber and his co-workers. They have identified new targeting and scaffolding proteins that enable axon-cell body communication in neurons. David Mirelman and his co-workers are characterizing regulatory mechanisms that control the expression of virulence factors in the human intestinal protozoan parasite, /Entamoeba histolytica/ and in particular, epigenetic gene silencing mechanisms. Other studies, in collaboration with the group of Meir Wilchek, focus on the therapeutic properties of the biologically active garlic molecule Allicin and the development of in-situ, targeted delivery systems. Yoram Shechter's research activities focus on overcoming states of insulin-resistance, prolonging the actions of peptide/protein drugs in vivo and delivering peptides and protein drugs from the periphery to the brain via the blood brain barrier. Ruth Miskin is utilizing transgenic mice that over-express plasminogen activator in order to understand mechanisms whereby caloric restriction attenuates aging and increases life-span. Therapeutic and pathogenic signals of the cell membrane, in tumor cells that are subjected to hydrostatic pressure are being examined by Meir Shinitzky. In addition, he investigates the effect on differentiation in breast cancer cells and neuoronal cells of cyclic phosphates, signaling molecules that originate from phospholipid degradation. Ehud Shapiro' s group is using a high-level computer process description language, Stochastic Pi Calculis, to mathematically specify and simulate signal transduction pathways.

5. Genome maintenance and function: DNA repair and gene expression

Zvi Livneh and his coworkers are exploring the molecular mechanisms of DNA repair and mutagenesis in mammals, and in particular translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) by specialized DNA polymerases, and the role of DNA repair in cancer susceptibility. Recently they discovered that TLS is regulated by p53 via p21 to maintain a low mutation load. They also discovered that reduced activity of the DNA repair enzyme OGG1 is a risk factor in lung and head and neck cancers. Two groups are studying mechanisms mediating regulation of gene expression. Rivka Dikstein and her associates are studying the mechanisms of basal and activated transcription. Specifically they are investigating the general transcription factor TFIID at the biochemical and molecular level, the mammalian core promoter, links between transcription and post 28 Biological Chemistry transcriptional stages of gene expression and the mechanism underlying rapid transcription activation by NF-kappaB. Michael Walker and colleagues are investigating the regulation of specific gene expression in insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells, and how embryonic stem cells can be induced to develop efficiently into beta cells. Recent studies have revealed that activity of GPR40, a novel beta cell receptor, helps explain the important, yet poorly understood connection between obesity and diabetes.

6. Mechanisms of developmental regulation

Avraham Yarons group is studying the molecular mechanisms that govern axon guidance during embryonic development. They focus on the mechanisms by which guidance receptors are regulated, and how these receptors transmit their signals. Yoav Soen's group is using embryonic stem cells models to study how different layers of regulation interact to specify morphogenetic decisions, how these decisions are shaped by interactions between emerging precursors and how they are coordinated across a developing embryonic tissue.

7. Biolmolecular computers and computation-based cell lineage analysis

Ehud Shapiro and his team are investigating the engineering of computers made of biological molecules. They succeeded to construct a finite automaton made of DNA and enzymes, which is capable of sensing and diagnosing molecular disease symptoms, and in response releasing a drug-like molecule in a test-tube model system. In a different direction, advanced computational techniques combined with somatic mutation analysis are used for reconstructing cell lineage trees in cultured cells and in mice. http://www.weizmann.ac.il/Biological_Chemistry/ Biological Chemistry 29 Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Ed Bayer, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Maynard I. and Elaine Wishner Professor of Bio-Organic Chemistry Eitan Bibi, Ph.D., Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Ruth and Jerome A. Siegel and Freda and Edward M. Siegel Professor Michael Eisenbach, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel The Jack and Simon Djanogly Professor of Biochemistry Anthony H. Futerman, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Joseph Meyerhoff Professor of Biochemistry Haim Garty, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Hella and Derrick Kleeman Professor of Biochemistry Steven J.D Karlish, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The William D. Smithburg Professor of Biochemistry Ephraim Katchalski-Katzir, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (deceased May 2009) Institute Professor The Theodore R. Racoosin Professor of Biophysics Zvi Livneh, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Maxwell Ellis Professor of Biomedical Research Yechiel Shai, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Harold S. and Harriet B. Brady Professor of Cancer Rrsearch Yoram Shechter, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (on extension of service) The Charles H. Hollenberg Professor of Diabetes and Metabolic Research David Wallach, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Professor

Professors Emeriti

S. Roy Caplan, Ph.D., University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa David Danon, Ph.D., University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Carlos Gitler, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, United States Ora Kedem, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Shmuel Malkin, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Israel R. Miller, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel David Mirelman, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Nathan Sharon, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Meir Wilchek, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Ada Zamir, Ph.D., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel 30 Biological Chemistry Associate Professors

Rivka Dikstein, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Zvulun Elazar, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Harold L. Korda Professor of Biology Michael Fainzilber, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Chaya Professor in Molecular Neuroscience Uri Pick, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Charles and Louise Gartner Professor Ziv Reich, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Eitan Reuveny, Ph.D., Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, United States Gideon Schreiber, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Dan Tawfik, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Michael Walker, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Marvin Myer and Jenny Cyker Professor of Diabetes Research

Senior Scientists

Michal Sharon, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Incumbent of the Elaine Blond Career Development Chair Yoav Soen, Ph.D., Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Incumbent of the Daniel E. Koshland Sr. Career Development Chair Avraham Yaron, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Senior Staff Scientists

Rivka Adar, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Carol Asher, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Daniel M. Tal, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Associate Staff Scientists

Elena Bochkareva, Ph.D., Institute of Protein Research, Academy of the USSR, Pushchino, Russian Federation Adriana Katz, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Tamar Paz-Elizur, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Assistant Staff Scientists

Elena Appel, Ph.D., Medical School, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation (left December 2009) Biological Chemistry 31 Gili Ben-Nissan, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Yael Fridmann Sirkis, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Moshe Goldsmith, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Daniel Harari, Ph.D., University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia Tae Bong Kang, Ph.D., Kon-Kuk University, Chungju, Korea (left November 2009) Ruti Kapon, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Andrew Kovalenko, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Yael Pewzner-Jung, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Senior Intern

Anat Bahat, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Yael Leitner Dagan, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Izhak Michaelevski, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Rehovot, Israel Reinat Nevo, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Ida Rishal, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Ziv Sevilya, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

Intern

Lior Izhar, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Consultants

Stella Aronov (left February 2009) Diana Bach Rina Barak S. Roy Caplan Alon Karpol, Desiger Energy, Science Park, Rehovot, Israel Talia Miron Ruth Miskin Ely Morag, Designer Energy, Rehovot Yosef Scolnik Nathan Sharon Meir Shinitzky

Visiting Scientists

Sharon Amit, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel Yusuf Baran, Izmir Inst. of Technology, Turkey Thanat Chookajorn, Mahidol University , Bangkok, Thailand 32 Biological Chemistry Barbara Costa, University of Turin, Italy Marc Creus, University of Basel, Switzerland Monika Fuxreiter, IBM Almaden Rese. Ctr., San Jose, CA, U.S.A. Talia Golan, Sheba Medical Ctr., Tel Hashomer, Israel Colin Jackson, CSIRO, Black Mountain, Australia Sabine Schneider, Ludwig-Maximilians University , Germany Nobuhiko Tokuriki, Hebrew University , Givat Ram, Jerusalem, Israel

Postdoctoral Fellows

Sheera Adar, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Michael Anbar, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Christopher John Arnusch, Utrecht University Liat Bahari, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Minerva Paola Barrios Ceballos, Institute Of Experimental Biology Research, Ug Talya Belogus, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Kalia Bernath, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Konstantin Bogdanov, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Liana Casquinha Da Silva, Ph.D. Silvia Chuartzman, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Bareket Dassa, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Noam Diamant, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Jianfang Du, Ph.D., Beijing Institute Of Basic Medical Sciences Rofa Elfakess, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Mikael Hocine Elias, Aix-Marseille Universite Goodwin Jinesh Gerald Solomon Peter, Ph.D., University Of Kerala Saar Golan, Ph.D., Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel Rinkoo Devi Gupta, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi Liat Haklai-Topper, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Adrian Hugenmatter, Swiss Federal Institute Of Technology (Ethz) Maya Huguenin, Ph.D. Yuval Inbar, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Shachar Iwanir, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Lior Izhar, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Daniel Kaganovich, Ph.D., Stanford University Na'Aman Kam, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Einat Kapri-Pardes, Ph.D., Agriculture Faculty, Israel Olga Khersonsky, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Jin-Chul Kim, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Yakov Kipnis, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Yakov Krelin, Ben-Gurion University, Israel Sujoy Lahiri, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Yael Leitner-Dagan, Ph.D., Agriculture Faculty, Israel Vered Lev-Goldman, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Biological Chemistry 33 Michal Levy, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Irina Lubarski, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Neeraj Kumar Mishra, Ph.D., Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi Ilit Noach, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Marc Nathan Offman, Ph.D., University College London Raz Palty, Ben-Gurion University, Israel Adi Peleg, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Yael Petel Galil, Ph.D., Tel-Aviv University, Israel Vladimir Potapov, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Marek Rajman, Ph.D., Institute Of Animal Biochemistry And Genetics Sasc Akhil Rajput, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Viji Raveendran Nair Indi, University Of Kerala Avi Raveh, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Peter Reuven, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Gabriela Ridner, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Liat Shimon, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Elena Shvets, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Misha Soskine, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Petro Starokadomskyy, Ph.D., Institute Of Molecular Biology & Genetics Nasu Johnny Stiban, Ph.D., University Of Maryland, College Park Sameer Kumar Vidhya Bahuleyan, University Of Kerala Itamar Yadid, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Ganit Yarden, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Research Students

Livnat Afriat-Gorno Orly Ester Alber Leah Armon Avraham Ashkenazi Tali Avnit-Sagi Muneef Ayyash Keren Bahar Liat Bahari Hagit Bar Nadav Bar Roy Bekerman Talya Belogus Rotem Ben Tov Perry Tuval Ben Yehezkel Oshrit Ben-David Daniel Ben-Halevy Keren Ben-Yaakov Moran Bentzur Adi Bercovich Kinori Marina Cherniavsky-Lev Ori Cohavi Isadora Cohen Mati Cohen Tomer Cohen Ayelet Cooper Shlomi Dagan Lital Davidi Eynat Dellus Noam Diamant Elizabeta Dinitz Rofa Elfakess Michal Elgart Shirley Elias Elinor Erez (Malul) Racheli Erez-Roman Tamar Farfel Becker 34 Biological Chemistry Avner Fink Nir Fluman Erez Shaul Garty Kfir Gazit Amir Gelman Binyamin Gil Michal Golan-Mashiach Liora Guy David Bracha Halaf Liraz Harel Michal Harel Haim Haviv Ayal Hendel Maya Kahan Eyal Kalie Haggai Kaspi Olga Khersonsky Jin Chul Kim Noam Kirshenbaum Sujoy Lahiri Elad Lavee Laviad Anat Lavi-Itzkovitz Doron Levin Elena Levin Orna Liarzi Carni Lipson Irina Lubarski Adva Mansura Maya Maor Yonit Marcus-Perlman Adi Minis Guy Mlechkovich Natali Molotski Oren Moscovitz Shiri Moshitzky Ekaterina Petrovich Yael Phillip Tatyana Rachutin - Zalogin Adi Raveh Eliran-Moshe Reuven Peter Reuven Liat Rockah- Shmuel Erez Romi Yosef Rosenfeld Shelly Rozen Zohar Schoenmann Yael Segal-Ruder Sigal Shachar Revital Sharivkin Tomer Shpilka Tal Shprung Elena Shvets Hadar Sinvani Michal Slutzki Shay Stern Osnat Tirosh Agnes Toth Onie Tsabari Yael Vazana Anna Veprik Einat Vitner Hilla Weidberg Alon Wellner Yael Wexler-Cohen Itamar Yadid Seung-Hoon Yang Ganit Yarden Ido Yosef Dmitry Yudin Gabriel Zarbiv Omer Ziv Administrator

Maanit Zibziner Molecular Genetics 35

Molecular Genetics

Yosef Shaul, Head The Oscar and Emma Getz Professor

The Department of Molecular Genetics investigates the molecular and genetic mechanisms of basic biological processes, in the context of both complex organism,such as human, mouse and Drosophila, and at the level of single cell organism and culture. A wide range of biological questions and hypotheses are addressed in the fields of development, cell biology, and human/mouse genetics, on the structure, expression, stability and function of proteins and on gene expression. Additionally, the fields of bioinformatics and computational biology, which are active in the department, provide powerful genome-wide approaches to modeling biological processes and their evolution.

A number of groups study the Drosophila model system from different aspects. The lab of Benny Shilo continued to focus on EGF receptor signaling in Drosophila. An intricate machinery for processing the activating ligands was uncovered. Interestingly, the amount of ligand that is secreted can be regulated by altering the intracellular compartment in which processing takes place. Once the ligand is secreted, distinct threshold responses are established. In a combination of experimental and computational work, a novel mechanism for creating such response thresholds was identified. In a different research avenue, novel insights into the mechanism of cell fusion during muscle development, and the involvement of the microfilament system in the process were uncovered. Talila Volk's lab focuses on mechanisms controlling tissue formation and organogenesis in developing Drosophila. They found that a splicing-dependent mechanism, controlled by the RNA-binding protein HOW, is a critical step in the induction of terminal differentiation of tendon and glial cells. HOW is essential for mesoderm invagination and spreading and the relevant target mRNAs were identified. In addition, they found that the extra cellular matrix protein Thrombospondin is essential for the specific adhesion of muscles with their corresponding tendon cell, a process that is regulated by a secreted growth factor DEgfl7. In addition they have identified a membrane protein that binds to the guiding receptor Roundabout to counteract its interaction with its ligand Slit. Studies are also conducted to characterize mechanisms involved in the formation of the Drosophila Blood Brain Barrier. Eli Aramas laboratory is primarily concerned with the molecular, cellular, and anatomical mechanisms that underlie caspase activation in Drosophila. Previously they showed that spermatids normally eliminate the majority of 36 Molecular Genetics their cytoplasm and organelles in an apoptosis-like process that requires canonical cell death proteins, including caspases. These observations, as well as recent studies by other groups counter the dogma that cells expressing active caspases are doomed to die. Currently, a major effort in his lab is being focused on the signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms that regulate caspase activation during cellular remodeling of the sperm and investigate how caspases facilitate cell terminal differentiation.

Mouse model systems are being approached for studying embryonic development and genetic diseases. Elazar Zelzer studies genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that regulate bone development. Their previous finding that VEGF is required for angiogenesis into developing bones, initiated their interest in this gene. By analyzing the effect of loss of VEGF function in different tissues involved in bone development, they have identified several unpredicted novel roles of VEGF during bone development. First, VEGF regulates early chondrogenesis during limb bud development. It also regulates chondrocytes survival. Finally, it stimulates bone formation by increasing the activity of osteoblasts, both in intramembranous and endochondral bones. By studying the expression patterns of VEGF they have identified a dynamic expression in skeletal tissues, consistent with its roles during several steps of bone development. Thus, the VEGF study has become a portal to greater understanding of skeletal development. Developmental aspects in the mammalian brain are being studied by Orly Reiners lab. One typical feature of the mammalian brain is that neurons are born in a region which is different from their final position. Their group is researching normal and abnormal processes of neuronal migration using a combination of mouse genetics, in utero electroporation, biochemistry, and cell biology methods. In particular they are involved in dissecting the role of lissencephaly-associated gene products (LIS1 and doublecortin, DCX). Their research has indicated to their importance in mediating signaling pathways, and regulating the microtubule and actin cytoskeleton during neuronal migration. Yoram Groner research focuses on disease conditions in which genetic predisposition of individual chromosome 21 genes play role. That is, how an extra copy of otherwise normal genes produces pathophysiological conditions in humans particularly in patients with Down syndrome. Gene-Knockout mice of individual genes are used to investigate the consequences of functional inactivation of candidate genes. Currently much of the studies focused on the biology of the transcription factors Runx1 and Runx3 that are master regulators of linage specific gene expression in developmental pathways using genetically modified cells and mouse models. Eran Eornstein team studies the roles of microRNAs (miRNA) in development, focusing on miRNA function in vertebrate organogenesis. miRNAs repress the expression of protein-coding mRNAs (targets), providing a previously unappreciated regulatory mechanism for gene expression. Upon binding of an individual miRNA, or a combination of several miRNAs to the 3' untranslated region of a target mRNA, either Molecular Genetics 37 translation repression or mRNA cleavage is induced. They study the role of miRNA role in skull bone formation, in pancreas and beta-cell biology, in posttranscriptional regulation gene expression and in stochastic fate determination. These studies would reveal facets of miRNA biology and roles played by non coding RNAs in developmental biology and in evolution.

Basic cellular processes are being approached from the molecular angle, both in mammalian cells and in yeasts by several groups. The lab of Jeff Gerst focuses on how cells establish and maintain polarity in order for directed growth and cell division to occur. They are using the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as a model system and have three major projects. The first examines the role of signaling pathways in the control of exocytosis at the level of membrane fusion and studies the role of kinases and phosphatases in regulation of the exocytic apparatus. The second focuses on the role of SNARE-binding proteins in endosomal protein sorting and the onset of human diseases involving defects in lysosomal storage. The third examines the role of mRNA trafficking in the regulation of basic cellular processes. Maya Schuldiner lab is interested in understanding the networks of proteins functioning together to create an optimal functioning ER. Since close to 30% of ER proteins have unknown functions, an important goal of the lab is to uncover biological roles for these proteins drawing from the systematic data collected in yeast and using different genetic and biochemical tools. They also use high throughput microscopic screening platforms to ask basic questions about ER structure and function such as trying to understand the molecular mechanisms of ER inheritance or the dynamics of protein movements in and out of this large and complex organelle. Adi Kimchis group studies programmed cell death, by proceeding from single gene studies towards global network analysis. By studying DAP-kinase and its close family homologs, DRP-1 and ZIP-kinase, new mechanisms which control the less characterized modules of cell death including autophagy and programmed necrosis have been discovered. Studies on DAP5 protein highlighted the role of cap-independent translation under stress and relaxed conditions, and initial research on DAP1 revealed the existence of a new scaffold protein, which is a suppressor of autophagy. The project on the global cell death network is based on a combinatorial knock down approach, which measures the outcome of epistatic interactions between the networks proteins (around 150). By running this new methodology they proved that compensatory switches between functional modules contribute to the networks robustness, and that inter-modular connectivity occurs at multiple positions via positive or negative interactions. The lab of Ari Elson studies the roles of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) in regulating physiological processes. Their goals are to uncover detailed molecular-level mechanisms, by which specific phosphatases affect discrete physiological outcomes by dephosphorylating specific substrates. Their current studies focus on PTPs Epsilon and Alpha; they are using molecular, cellular, and whole-animal systems to uncover the role of 38 Molecular Genetics these phosphatases in regulating malignant transformation, bone metabolism, and regulation of body mass/obesity. Chaim Kahanas group investigates polyamines in regulating cellular proliferation. AzI, is a homolog of ODC, but unlike ODC has no enzymatic activity and undergoes ubiquitin dependent degradation. His group also studies the growth advantage this protein provides to cells. These two aspects are investigated in relation to the interaction ability of AzI with three types of a polyamine induced protein termed antizyme (Az) that act as negative regulators of ODC. Another aspect of investigation concernes the possible involvement of 20S proteasomes in mediating ubiquitin independent cellular degradation. Finally, the lab investigates the role polyamines exert in regulating cellular functions with emphasis on regulating cellular proliferation. The team of Yosef Shaul studies the basic cellular processes of transcription, protein stability and DNA-damage signaling. These processes are investigated also with respect to understanding the molecular basis of cancer and virus-host cell interactions, using the hepatitis B virus (HBV) as a model. They discovered the pathway of degradation by default of proteins that are segmentally or fully intrinsically unstructured (IUPs or IDPs). This pathway is executed by the 20S proteasomes both in vitro and in vivo. They found NQO1, an NADH regulated enzyme to play a role of 20S proteasome gatekeeper to block degradation by default. Also they identified a new signaling axis whereby c-Abl, p73 and Yap respond to DNA damage insults to induce apoptosis or DNA repair. This signaling axis is in a crosstalk with the Hippo signaling that determines organs size.

Cytokine signaling is an additional studied theme. The lab of Leo Sachs continues their work on the cytokine mediated control of multiplication, differentiation and apoptosis of hematopoietic stem cells. In a recent study they showed that human cancers overexpress genes that are specific to a variety of normal human tissues. Michel Revel's group investigates regenerative medicine approaches to the treatment of diseases which destroy the myelin sheaths around nerves, such as various neuropathies, Multiple Sclerosis and spinal cord injuries. Efficient differentiation of mouse and human embryonic stem (ES) cells into oligodendrocyte precursors (OPC) was achieved and used to treat the brain of shiverer mutant mice suffering from dysmyelination. The group develops large scale culturing technology of human ES cells for cell therapy in clinical settings. They have obtained pancreatic islet cells that could be applied for the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes. The lab of Menachem Rubinstein studies the role of several transcription factors in growth, differentiation, cell death and immune responses. They identified a heterodimeric complex of the transcription factors C/EBP-ß and IRF-1 as a mediator of interferon-gamma immunomodulatory activities. Currently, the group studies the various functions of the C/EBP family of transcription factors. In particular, the role of C/EBP-ß in tumor cell survival and pre-adipocyte differentiation. The group also studies the role of another family member CHOP-10 in adipocyte cell Molecular Genetics 39 death. Another research topic deals with regulation of IFN-a gene expression, trying to resolve the enigma of multi-gene family whose products have a practically identical function. Also, they continue the attempts to identify receptors of bereaved cytokines (the counterparts of orphan receptors).

A bioinformatics computational approach is being taken by a number of groups. In the lab of Doron Lancet, whole-genome analyses and comparative genomics are used to decipher the evolution of olfactory receptors, the largest gene superfamily in the human genome. Genetic variation is studied as a tool for understanding multigenic diseases such as schizophrenia, as well as personal variations in the sense of smell. This is aided by advanced instrumentation for detecting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by robotized mass spectrometry. The group also develops GeneCards, a worldwide used compendium of human genes, which allows one to better analyses human genome information. In the realm of Systems Biology, prebiotic molecular networks are studied as a means for understanding the emergence of life on earth. Such analyses are relevant both for solving the profound question of how life emerged, as well as to better understand present day life, e.g. synthetic lethality in cancer cells. Rotem Soreks lab utilizes the vast amount of genomic data available for bacteria in order to study functional and evolutionary aspects of microbial biology. Projects in the lab include computational discovery of genes that are toxic to bacteria. They discovered that these uncloneable gaps are caused by genes that are toxic to E. coli. A second field of research involves next generation (Solexa) sequencing of microbial transcriptomes, in order to study RNA-based regulation in prokaryotes. They detect a large number of functional novel non-coding RNAs and cis-antisense transcripts that play key regulatory roles in the organisms they are found at. Next generation technologies are also used for whole-genome sequencing of bacteria. They sequenced 7 strains of Buchnera, a bacterial obligate symbiont of insects, and characterized its mode of genomic evolution across time. The lab of Shmuel Pietrokovski studies the relations between protein sequence, structure and function. He pursues this goal by computational and experimental approaches. Computationally he developed methods to compare conserved protein sequence motifs, and to analyze protein structures. Intein protein-splicing domains and related domains are studied. He is examining the evolution, biochemical activity and cellular function of these ancient domains that are involved in various post-translational modifications in animals and microbes.

Two groups take more system and computational biology approach. In the lab of Naama Barkai they aim at deducing design principles of biological networks. The two main research programs include bioinformatics studies of large-scale data and modeling of relatively isolated subsystems. They analyzed genome-wide transcription data between organisms, focusing on related yeast species. They classified inter-species differences in gene expression pattern. 40 Molecular Genetics They identified a major re-wiring of the yeast transcription network, which is connected to the emergent of anaerobic growth capacity and characterized a connection between TATA-based regulation and evolvability of gene expression. The modeling studies focused on two systems: the spindle assembly checkpoint and gradient detection during yeast mating. In both systems they characterized biological constraints that the respective system need to overcome thus limiting the possible designs of the underlying biological networks. A central challenge for living organisms is to execute intricate cellular programs in the face of environmental variations, genetic changes and the inherent noise of molecular processes. Tzachi Pilpel group aims at understanding such programs by deciphering the structure, function and evolution of regulatory networks that control them. They study these networks at the level of their structure and at the level of their function in higher-level processes and phenomena. At the structure level we decipher networks controlling transcription, translation, mRNA degradation and non-coding RNAs. At the higher functional level we study how entire processes and phenomena such as genetic backup, stress response, and evolutionary divergence of species, are regulated through the various gene expression levels. In our research we combine theory, computations, and experimental work.

In summary, the department combines structural genomic approaches with functional "post-genomic" studies. Moreover, the employed multiple model organisms, namely yeast, fly, mouse and human, removes the species barrier and set the stage of viewing a single biological process from different angels, thus benefiting from the various genetic and molecular tools that each system offers.

http://www.weizmann.ac.il/molgen/ Molecular Genetics 41 Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Naama Barkai, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Jeffrey Gerst, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Yoram Groner, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (on extension of service) The Dr. Barnet Berris Professor of Cancer Research Adi Kimchi, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel The Helena Rubinstein Professor in Cancer Research Doron Lancet, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Ralph D. and Lois R. Silver Professor of Human Genomics Menachem Rubinstein, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Edna and Mickey Weiss Professor of Cytokines Research Yosef Shaul, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Oscar and Emma Getz Professor Ben-Zion Shilo, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Hilda and Cecil Lewis Professor of Molecular Genetics

Professors Emeriti

Michel Revel, Ph.D., University of Strasbourg, France Leo Sachs, Ph.D., University of Cabmridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom The Otto Meyerhof Chair of Molecular Biology Ernest Winocour, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Associate Professors

Ari Elson, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Chaim Kahana, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Jules J. Mallon Professor of Biochemistry Shmuel Pietrokovski, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Hermann and Lilly Schilling Foundation Professor Yitzhak Pilpel, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Orly Reiner, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Bernstein-Mason Professor of Neurochemistry Talila Volk, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Professor Sir Ernest B. Chain Professor

Senior Scientists

Eli Arama, Ph.D., Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Yigal Allon Fellow 42 Molecular Genetics Incumbent of the Corinne S. Koshland Career Development Chair Eran Hornstein, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Yigal Allon Fellow Incumbent of the Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Career Development Chair Maya Schuldiner, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Rotem Sorek, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Yigal Allon Fellow Elazar Zelzer, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Incumbent of the Martha S. Sagon Career Development Chair

Senior Staff Scientists

Judith Chebath, Ph.D., University of Marseilles, France Ditsa Levanon, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Daniela Novick, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Eyal Schejter, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Associate Staff Scientists

Edna Ben-Asher, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Tsviya Olender, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Assistant Staff Scientists

Gil Amitai, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Orna Dahan, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Nina Reuven, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Tamar Sapir, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Ariel Werman, Ph.D., Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel (left June 2009)

Junior Staff Scientist

Yael Esther Feinstein Rotkopf, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (until may 2009)

Senior Intern

Sergey Bujanover, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusaelm, Jerusalem, Israel Yossi Dr. Kalifa, Ph.D., Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel Tal Julie Melkman-Zehavi, Ph.D., Brandeis University, Massachusetts, United Molecular Genetics 43 States Dalia Rosin-Grunewald, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Engineer

Joseph Lotem, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Consultants

Shani Brown Keren Avioz (left May 2009) Yael Esther Feinstein Rotkopf (left October 2009) Ruth Gross-Isseroff Tsippi Iny Stein Michal Izrael Joy Kahn (left March 2009) Yossi Kalifa (until June 2009) Tamar Kashti (left June 2009) Alon Levy Avioz Keren, Emergency Clinic of Animal, Beith Berl, Kfar-Sabba (left May 2009) Leo Sachs Amir Shlomai, Ichilov Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel Michael Shmoish, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel (left January 2009) Gil Stelzer Ernest Winocour

Visiting Scientists

Vasudheva Reddy Akepati, Free Univ., Berlin, Germany Ziv Bar-Joseph, Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.A. Dana Barnea Anat Ben-Zvi, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, U.S.A. Shai Fuchs, Schneider Hospital, Israel Donna Martin, University of Michigan, U.S.A. Malcolm Arthur Mclean, University of Leeds, UK Daniele Perl-Treves David Shafritz, A. Einstein College of Medicine, NY, U.S.A. Rafael Zidovetzki, University of California at Riverside, U.S.A. 44 Molecular Genetics Postdoctoral Fellows

Efrat Assa-Kunik, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Nurit Avraham, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Dorit Cohen, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Judith Cohen, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Yael Elbaz, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Noga Gadir, Ph.D., The Graduate Center Of The City University Of New Rita Gelin Licht, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Eliezer Gilsohn, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Shira Granot Attas, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Yael Gruenbaum-Cohen, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Arye Harel, Ph.D. Aron Inger, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Vydehi Kanneganti, Ph.D., School Of Biotech, Madurai Kamaraj University R'Ada Massarwa, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Ofir Meir, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Tal Melkman-Zehavi, Ph.D., Brandeis University Amir Mitchell, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Inbal Mor, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Yaron Mosesson, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Pravinkumar Purushothaman, Ph.D., School Of Biotech, Madurai Kamaraj University Shay Rotkopf, Ph.D., Institute Of Molecular Pathology (Imp) Vanessa Rouach, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Yehuda Salzberg, Bar-Ilan University, Israel Tamar Shapira-Cohen, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Yishay Shoval, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Nadejda Sigal, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Shalom Guy Slutsky, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Zohar Snapir, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Gil Stelzer, Ph.D., Bar-Ilan University, Israel Adi Stern, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Itay Tirosh, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Keren Yacobi-Sharon, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Liat Yakir-Tamang, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Yael Yoffe, Ben-Gurion University, Israel Daniela Zalcenstein (Nee Ama, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Changdong Zhang, Medicine College Of Munich University, Germany

Research Students

Yaarit Adamovich Roy Amariglio Hamutal Arbel Avi Bar Omer Barad Omri Bauer Molecular Genetics 45 Oren Ben-Ami Dan Ben-Zvi Yaara Ber Dalia Berman-Golan Einat Blitz Zohar Bloom Karen Rae Bone Merav Branski Arieli Michal Breker Elik Chapnik Dorit Cohen Yifat Cohen Bareket Dassa Yosef Dicken Niv Dobzinski Efrat Dvash Avital Eisenberg Idit Eshkar- Oren Eynat Finkelshtein Danit Finkelshtein - Beker Anat Florentin Liron Gal Tali Garin Rita Gelin-Licht Erez Geron Noga Gershoni Boaz Gildor Eliezer Gilsohn Hila Gingold Roni Golan - Lavi Anna Gorelik Ben Gradus Liora Haim - Vilmovsky Nofar Harpaz Yehudit Hasin David Israeli Michal Izrael Anna Kaplan Yosef Kaplan Vered Katz- Ben Yair Rom Keshet Ifat Keydar Itay Koren Sharon Kredo Guy Landau Sagi Levy Einat Levy-Apter Noa Liberman Idit Livnat Mati Mann Omer Markovitch R'ada Massarwa Ofir Meir Amir Mitchell Karin Mittelman Ofer Moldavski Sivan Navon Ronit Nir Niv Pencovich Noa Rappaport Liat Ravid Inna Ricardo-Lax Chagai Rot Tal Rousso Liat Rousso Noori Michal Segal Ophir Shalem Tamar Shapira-Cohen Adi Shiloah Yishay Shoval Yulia Shwartz Boris Slobodin Zohar Snapir Ilya Soifer Zvi Tamari Hadas Tamir Itay Tirosh Peter Tsvetkov Kfir Baruch Umansky Ilya Venger Bernardo Vidne Bess Kathryn Wayburn Omri Wurtzel Liat Yakir-Tamang Shaul Yogev Avihu Yona Einat Zalckvar Gadi Zipor 46 Molecular Genetics Administrator

Lea Marom (until June 2009) Yuri Magidov (from July 2009) Plant Sciences 47

Plant Sciences

Gad Galili, Head (until September 2009) The Bronfman Chair of Plant Science

Avi Levy, Head (from October 2009) The Gilbert de Botton Professor of Plant Sciences

The goal of the department of Plant Sciences is to better understand the biology of photosynthetic organisms, namely plants, algae, and several bacterial species. These organisms play a vital role to sustain life on Earth, through several unique features that we are studying. First is photosynthesis, the process that uses carbon dioxide, water and light energy to produce carbohydrates and oxygen. The global effect of photosynthetic organisms is to maintain the atmospheric levels of oxygen and CO2. In addition, photosynthetic organisms distinguish themselves from other organisms in many fascinating aspects. Plants and algae are extraordinary sun-powered chemical factories, producing primary metabolites: sugars, lipids and amino acids that constitute the bulk of their biomass and of our food and that can be used as biofuel. In addition, plants and algae produce hundreds of thousands of secondary metabolites: pigments, vitamins, volatiles, alkaloids and more, that we use as drugs, perfumes, dyes, detergents and many other uses and that they use for defense, signaling, light harvesting. Understanding how these metabolites are produced is a major challenge. Plants cannot move to escape stress and therefore they have developed highly sophisticated mechanisms for short and long-term adaptation to the changing environment. Plants do not have an established germline, and plant cells stick to their daughter through cell walls that prevent their mobility. In this, and other aspects, plant growth and development differ from that of other multicellular organisms in pattern and organ formation, cell-cell communication and reproduction. Plants are also champions in the evolutionary race, with hundreds of thousands of plant species compared to only a few thousands mammals. This makes plants excellent models to study speciation and evolution.

Ten research groups and emeritus professors, are studying the biology of: Higher plants such as the Arabidopsis model species and crop plants (Wheat, tomato, potato, etc..); Lower plants such as the moss Physcomitrella; Algae, such as Chlamydomonas (a model species) or diatoms that constitute most of the phytoplankton; and Cyanobacteria. We are involved in basic experimental research at the molecular, cellular, organism and population levels as well as 48 Plant Sciences in theoretical modeling approaches. Our fields of interest include: light harvesting, from biophysical aspects to gene expression regulation (Schertz, Noy, Danon, Edelman); Plant Development (Eshed) and Evolution (Levy, Feldman) using genetics, genomics and epigenetics approaches; Primary and Secondary Metabolism, including chemistry, gene regulation, designing and modeling of metabolic pathways (Galili, Aharoni, Milo, Vardi); Environmental studies on global aspects of carbon fixation (Milo) and marine biology (Vardi) and on sensing and responding to environmental insults from pathogens, weeds and parasites or from abiotic stresses such as drought, heat, nutrient starvation etc.. (Fluhr, Galili, Gressel, Scherz, Vardi). Finally, we are developing web-based tools for storing and handling complex genomic and biological data (Edelman, Milo).

The applications derived from our work are in the fields of Agriculture and Medicine, Biotechnology, Plant improvement, Alternative energies, human health, nutrition and environmental management. Our scientists have filed several patents in these fields and several biotech companies have emerged from our basic research. In addition, we have contributed to public efforts and our work had impact on securing more food, and food of better quality for the benefit of developed and developing countries. Finally, we are involved in education, at the national and international levels, from school children, to teachers, farmers, students and scientists in plant sciences. The highlights from our research are summarized below for each of our scientists.

Asaph Aharoni's group investigates how plants control their metabolism in the course of development and under stress conditions. The group researchs and achievements are: (i) Identification of regulatory networks coordinating activity of metabolic pathways during tomato fruit development and ripening. New mutants and genes in these pathways were identified. (ii) Deciphering the regulatory mechanisms that maintain the homeostasis between secondary metabolites and the biosynthesis of their precursors in primary/central metabolism (e.g. lipids, amino acids). (iii) Studies on the formation of the plant surface, i.e. the cuticular layer that mediates the plant interaction with the environment. The Aharoni group has made discoveries on the biosynthesis, transport and polymerization of cuticular components and the transcriptional networks that control cuticle-associated metabolic pathways. (iv) Studies on regulation through riboswitches, RNA elements that mediate gene control upon binding a small molecule. This is a newly identified mechanism for feedback regulation and gene control in metabolism. The group has discovered and characterized the activity of a Thiamine (Vitamin B1) riboswitch from plants through alternative splicing in the 3' untranslated region of genes. (v) Developing and applying new Metabolomics tools that allow extensive metabolic profiling of complex plant extracts and the integration of metabolic data with information derived from other levels of regulation such as the transcriptome. Finally, the knowledge acquired is translated into genetic tools Plant Sciences 49 for the production of plants with desired metabolic quality traits.

Avihai Danon studies the regulation of gene expression by redox signals. In particular, he is investigating post-transcriptional regulation in the adaptation of plants to changing environments. Redox reactions of two proteins involve the transfer of electron(s) from one protein (the donor) to the other (the acceptor). While there is accumulating evidence that changes in the redox state of particular proteins are used by plants as signals, very little is known about the nature of the signaling redox reactions. In plants, multiple redox signaling programs, such as in protection mechanisms against the accumulation of free radicals, in regulation of protein synthesis, or in controlling enzymes of carbon fixation, seem to take place in parallel. This raises questions about the identity of the signaling proteins and the principals of their redox reactions. Danon has found that regulatory proteins of the thioredoxin family exchange electrons along specific pathways in the soluble compartments of the cell. His studies suggest that the flow of electronic information in biology can take place also in solution by means of non-insulated routes.

Marvin Edelman and Vladimir Sobolev are using DNA sequence data to predict 3D metal binding sites in proteins. A new algorithm, SeqCHED, has been developed and added to their SPACE suite of tools for Structure Prediction & Analysis based on Complementarity & Environment (http://ligin.weizmann.ac.il/space/servers). Current work involves the association of metal binding sites with disease-related single nucleotide polymorphisms in humans, and a comprehensive identification of the metalloproteome of the model plant, Arabidopsis. Edelman is also collaborating with Autar K. Mattoo (ARS-USDA, Beltsville, USA) to study the relationship between Photosystem II reaction center proteins and phosphorylation. Currently, using nitric oxide donor-mediated inhibition of phosphorylation, they find that light-mediated degradation of the photosystem II D1 protein and phosphorylation are not tightly coupled. Edelman and Ron Vunsh are using polyploidization of Spirodela (duckweed) to produce stable clonal lines of modified plants in a non-genetically engineered manner. Currently, in collaboration with Asaph Aharonis group, they have identified a stable, fast growing, non-genetically engineered, vegetative line producing a significantly increased level of the anti-oxidant, caffeic acid. Edelman, in collaboration with Joel Sussman, has spearheaded a campaign to establish a UNESCO international training center in BIOmics (bioinformatics, proteomics & functional genomics) at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Currently, the program has received official endorsement by UNESCO and the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology and is poised to take off. The first BIOmics international workshop was held in the summer of 2009 (http://www.weizmann.ac.il/ISPC/workshop/2009/biomics). 50 Plant Sciences Yuval Eshed: To understand how variation between plants occurs through evolutionary processes, Yuval Esheds group studies the genetic and developmental mechanisms that shape plant organs of several unrelated species. These include the annual plant Arabidopsis and the perennial bush, tomato. In both plants, leaves are initiated by common mechanisms, however, Arabidopsis leaves turn small and simple whereas tomato leaves become large and compound. Indeed, in both species leaf initiation entails interaction between the two sides of the leaf primordia, the upper and the lower, which in turn, activate a growth program that generates the flat leaf lamina. However in the small leaves, this program is short lived whereas in large leaves in lasts longer. What are the mechanisms that time the leaf growth period? What are the instructions that halt growth when time arrives? While numerous mechanisms can impact the growth process via regulation of basic process such as cell division or cell expansion, the mechanism that guide timing of growth are elusive. Based on genetic and expression profiling studies, interactions between several groups of transcription regulators and micro RNAs that counteract their activities were identified. Minor modifications in the relations between these factors account for significant portion of the differences between the small Arabidopsis and large tomato leaves, allowing first entry to mechanisms that "measure" the size of organs. Through the study of plant development, several new tools were developed that can be used in a wide array of applications. Methods to down or up regulate multiple genes in specific time and place via tailored micro RNAs should allow precise manipulations of endogenous or introduced traits with minimal side effects.

Robert Fluhrs laboratory investigates the response of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses. Cultivated plants are prone to disease and environmental insults but also have inbuilt mechanisms to sense the type of damage and mount a defense. These are part of a complex system called innate immunity. It is innate in the sense that the plant is genetically pre-programmed to respond in a particular manner. Clearly the response should be particular to each insult. For example, biotrophic pathogens that exist on living cells are met with a response that hastens the death of those cells. In contrast, chewing insects are met with a battery of rapidly synthesized, anti-herbivory proteins and chemicals that are produced by living tissue. As the environment is complex and herbivory and microbial pathogens are likely to be simultaneous events it is also essential to understanding the molecular architecture of their signal transduction and the interaction between these events. Robert Fluhr's group used molecular genetic techniques to uncover the genes that are central for resistance to plant vascular diseases. Many other plant resistance genes and even innate human resistance genes can be shown to have common molecular features. Importantly, a conserved TIR domain appearing in different molecular context appears to play a dual role in signaling pathogen and herbivory defense and contributing to the balance between them. In another project, the rapid adaptive responses of plants to the biotic and abiotic Plant Sciences 51 environment necessitates whole plant signaling and was shown by us to include rapid activation of reactive oxygen species produced by NADPH oxidases and the participation of a special class of aldehyde oxidases (in collaboration with Moshe Sagi; Ben-Gurion University of the Negev). Stress-related responses are multi-tiered and in another project the effect of stress on alternative splicing is examined. A LAMMER-type kinase conserved in humans and plants originally isolated in the lab as a kinase whose activity is modulated by the stress hormone ethylene was shown to localize to the nucleus and regulate the alternative splicing of a particular subset of transcripts. Based on that result, important parallels but major differences between plant and human alternative splicing were discovered. Our challenge is to understand the biological importance of stress motivated alternative splicing.

Gad Galili: Breeders of higher yielding crops have traditionally relied on assembling the best of what is available in nature into crop plants. But with the help of fundamental understanding of plant metabolism, particularly amino acid synthesis, Gad Galili's group has shown that biosynthetic and catabolic pathways can be manipulated for enhanced production of essential amino acids as well as various health associated compounds that are produced by plants. The production can be directed to special cells in the seeds. Research is directed into genomics-based elucidation of complex regulatory networks linking between amino acids metabolism and other metabolic networks and regulatory processes that control seed development and germination. In addition, a new research has been initiated to elucidate how metabolism in plant seeds interacts with and regulated by metabolic networks in vegetative tissues.

Plants are essential elements for human health, serving both as food sources as well as bioreactors for modern therapeutic drugs. Improving the quality of plants for human health requires the modulation of metabolic networks in plant cells, and research activity in Gad Galili's group is targeted at these issues.

Plant growth requires continuous remodeling of its metabolic networks in response to various stresses imposed by the changing environment. This remodeling is regulated by a number of different intra-cellular processes, one of which, called autophagy, has been implicated to protect plants against nutrient stresses. Yet, Gad Galili's group has recently shown that the autophagy process operates not only under nutrient stress, but also under normal plant growth, implying a broader function of this pathway. In an attempt to elucidate new functions of autophagy in plants, Gad Galili's group has also identified novel plant proteins that interact with the core proteins of autophagy. The functions of these proteins in plant growth and response to environmental stresses as well as the significance of their interaction with the 52 Plant Sciences autophagy machinery are being elucidated.

Avraham Levys laboratory is interested in understanding how species are formed and evolve. Levys research focuses on the molecular mechanisms responsible for the plasticity and biodiversity seen in the plant kingdom. Mechanisms, such as hybridization and polyploidization are studied for their contribution to rapid and successful speciation. In addition we study mechanistic aspects of genome maintenance that preserve the genomes integrity as well as its ability to evolve through a fine regulation of homologous recombination, DNA repair, and transposons. Homologous recombination contributes to genomic diversity through the exchange of chromosomal homologous segments. It is also the mechanism that enables precise genetic modifications via gene targeting. Levys group studies the process of homology search, with some emphasis on the role and function of the homologs of RAD51, RAD52 and of the chromatin remodeling RAD54 genes. We test how chromatin structure and cytosine methylation can affect meiotic recombination and gene targeting. Wheat species have evolved through hybridization between related species followed by whole genome doubling (polyploidy). Levys group, in collaboration with Prof. Moshe Feldman, studies how these speciation events have affected genome structure and function. They showed, that a new, non-additive variation, not previously present in the diploid progenitors, is induced immediately upon hybridization and polyploidization rather than on an evolutionary scale. The basis for that is both genetic and epigenetic, involving sequence elimination, activation of transposons, alterations in gene expression, cytosine methylation and fluctuations in the profile of small RNAs. These events promote the generation of new traits necessary for rapid speciation, but on the other hand, they may have deleterious effects, establishing a barrier between species (e.g. mutator effects or genetic incompatibilitie). Levys lab also studies, in collaboration with Prof. Naama Barkai, hybridization and polyploidization in budding yeast, as a model for similar mechanisms in plants, as it provides a much simpler system to investigate the origin of new traits that contribute to fitness and speciation, and the genetic basis for the heterosis (Hybrid vigor) frequently observed in hybrids.

Ron Milos group brings the tools of systems biology to bear on the grand challenges of sustainability. It studies the efficiency of photosynthesis: the engine that drives our biosphere, the source of our food, and the dominant

process determining atmospheric CO2. One aim of the research is to find the bottlenecks and limiting factors in the process of converting photons of sunlight into molecules of stored sugars that are used for food and fuel. Milos group wants to understand the constraints that shape photosynthesis properties and the limitations on the maximal productivity of plants and other photosynthetic organisms. Specifically, Milos research explores the possibilities, limits and optimality of carbon metabolism, trying to understand Plant Sciences 53 the fundamentals of its design principles with the goal of improving our ability to produce food and fuel more efficiently; and to conserve water and nitrogen usage. A major approach is to computationally design and experimentally implement novel synthetic carbon fixation cycles. In addition, Milos group develops BioNumbers, a cooperative, community resource of useful biological numbers for both researchers and the public. This resource can help biologist in quantitative assessment of biological phenomena. Another interest of the laboratory is to develop optimality models that help us test our ideas about the tradeoffs and dominant forces of evolution. Here is an ontology of examples: Optimality in biology collection

Dror Noys laboratory studies the fundamental processes involved in photosynthetic solar energy conversion. These provide plants and other evolutionary older photosynthetic organisms the energy for all their metabolic needs. As such they are a source of inspiration for designing artificial devices for solar energy conversion and storage. Dror Noys group focuses on the flow of energy and electrons to and from the catalytic sites of photosynthetic enzyme complexes. In contrast to the highly elaborate and very specific arrangement of cofactors and protein residues at catalytic centers, the relays of energy and electrons favor universal pigments, and redox cofactors, most of which are embedded and immobilized within simple and resilient redox proteins, and the rest are diffusible. By applying state of the art computational and empirical tools of protein de novo design, the Noy lab constructs novel protein-cofactor complexes that serve as minimal functional analogs of the natural energy- and electron-transfer proteins. In the next stage, an interface is designed to couple the artificial proteins with their natural redox and/or catalytic partners. New designs are tested by a variety of analytical and spectroscopic methods, and the results are used for optimizing the previous designs in an iterative process. This learning by design approach provides substantial insights into folding and assembly of protein-cofactor complexes, and the critical parameters affecting their function as energy- and electron-transfer relays. Most importantly, it can teach us important lessons on how Nature achieves functional diversity by combining only a few basic modules into a variety of elaborate networks of long-distance inter- and intra-protein energy- and electron-transfer reactions. In the future, these lessons may be used for designing and constructing custom-built networks of enzyme complexes to carry out chemical transformations of our choice either in a non-biological context, or in a biological setting.

Avigdor Scherzs group studies the role of proteins in regulating this mechanism. Using spectroscopy and theoretical calculations of metal substituted bacteriochlorophylls he follows and investigates charge flow between atoms, groups and whole molecules. These studies provide insight to mechanisms that underlay chemical reactivity in biological and non-biological systems. Other metal susbtituted Bchl that have been recently synthesized by 54 Plant Sciences Scherz are used for vascular targeting photodynamic therapy of tumors and other diseases. The first of theses novel compound is now in phase II clinical trials against prostate cancer. Studies of quantitative structure activity relations

http://www.weizmann.ac.il/Plant_Sciences/ Plant Sciences 55 Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Robert Fluhr, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Sir Siegmund Warburg Professor of Agricultural Molecular Biology Gad Galili, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Bronfman Professor of Plant Science Avraham Levy, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Gilbert de Botton Professor of Plant Sciences Avigdor Scherz, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Robert and Yadelle Sklare Professor in Biochemistry

Professors Emeriti

Dan Atsmon, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Marvin Edelman, Ph.D., Brandeis University, Waltham, United States Moshe Feldman, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Esra Galun, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Jonathan Gressel, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, United States

Associate Professors

Avihai Danon, Ph.D., University of Arizona, Tucson, United States The Henry and Bertha Benson Professor Yuval Eshed, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Jacques Mimran Professor

Senior Scientists

Asaph Aharoni, Ph.D., Wagenigen University, Wagenigen, Netherlands Incumbent of the Adolfo and Evelyn Blum Career Development Chair of Cancer Research Ron Milo, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Yigal Allon Fellow Incumbent of the Anna and Maurice Boukstein Career Development Chair Dror Noy, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Senior Staff Scientists

Vlad Brumfeld, Ph.D., University of Bucharest, Romania Vladimir Sobolev, Ph.D., Institute of Catalysis, Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences, Siberia, Russian Federation 56 Plant Sciences Associate Staff Scientists

Cathy Bessudo, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Olga Davydov, Ph.D., Rsearch Institute for Essential Oil Plants, Crimea, Ukraine

Assistant Staff Scientists

Avital Adato, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Ilana Rogachev, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Hadas Zehavi, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Senior Interns

Oksana Kerner, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (left February 2009) David Panikashvili, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (left November 2009)

Engineers

Zohar Hagbi, B.A., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Yair Ream, B.A., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Consultants

Eitan Asa (left July 2009) Idan Ashur (left September 2009) Alexander Brandis, Steba Labs, Kiryat Ha'mada, Rehovot, Israel (left September 2009) Leonid Brodsky, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel Leon Esterman Esra Galun Eitan Millet, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel (left September 2009) Assaf Vardi, Rutgers University, USA

Visiting Scientists

Maor Bar-Peled, University of Georgia, U.S.A. Cinzia Bertea, University of Turin, Italy Seth Blumberg, Internal Medicine Program, U.S.A. Paula Braun, Biozentrum der LMU, Germany Rivka Elbaum, Hebrew University , Rehovot, Israel David Kaftan, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic Theodore Muth, Brooklyn College, U.S.A. Plant Sciences 57 Daniel Shouval, Hadassah Hebrew University Med. Ctr., Jerusalem, Israel Arjen Van Doorn, Max Planck Inst. Jena, Germany

Postdoctoral Fellows

Ruthie Angelovici, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Yuval Ben Abu, Ben-Gurion University, Israel Ilit Cohen-Ofri, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Jorge Gerardo Dinamarca Cerda, Universidad De La Frontera Liron Even-Faitelson, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Eran Goldberg, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Joanna Maria Grzyb, Ph.D., Jagiellonian University Arie Honig, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Alex Keshet, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Frieda Kopnov, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Arieh Moussaieff, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Inbal Neta-Sharir, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Jianxin Shi, Ph.D., Agriculture Faculty, Israel Jebasingh Tennyson, Ph.D., Madurai Kamaraj University Boris Zorin, Humboldt Univerity Of Berlin

Research Students

Ruthie Angelovici Tamar Avin Wittenberg Arren Bar-Even Dario A. Breitel Inbal Dangoor Idan Efroni Ilan Feine Eran Goldberg Ruth Goldschmidt Liat Goldshaid Maxim Itkin Michal Kenan-Eichler Menny Kirma Nardy Lampl-Saady Noam Leviatan Ronen Levy Shira Lezer Michal Lieberman-Lazarovich Keren Limor Waisberg Sergey Malitsky Dikla Malter Arie Marcovich Iris Margalit Shira Mintz Avishai Mor Elad Noor Sharon Reikhav Dadi Segal Anat Shperberg Vered Tzin Gal Wittenberg Tamar Yifhar Administrator

Maanit Zibziner 58 Biological Services

Biological Services

Chaim Kahana, Head (until September 2009) The Jules J. Mallon Chair of Biochemistry

Robert Fluhr, Head (from October 2009) The Sir Siegmund Warburg Chair of Agricultural Molecular Biology

The Department of Biological Services provides specialized facilities and services to more than 700 scientists and students in the areas of bioinformatics, molecular biology, protein analysis, cell biology, bacteriology, genomics and immunology. The specific services include DNA sequencing, Protein sequencing, Mass spectroscopy analysis (including peptide synthesis quality control, protein molecular mass determination, protein identification and identification of post translational modifications), Oligonucleotide synthesis, Peptide synthesis, Bioinformatics consultation (given as 1:1 consultation or in the format of lectures and workshops), Cell sorting (analytical and preparative), Antibody preparation (polyclonal and monoclonal), Bacterial fermentation, irradiation of cells, animals and other biological materials, Gene expression profiling by DNA array analysis and maintenance of electronic equipment and computers.

In addition, staff members of various units of the Biological Services provide courses through the Feinberg Graduate School. Example of such courses are programming, basic bioinformatics analysis, DNA array handling and results analysis and cell sorting. The Bioinformatics unit hosts the Israeli National Node (INN), which maintains a comprehensive collection of DNA and protein databases and programs. Together with the Genome Center the Bioinformatics unit works on the development of tools used for databases searching.

Most of our services are available to scientists from other academic institutions and to the industry.

http://www.weizmann.ac.il/biological_services/ Biological Services 59 Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professor

Robert Fluhr1, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Sir Siegmund Warburg Professor of Agricultural Molecular Biology

Senior Staff Scientists

Ora Goldberg, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Jaime Prilusky, Ph.D., National University of Cordoba Aharon Rabinkov, Ph.D., Leningrad Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry, Russian Federation

Associate Staff Scientists

Shifra Ben-Dor, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Edna Furman-Haran, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Shirley Horn-Saban, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Orith Leitner, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Alla Shainskaya, Ph.D., Palladine Institute of Biochemistry, Ukraine Academy of Sciences, Kiev, Ukraine Ayala Sharp, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Irina Shin, Ph.D., Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation

Assistant Staff Scientists

Elena Ainbinder, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Ester Feldmesser, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Ghil Jona, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Rotem Sertchook, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Bassem Ziadeh, Ph.D., Cornell University, Ithaca, United States

Senior Intern

Immanuel Blumenzweig, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (left July 2009)

Engineer

Marilyn Safran, M.Sc., Boston University, Boston, United States 60 Biological Services Visiting Scientist

Dena Leshkowitz, Daniel Biotech, Rehovot, Israel

Postdoctoral Fellows

Ester Feldmesser, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel David Pilzer, Tel-Aviv University, Israel

Administrator

Ariela Mendel

1Department of Plant Sciences The Avron-Wilstätter Minerva Center for Research in Photosynthesis 61

The Avron-Wilstätter Minerva Center for Research in Photosynthesis

Avigdor Scherz, Director

The Robert and Yadelle Sklare Professor in Biochemistry

The Minerva Foundation, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ) and the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) established the Avron-Minerva center for Photosynthesis in 1995. The center was outset to promote research in the chemical, physical, technological and regulatory aspects of photosynthesis from the molecular to the global level. Importantly, the Minerva foundation has aided the global need for crops suitable to arid areas by establishing a high profile research in Israel in both at the fundamental and technological aspects of plant growth. To fulfil these goals the Minerva foundation has provided a generous gift for a new center in the HUJ, whose research aims include photosynthesis regulation. The new center was merged with the older, Wilstätter-Minerva center that was established earlier, in WIS, and originally aimed at understanding of solar energy conversion in photosynthesis.

The recent genomic revolution combined with the development of bio-informatics and proteomics, have opened a new frontier in the research of photosynthesis. It is possible now to integrate data from the genotype to the phenotype levels utilizing a multi-disciplinary array of methodologies that deal with a broad range of questions in order to understand the molecular foundation of the photosynthetic machinery as a whole, the clockwork of membrane and globular protein formation, assembly and communication and the related adaptation of the photosynthetic organism to the eco-system. Moreover, products and principle components of the photosynthetic machinery are now used for medicine (like in photodynamic therapy of cancer) and nutrition (carotenoids).

Such progress requires the establishment of research arena which enables integrative application of different disciplines to molecular, cellular and multi-cellular systems.

The activities of the Avron-Minerva center planed for coming years should implement and exploit these new developments. Thus, three major research lines have been selected: (1) photosynthetic protein complexes: Bio-synthesis, 62 The Avron-Wilstätter Minerva Center for Research in Photosynthesis assembly into functional units, and cellular organization into supra-structures; (2) acclimation of photosynthetic organisms to environmental stress: (3) development of novel technologies such as photodynamic therapy of different diseases using chlorophylls or bacteriochlorophyll and light, and production of carotenoids derivatives. The principles discovered here are applied to other research fields as well.

Following this rational, the center provides seed money for multidisciplinary research programs (1-3 years), international meetings and exchanges of German and Center's members. On the Israeli side, travel support is mainly provided to students and post-doc fellows. Research funds are limited to members of the center. Four new members have recently joined the center. The Y. Leon Benoziyo Institute for Molecular Medicine 63

The Y. Leon Benoziyo Institute for Molecular Medicine

Ben-Zion Shilo, Director The Hilda and Cecil Lewis Chair of Molecular Genetics

The Y. Leon Benoziyo Institute for Molecular Medicine (BIMM) has become fully operational since 2003. It is aimed at the support of basic research that impinges upon Molecular Medicine at the Weizmann Institute. While the road may be long and difficult, our belief is that a deep understanding of the basic molecular processes underlying disease, is invaluable for the final successful outcome. The Weizmann Institute of Science, being primarily a basic research institute, provides an ideal setting for initiating and advancing such studies.

The activities of the BIMM cover several directions. First, grants are provided to research groups at the Weizmann Institute. We aim to support promising research projects which impinge on Molecular medicine, at the early stages of their conception and development. This initial boost should allow them to progress to a stage where they can be presented to competitive external funding agencies, either as basic research or disease-oriented projects. Second, in order to enhance interactions between Weizmann researchers and the clinic, the BIMM supports research grants which represent a collaboration between the Weizmann Institute and MDs carrying out research at the Ichilov Medical Center. These projects may lead to better diagnostics and treatment, and may also bring problems and specimens from the patients into the Weizmann labs. The ability to purchase top of the line equipment is essential to carry out high caliber research. Such equipment involves sophisticated microscopy, cell sorters, protein analysis by mass spectrometry, and high throughput DNA sequencing. The BIMM participates in purchase and upgrading of equipment that is essential for research impinging on Molecular medicine. Finally, the BIMM supports scientific meetings and visits of leading scientists in Israel.

While all the BIMM grants are aimed at supporting biomedical research, it is interesting to point out that they cover a wide range of disciplines, representing the multidisciplinary and collaborative environment of the Weizmann Institute. The different approaches include manipulation of model organisms, including mice, flies and even yeast, cell culture studies, and the elaborate biochemical manipulations of proteins.

In conclusion, the contribution of the Y. Leon Benoziyo Institute for Molecular Medicine to the activities of the Life Science Faculties at the Weizmann Institute is enormous. To promote the continued impact, we will 64 The Y. Leon Benoziyo Institute for Molecular Medicine strive to maintain the balance between focused support of outstanding groups on the one hand, and broad support of equipment and facilities that will influence not only the work of these groups in particular, but also the capability of the Life Sciences in general. We also strive to maintain the balance between the support of established groups who are leaders in their fields, and the projects of outstanding young scientists who are at the initial stages of their independent career. These scientists are not only the promise for the future of the Weizmann Institute, but in many cases they are the source of original and novel ideas and approaches, that will bear fruit in the coming years. The Dr. Josef Cohn Minerva Center for Biomembrane Research 65

The Dr. Josef Cohn Minerva Center for Biomembrane Research

Eitan Bibi, Director

The Josef Cohn Center for Biomembrane Research was officially inaugurated in 1988 to commemorate Dr. Cohn's major contributions to the scientific links between Germany and Israel. Through its activities, special attention has been given by the Center to promoting contacts with German scientists.

Scientific Aim

The aim of the Center is to initiate and promote interdisciplinary scientific research of biomembranes, with emphasis on processes involved in transfer of information across membranes of living cells.

This aim is achieved by provision of funds for original and innovative research activities and for purchase of specific equipment, by fellowships to young investigators (primarily from Germany and East Europe), and by supporting workshops on hot topics in this field in order to disseminate among young scientists current problems in that field and attract their research attention.

Research funds are granted competitively, on the basis of scientific merits, judged by an internal scientific committee of the Center. Initially the Center supported the research activities of up to 10 investigators per year, each receiving a very modest seed grant. In recent years the policy has been changed. Now, only 2-3 projects are supported, but larger grants are provided. This type of support is primarily for research projects that have the potential to significantly advance the field, but are at a too early stage for obtaining support from regular funding agencies. Funding is provided on a matching basis, i.e., partial coverage of expenditure for fellowships, purchase of equipment, and scientific meetings. Young scientists have priority in obtaining research support and in integration into the Center.

The Center was initially directed by Prof. Israel Pecht (1988-1994), followed by Prof. Michael Eisenbach (1994-1999), Prof. Haim Garty (1999-2000), and Prof. Zvi Livneh (2001-2007) Since 1.1.2008 the director is Prof. Eitan Bibi from the Department of Biological Chemistry.

The administration of the Center 66 The Dr. Josef Cohn Minerva Center for Biomembrane Research The director operates the Center with the help of an advisory scientific committee. Two members of this committee are from the Department of Biological Chemistry, and the third is from another department. Awards are made annually during January. The administrator of the department functions as the administrator of the Center, and secretarial help is provided by the Department. The Crown Human Genome Center 67

The Crown Human Genome Center

Doron Lancet, Director The Ralph D. and Lois R. Silver Chair of Human Genomics

The center was inaugurated in 1998 in order to advance genome research at the Weizmann Institute. The center addresses the challenges posed by the enormous worldwide progress in DNA sequencing of numerous genomes.

In 2008 the Crown Center initiated and introduced the novel Illumina (Solexa) high-throughput DNA sequencing technology to the Department of Biological Services, thus, once again, providing Weizmann scientists with the most advanced genome facilities world wide. This revolutionary technology enables various applications, including bacterial whole genome sequencing, whole genome scale gene expression, Transcriptome and miRNA sequencing, as well as identification of regulatory elements based on Chromatin Immuno-Precipitation analyses, in a most efficient and cost effective manner. In the coming year The Crown Center will also continue to support WIS users of this novel technology

In previous years, the Crown Center helped introduce the following infrastructure activities that are continuously available for WIS scientists: 1) Large scale DNA sequencing of genomic segments. 2) DNA microarray technologies, including an Affymetrix instrument with photolithography-generated oligonucleotide arrays, which analyses mRNAs expression patterns or genomic mutations in thousands of genes from different species. In this scope, the GeneNote project, supported by the Abraham and Judith Goldwasser fund elucidated basic patterns of gene expression in human tissues over the entire genomic gamut of ~40,000 genes. 3) Computational genomics, including know-how on the utilization of the complete, diversely annotated human genome sequence, as well as other completed genomes, in terms of genomic maps and gene repositories. This includes access to external databases and internal data structures such as GeneCards and its affiliated databases (http://www.genecards.org/). Most recently, the GeneALaCart and GeneDecks facilities are being developed to enlarge the scope of GeneCards and exploit its wealth of annotations by providing batch queries and sophisticated analysis tools on sets of genes (e.g. those that result from the output of high throughput experiments). 68 The Crown Human Genome Center In the past, gene discovery projects, performed in collaboration with medical establishments throughout Israel, have led to the discovery of 7 novel genes that underlie human inherited diseases typical to Israeli ethnic groups, and are now available for genetic consultation.

The Sequenom MassArray system for discovering and scoring human genetic variations (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms - SNPs) is very successful. This technology is a central topic of genomic research, aimed at understanding variations among individuals within a species. Nearly thirty collaborative projects aimed at understanding how small genetic variations culminate in causing diseases, from cancer to schizophrenia, were carried out, six of which are ongoing. Pharmacogentic studies, as well as agricultural studies mapping quantitative traits loci were successfully carried out. All of these studies were concluded, and reported on in a variety of scientific publications.

With the discovery of CNVs (Copy Number Variation) a year ago, a whole new vista of genetic variation, with dramatic implications for disease studies, has been revealed. In line with this discovery, the Crown Center initiated a study to identify CNVs in association with specific anosmia.

The Center also harbors a program in evolutionary genomics, including the evolution of the sense of smell, whereby novel information on extreme genetic diversity has been uncovered, relevant to the fragrance and flavor industry. An important example of the olfaction evolution is the recent analysis of the platypus genome, performed at the center, that discovered an olfactory receptor (OR) repertoire of 700 genes. This repertoire is roughly half as large as that in a typical mammal, suggesting that monotremes serve as a departure point for the OR repertoire expansion in mammals, potentially via a duplication of the entire OR sub-genome around the monotreme-marsupial separation. Also, a program in prebiotic evolution is ongoing, aiming at solving one of the most important open questions of science: how life evolved on planet earth. Such computer-based early evolution studies focus on developing a model (The Graded Autocatalysis Replication Domain, GARD) which is an analogy to biochemical networks, with many of the realistic kinetic and thermodynamic properties of present-day cellular networks.

More recently, the Synlet (Synthetic Lethality) project has been initiated. The purpose of this project is to develop methodologies which will predict synthetic lethality within the GARD network. We will then apply these methodologies on the yeast and human protein interaction networks. This is one of many efforts within the new realm of Systems Biology, and the Genome Center is thus in close interaction with the newly inaugurated Center for Systems Biology at Weizmann, directed by Prof. Eytan Domany. The Crown Human Genome Center 69 The Crown Human Genome Center receives current support from the Crown Family and the Israel Science Foundation Grant - Sub-Contract of Hadassah Medical Center. Past support was received from the Israel ministry of Science and Technology (National Knowledge Center for Genomics), a Magneton project of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Abraham and Judy Goldwasser Fund, Israel Science Foundation Grant - Sub-Contract of Hadassah Medical Center and Philip Morris External Research Program, and lately, an Israel Science Foundation equipment grant. http://bioinformatics.weizmann.ac.il/genome_center/ 70 The Mel Dobrin Center for Nutrition

The Mel Dobrin Center for Nutrition

Gad Galili, Head (until September 2009) The Bronfman Chair of Plant Science

Avi Levy, Head (from October 2009) The Gilbert de Botton Professor of Plant Sciences

Increasing plant productivity and nutritional quality are a major human interest. The Dobrin Center provides a coordinating and supportive framework for various activities aimed at increasing our understanding of the genetics, biochemistry, and physiological processes that may lead to improvements in crop plants.

During the past year, the Center supported novel approaches for the production of nutritionally improved plants, and reducing crop plants losses caused by biotic and environmental stresses. In addition, the Center has continued to provide support for the exchange of scientists and for the participation of young scientists in international conferences that deal with plant productivity and nutrition. The Leo and Julia Forchheimer Center for Molecular Genetics 71

The Leo and Julia Forchheimer Center for Molecular Genetics

Yosef Shaul, Director The Oscar and Emma Getz Chair

Forchheimer Center supports directly and indirectly research conducted in the field of molecular genetics from different aspects such as developmental biology, system and computational biology, molecular cell biology and molecular virology. In addition, the Center supports activities to provide state of the art facilities and tools at both institutional and individual groups levels.

The Center supported maintaining and enlarging biological services in the campus and in the Department of Molecular Genetics, among them the laboratory for the production of transgenic and gene "knock-out" mice. The Centers support has also led to the establishment of advanced facilities for DNA analysis and protein identification by mass spectrometry. This equipment enables the Institutes molecular geneticists to perform genetic studies in vertebrate model organisms and to conduct functional studies on isolated genes and proteins.

During the past few years Molecular Genetics department has recruited a number of excellent young scientists. Thanks to the support by the Center the recruitment became smooth and pleasant and certain items and facilities were purchased for their immediate and long-term needs.

The Center also provided partial supports to students for attending scientific workshops and meetings, to share their results with the international scientific communities. Forchheimer Center has established in the campus a repository of plasmids and vectors of wide interest. The Center continues to keep this collection updated to assist our scientists to use the state of the art tools. An updated list of available plasmids is posted on the Web, so that our researchers, upon request, have easy access to the repository. 72 The Kekst Family Institute for Medical Genetics

The Kekst Family Institute for Medical Genetics

Yoram Groner, Director The Dr. Barnet Berris Chair of Cancer Research

The Kekst Family Institute for Medical Genetics was established by Gershon and Carol Kekst. The Institute's main objective is to promote the investigation of medical aspects of genetics, with the aim of understanding the molecular mechanisms of life processes, and its subsequent application to medicine.

The Institute provides financial assistance to investigators embarking on new projects in the field of molecular medicine, as well as to cross-disciplinary research collaborations between groups from different departments. It also supports the organization of international and local conferences and workshops aimed at disseminating and promoting communication between researchers in fields related to medical genetics. Particular emphasis is given to funds allocated for purchase of new equipment with the aim of upgrading the technical infrastructure of medical genetics at the Institute.

The activities of the Institute are coordinated by a steering committee, comprised of Yoram Groner (Department of Molecular Genetics), Benjamin Geiger (Department of Molecular Cell Biology) and Ben-Zion Shilo (Department of Molecular Genetics). The Charles W. and Tillie K. Lubin Center for Plant Biotechnology 73

The Charles W. and Tillie K. Lubin Center for Plant Biotechnology

Gad Galili, Head (until September 2009) The Bronfman Chair of Plant Science

Avi Levy, Head (from October 2009) The Gilbert de Botton Professor of Plant Sciences

The Charles and Tillie K. Lubin Center for Plant Biotechnology supports basic research addressing important global challenges, such has hanger, malnutrition and sickness. It supports studies that aim at improving the understanding of biological processes in plants and the application of these studies for improving crops. Plants accumulate a large number of special metabolites, which help them tolerating various stresses, such as high light intensity and pathogen attacks. These metabolites are also important parts of the nutritional quality of plants because of their antioxidant activities and other health properties. This year, The Charles and Tillie K. Lubin Center for Plant Biotechnology supports research activities associated with understanding of the regulation of plant development, productivity and metabolism as well as support services such as cell culture and plant growth infrastructure. 74 The M.D. Moross Institute for Cancer Research

The M.D. Moross Institute for Cancer Research

Yoram Groner, Director The Dr. Barnet Berris Chair of Cancer Research

The M.D. Moross Institute for Cancer Research, established in November 1998 with a generous founding endowment made by the Manfred D. Moross Foundation, will be dedicated to the promotion of excellent cancer research at the Weizmann Institute.

The M.D. Moross Institute aims to promote, facilitate and enhance cancer related research at the Weizmann Institute. To this end the M.D. Moross Institute will work as an umbrella institute encompassing other Weizmann Institute centers and some major funds that are involved in cancer research, in order to achieve a campus-wide synergy in cancer research.

Cancer related research constitutes more than half of all Weizmann Institute activities in the Life Sciences, involving close to 50 groups (approximately 350 people). This breadth is a result of the Institute's inherently interdisciplinary nature, and is a feature that is likely to become even more prominent in the years to come, as disciplines overlap each other's domains and coalesce to create new areas of expertise. Seminal contributions of Weizmann Institute scientists often cannot be realized due to a hiatus in critical funding during the post-discovery period. The M.D. Moross Institute for Cancer Research will provide this timely and significant support.

The main areas of support include:

♦ Special support for the acquisition of new trans-disciplinary technologies aimed at encouraging research collaboration between different groups.

♦ Funding collaborative research projects between various cancer researchers at the Weizmann Institute, and between these scientists and clinicians at the Tel Aviv Sourasky-Ichilov Medical Center with the aim of translating basic Weizmann laboratory research into clinical application in the hospital.

♦ Supporting scientists who have submitted or resubmitted large, ambitious research plans to significant external granting agencies, to cover their research expenses for the interim period between The M.D. Moross Institute for Cancer Research 75 submission and acceptance.

♦ Life Science Colloquia in the field of cancer research, to which distinguished scientists are invited to present an Institute-wide lecture on their research, and to spend a few days on campus for meetings and discussion with faculty and students. http://www.weizmann.ac.il/moross-icr/ 76 The David and Fela Shapell Family Center for Genetic Disorders Research

The David and Fela Shapell Family Center for Genetic Disorders Research

Yoram Groner, Director The Dr. Barnet Berris Chair of Cancer Research

The David and Fela Shapell Family Center for Genetic Disorders Research was established by David and Fela Shapell in honor of Jacob Shapell, their beloved grandson, to support research on Down syndrome and other genetic disorders. The Center's main objective is to promote the investigation of molecular genetic aspects of Down syndrome and other genetic disorders, with the aim of understanding the molecular mechanisms by which altered genotype leads to altered phenotype.

The Shapell Center provides financial assistance to investigators embarking on new projects in the field of molecular genetics, as well as to interdisciplinary research collaborations between groups using the infrastructure of the Facility for Genetically Modified Animals (a.c Transgenic Facility). Funds are also allocated to facilitate research activities in the Transgenic Facility and for the purchase of new equipment with the aim of upgrading the technical infrastructure of the facility.

The Shapell Center also supports the organization of international and local conferences and workshops aimed at disseminating and promoting communication between researchers in fields related to medical genetics.

The activities of the Center are coordinated by a steering committee, including Yoram Groner (Department of Molecular Genetics), Ori Peles (Department of Molecular Cell Biology), Ari Elson (Department of Molecular Genetics) and David Wallach (Department of Biological Chemistry). The Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Center for Plant Molecular Genetics Research 77

The Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Center for Plant Molecular Genetics Research

Gad Galili, Head (until September 2009) The Bronfman Chair of Plant Science

Avi Levy, Head (from October 2009) The Gilbert de Botton Professor of Plant Sciences

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Center for Plant Molecular Genetics supports basic research in plant sciences that focuses on plant growth and productivity. Its resources are directed toward the support of Weizmann Institute plant scientists as well as their ongoing research, purchase of scientific equipment, and support services such as cell culture and plant growth infrastructure. Research funded by the Center for Plant Molecular Genetics Research, addresses and problems of the hungry, the needy, and the sick, and focuses its efforts on promoting the welfare of humankind, through improving human nutrition, human health and the environment. 78 The Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Center for Plant Molecular Genetics Research Faculty of Biology

Dean: Benjamin Geiger (until September 2009) The Professor Erwin Neter Professor of Cell and Tumor Biology

Dean: Michal Neeman (from October 2009) The Helen and Morris Mauerberger Professor

Michael Sela, Ph.D. (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) Institute Professor The W. Garfield Weston Professor of Immunology 80 Faculty of Biology

Faculty of Biology

Dean: Benjamin Geiger (until September 2009) The Professor Erwin Neter Chair of Cell and Tumor Biology

Dean: Michal Neeman (from October 2009) The Helen and Morris Mauerberger Chair

The Faculty of Biology is one of two faculties of Life Sciences at the Institute. Together with the sister Faculty of Biochemistry, research efforts span the understanding of life at all levels, from the molecule to the cell and the intact organism. The four Scientific Departments of the Faculty of Biology dedicate their efforts to understanding biological processes in normal and pathological settings. The Departments of Neurobiology and Immunology, concentrate on the nervous and the immune systems respectively. The Departments of Molecular Cell Biology and Biological Regulation share interest in understanding regulatory networks that affect function and structure at the cellular to whole organism levels, during pathological and physiological development.

Complementing the physical organization of the Faculty into Departments, interdisciplinary Research Institutes and Centers coordinate campus-wide research projects. The Einhorn Dominic Institute for Brain Research and its associated centers The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Neurosciences and The Murray H. and Meyer Grodetsky Center for Research of Higher Brain Functions support and fortify studies of the most fascinating and least understood organ, the brain. The Yad Abraham Center for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy supports work aiming primarily to implement the basic knowledge generated at the Weizmann towards better diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Studies on aging, a major focus of interest in contemporary Western societies, are supported by the Meller Center for the Biology of Aging. Clinically important aspects of our immune system are also being explored: the Robert Koch Center for Research in Autoimmune Disease is studying the consequences of malfunction of the immune system and is exploring ways to intercept such unwelcome processes, while the Rich Center for Transplantation Biology Research is supporting work aimed at increasing the success of bone marrow transplantation in the treatment of cancer and other life threatening diseases. The Willner Family Center for Vascular Biology supports the study of structural and functional aspects of our blood system. Faculty of Biology 81 The Faculty considers as its major aim to foster biological studies both at the organism and at the molecular level, by using state of the art technologies. Accordingly, we are constantly streamlining services that help research groups generate animal models, including gene-knockout and transgenic animals. In parallel, we seek to enhance our research activities that use sophisticated imaging methods, including digital light microscopy, MRI and EEG, ultrasound and CT to follow the function of cells, internal organs, tumors and the brain. In anticipation of changes in the directions of biomedical research in the 21st century, the Faculty is encouraging research in the field of biological physics and systems biology, bringing together researchers trained in physics and in the life sciences.

Our other major challenge is to attract and recruit outstanding young scientists. In an age of constantly growing complexity of unanswered biological questions and ever increasing competition for discoveries, we consider it our shared responsibility to provide optimal conditions for the creativity of our promising junior faculty members.

Our large core service center, the Department of Veterinary Resources, provides cutting edge pre-clinical facilities. Both the new and the extensively renovated facilities host our laboratory animals under state-of-the-art conditions. Of particular importance is the Facility for Genetically Modified Animals and the unit for In Vivo Bioimaging. These facilities provide Weizmann Institute researchers with powerful timely tools for developing and analyzing animal models of human diseases. http://www.weizmann.ac.il/homepage/pages/dbio.shtml 82 Biological Regulation

Biological Regulation

Nava Dekel, Head The Philip M. Klutznick Professor of Developmental Biology

The regulation of processes responsible for the concerted action of cells, tissues, vascular networks and organs is being carried out in our department. Our studies include the identification of signaling pathways involving hormones, growth promoting factors, as well as programmed cell death and survival factors. We also characterize specific receptors, target cells, and the multiple mechanisms involved in the transmission of signals as well as processing and regulation of developmental and differentiation events. In these investigations we apply a diverse range of methodologies in different in vitro and in vivo systems: namely, biochemical, molecular biology, and physiological methods in tissue cultures, organs and whole animals. We also focus on developing non-invasive imaging technology by the utilization of optical means, as well as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS). Since changes in the regulation of such processes are a cause for many human diseases (cancer, infertility, heart failure, stroke etc.), we further apply our results to develop new modes of treatment, such as photodynamic cancer therapy, and drugs for pharmacological intervention.

Nava Dekel: Studies in our laboratory are directed at identification and characterization of molecular events that regulate reproduction and early development. Of major interest is the control of the meiotic status of the mammalian oocyte. Attempts to disclose this issue include investigation of the gating mechanism of the gap junctions that mediate the communication of the inhibitory cAMP from the somatic cells of the ovarian follicle to the oocyte and the response of the ovarian gap junction protein connexin 43 (Cx43) to gonadotropins. Search for complementary mechanisms that ensure the efficiency of a timely alteration between meiotic arrest and resumption of meiosis include the characterization of the oocyte specific phosphodiesterase 3A (PDE3A) and its possible mode of regulation during meiotic arrest and upon reinitiation of meiosis. Potential downstream regulators that are subjected to the PKA-mediated cAMP action are examined and their hierarchy is explored. Specific interest is directed at the role of ECT2 and RhoA that participate in the completion of the first meiotic division.

A list of ovarian and endometrial genes, the expression of which is upregulated in association with ovulation and implantation, respectively have Biological Regulation 83 been recently generated by suppression subtructive hybridization (SSH) and microarray analysis. Further attempts to characterize and identify the specific function of a selected group of these genes are presently performed. Our studies on implantation and early embryonal development are also directed at exploration of the involvement of the immune system in the embryo-uterus dialog. These studies that are performed in collaboration with the IVF unit at the Kaplan Medical Center already resulted in the development of a new mode for treatment of infertility that is associated with implantation failure.

Hadassa Degani: This year, our lab focused on investigating hormonal regulation of breast cancer, monitoring and searching the steps associated with breast cancer metastasis, as well as discovering molecular and biochemical processes associated with breast malignant transformation. The experiments were performed on human breast cancer cells growing in culture, as well as on orthotopic tumors of these cells implanted in experimental animals in vivo. In addition, we extended our studies to lung cancer cells and tumors growing in the lung, searching for the distinct properties of the microvascular network of this cancer. In the course of these investigations we developed novel, non invasive methods for monitoring cancer progression and metastasis by means of magnetic resonance and fluorescence imaging . For example, we developed a method which enabled us to map the distribution of the interstitial fluid pressure and thereby determine the barriers to drug delivery, and resistance to chemotherpy. Moreover, In collaboration with Prof. David Milstein, Organic Chemistry, we synthesized and demonstrated the application of novel molecular MRI probes for mapping in vivo the expression of the estrogen receptor in breast cancer tumors and rat uteri. In collaboration with Medical Centers in the US and Taiwan we continued our clinical MRI investigations of prostate cancer staging and breast cancer response to chemotherapy.

Atan Gross: Our lab is primarily focused on studying regulatory mechanisms controlling the balance between cell life and death. In the first line of research, we are exploring the activities of the pro-apoptotic BID protein at the mitochondria by studying its interaction with a novel and uncharacterized protein named mitochondrial carrier homolog 2 (MTCH2)/Met-induced mitochondrial protein (MIMP). We have recently revealed that MTCH2/MIMP is a positive regulator of the BID-death pathway, and our future goals are to determine its exact function at the mitochondria and the importance of its function in-vivo using an MTCH2/MIMP conditional knock-out mouse. In a second line of research, we are exploring the activities of BID in the response of cells to DNA damage. We have recently revealed that DNA damage induces the phosphorylation of BID by the ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase, and that this phosphorylation is important for cell cycle arrest at the S phase and for inhibition of apoptosis. Our future goals are to determine the mechanistic details of BIDs activities in the DNA damage pathway, and to define the importance of these activities 84 Biological Regulation in-vivo using a BID knock-in mouse, in which the endogenous BID gene has been replaced with a gene that drives the expression of a non-phosphorylatable BID protein.

Moti Liscovitch (deceased): We are studying the molecular cell biology of caveolin-1 in human breast, colon and lung cancer cells. Specifically, we explore the role of caveolin-1 in mediating survival signaling of cancer cells that are denied matrix attachment or are exposed to genotoxic stress. In addition, we study the role of caveolin-1 and other constituents of lipid rafts in drug export, drug response and trafficking of multidrug transporters. Another topic of our research is the induction of caveolin-1/2 expression by PPAR-g ligands and its relation to PPAR-g-induced cell differentiation in colon cancer cells. In parallel studies we are trying to elucidate the functions of phospholipase D isozymes in yeast and mammalian cells by employing gene knockdown approaches and to identify molecular targets of phosphatidic acid, the lipid messenger product of phospholipase D. Finally, we are developing the novel Ligand Interaction Scan method for engineering ligand-regulatable recombinant proteins that would be useful in drug target validation and generation of ligand-sensitive transgenic organisms.

Ami Navon: In both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, most proteins are degraded in an ATP-dependent manner. In eukaryotes ATP-dependent degradation is executed by the 26S proteasome, which hydrolyzes ubiquitin-conjugated and certain non-ubiquitinated polypeptides. Its primary function is the turnover of damaged or misfolded proteins. In addition, the proteasome affects the cell cycle and other processes through the degradation of regulatory components and transcription factors. The proteasome is important for immune system as well through processing of NFkB, a key factor in the inflammatory response, and in generating peptides used for MHC class I presentation. Furthermore, the proteasome plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson and ALS, presumably through its failure to degrade specific proteins, which form deleterious aggregates. Currently, our lab is investigating three aspects related to proteasomal degradation. The major effort of the lab is invested in understanding the molecular mechanism underlining the function of the proteasome regulatory ATPase complex, which is responsible for substrate recognition, unfolding and translocation into the 20S proteasome. In addition, we also study the significance of the N-linked-glycans removing enzyme PNGase, for the proteasome associated MHC class I antigen presentation. Recently, we became interested in the mechanistic reasons for the failure of the 26S proteasome to degrade certain substrates under specific physiological conditions. This may result in the accumulation of aggregated proteins and lead to degenerative diseases such as Parkinson and ALS. To address these scientific aims, we use an integrative approach of biochemistry, structural biology and cell biology. Biological Regulation 85

Michal Neeman: Application of MRI and optical imaging for elucidation of the regulatory pathways that control the recruitment of endothelial capillaries (angiogenesis), vascular maturation, and remodeling of the lymphatics. Studies aim to reveal the contribution and interplay between environmental, hormonal and growth factor mediated signaling pathways. Specific steps in the process are detected by monitoring hemodynamic properties, vascular permeability and changes in the extracellular matrix. Vascular remodeling is followed in a range of biological models including reproduction, embryonic development, repair of ischemic injuries, tumor progression and metastatic dissemination.

Yoram Salomon: Vascular targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP) is a local anti vascular treatment modality of solid tumors that uses light and Pd-bacteriochlorophyll derivatives as photosensitizers. The anti tumor action is delivered by a local burst of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species that leads to the treatment endpoint - blood stasis within minutes and consequent tumor eradication. The mechanism of vascular destruction by VTP is the major objective of the research. Online imaging by fMRI based on photoinduced BOLD contrast is being developed as means of treatment-follow up and guidance. Intravital microscopy studies in combination with MRI aim at elucidation of the hemodynamic and photochemical basis of the BOLD contrast. The immunological response of the treated mice associated with the healing of the VTP induced injury is also being examined. This work was done in collaboration with Michal Neeman, Dept. of Biological Regulation and Avigdor Scherz, Dept. of Plant Sciences.

Rony Seger: The characterization of the intracellular transmission of extracellular signals by seven distinct signaling pathways: four MAP Kinase cascades (ERK, JNK, p38 and BMK) two PI3K dependent cascades (AKT and S6K) and the PKA cascade. These studies included (i) identification of novel components, (ii) cross-talk between the distinct cascade, (iii) intracellular localization of components of the cascades, and are aimed to elucidate how the signaling network formed by these signaling cascade regulate gene expression, proliferation, and differentiation.

Alex Tsafriri: Ovulation in mammals is a preferable target for contraception and fertility regulation. We investigate two of the ovulatory processes: (i) Oocyte maturation, including the differential regulation and expression of phosphodiesterases in the germ cells and somatic compartments in the ovary; and the role of meiosis activating sterols (MAS). (ii) Follicular rupture at ovulation and the involvement of proteolytic cascades (plasmin activating system, and collagenases), eicosanoids and other paracrine regulators. In collaboration with Michal Neeman we examine the role of revascularization in uptake of transplanted ovarian fragments to allow restoration of fertility after chemo/radiotherapy. 86 Biological Regulation

Eldad Tzahor: The nature of the instructions leading to a specific cell fate is one of the most puzzling questions in biology. The fates of embryonic progenitor cells and their patterning require a molecular "dialogue" between adjacent cell populations, yet the details of these molecular interactions remain elusive. For the past few years, we have focused on the characterization of signaling molecules that regulate both heart and craniofacial muscle formation during early vertebrate embryogenesis (Tzahor et al., 2003; Tzahor and Lassar, 2001). Heart and skeletal muscle progenitor cells are thought to derive from distinct mesoderm regions during early embryogenesis. The recent identification of the secondary heart field in vertebrate embryos led us to consider the contribution of the secondary heart field to cardiac development. What might be the relationship between the cranial paraxial mesoderm (the precursors of the skeletal muscles in the head) and this newly discovered myocardial lineage? Utilizing fate mapping studies, gene expression analyses, and manipulations of signaling pathways in the chick embryo, both in vitro and in vivo, we have demonstrated that cells from the cranial paraxial mesoderm contribute to myocardial and endocardial cell populations within the cardiac outflow tract. Furthermore, BMP signals, which block head muscle formation, act as potent inducers of the secondary heart field lineage (Tirosh-Finkel et al., 2006, accepted for publication). These findings support the notion that the cells within the cranial paraxial mesoderm play a vital role in cardiogenesis. Based on our past and ongoing studies, we propose that the developmental programs of progenitor populations that contribute to the head muscles and the anterior pole of the heart are tightly linked, indicative of a single cardiocraniofacial morphogenetic field.

During vertebrate craniofacial development, progenitor cells derived from the mesoderm fuse together to form a myofiber, which is attached to a specific skeletal element derived from the cranial neural crest (CNC) in a highly coordinated manner. To investigate this exquisitely tuned process, we employ both mouse genetic models and the avian experimental system to explore the molecular crosstalk between CNC and mesoderm progenitor cells during vertebrate head development. Thus far, loss- and gain-of-function experiments in both mouse and avian models demonstrate that skeletal muscle patterning and differentiation in the head are precisely regulated by CNC cells (Rinon A, Lazar S, & Tzahor E, in preparation). Our studies on cardiac and skeletal muscle specification during vertebrate embryogenesis are expected to provide valuable and original insights that may contribute to our understanding of normal as well as pathological aspects of heart and craniofacial development.

Yosef Yarden: Growth factors enable clonal expansion and fixation of genetic aberrations by ensuring unlimited proliferation of transformed cells (tumor growth), attraction of blood vessels (angiogenesis) and colonization of distant sites (metastasis). An example is provided by the family of epidermal growth Biological Regulation 87 factor (EGF) and the neuregulins, which bind with the ErbB family of receptors. ErbB proteins and their EGF-like ligands play essential roles in human cancer. One important mechanism involves autocrine loops comprising co-expression of a receptor and the respective ligand. Another mechanism entails genetic aberrations, which relate primarily to ErbB-1, and involve deletion of regulatory domains. Mutant forms of ErbB-1 were found in both brain and lung tumors. Last, overexpression of ErbB-2/HER2 in human carcinomas characterizes a relatively aggressive subset of mammary and other tumors. Our previous studies raised the hypothesis that an overexpressed ErbB-2 biases formation of the mitogenically more potent ErbB heterodimers, and indeed, the crystal structure of ErbB-2 revealed the existence of a dimerization loop ready to engage in dimer formation. Thus, ErbB-2 is a pre-activated receptor, which can amplify growth signals without binding to a ligand of its own.

Our biochemical analyses led us to the realization that the four ErbBs and their many ligands form a layered signaling network. Invertebrates like C. elegans and Drosophila, present simple versions of the network, which gradually evolved complexity through gene duplications and genetic diversification. The layered structure of the mammalian network ensures robust signaling, while maintaining stringent control and finely tuning the output. Once activated by growth factors, receptor tyrosine kinases simultaneously launch both positive signals, which lead to cell stimulation, and delayed negative signals, which regulate the amplitude and duration of these positive signals. A delicate balance between positive and negative signals is critical for normal cellular homeostasis, and its disturbance is often implicated in disease development. Hence, we focused our studies on negatively acting pathways that normally desensitize growth factor signaling. Our studies of the last few years identified several negative regulatory pathways, such as ligand-induced receptor endosytosis and degradation, as well as induction of newly synthesized negative regulators of the network, which are defective in human tumors of epithelial origin. In the last year we focused on additional potential mechanisms that restrain ErbB signaling in normal cells, but whose function may be aberrant in tumors. The list of potential regulators includes transcription repressors, MAPK and tyrosine-specific phsospatases, de-ubiquitination enzymes, micro-RNA molecules and alternatively spliced forms of growth factor-induced mRNAs. Interestingly, many actin-binding proteins are included in the group of late-induced, growth factor up-regulated transcripts. Our initial studies uncovered involvement of these mRNAs in growth factor-induced cell migration and invasion, observations we hope to extend to metastasis driven by the ErbB family of receptors and their EGF-like ligands. http://www.weizmann.ac.il/Biological_Regulation/ 88 Biological Regulation Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Hadassa Degani, Ph.D., State University of New York, Stony Brook, United States The Fred and Andrea Fallek Professor of Breast Cancer Research Nava Dekel, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel The Philip M. Klutznick Professor of Developmental Biology Michal Neeman, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Helen and Morris Mauerberger Professor Yoram Salomon, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (on extension of service) The Charles W. and Tillie K. Lubin Professor of Hormone Research Rony Seger, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Yale S. Lewine and Ella Miller Lewine Professor for Cancer Research Yosef Yarden, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Harold and Zelda Goldenberg Professor of Molecular Cell Biology

Professor Emeritus

Alexander Tsafriri, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Associate Professor

Atan Gross, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Senior Scientists

Lilach Gilboa, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Ami Navon, Ph.D., Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel Incumbent of the Recanati Career Development Chair of Cancer Research Eldad Tzahor, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Incumbent of the Gertrude and Philip Nollman Career Development Chair Karina Yaniv, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Associate Staff Scientist

Batya Cohen, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Senior Intern

Erez Moshe Bublil, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Moshit Lindzen, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Biological Regulation 89 Zhong Yao, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Intern

Galit Eliyahu, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (left November 2009) Gilad Gibor, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel (left August 2009)

Consultants

Amichai Barash, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel Catherine Brami, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel (left March 2009) Irit Granot, Kaplan Hospital, Rehovot, Israel Fortune Kohen Arie Marcovich, Kaplan Hospital, Rehovot, Israel Yehudit Posen (left May 2009) David Varon, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel Leonid Visochek (left September 2009) Karina Yaniv (left June 2009)

Visiting Scientists

Yonni Cohen, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel Sebastian Katz Laurence Kedes, University of Southern California, LA, U.S.A. Tal Shapira - Roten Moriel Vandsburger, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Zhong Yao, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Jamal Zidan, Ziv Medical Center, Israel

Postdoctoral Fellows

Nira Amar, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Rinon Ariel, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Sarit Bendetz-Nezer, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Vardina Bensoussan, Pasteur Institute, Paris, France Erez Bublil, Ph.D., Tel-Aviv University, Israel Pradeep Chaluvally Raghavan, Ph.D., Amala Cancer Research Centre, Kerala, India Anna Maria Emde, M.D. Gilad Gibor, Ph.D., Tel-Aviv University, Israel Miriam Ivenshitz, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Edith Kario, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Alexander Konson, Ph.D., Ben-Gurion University, Israel Mattia Lauriola, Bologna University 90 Biological Regulation Iris Maimon (Edry), Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Guy Malkinson, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Elisha Nathan, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Alexander Plotnikov, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Sunila Pradeep, Ph.D., Amala Cancer Research Centre, Kerala Tal Raz, M.D., Western College Of Veterinary Medicine, University Adriana Reuveny, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Hagit Schayek, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Nilly Shimony, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Assaf Tal, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Libbat Tirosh, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Natalie Yivgi-Ohana, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Keren Ziv, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Yaara Zwang, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Research Students

Yoseph Addadi Reut Avni Roi Avraham Avital Beer Ido Ben-Ami Nir Ben-Chetrit Dikla Berko Hadas Cohen-Dvashi Yael David (Ben-basat) Judith Elbaz Erez Eyal Itai Glinert Itamar Harel Anna Hitrik Edith Kario Wolfgang Koestler Tamar Lengil Minjun Li Noa Madar-Balakirski Maria Maryanovich Inbal Michailovici Michal Milgrom-Hoffman Yana Mostizky - Koifman Elisha Nathan Galia Oberkovitz Adi Pais Fresia Gilda Pareja Zea Gur Pines Gregory Jacques Ramniceanu Yitzhak Reizel Ariel Rinon Stav Sapoznik Liat Shachnai Yael Shahar-Pomerantz Helena Sheikhet-Migalovich Ketty Shkolnik Ari Tadmor Gabi Tarcic Libbat Tirosh-Finkel Yael Chagit Tzuman Katrien Vandoorne Inbal Wortzel Eldar Zehorai Yaara Zwang Administrator

Rachel Benjamin Immunology 91

Immunology

Yair Reisner, Head The Henry H. Drake Professor of Immunology

The exponential growth of research activity in the life sciences has immunology in its center: The wide range of research activities in our Department covers a spectrum of studies in immunology ranging from fundamental aspects of antigen recognition and intracellular signaling to intercellular communication as well as immune-cell differentiation, migration and homing. Naturally, the progress made in resolving the basic principles underlining the mode of operation of the immune system is also applied to furthering the understanding of its disorders such as autoimmunity and allergies, as well as to the design of new immunotherapeutic modalities to fight cancer and infectious diseases.

Among the different interesting advances made during the recent years is the effective collaborations that have evolved amongst several researchers of the Department in studying the relationship between migration and adhesion of immune cells and their regulation during the functional maturation of the immune system.

The activities of the different research groups are briefly summarized below:

R. Alon's studies focus on the molecular basis and cellular mechanisms by which vascular adhesion molecules (selectins, integrins and their respective ligands) operate to tether and arrest circulating leukocytes on vascular endothelium under shear flow. The group investigates the crosstalk between these adhesion receptors and chemokine receptors on recruited leukocytes, facilitating their emigration to specific tissues both in normal and pathological immune processes. A new focus of the lab is the role of mechanical signals, transduced to adherent leukocytes by shear flow, and their function in the translation of biochemical signals from vascular endothelial cells into productive transendothelial leukocyte migration.

R. Arnon studies focus on antigenicity and vaccine development: Epitope-based synthetic vaccines; as well as autoimmune diseases: Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, mechanisms of its suppression by basic copolymers of amino acids and relevance to multiple sclerosis (collaboration with M. Sela, R. Aharoni); Neurogenesis induced by copolymer 92 Immunology I (with R. Aharoni); Exploitation of Copolymer I for additional application including inflammatory bowel diseases; Use of Cop1 in the prevention of transplant rejection (collaboration with M. Sela and R. Aharoni). In addition, she studies antigen-specific T-cells efficacy in cancer.

A. Ben-Nun demonstrated new primary target antigens (MOG, MOBP and OSP) in multiple sclerosis and their implications for pathogenic processes and immune-specific therapy; He studies multi-epitope/multi-antigen-directed, altered peptides-mediated, immune-specific therapy of complex EAE associated with multiple pathogenic autoreactivities. The mechanisms of T cell modulation; T cell receptor and ligand interaction in autoimmune disease; Non-superantigenic bacterial toxins, T cell subsets and autoimmune diseases; Effect of encephalitogenic myelin-specific T cells and demyelinating antibodies on nerve conduction in the central nervous system in vitro and mechanisms of myelin/neuronal repair by adult stem cells.

G. Berke investigated the regulation of tumor immunity emphasizing tumor escape from immune attack. Along this line, he has addressed the regulation of expression and function of the death receptor Fas and its Ligand in tumors. He studied the binding to and activation of tumor specific T lymphocytes by tetrameric MHC peptide complexes and showed direct activation of the lymphocytes by the bound tetramers. He developed a novel procedure to determine tumor cell susceptibility to anticancer drugs. Finally, he provided evidence that hypoxia predisposes the heart to myocardial damage induce by the death receptor Fas, a finding with implication to the mechanism of myocardial damage following myocardial infarction.

I.R. Cohen's research activities concentrate on the following topics: Autoimmune diabetes: Pathogenesis and clinical trials; Autoimmunity to hsp60 and the development of subunit vaccines against infectious diseases; Innate receptors for hsp60; Bio informatics: antigen chip (with Eytan Domany), modeling languages (with David Harel, Amir Pnueli), and T-cell repertoire chip; Regulation of immune inflammation by small carbohydrate molecules (originally done with Ofer Lider) and by lipoid molecules (with Meir Shinitzky);Autoimmunity to p53 and the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (with Varda Rotter).

L. Eisenbach: tumor progression results in the emergence of highly metastatic cells disseminating to distal organs. We are studying the interaction between malignant cells and the cellular immune system. In particular: a) Identification and characterization of human Tumor Associated Antigen (TAA) peptides derived from differentially expressed genes. Differentially expressed genes are discovered through genomic methods (DNA chips, SAGE) or molecular methods. TAAs from breast, colon, prostate and bladder tumors are the focus of our studies b) Design of anti-tumor peptide vaccines. c) Design of Immunology 93 anti-angiogenic vaccines d) The role of interferon inducible genes in tumorigenesis e) Antigen presentation in tumor Immunity. f) Brain tumors (together with Prof. I. Cohen) g) Genetically manipulated tumor cell vaccines.

Z. Eshhar pursues the Immuno-gene therapy of tumors by redirecting effector lymphocytes using chimeric receptors and focusing on human prostate and breast carcinoma models. The process of homing of the genetically engineered lymphocytes, their fate, as well as the optimal gene transfer procedure are studied and optimized. In parallel, the diversity of prostate cancer as reflected by its antigenicity, sensitivity to different therapeutic modalities as well as aggressiveness is studied (in collaboration with Prof. E. Domany and Prof. A. Orr-Urtreger, Sourasky Medical Center).

S. Fuchs studies immunoregulation of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) and the relation between myasthenia gravis and acetylcholine receptor (AChR); Structure, function and signal transduction of dopamine receptors and their presence in peripheral tissues in health and disease.

S. Jung investigates the in vivo origin and functional organization of the mononuclear phagocyte (MP) system, a body wide network of myeloid cells including macrophages and dendritic cells, as well as organ specific cell types such as bone osteoclasts and brain microglia. To study the differential functions of MP subsets in homeostasis and under pathogen challenge his research team uses the combined application of adoptive precursor cell transfers and conditional in vivo cell ablation in the intact organism. A particular focus is given to the host/pathogen interface at mucosal surfaces such as the respiratory and digestive tract.

T. Lapidot T. Lapidot pursues the identification of cytokines, chemokines, stromal cells, proteolytic enzymes and adhesion molecules that mediate and regulate the migration and developmental program of human stem cells, both normal and leukemic, in a functional in vivo assay as well as the applications for human gene and cancer therapy. In particular, mechanistic insights into the pleotropic roles of the Chemokine SDF-1 and its receptor CXCR4 in stem cell migration (homing and mobilization) and retention in the stem cell niche as well as interactions between Osteoclasts and Osteoblasts in these processes are investigated.

O. Lider. Died, July 2004. His group's activities are being supervised by Prof. I. R. Cohen. Prof. Lider's students are continuing his studies on how the immune system operates under inflammatory conditions. They analyse the effects of cytokines on lymphocyte migration, cell surface adhesion receptor function. They also attempt to evaluate the enzymatic machinery required for leukocytes migration as well as examine the capacities of these enzymes to generate natural small molecular weight inhibitors of inflammation. 94 Immunology

E. Mozes studies, on the cellular-functional and on the molecular levels, the mechanisms underlying the down regulation of a) myasthenia gravis (MG) by an altered peptide ligand based on two myasthenogenic T cell epitopes of the human acetylcholine receptor and b) systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by a peptide based on the CDR of a pathogenic anti-DNA autoantibody. The role of regulatory T cells, cytokines and chemokines, costimulatory molecules, various pathways of apoptosis and of molecules involved in signal transduction is investigated.

I. Pecht investigates the process of recognition performed by immunoreceptors and the mechanism of their signalling. Specifically how the coupling between these receptors' stimuli and cellular responses is initiated and controlled. The model employed for the latter process is that of mast cell

response by secretion of inflammatory mediators and its Fcε receptor coupled cascade. T-cell antigen recognition is the main system where the immunological recognition processes are studied. In addition, the rather different problem of internal electron transfer in proteins is investigated.

Y. Reisner investigates a new approach for tolerance induction, using megadose stem-cell transplants to overcome MHC barriers in sublethally irradiated recipients; the mechanism(s) of tolerance induction by different veto cells is investigated; also human/mouse chimera are used to study the potential use of early embryonic kidney, pancreas and liver as a new source of transplantation.

I. Schechter investigates the regulation of stage specific genes during the life cycle of schistosome (the parasite causing bilharzia) by alternative splicing, a mechanism that generates structural diversity causing changes in gene function at different developmental stages, as well as the function of stage-specific proteins.

M. Sela collaborates with E. Mozes on mechanism of action of peptides inhibiting experimental myasthenia gravis, with R. Arnon on mechanism of action of Copolymer 1, a drug against experimental allergic encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis, and on its use in prevention of transplant rejection and with Y. Yarden on monoclonal antibodies to ErbB2 and their respective B cell epitopes, their roles in potential anti-tumor strategy.

I. Shachar studies homing, maturation and function of immature B cells. In order to fully mature and to participate in the humoral response, immature B cells first migrate into specific areas in the spleen, where they mature, while their arrival to other compartments is restricted. Her research is focused on the mechanisms controlling homing of immature B cells to the spleen and the differentiation to mature B cells in this compartment. Immunology 95 http://www.weizmann.ac.il/immunology/ 96 Immunology Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Ronen Alon, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Linda Jacobs Professor in Immune and Stem Cell Research Avi Ben-Nun, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Professor Gideon Berke, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (on extension of service) The Isaac and Elsa Bourla Professor of Cancer Research Zelig Eshhar, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (on extension of service) The Marshall and Renette Ezralow Professor of Chemical and Cellular Immunology Tsvee Lapidot, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Edith Arnoff Stein Professor in Stem Cell Research Yair Reisner, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Henry H. Drake Professor of Immunology Michael Sela, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Institute Professor The W. Garfield Weston Professor of Immunology

Professors Emeriti

Ruth Arnon, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Irun R. Cohen, Ph.D., Northwestern University Medical School Sara Fuchs, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Nechama Haran-Ghera, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Edna Mozes, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Roald Nezlin, M.D., Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation Israel Pecht, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Israel Schechter, M.D., Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Associate Professors

Lea Eisenbach, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Georg F. Duckwitz Professor of Cancer Research Steffen Jung, Ph.D., Universitaet zu Koeln, Germany Incumbent of the Pauline Recanati Career Development Chair (until November 2009) Idit Shachar, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel The Dr. Morton and Anne Kleiman Professor Immunology 97 Senior Scientists

Nir Friedman, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Incumbent of the Pauline Recanati Career Development Chair Guy Shakhar, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

Senior Staff Scientists

Rina Aharoni, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Ruth Maron, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Associate Staff Scientists

Tali Feferman, Ph.D., Macquarie University Sydney, Sydney, Australia Sara Feigelson, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Alexander Kalinkovich, Ph.D., Pirogov Moscow Medical Institute (PMMI), Russian Federation Orit Kollet, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Esther Lustig, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Elias Shezen, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Assistant Staff Scientists

Rina Falb, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Shlomit Reich-Zeliger, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Senior Intern

Revital Aricha, Ph.D., Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel Esther Witsch, Ph.D., Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Intern

Tal Birnberg, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (left November 2009) Nathali Kaushansky, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Amir Sharabi, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (left May 2009) Doron Yavlecovitch, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel (until January 2009)

Engineer

Esther Tzehoval, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel 98 Immunology Consultants

Alain Berrebi, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot Sonia Berrih-Aknin, CNRC Hopital Marie Lannlongue, France Enrique Freud, Schneider Children's Medical Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel Smadar Gertel, The Open University of Israel, Ra'anana, Israel Amiela Globerson Valentin Grabovsky, Biokine Therapatics Ltd., Israel Tal Ilani (until February 2009) David Issachar Helena Katchman, Ichilov Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel David Margel, Rabin Medical Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel Roald Nezlin Felix Mor, Rabin Medical Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel Bilha Schechter Alexander Shtabsky, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel (left July 2009) Miriam Souroujon, Open University, Raanana, Israel Ilan Volovitz (left June 2009) Doron Yablecovich (left August 2009) Lior Zangi

Visiting Scientists

Daniel Altmann, Imperial College, London, UK Benjamin Chain, University College London, UK Ole Farver, Royal Danish School of Pharmacy, Copenhagen, Denmark Nadav Haim, HLRZ, Julich, Germany Tal Ilani, Cornell University , NY, U.S.A. Michal Kam-Seroussi, Vacciguard, Misgav, Israel David Margel, Rabin Med. Ctr.,Petach Tikva, Israel Ruth Maron, Harvard Med. School, MA, U.S.A. Dror Shouval, Shneider Children's Medical Center, Israel Paul Sondel, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, U.S.A. Scot Wherland, Washington State University , Seattle, U.S.A.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Einat Amit Romach, Agriculture Faculty, Israel Yaron Antebi, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Vered Daniel Carmi, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Eran Elinav, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Hilah Gal, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Smadar Gertel, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel David Hagin, M.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Immunology 99 Tal Ilani, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Nathali Kaushansky, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Georg Mahlknecht, Ph.D., Institute Of Cell Biology (Now Bioanalytics)-Tum Alexander Mildner, Department For Neuropathology Sa'Ar Mizrahi, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Sigal Nakav, Ben-Gurion University, Israel Wilfred Ndimongang Ndifon, Princeton University Charlotte Servais, Ph.D., UniversitÉ Libre De Bruxelles Alona Telerman (Vishnevsk, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel Alexandra Samira Vallon, Ph.D., Ucbl1-Ens Lyon Hen Varol, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Nissan Yissachar, Bar-Ilan University, Israel Simon Yona, Ph.D., University Of London

Research Students

Anna Aronovich Tagest Aychek Meir Azulay Inbal Binsky Dan Blat Jonathan Boxman Gal Cafri Noam Cohen Shiri Cohen Sivan Cohen Yaki Edelshtein Julia Farache Pinto Anat Globerson Karin Golan Yael Gore Yosi Gozlan Liat Greenshtein Ira Gurevich Gil Hecht Tamar Huberman Arieli Tomer Itkin Ki-Wook Kim Yael Klionsky Kfir Lapid Assaf Lask Aya Ludin Amit Maliar Eugenia Manevich- Mendelson Yoav Manster Assaf Marcus Avihai Meiraz Idan Milo Eran Ophir Ronit Pasvolsky Diana Rashkovan Chava Rozen Anita Sapoznikov Amir Schajnovitz Ziv Shulman Orna Tal Dalit Tchorsh Yaron Vagima Chen Varol Nir Waysbort Maya Yaskovich Gordin Lior Zangi Irina Zaretsky Einat Zelman Ehud Zigmond 100 Immunology Administrator

Pnina Carmi Molecular Cell Biology 101

Molecular Cell Biology

Varda Rotter, Head The Norman and Helen Asher Chair of Cancer Research

Research in our Department focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms and systems levels that control cell behavior:

♦ growth regulation ♦ determination of cell fate and differentiation ♦ cell adhesion and movement ♦ intracellular trafficking • These studies include investigations into the mode of action of growth factors, and the nature of signals triggered by them in target cells. Cell growth regulation is also examined through explorations of tumor suppressor genes, such as p53, which inhibit cell proliferation and can drive cells toward differentiation or apoptosis, as well as through the characterization of growth-activating genes and signaling networks. • Our researchers also address the understanding of the mechanisms underlying cancerous transformation, either due to deregulated growth or to failure to undergo apoptosis. Advanced gene screening techniques and genetically modified experimental models are used to identify and characterize specific genes that are involved in normal and malignant growth. There is broad interest in the molecular mechanisms of cell adhesion and motility, and their involvement in the regulation of cellular and embryonic morphogenesis, neuronal development, and in the spread of tumor metastases. Of special interest are proteins such as §-catenin, which plays a critical role in reinforcing cell-cell adhesions, as well as triggering gene expression. These studies include characterizing the mechanisms underlying adhesive interactions, the role of sugars in adhesive processes. Furthermore we investigate the identification of recognition molecules which mediate cell-cell interactions during nervous system development. Understanding of the process by which surface-associated adhesion molecules enable the cell to bind to the cytoskeleton, and the involvement of such adhesions in cell motility and signaling is thoroughly investigated. • Other interesting issues studied in our Department are concerned with developmental biology, and differentiation, processes are dealt with by using cutting edge technologies. This includes also the molecular genetics and evolution of genes involved in human diseases and myogenesis as a model 102 Molecular Cell Biology system for investigating possible therapeutic potentials. • To understand the behavior of cells, it is important to add to the molecular level of description an understanding on the level of systems biology. For this purpose, study of model organisms such as E. coli are useful for defining the design principles of biological circuits. Combined experimental and theoretical approaches allow one to define basic network motifs and their functions, as well as studying the role of evolution in shaping regulatory circuits in the cell. • Since these cellular processes involve groups of interacting factors, we are also interested in mathematical modeling and computational analysis of biochemical and gene circuitry in normal cells and their deregulation in cancer.

Uri Alon focuses on the cell-wide analysis of protein activity, and how cells make decisions and process information. A systems biologist working to develop a "blueprint" of a living cell, he has determined that the biochemical circuitry in the cell is composed of repeating circuit patterns called network motifs, each of which performs a specific information-processing task. Homepage

Abraham Amsterdam focuses on investigating the control of ovulation and factors, which may explain the risk factors for ovarian cancer. We used ovarian transcriptsomes as a tool for global approach of genes, modulated by gonadotropic hormones in human ovarian granulosa cells. Combined studies by DNA microarrays, biochemical and physiological approaches revealed that epiregulin (Ep) and amphiregulin (Ar), members of the mitogenic epidermal growth factor (EGF), are highly expressed on the level of the genes and the proteins, following gonadotropin stimulation. In contrast, in ovarian cancer, these EGF like factors are expressed constitutively.

Avri Ben-Zeev studies the genes and cellular mechanisms involved in cancer. In focusing on β-catenin, a gene that is abnormally activated in colorectal and many other types of cancer, he has clarified the consequences of β-catenin hyperactivation in cancerous cells, and identified some of the signals unleashed by this gene in instances of malignancy. Homepage

Alexander Bershadsky studies how cells move, and the physical forces necessary for cells to attach themselves to the substrate and to one another. In exploring the points of contact, which act as mechanical "sensors" that provide the cell with information about its environment and determine its behavior, he has learned that in cancer cells, the activity of these "sensors" is disrupted, which likely accounts for the cell's difficulty in adhering to substrates and, consequently, their greater mobility. Molecular Cell Biology 103

Eli Canaani iinvestigates the MLL gene and its protein products, in order to understand their biochemical activities and the mechanism by which they trigger leukemia. Leukemias associated with rearrangement of the MLL gene account for the majority of acute lymphocytic and myelocytic leukemias in infants, and in therapy-related leukemias.

Benjamin Geiger focuses mainly on the mechanisms responsible for communication between cells, both normal and cancerous. He is attempting to identify and trace the specific molecular involved in intercellular recognition and communication, and to investigate the molecules and signaling processes which mediate such interactions. Homepage

David Givol investigates the tumor suppressor gene p53, the most frequently mutated gene in all cancers, and focuses on mechanisms that activate p53 and the way p53 activates target genes, using microarrays. He also studies the effect of p53 on different chemotherapies. Recently he has been studying connection between stem cells and cancer, exploring the properties of "cancer stem cells" that are responsible for the propagation of malignant tumors. He isolates such stem cells from leukemia and glioblastoma and compares gene expression profiles of stem and non-stem tumor cells and test differential drug response in these cells. Homepage

Zvi Kam is developing and applying high-resolution automated cell-based screening microscopy for functional analysis of cells. Multiple perturbations by compound libraries and by siRNA are applied to reporter cells cultured in multi-well plates, cell images are recorded, and quantitative image analysis scores the responses. This high-throughput platform provides systems biological experimental approach for studying complex cellular mechanisms. Homepage

Sima Lev studies the molecular mechanisms of membrane trafficking pathways in mammalian cells. These pathways mediate the transport of proteins, lipids, and sugars to their final cellular destinations and are fundamental to normal cell function and survival. Defects in these pathways are associated with many human diseases and can affect cell cycle progression. She is currently focusing on mechanisms that control the lipid composition of membrane domains along the secretory pathway, as well as the regulation of membrane trafficking events during cell division. Homepage

Gil Levkowitz utilizes zebrafish embryos as a vertebrate model organism to investigate how coordinated development of multiple neuronal types is achieved in the brain. The lab studies the development and maintenance of 104 Molecular Cell Biology

dopaminergic neurons and of several neuropeptides- secreting neurons, which reside in the hypothalamus. Understanding these processes is relevant to prospective therapies for neurological disorders as aberrant development of the dopaminergic system might be a major factor contributing to Parkinsons disease and impairments in hypothalamic neurons are associated with defects in energy balance, and in neuro-endocrine and psychiatric disorders. Homepage

Moshe Oren is studying the regulation of the p53 tumor suppressor and its relevance to cancer. Specific interests include the analysis of signal transduction pathways that modulate p53 activity in response to various stress signals, exploration of the molecular basis for the ability of p53 to elicit different cell fate changes in response to different triggers, the role of p53 in the interaction between tumor cells and their microenvironment, and (in collaboration with V. Rotter) the analysis of gain of function activities of cancer-associated p53 mutants. In addition, the group is studying the regulation and function of the Mdm2 oncoprotein, a major component of the p53 network. Homepage

Elior Peles focuses on the biology of Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes, the myelinating glial cells of the peripheral and central nervous system, respectively. His group is studying how these cells recognize and wrap axon with myelin, an insulating lipid membrane that enables the rapid and efficient conduction of nerve impulses. His laboratory is also studying how axon-glia interaction control the molecular organization of the axonal membrane, which is required for the normal function of myelinated nerves and is disturbed in Multiple Sclerosis, as well as in a wide range of other neurological diseases.

Varda Rotter focuses on the p53 gene, which as a wild type protein plays a pivotal role in protecting cells from becoming cancerous, but when mutated or inactivated causes the accumulation of genetic instabilities, which in turn induces malignant transformation of cells. On the question of mutant p53 gain of function, which is central in her research, she is collaborating with Moshe Oren and Eytan Domany. As it is well accepted that malignant transformation is a stepwise process involving various defined gene signatures it is the challenge of her studies to discover which of these gene networks involve the p53 protein. Homepage

Oren Schuldiner studies the molecular mechanism of neuronal remodeling. His lab uses the fruit fly as a model to investigate axon pruning. Using sophisticated genetic and microscopic tools to create and visualize a single Molecular Cell Biology 105 mutant neuron in a heterozygous brain, it is possible to study cell autonomous processes that occur late during development in vivo. To understand the mechanisms that regulate axon pruning, his lab focuses finding and characterizing novel proteins that play a role in cell-cell interactions (specifically neuron-glia interactions), cargo trafficking, and signaling within the neurons. His lab also studies the molecular switch that induces re-growth of the axons following pruning. Axon fragmentation during pruning shares molecular similarities with processes occurring in neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying pruning and axon re-growth will promote our understanding of axon fragmentation and regeneration during development and disease. Homepage

Eran Segal develops computational models aimed at understanding how biological processes are regulated at various levels. These include models that integrate transcription factors and DNA sequences, aimed at explaining how complex patterns of gene expression are encoded in DNA sequences and read by cells, and sequence-based models for chromatin structure that explain how nucleosomes get positioned on genomes and how they consequently affect gene expression. Homepage

Uri Nudel and David Yaffe are investigating the structure, evolution and function of products of the dystrophin gene, which is defective in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Gene inactivation techniques were used to study the function of Dp71, the major non-muscle product of the DMD gene, and its possible involvement in development and in learning capacity. Cloning and analysis of the homologous genes from sea urchin and drosophila have important implications with regard to the evolution of the DMD gene family and function of the DMD gene products. These studies showed a very impressive conservation during evolution of the structure of the DMD gene and its multiple products. Functional studies indicated a number of abnormalities associated with mutants of the drosphila orthologue of the DMD gene, including defects in learning capacity. It is interesting to note that in humans, DMD is also often associated with cognitive impairments. Dr. Rachel Sarig, of the same group is also investigating the topic of adult stem cells and their potential application for cell therapy. Recent studies have indicated the prevalence and importance of adult stem cells in development, maintenance and regeneration of various tissues. Muscle progenitor cells are of special interest as an excellent, easy accessible cell type, with well-characterized markers and transcription factors associated with its various differentiation stages, thus offering a convenient model system. The team has isolated, from mouse skeletal muscle a population of slow adherent myogenic cells that can proliferate for extended periods, as suspended 106 Molecular Cell Biology

clusters of cells (myospheres). Myosphere cells express myogenic markers, and differentiate to muscle fibers both in vitro and in vivo. Cloned populations of these cells and of human myogenic cells are being examined for their plasticity and ability to transdifferentiate into other cell lineages. Preliminary results suggest that these cells can be reprogrammed into neuronal cells.

Yehiel Zick studies the molecular basis of insulin resistance with a particular emphasis on the role of Ser/Thr kinases as negative-feedback regulators of this process. He also works to understand the activities of galectin-8, one of a family of animal lectins implicated in the development of prostate cancer. Demonstrating that galectin-8 as a modulator of cell cycle progression and as an inducer of cell growth arrest, he is working toward a novel, potentially curative treatment for prostate cancer.

Dov Zipori focuses on the nature of the mesenchyme, primarily on the tendency of this tissue to generate cells in the stem state. Research in this laboratory is divided into three categories. The first is concerned with the molecular basis of stemness. The research team discovered that mesenchymal cells have promiscuous gene expression pattern in that they express genes of various lineage (e.g. T cell receptor components). The functional significance of this unexpected gene expression is a major subject for investigation in the laboratory. The second category relates to the regulation of stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. Previous studies of this research team suggested that the maintenance of the stem state is imposed by differentiation restraining molecules such as transforming growth factor β superfamily members. The group recently showed that Toll-like receptor ligands convey signals that block mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation. The generality of this phenomenon and its mechanism are now being studied. The third category relates to the practical use of MSC. These cells are used as a therapeutic modality in animal models for human diseases including osteoarthritis and multiple myeloma. Homepage http://www.weizmann.ac.il/mcb/ Molecular Cell Biology 107 Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Uri Alon, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Avri Ben-Ze'ev, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Samuel Lunenfeld-Reuben Kunin Professor of Genetics Alexander D. Bershadsky, Ph.D., Cancer Research Center, Moscow, Russian Federation The Joseph Moss Professor of Biomedical Research Eli Canaani, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, United States The Harry Kay Professor of Cancer Research Benjamin Geiger, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Professor Erwin Neter Professor of Cell and Tumor Biology Zvi Kam, Ph.D., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel The Israel Pollak Professor of Biophysics Moshe Oren, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Andre Lwoff Professor in Molecular Biology Elior Peles, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Hanna Hertz Professor for Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroscience Varda Rotter, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Norman and Helen Asher Professor of Cancer Research Yehiel Zick, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Marte R. Gomez Professor of Photosynthesis

Professors Emeriti

Abraham Amsterdam, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel David Givol, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel David Yaffe, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Associate Professors

Sima Lev, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Joyce and Ben B. Eisenberg Professor of Molecular Endocrinology and Cancer Research Dov Zipori, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Joe and Celia Weinstein Professor

Senior Scientists

Gil Levkowitz, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Incumbent of the Tauro Career Development Chair in Biomedical Research 108 Molecular Cell Biology Oren Schuldiner, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Incumbent of the Aser Rothstein Career Development Chair

Associate Staff Scientists

Janna Blechman, Ph.D., Moscow University, Moscow, Russian Federation Anat Bren, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Tatiana A. Rozovskaia, Ph.D., Institute of Molecular Biology, USSR Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation

Assistant Staff Scientists

Yael Aylon, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Rehovot, Israel Erez Dekel, Ph.D., Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Nancy Gavert, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Irina Lavelin, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Avi Mayo, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Rachel Sarig, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Junior Staff Scientist

Hila Rubin-Lifshitz, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Senior Intern

Sigalit Boura-Halfon, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Cellina Cohen-Saidon, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Jerusalem, Israel Masha Khoutorsky, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (left January 2009) Alexandra Lichtenstein, Ph.D., Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel Perry Stambolsky, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Sabina Winograd-Katz, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Intern

Yossi Buganim, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Eyal Kalo, Ph.D., Weizmann Institutue of Science, Rehovot, Israel Nadav Kashtan, Ph.D., Weizmann Institutue of Science, Rehovot, Israel (left August 2009) Molecular Cell Biology 109 Consultants

Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern David Givol Valery Krizhanovsky Helit Nabel-Rosen Uri Nudel David Yaffe

Visiting Scientists

Fabian Anderegg, University of Zurich, Switzerland Alexander Bucky, Kaplan Hospital, Rehovot, Israel Avigdor Eldar Dr. Dov Gefel, Barzilai Hospital, Ashqelon Maria Catalina Guida-Castagnet, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Uruguay Shmuel Rozenblatt, Tel-Aviv University , Israel Sanford Sampson, Bar-Ilan University, Israel Tamar Shahal, Max Planck Inst., Stuttgart, Germany David Sidransky, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, U.S.A. Moshe Yaniv, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France Israel Zan-Bar

Postdoctoral Fellows

Liat Amir-Zilberstein, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Yossi Buganim, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Ariel Cohen, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Cellina Cohen-Saidon, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Tomer Cooks, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Masha Dobkin-Bekman, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Yael Eshed-Eisenbach, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Konstantin Feinberg, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Shahar Frechter, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Ido Horresh, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Irina Issaeva, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Eyal Kalo, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Iris Kamer Samoelov, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Michal Kandel-Kfir, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Elena Kartvelishvily, Ph.D., Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel Nadav Kashtan, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Daniel Koster, Ph.D., Delft University Of Technology Lalitha Tripura Sund Kota, Humboldt University Julieta Leyt Kachanovsky, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel 110 Molecular Cell Biology Ariel Livne, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Neta Moskovits, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Suha Naffar-Abu-Amara, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Yaara Ofir-Rosenfeld, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Nicole Paland, Max Planck Institute For Infection Biology Diego Adolfo Peretti, Ph.D., National University Of Cordoba, Argentina Ziv Porat, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Nadya Rakovitsky, Bar-Ilan University, Israel Ruth Scherz-Shouval, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Guy Shinar, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Yuval Tabach, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Alessia Vivanti, University Of Rome Eduard Yakubov, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Shirit Yaniv, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel Yuliya Zilberman, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Research Students

Shelly Adi-Harel Eszter Bakos Vered Bar Sarit Batsir Avital Beck Amir Ben-Shmuel Nataliya Borodovsky Ran Brosh Dror Chorev Ariel Cohen Eran Eden Yael Eshed-Eisenbach Konstantin Feinberg Naama Geva-Zatorsky Neev Golan Ido Goldstein Lior Golomb Aaron Gordon Diana Gurevitch Itai Gutman Amos Gutnick Yuval Hart Gil Hornung Ido Horresh Roi Isaac Sivan Kagan Eyal Kalo Amir Kedan Omer Keinan So Hui Kim Ira Kogan Orly Laufman Sarit Levin Efrat Lidor Yossy Machluf Daniel Madar Shlomi Madar Alina Molchadsky-Cholostoy Neta Moskovits Nurit Novak Yifat Peretz Meirav Pevsner-Fischer Dana Rabinovich Shani Raveh Miriam Regev Niva Russek - Blum Orly Savion Reut Shalgi Efrat Shema Guy Shinar Ofer Shoshani Oren Shoval Timor Shuster Hilla Solomon Molecular Cell Biology 111 Yaron Vinik Yuliya Zilberman

Administrator

Pnina Carmi 112 Neurobiology

Neurobiology

Yadin Dudai, Head The Sara and Michael Sela Chair of Neurobiology

Research in Neuroscience in the Department of Neurobiology encompasses a wide variety of subjects, in areas including cellular and molecular biology, neuroanatomy, brain imaging (including functional magnetic resonance imaging; fMRI), physiology, pharmacology, psychophysics, and computational sciences. Nearly 20 groups of researchers carry out both independent studies and collaborative research with colleagues from within the Department and outside it.

The research of the various groups of the Department covers many topics, including:

♦ Analysis of the molecular and cellular basis of neuronal cell activity and synaptic function. ♦ Imaging of neuronal activity underlying higher brain functions. ♦ Tracing and characterization of neuronal communication profiles. ♦ Characterization of the nervous system response to trauma and lesion; developing molecular and cellular therapeutic agents. ♦ Determination of the underlying processes and mechanisms of vision, perception, learning, and memory in behaving rodents and primates. ♦ Computer modeling of brain function.

In the Neurobiology Department, the structure, function, development, and plasticity of the nervous system are studied at various levels of analysis, using different types of cell and experimental animal models. The groups studying neuronal function at the molecular and cellular levels use mostly in vitro systems, ranging from non-neuronal and neuronal cell lines to primary neuronal and glial cells of cerebellar, hippocampal, and cortical origin. In many cases, the cells studied are transfected with genes of interest. These cell systems allow the study of the roles of various components of the nervous system, including cell surface membrane components, specific enzymes, neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, growth factors, neuroreceptors, lipid components, ionic channels, and cytoskeletal constituents. Algorithms for synaptic plasticity between neurons, and the role of ion channels in synaptic input and information processing, are also being studied. Injury models of nerve lesion and oxidative stress paradigms are applied to examine the Neurobiology 113 principles of neural regeneration, rescue from ischemia and stroke, and apoptotic cell death and senescence.

The groups studying the CNS at the system level are striving to understand the complex neuronal mechanisms underlying learning, memory, and sensory processing (vision, taste, smell), and to determine the relationship between brain and mind. Using track-tracing methods, the rules governing the interconnections in the visual cortex are being unraveled. Behavioral studies focus on principles of learning and consolidation, cortical information processing, learning disabilities, and addiction. Functional brain imaging of the human visual cortex is being studied by various techniques, including fMRI. Psychophysical approaches are being used to define processes involved in image segmentation, learning and memory skill acquisition, motor control, and language. http://www.weizmann.ac.il/neurobiology/ 114 Neurobiology Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Ehud Ahissar, Ph.D., Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Helen and Sanford Diller Family Professor of Neurobiology Yadin Dudai, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Sara and Michael Sela Professor of Neurobiology Amiram Grinvald, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Helen Norman Asher Professor in Brain Research Rafi Malach, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, United States The Barbara and Morris Levinson Professor of Brain Research Dov Sagi, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The George Zlotowski Professor Michal Schwartz, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Maurice and Ilse Katz Professor of Neuroimmunology Menahem Segal, Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States The Harry and Leona Levine Professor of Neurosciences Vivian I. Teichberg, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Louis and Florence Katz-Cohen Professor of Neuropharmacology Michail Tsodyks, Ph.D., L.D. Landau Institute of Theoretical Physics, Moscow, Russian Federation The Gerald and Hedy Oliven Professor in Brain Research Zvi Vogel, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (on extension of service) The Ruth and Leonard Simon Professor of Cancer Research

Professors Emeriti

Yitzhak Koch, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Uriel Littauer, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel David Samuel, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Israel Silman, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Izchak Z. Steinberg, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Ephraim Yavin, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Associate Professors

Shabtai Barash, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Noam Sobel, Ph.D., Stanford University, California, United States Neurobiology 115 Senior Research Fellow

Amos Arieli, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Senior Scientists

Alon Chen, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Yigal Allon Fellow Incumbent of the Philip Harris and Gerald Ronson Career Development Chair Tali Kimchi, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Ilan Lampl, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Incumbent of the Carl and Frances Korn Career Development Chair in the Life Sciences Rony Paz, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel Yigal Allon Fellow Elad Schneidman, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Center for Complexity Science Fellowship Nachum Ulanovsky, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Abraham Zangen, Ph.D., Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel Incumbent of the Joseph and Celia Reskin Career Development Chair

Associate Staff Scientists

Knarik Bagdasarian, Ph.D., Orbeli's Institute of Physiology of Armenian Academy of Science, Armenia Liora Cahalon, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Eduard Korkotian, Ph.D., University of Yerevan, Armenia

Junior Staff Scientists

David Omer, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (left November 2009)

Engineers

Vladimir Garber, M.Sc., The National Technical University of Ukraine, Ukraine Daniel Goldian, B.Sc., Coventry University, Coventry, United Kingdom Abebe Medhanie, B.A., Tel-Aviv Academic College of Engineering, Tel-Aviv, Israel Naama Rubin, M.Sc., University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, United States 116 Neurobiology Consultants

Avraham Avital, The Yizreel Valley College, Israel Yoram Bonneh (left April 2009) Elena Butovsky, Sourasky Hospital, Tel-Aviv, Israel (left November 2009) Yossi Chalamish Alexander Cooperman Shlomo Dukler Ana Geralnik, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel (left November 2009) Roman Gersner Sebastian Haidarleu Koret Hirschberg, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel (left September 2009) Eilat Kahana, Rabin Medical Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel Uriel Littauer Nicola Maggio, Barzilai Medical Center, Ashkelon, Israel Ofer Melamed, Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel Anetta Nathan (left June 2009) David Samuel Revital Shani-Hershkovich, Elminda Ltd., Herzeliya, Israel Eduard Yakobov

Visiting Scientists

Shimon Amir, Concordia University , Montreal, Canada George Fink, University of Melbourne, Australia Linda Friedman, New York Inst. of Tech. (NYIT), U.S.A. David Golomb Yona Greenman, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel Amichai Hareven Tal Marom Hadas Schori, NASA, Greenbelt, MD, U.S.A. Eyal Seidemann, University of Texas at Austin, U.S.A. Vladimir Tiskov, Columbia University , NYC, U.S.A.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Barak Blumenfeld, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Thomas D. A. Deneux, Ph.D., Ecole Polytechnique Ilan Dinstein, New York University Georg Dirnberger, University Of Vienna, Austria Evan Elliott, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Ehud Fonio, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Eran Gershon, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Roman Gersner, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Gayane Grigoryan, Institute Of Physiology Of National Academy Of Sci Neurobiology 117 Jaime Heiss, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Guido Hesselmann, University Of Dusseldorf Guy Horev, Ph.D., Tel-Aviv University, Israel Oded Klavir, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Ewa Agata Kozela, Ph.D., Institute Of Pharmacology, Polish Acad Of Sciences Nicola Maggio, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Mariana Laura Melcon Morante de Sa, Ph.D., University Of Tuebingen Kazunori Ohashi, Ph.D., Kyushu Institute Of Technology Michael Okun, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Son Preminger, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Neta Rimmerman, Ph.D., Indiana University, Bloomington Sandro Romani, Universita' Di Roma "Sapienza" Maytal Shabat-Simon, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Revital Shani-Hershkovich, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Na'Ama Shein-Goldfinger, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Yair Shemesh, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Tal Sines, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Michael Tsoory, Ph.D., Haifa University, Israel Ilan Vaknin, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Yossi Yovel, Tuebingen University + Mpi Biological Cybernetics Viviana Zlochiver (Munoz Flo, Suny Upstate Medical University

Research Students

Anat Arzi Omri Barak Yekutiel Baruch Jacob Blumenthal Michal Cardon Nitzan Censor Dror Cohen Eyal Cohen Katayun Cohen-Kashi Itzik Cooper Eran Dayan David Deutsch Evan Elliott Eli Ezrielev Lior Fisch Oren Forkosh Orit Furman Efrat Furst Rotem Gabai (Genud) Elad Ganmor Hagar Gelbard- Sagiv Sharon Gilad Goren Gordon Leor Gruendlinger Sharon Haramati Tal Harmelech Jaime Heiss Orna Issler Muna Jubran Roni Kahana Yonatan Katz Yael Klin Gilad Kunis Yael Kuperman Hadas Lapid Maya Lebow Tomer Livne Uri Livneh Anat London-Drori Rachel Ludmer 118 Neurobiology Nicola Maggio Shirley Mark Avi Mendelsohn Omer Miller Matan Mussel Adi Neufeld Uri Nili Yaron Penn Maciej Dominik Pietr Limor Regev Jennifer Resnik Noga Ron-Harel Alon Rubin Avraham Saig Inbar Saraf-Sinik Eldi Schonfeld-Dado Lee Sela Ravid Shechter Reut Shema Erez Simony Dekel Taliaz Bo Xiao Michael Yartsev Yaara Yeshurun Noga Zilkha Administrator

Michal Hirschberg Veterinary Resources 119

Veterinary Resources

Alon Harmelin, Head

The Department of Veterinary Resources provides services and facilities to the life science faculties. The department has a staff of 55. Its activities include breeding and maintenance of laboratory animals and the operation of specialized facilities. http://www.weizmann.ac.il/vet/

Staff

Senior Staff Scientist

Alon Bernstein, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Associate Staff Scientists

Raya Eilam-Altstadter, Ph.D., Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Rebecca Haffner-Krausz, Ph.D., University of London, London, United Kingdom Vyacheslav Kalchenko, Ph.D., Chita State Medical Academy, Chita, Russian Federation

Assistant Staff Scientist

Inbal Biton, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

Veterinarians

Alon Harmelin, BVsc. MRCVS, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, School of Veterinary Medicine, R.S.A., Diplomate Eclam Ori Brenner, B.V.Sc., University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, School of Veterinary Medicine, Diplomate ACVP Natalya Dotsenko, D.V.M., Moscow Veterinary Academy Bella Finarov, D.V.M., Moscow Veterinary Academy Alina Maizenberg, D.V.M., Latvia, Riga Noa Stettner, D.V.M., Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Faculty of 120 Veterinary Resources Agriculture, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot

Administrator

Kaduri Abudi The Norman and Helen Asher Center for Brain Imaging 121

The Norman and Helen Asher Center for Brain Imaging

Yadin Dudai, Director The Sara and Michael Sela Chair of Neurobiology

The Center for Human Brain Imaging will utilize an ultra modern facility dedicated to the imaging and understanding of human brain function. The Center will support the operations of the most advanced neuroimaging technology available, including a 4-tesla f-MRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine. This equipment will allow unprecedented research and diagnostic inroads into the functions and malfunctions of the human mind.

Beyond its implications for basic science, however, the potential for clinical and biomedical applications based on this research is enormous. Initially, the f-MRI's high resolution as an imaging tool will allow for much greater precision in mapping the brain (the f-MRI greatly improves upon existing technologies, for example, in locating and assessing the effects of brain tumors and tissue damage caused by cerebral events or head injuries). In the longer term, increased understanding of the causes of such mental disorders as depression, schizophrenia, autism, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, stroke, dementia and countless others, will lead to the development of currently unimaginable diagnostic tools and treatment modalities.

With the physical facilities of the program now in place, and good progress towards the procurement of its major equipment, the Center's support of the f-MRI operations will enable the translation of the potential of the f-MRI into scientific reality by fostering inter-disciplinary research programs that combine several complementary approaches. 122 The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Neurological Diseases

The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Neurological Diseases

Menahem Segal, Director (until September 2009) The Harry and Leona Levine Chair of Neurosciences

Anthony H. Futerman, Director (from October 2009) The Joseph Meyerhoff Chair of Biochemistry

The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Neurological Diseases (BCND) was established in late 2003. Its mission is to promote research and understanding of the molecular basis of neurological diseases. Under this umbrella are several devastating and yet unsolved brain diseases, including developmental disorders of the brain, e.g. fragile X syndrome and Down syndrome as well as neurodegenerative diseases of the aging brain, including Parkinsonism and Alzheimer's disease. In between are affective disorders, likely to originate as a developmental defect of the brain, but that last through the entire human life. The common denominator of these diseases is that they are unique to the human brain, and thus are hard to tackle in model systems and many if not most seem to involve an intricate array of risk factors and defected genes.

The mission of the Center will be achieved through several avenues including research grants, support for conferences, and support for collaborations relevant to neurological diseases between WIS scientists and physicians in Israeli Hospitals. The deadline for grant applications for 2009-2010 is December 1st, 2009.

As part of this mission, the BCND organizes an annual symposium on emerging issues in Neurological Diseases. The First Benoziyo symposium on the Molecular Basis of Neurological Diseases took place on the 17th and 18th of October, 2004 at the Botnar Auditorium with 6 overseas participants and 18 Israelis. The 2nd Benoziyo symposium was held on the 25th of September, 2005, with two prominent scientists from abroad and 15 local scientists. The 3rd Benoziyo symposium took place on the 9th of September, 2007, and included scientists from Israel and abroad. The 4th Benoziyo symposium took place on the 21st of September, 2008. These symposia contribute to the development of collaborative studies among scientists at the Weizmann and other research/medical institutions in Israel and abroad. The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Neurosciences 123

The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Neurosciences

Yadin Dudai, Director The Sara and Michael Sela Chair of Neurobiology

The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Neurosciences was established in 1978. Since its creation, this center has been geared toward the promotion and support of studies of the nervous system at molecular, cellular, and multicellular levels. The Benoziyo Center supports the research of scientists in a wide range of fields at the Weizmann Institute, allowing them to unravel structure-function-activity relationships in the brain and to understand the complex neuronal mechanisms underlying learning, memory, and sensory processing (vision, taste, smell), as well as the relationship between brain and mind. Much time, intellectual effort, and financial resources still need to be devoted to further elucidate the mechanisms underlying neuroplasticity, neurosignaling cascades, network patterns, memory, and cognitive psychophysics. Solving the molecular basis of human brain disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, is high on the list of priorities of the Benoziyo Center. The Center provides financial assistance to scientists initiating new projects and to some students in need of salaries. In addition, it provides a means for reknowned world neuroscientists to visit the Weizmann Institute, and supports travel of students to international or local Neuroscience meetings. 124 The Carl and Micaela Einhorn-Dominic Center for Brain Research

The Carl and Micaela Einhorn-Dominic Center for Brain Research

Yadin Dudai, Director The Sara and Michael Sela Chair of Neurobiology

The Einhorn-Dominic Institute of Brain Research was inaugurated in November 1996. Among its primary missions was the initiation of new activities in brain research at the Weizmann Institute, particularly those requiring collaborations among several disciplines in several faculties. This year we focused on the planning of WIS new human brain imaging facility (F-MRI and Electroencephalography) and supported joint molecular and cellular brain research.

The Einhorn-Dominic Institute policy is to encourage brain research in the Department of Neurobiology and all other faculties at the Weizmann Institute of Science targeted at the studies of higher brain functions. Funding decision are made by the Brain Research Institute's ad-hoc Committee. The Committee will assign higher priority to support multi-disciplinary research collaborations among scientists from different departments and faculties at the WIS. The current policy is to provide a few large grants. Such support may be granted for a few years, depending on the research progress accomplished after the first year.

This year the Dominic Institute funds were allocated to five researchers: Yadin Dudai, Efraim Yavin ,Ehud Ahissar, Misha Tsodyks, Henry Markram, Shabtai Barash and Amiram Grinvald.

In addition the Institute also hosted a number of eminent scientists from around the world, who gave lectures in our weekly Seminars. Visiting lecturers came to our campus from Freiburg University, The Hebrew University, Carnegie Mellon University, MIT, New York University, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Bar-Ilan University, Brandeis University and Cornell University. The Murray H. and Meyer Grodetsky Center for Research of Higher Brain Functions 125

The Murray H. and Meyer Grodetsky Center for Research of Higher Brain Functions

Amiram Grinvald, Director The Helen and Norman Asher Professor of Brain Research

General Activities

The research focus on the principles underlying perception and cortical processing, higher brain functions, and the so-called "neural code," a term referring to the strategies employed by neuronal networks in the brain to accomplish their remarkable function. In order to "see" how the brain functions, two optical imaging techniques were used, one based on voltage-sensitive dyes, and the second on intrinsic signals. These explorations are combined with traditional neuroanatomical and neurophysiological techniques, and are guided by computational theories and modeling.

The combination of "real time" optical imaging and single unit recording has enabled us to directly visualize the workings of neuronal assemblies, as well as the architecture and functioning of the mammalian cortex, in unprecedented detail. As a result, we can directly "see" how the brain works, and some longstanding questions related to perception and higher cognitive functions were resolved. 126 The Helen and Martin Kimmel Institute for Stem Cell Research

The Helen and Martin Kimmel Institute for Stem Cell Research

Dov Zipori, Director The Joe and Celia Weinstein Chair

The Stem Cell Club, founded in 2004, at the Weizmann Institute included scientists from the Weizmann Institute as well as other Israeli Academic Centers. The Club organized The First International Stem Cell Symposium, 28th29th November 2004 and the Stem Cell Meeting, 16th November 2005. Both of these meetings took place on campus. This activity was then followed by the formation of the Stem Cell Center in Establishment that provided support for several research groups at the Weizmann Institute leading the way to the initiative for the establishment of the Israel Stem Cell Society (ISCS). The Center contributed to allocation of major funds dedicated to the purchase of advanced cell analysis and imaging equipment. The establishment of the Helen and Martin Kimmel Stem Cell Research Institute in 2006 boosts stem cell activities: The Stem Cell Institute has undertaken the organization of the International Stem Cell Meeting: Stem Cells and their Microenvironment, in conjunction with the Israeli ILSI-BioMed, June 2007. This meeting has been a major event that attracted the majority of stem cell researchers in Israel. Leaders in the stem cell research field from America, Europe and Asia also participated in the meeting. The success of this first event encouraged the organizers of The Second International Stem Cell Meeting to maintain the structure of the event and to hold it along side the ILSI-BioMed, May 2008 in Tel Aviv. The third meeting in this series took place during 2009. A Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) of the Stem Cell Research Institute has been established and has provided research grants to groups belonging to different Departments and Faculties within the Weizmann Institute. This activity is now in its fourth year and according to the experience gained, the SSC formulated instructions for grant applications. The call for applications is issued each year with the deadline of November and funding beginning the following January. Instructions for application are provided below.

During 2008-2009, The Helen and Martin Kimmel Institute for Stem Cell Research, hosted several guest speakers and visiting scientists. The Institute also hosted a local meeting of the ISCS devoted to presentations by young investigators. Last but not least, The Helen and Martin Kimmel Institute for Stem Cell Research, in collaboration with the Biological Services Department, has just announced the opening of the new Stem Cell Core Facility aimed at promoting embryo stem cell research at the Weizmann Institute. The Helen and Martin Kimmel Institute for Stem Cell Research 127 128 The Kirk Center for Childhood Cancer and Immunological Disorders

The Kirk Center for Childhood Cancer and Immunological Disorders

Benjamin Geiger, Director The Professor Erwin Neter Chair of Cell and Tumor Biology

The Kirk Center for Childhood Cancer and Immunological Disorders was founded in 2006. Its primary objectives are to advance our understanding of childhood diseases such as cancer (e.g., leukemias), and immunological disorders such as asthma, allergies, acquired immunodeficiencies, and various aspects of inflammation and immune system deregulation.

At the Weizmann Institute of Science, investigations into these topics are particularly promising, both due to their potential to highlight the mechanisms underlying these diseases, thereby enabling the design of effective therapeutic approaches, and the possibility of joining forces with clinicians, and contributing to the development of novel therapies and diagnostic approaches.

To contribute to these important goals, the Kirk Center supports early stage, cutting-edge research related to childhood diseases and immunological disorders, enabling the purchase of vital instrumentation, and covering the cost of conferences addressing a range of topics in pediatric research. In 2009, the Kirk Center financed the following projects:

♦ Redirecting cellular immunotherapy to Wilms tumors (Prof. Zelig Eshhar, Department of Immunology) ♦ Embryonic human lung tissue as a new source for transplantation in cystic fibrosis (Prof. Yair Reisner, Department of Immunology) ♦ Unraveling the heart of differentiation during embryogenesis (Dr. Eldad Tzahor, Department of Biological Regulation) ♦ Therapy of multiple myeloma using a cell and gene therapy approach (Prof. Dov Zipori, Department of Molecular Cell Biology) ♦ The role of the bone marrow immune niche in the immune defense against blood-borne pathogens (Prof. Steffen Jung, Prof. Idit Shachar, and Dr. Guy Shakhar, Department of Immunology) ♦ The role of the bone marrow immune niche in the immune defense against blood-borne pathogens (Dr. Steffen Jung, Prof. Idit Shachar and Dr. Guy Shakhar, Department of Immunology) Research conference supported by the Kirk Center include: The Kirk Center for Childhood Cancer and Immunological Disorders 129 The AMEN Conference

In a special event jointly organized by the AMEN Multiple Myeloma Society and the Kirk Center for Childhood Cancer and Immunological Disorders, researchers, physicians and multiple myeloma patients met at the Weizmann Institute of Science to discuss recent developments in research into this incurable disease. In various sessions, both physicians and patients learned about advances in the understanding of basic phenomena associated with this malignancy. Nurses and other support staff also led sessions, and patients were able to obtain firsthand information on recent advances in myeloma therapy. This informative and moving day provided an excellent example of the importance of bridging between the research laboratory and the patients bedside.

The Passwell Memorial Symposium

The Justen Passwell Memorial Symposium took place at the Weizmann Institute of Science this past June. Sponsored by the Kirk Center for Childhood Cancer and Immunological Disorders, and held under the auspices of both the Weizmann Institute and the Chaim Sheba Medical Center, the Symposium honored the life and work of the late Prof. Passwell, M.D., Ph.D., a physician and researcher at the Sheba Medical Center. Prof. Passwells devotion to, and concern for, his young patients led him to develop a program for outstanding young pediatricians that would enable them to perform the most advanced medicine here in Israel, and develop a scientific career that would parallel their efforts in the clinic.

In that spirit, the Passwell Symposium included as speakers both experienced physicians and researchers exploring childhood diseases and immune disorders, and the younger generation of physician/scientists currently in training. Topics covered included childhood leukemias and other blood disorders, Down syndrome, and the role of microRNAs in health and disease. World-renowned physician and immunologist Prof. Alain Fischer of Necker University Hospital, Paris, France, delivered an illuminating lecture entitled, "Primary immunodeficiencies as 'model diseases.' The attentive audience was given a sense of the "state-of-the-art" in research and medicine, and the promise it holds for youngsters stricken with serious illness.

For further details concerning the activities of the Kirk Center, please see: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/kirk/ 130 The Belle S. and Irving E. Meller Center for the Biology of Aging

The Belle S. and Irving E. Meller Center for the Biology of Aging

Yair Reisner, Director The Henry H. Drake Professor of Immunology

The Center, established in 1979, aims to further research that will contribute to our understanding of the fundamental biological processes related to the phenomena of aging and its pathology. Areas of research supported concentrate on the cellular interactions in the immune system, and related aspects of the structure and function of the vascular system, connective tissues, the molecular genetics of differentiation, and the molecular basis of malignant transformation.

To achieve its aims, the Center provides support for research performed at the Institute's department of Immunology and also contributes to certain activities in the field of gene targeting and transgenic animals, which constitute powerful tools for studying the molecular basis of the immune system as well as various disorders that are involved in the aging process. The Gabrielle Rich Center for Transplantation Biology Research 131

The Gabrielle Rich Center for Transplantation Biology Research

Yair Reisner, Director The Henry H. Drake Chair of Immunology

The center supports the research of Prof. Tsvee Lapidot, Prof. Dov Zipori and Prof. Yair Reisner, dedicated to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Highlights of these studies last year were as follows:

Prof. Tsvee Lapidot

To obtain the healthy stem cells for transplantation - either from a healthy donor or from the patient himself before or during treatment with chemotherapy - these cells must be "encouraged" to come out of the marrow into the bloodstream (in other words, they must be "mobilized"). To understand how this happens, we probed the turn of events in the bone marrow and found that stem cells in the marrow are freed into the blood via an "anchors aweigh" mechanism. The findings put a key protein into focus - SDF-1. This protein had previously been found by this and other research teams worldwide to anchor stem cells inside the marrow by activating adhesion molecules (molecules that serve as "glue"). We now have found that SDF-1 must be degraded for stem cell mobilization to take place and uncovered the underlying degradation mechanism. This finding which was published this year in the prestigious journal Nature Immunology, Is not only important for the understanding of the biology of stem cell transplantation but it may also lead to improved collection of stem cells for clinical transplantations.

Prof. Dov Zipori

Our studies on the interactions between hemopoietic cells and the organ me senchymal stroma indicate that transforming growth factor (TGF)β cytokines are involved in the formation of restrictive microenvironments. Activin A, one member of the TGFβ family, was initially found to cause apoptotic death of tumor B lineage cells. We have now found that activin A specifically restrains the differentiation of normal precursor B cells: activin A caused accumulation of B lineage cells at early stages of differentiation both in vivo and in vitro. This restrictive activity is not exerted on other hemopoietic lineages. The expression of such lineage specific restrictive molecules may assure the control of adult pluripotent stem cells, which occur in multiple organs and 132 The Gabrielle Rich Center for Transplantation Biology Research tissue types, to prevent their differentiation into directions that may endanger the integrity of the tissue.

Prof. Yair Reisner

Clinical studies continue with the implementation of our new approach, making use of 'mega dose ' stem cell transplants , which enables the use of mismatched family members. Although we have adequately shown the efficacy of this approach in more than 300 patients, it must be analyzed properly, the same as for any new drug by formal multi-center clinical trials in Europe and in the USA, and we are presently in the middle of this important final step.

This month we are happy to launch a web site which will serve as a quarterly bulletin, showing update of clinical and scientific data for the benefit of patients and doctors who might be interested in our approach. The site address is: http://www.haplo.org/index.php

In addition, we are focusing our efforts on a new application of stem cell transplantation for patients with diseases that could be cured by transplantation but who are not at immediate risk from their disease and, therefore, should not be exposed to the current risky protocols. Thus, the challenge is how to overcome graft rejection following mild radiation or chemotherapy based protocols. To that end, based on encouraging results in the mouse model, we are currently developing new cell preparations which could be given in conjunction with the stem cells in order to facilitate engraftment of the latter cells under such safe conditions. The Willner Family Center for Vascular Biology 133

The Willner Family Center for Vascular Biology

Nava Dekel, Director The Philip M. Klutznick Professor of Developmental Biology

The Willner Family Center for Vascular Biology was officially inaugurated on November 3rd, 1999. The Center was designed to focus on the regulation of angiogenic processes and on the identification of signaling pathways and the mechanisms involved in the transduction of these signals in biological systems. Since de-regulation of such processes are a cause for many human diseases (e.g., cancer, heart failure and stroke), an effort is made to use our results to develop tools for early diagnosis of these ailments, and for the design of new drugs for pharmacological intervention.

The long-range goals of the Center are: (i) to support innovative ideas, while still in their seeding stage, when it is not yet possible to obtain financial support from conventional funding agencies; (ii) to nurture budding research of young outstanding investigators before their reputation is established; (iii) to finance research that requires an inter-disciplinary effort; (iv) to encourage collaboration with hospitals and with other centers of excellence in Israel and abroad; (v) to train doctoral and post-doctoral students in bioregulation and vascular biology.

The Center supported this year the scientific work of the following groups:

Dr. Lilach Gilboa "Gonad morphogenesis and establishment of germ line stem cells in Drosophila melanogaster": Many organs rely on stem cells for normal development, function and regeneration. The adult ovary of Drosophila employs germ line stem cells (GSCs) for the continual production of eggs throughout the lifetime of the animal. The known location of GSCs and the genetic tools available for Drosophila research have made the adult ovary a leading system in understanding the principles of stem cell biology. Despite the wealth of information regarding adult GSCs, less is known about how, during larval development, the adult niche forms and how it affects GSC establishment of from primordial germ cells (PGCs).

Our lab studies two aspects of larval ovary development: A. How the somatic cells of the ovary control proliferation of PGCs, thereby determining the number of stem cells the adult ovary will contain, and B. How the somatic niches for GSCs form, and how niche formation contributes to the 134 The Willner Family Center for Vascular Biology establishment of GSCs from PGCs.

PGCs in the larval ovary reside in close proximity to Somatic Intermingled Cells (ICs). PGCs and ICs communicate via an Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR)-dependent feedback loop (Gilboa and Lehmann, 2006). PGCs produce Spitz, which is required for IC survival and for the production of an unknown substance that represses PGC proliferation. To reveal the identity of this unknown substance we used microarray analysis, comparing wild-type ovaries to ovaries that express an activated form of EGFR. The microarray, together with other lines of evidence suggested one ligand emanating from ICs, is repressing PGC proliferation. Indeed, reducing the amount of this ligand in ovaries results in over-proliferation of PGCs. We are currently investigating the molecular mechanisms that underlie the repression of PGC proliferation by this ligand. We are also investigating the signals that positively control PGC proliferation. Our preliminary results suggest that the ligand Decapentaplegic (Dpp) is required for proliferation of PGCs.

In the past year our lab conducted a genetic screen to identify regulators of niche formation and stem cell maintenance. The screen was based on direct observation of precociously differentiating PGCs in larval ovaries. The novel detection mode allowed us to uncover novel genes that are important for both niche formation and stem cell maintenance. We are now studying some of these regulators.

Combined, our studies will lead to a better understanding of the complex relationship between stem cells and the organs they reside in. Cross talk between stem cell and niches determine the number of stem cells an organ contains, their division rate, maintenance and differentiation. Better understanding of the biological principles underlying such complex relationships is required for our understanding of normal development, disease and, possibly, its treatment.

Dr. Atan Gross - "BID: a master regulator of cell life and death decisions": Apoptosis is essential for both the development and maintenance of tissue homeostasis in multicellular organisms. Thus, defects in apoptosis contribute to a variety of diseases including cancer, AIDS, neurodegenerative diseases, stroke and autoimmune disorders. Proteins in the BCL-2 family are critical regulators of the commitment to apoptosis, yet their cell death regulatory function remains a mystery. We have picked to focus our studies on BID, a pro-apoptotic member of this family. Mitochondria are a major site of action for BID, yet a detailed understanding of its actions at this organelle is lacking. We have recently found that in intact mitochondria prepared from apoptotic cells BID interacts with a novel, uncharacterized mitochondrial protein named Mtch2 that is related to a family of mitochondrial channels involved in energy metabolism. Most interestingly, knocking down The Willner Family Center for Vascular Biology 135 the expression of Mtch2 sensitizes cells to BID-induced apoptosis. Thus, inhibiting/modulating the function of Mtch2 might be an important step in activating the mitochondrial apoptotic program. In a second line of research, we have found that BID is also localized to the nucleus and most surprisingly also plays a pro-survival role in the response of cells to DNA damage. We revealed that DNA damage induces the phosphorylation of BID by the DNA-repair kinase ATM, and that this phosphorylation is essential for cell cycle arrest and inhibition of apoptosis. Thus, BID is an excellent candidate to coordinate/balance between genotoxic stress responses and apoptotic cell death. A better understanding of BID's function at the mitochondria and in the nucleus will most likely yield critical insights for manipulating the apoptotic and DNA repair processes in the treatment of cancer and other diseases.

Dr. Eldad Tzahor "For the past few years, our lab has been focusing on the identification of candidate signaling molecules and tissue-specific transcription factors that regulate head muscle development during early vertebrate embryogenesis."

Lineage plasticity of the cranial paraxial mesoderm: The developing heart is a specialized muscular vessel that serves as a pump for both the systemic and pulmonary circuits. This extremely complicated organ is highly sensitive to genetic perturbations, which are reflected in the numerous congenital heart defects that affect ~1% of all live births. The multiplicity of cardiac progenitor populations in various vertebrate species is an emerging area of intense focus in many laboratories, due to the enormous therapeutic potential of these avenues for treating heart disease. During early embryogenesis, heart and skeletal muscle progenitor cells are thought to derive from distinct regions of the mesoderm (i.e., lateral plate mesoderm and paraxial mesoderm, respectively). We recently employed both in vitro and in vivo experimental systems in the avian embryo to explore how mesoderm progenitors in the head differentiate into both heart and skeletal muscles. Utilizing fate mapping studies, gene expression analyses, and manipulations of signaling pathways in the chick embryo, we demonstrated that cells from the cranial paraxial mesoderm contribute to both myocardial and endocardial cell populations within the cardiac outflow tract. We further showed that bone morphogenic protein (BMP) signaling affects the specification of mesoderm cells in the head: application of BMP4 to chick embryos, both in vitro and in vivo, induces cardiac differentiation in the cranial paraxial mesoderm, and blocks the differentiation of skeletal muscle precursors in these cells. Our results demonstrate that cells within the cranial paraxial mesoderm play a vital role in cardiogenesis, as a new source of cardiac progenitors that populate the cardiac outflow tract in vivo.

Craniofacial muscle patterning: Craniofacial development requires the orchestrated integration of multiple 136 The Willner Family Center for Vascular Biology interactions among progenitor cells derived from both the cranial paraxial mesoderm and the cranial neural crest (CNC). In the vertebrate head, mesoderm-derived cells fuse together to form a myofiber, which is attached to specific CNC-derived skeletal elements in a highly coordinated manner. Although it has long been suggested that the CNC plays an indirect role in the formation of the head musculature, the precise molecular underpinnings of this exquisitely tuned process, and the significance of the CNCs contribution to it, are far less clear. In a recent study we analyzed head skeletal muscle patterning and differentiation in vivo, in three mouse models involving genetic perturbations of CNC development, as well as in CNC-ablated chick embryos. Our results demonstrate that although early specification of the skeletal muscle lineage is CNC-independent, CNC cells play an important role at later developmental stages, regulating the expression patterns of myogenic genes, the migration and axial registration of the mesoderm cells, and the subsequent differentiation of myoblasts in the branchial arches. This study supports a model in which CNC cells control craniofacial development and patterning by regulating positional interactions with mesoderm-derived muscle progenitors that together shape the cranial musculoskeletal architecture during vertebrate embryogenesis.

The contribution of Islet1-expressing splanchnic mesoderm cells to distinct jaw muscles reveals significant heterogeneity in head muscle development: Heart development takes place in close apposition to the developing head. The term "cardio-craniofacial morphogenetic field" reflects the intimate developmental relationship between the head, face, and heart, which is also reflected in numerous cardiac and craniofacial birth defects. Nathan et al, have characterized the nature of the cardio-craniofacial mesoderm in both chick and mouse embryos, using several lineage tracing and gene expression techniques. At both the cellular and molecular levels, the cardio-craniofacial mesoderm can be divided into two compartments, the cranial paraxial mesoderm, and splanchnic mesoderm (SpM), part of which comprises the anterior heart field (AHF). We have found that each of these compartments contributes to the developing heart in a temporally regulated manner. Following linear heart tube stages, we have found that Isl1+/SpM cells contribute to the distal part of the pharyngeal (branchial) mesoderm, as well as to the cardiac outflow tract. Molecular analyses of the head muscles demonstrated distinct molecular and developmental programs for CPM and Isl1+/SpM-derived branchiomeric muscles. Furthermore, we have provided evidence that the Wnt/β-catenin pathway regulates Isl1 and Nkx2.5 gene expression, presumably by fine-tuning boundary formation within the cardio-craniofacial mesoderm. The Women's Health Research Center 137

The Women's Health Research Center

Varda Rotter, Director The Norman and Helen Asher Chair of Cancer Research

The Woman's Health Research Center is interested in promoting studies on gender -related physiology and disorder leading to specific pathologies. The center, focused on issues concerning fertility, cancer and osteoporosis, is trying to bridge between between basic research and clinical studies. The center supports basic research in ovarian function, such as the regulation of female germ cell development into an ovum, capable of fertilization and embryonic development. Any impairment in these processes may lead to infertility. Basic research in this area led to remarkable achievements in the development of assisted reproductive techniques and offers high hope improve human health through advances in stem cell research and therapeutic cloning. Another focus of the center are gender specific malignancies. It is well accepted that various cancer types are greatly dependent on hormonal control and thus better understanding of the relationship between gender specific tumors and hormones that may contribute to better diagnosis and therapy of such tumors. Support of the center of basic research on the structure and development of bones is directly pertaining to the development of osteoporosis and its potential cure. 138 The Yad Abraham Research Center for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy

The Yad Abraham Research Center for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy

Varda Rotter, Director The Norman and Helen Asher Chair of Cancer Research

The Yad Abraham Research Center for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy was established in 1998 to promote cancer research, and in particular for the development of new avenues for early detection of malignant processes and of novel therapeutic approaches. The Center supports research projects focusing on the genetic basis for cancer, including the characterization of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes and studies on the relationships between cancer and programmed cell death. Special attention is given to studies concerning the relationship between malignant processes studied in vitro and in experimental animals and those associated with human cancer. The Center promotes interdisciplinary studies combining molecular approaches at the cellular level with studies at the level of the intact organism.

The Center supported in 2003 studies on the regulation of p53 and its target genes in human cancer. It promoted development of new approaches for harnessing ovarian cancer and address the role of cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion in cancer and in cancer metastasis.

The center is currently supporting a series of seminars organized by Prof. Dov Zipori on stem cell biology. The Yad Abraham Research Center for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy 139 140 The Yad Abraham Research Center for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy Faculty of Chemistry

Dean: Yehiam Prior The Sherman Professor of Physical Chemistry

Israel Dostrovsky, Ph.D. (University of London) Institute Professor The Agnes Spencer Professor of Physical Chemistry

Ada Yonath, Ph.D. (Weizmann Institute of Science) Nobel Prize Institute Professor The Martin S. and Helen Kimmel Professor 142 Faculty of Chemistry

Faculty of Chemistry

Dean: Yehiam Prior The Sherman Professor of Physical Chemistry

Department of Chemical Physics

The department consists of theoreticians and experimentalists working at the interface between physics and chemistry. The experimental research is focused, in general, on the understanding of the interaction of matter with different kinds of radiation or charged particles. The effect of the chemical environment on this interaction is investigated by methods such as magnetic resonance, laser spectroscopy, electron tunneling, and electron transmission. New experimental techniques are developed and then applied to a variety of problems in chemistry, physics and biophysics such as catalysis, dynamics of molecules in confined space, enzymatic reactions, the study of protein folding through single molecule spectroscopy, and the study of molecules as possible candidates for electronic devices. The manipulation of chemical reactions by lasers is studied both theoretically and experimentally and the effect of strong laser fields on matter is probed. Extensive theoretical research is also devoted to the complexity of nature and non linear dynamics, reaction dynamics in condensed matter, electron transfer reaction in solutions and quantum optics.

Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research

The research at the department is focused on understanding the complex inter - relationships among the major Earth systems and between the human need for alternative energy source and the consequent impact on the Earth's environment. The efforts are equally split between field/experimental work and theoretical studies.

The research into climate change and the atmospheric greenhouse effect takes several directions, including climate dynamics, oceanic circulation, paleoceanography and the study of past climatic patterns, plant-environment interaction and atmospheric chemistry, earth system dynamics and geophysics. These topics are studies as the basic means to understand and predict global changes.

In Hydrology, the research activity has centered on combination of field and laboratory studies with theoretical models to understand flow of water and Faculty of Chemistry 143 chemicals from the ground surface, through the unsaturated zone into the geological saturated formations.

The Solar Energy research is focused on all aspects of using concentrated solar light. It includes the development of new hybrid solar thermal systems, solar fuels, concentrated photovoltaic systems and solar lasers. A technology transfer to the industry was initiated as a result of this work.

Our main objective for the future is to develop scientific activities based on experimental studies providing the basis for integration of field observations into mathematical models. The dynamic of the atmosphere and the lithosphere, environmental analytical chemistry, field hydrology, eco-physiology and climate prediction are among the main fields that we want to develop in the near future.

Department of Materials and Interfaces

The Department of Materials and Interfaces of the Weizmann Institute of Science is an interdisciplinary scientific unit composed of physicists, chemists and materials scientists. A common theme of much of the research done in the department is the design of materials from elementary units with unique, pre-designed functionality. A complementary effort involves the understanding of the functionality of various materials, based on their supramolecular architecture. This leads naturally to foussing on nanomaterials, from synthesis to characterization and eventually to their applications in variety of fields. In addition to new insights in how materials properties can be understood from their atomic, molecular and macromolecular composition and structure, this strategy permits the development of new high performance materials and nanocomposites for numerous applications.

Some recent accomplishments include: a monolayer of water molecules squeezed between two mica surfaces coated with polymer molecules was shown to provide an extremely low friction coefficient, which is relevant to bio-lubrication. A new kind of 1D solid consisting of an ordered array of bubbles flowing in a microfluidic channel was discovered and its highly damped sound wave velocity and phonon spectra were measured. A new torsional nanoelectromechanical device based on carbon nanotubes was fabricated. This device was found to exhibit quantum current oscillations.

Research in the Department of Organic Chemistry

The areas of research in the Department of Organic Chemistry include synthetic and mechanistic organic, inorganic and organometallic chemistry involving novel reactions for organic synthesis; syntheses of physiologically active compounds; polymeric reagents; bond activation studies; homogeneous 144 Faculty of Chemistry catalysis by specifically designed metal complexes; selective oxidation catalysis by polyoxometalates; creation of organic films with desirable electronic and optical properties and the development of molecule-based technologies. Bioorganic chemistry includes the studies of plant antiviral agents; the molecular mechanism of action of rhodopsin; artificial ion carriers and molecular sensors. Biological chemistry includes studies on structure, function, and mode of action of biologically active peptides and proteins; thermophilic enzymes; enzymes involved in DNA repair, DNA and RNA processing; and studies of ordered, compact states of nucleic acids. Methods for very accurate ab initio calculations of molecular properties are being developed and applied.

Department of Structural Biology

The Department is committed to research in the major areas of structural biology and is investigating biological systems from the atomic to the cellular level of organization. The ultimate goal is to obtain a complete picture of biological structures in their complexity, with a continuity at all length scales, from Angstroms to millimetres. The structures of biological macromolecules and their complexes are studied at the length scale of Angstroms by X-ray diffraction from crystals, and in solution by advanced spectroscopic techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance and EXAFS. Electron microscopy, electron tomography and atomic force miscroscopy are imaging techniques used that span the range between nanometers and microns, i.e. from single molecules to macromolecular assemblies and whole tissue organization.

The elucidation of the relations between structure and function of key components in main biological pathways is one of the generalized goals of the research conducted in the Department. One such pathway is the translation of the genetic code from DNA to proteins. A highlight in recent years has been the continued progress in determination of different structures of the ribosome and their complexes with substrate analogues, cofactors, chaperones or antibiotics. These most significant achievements crown the titanic efforts of tens of years of research aimed at elucidating the structure and mechanism of action of ribosomes which are the principal protein synthesis machinery of the cell. Additional research in this area includes structural studies on transcription factors and their DNA targets, tRNA synthetases and their complexes with various substrates, and helicases that unwind RNA Work is also being carried out on chaperones and enzymes that catalyze disulfide bridge formation. These factors assist protein folding which constitutes one of the last 'steps' in the pathway from DNA to functional proteins. The physical principles of protein folding and other biomolecular self-assembly processes (such as protein-protein and protein-DNA recognition) are investigated by using a variety of computational and theoretical tools. Faculty of Chemistry 145 Structural and dynamical aspects of enzyme and protein function and recognition constitute another focal point of activity. Examples are studies on the mechanism of acetylcholinesterase, a key enzyme in the transmission of nerve impulses, on proteins regulating membrane-fusion and virus entry into the cell and on metalloproteins. Antibody-antigen recognition is studied using NMR and the tools of molecular biology to unravel the energetic contributions of single interactions, and through antibodies interacting with monolayer and crystal surfaces.

Studies on the relations between organic and mineral components and between structure, function and mechanical properties of mineralised tissues including bone, teeth and shells, and on the nanomechanics of hearing, are performed over the whole range of hierarchical organizations. The development of new techniques in archeological chemistry provides information about human life conditions and technologies in prehistoric times .

The X-ray and NMR facilities are now state-of-the-art. A major upgrade in the electron microscopy facility has also taken place with the addition of two high resolution transmission electron microscopes, an environmental field emission scanning electron microscope, and a high-resolution SEM. http://www.weizmann.ac.il/chemistry/ 146 Chemical Physics

Chemical Physics

Shimon Vega, Head The Joseph and Marian Robbins Chair

The research in the Department of Chemical Physics covers a wide range of interdisciplinary subjects, combining the fields of chemistry, physics and biophysics.

Lasers and their interaction with matter are being studied both theoretically and experimentally. Light-matter interactions (quantum optics) and their applications for quantum information are being investigated theoretically by Gershon Kurizki in periodic structures, cavities, cold atom gases and condensates. A universal strategy, based on electromagnetic pulses, is being developed for effectively combatting the detrimental effects of decoherence caused by the environment in various quantum systems.

Ilya Averbukh and Yehiam Prior study, both theoretically and experimentally, various aspects of nonlinear optical interactions, including excitation and detection of atomic and molecular wavepackets prepared by shaped femtosecond pulses, nonlinear optical interactions under the tip of a scanning near-field optical microscope, femtosecond laser material processing and molecular alignment and orientation by strong laser fields, atom optics and atom lithography applications.

David J. Tannor is studying, theoretically, femtosecond control of chemical reactions, optimal control of laser cooling, design of pulse shapes for quantum computation, and dissipative quantum mechanics.

The most recent cavity-QED (quantum electodynamics) capabilities with single cold atoms and chip-based microcavities are combined by Barak Dayan to investigate atom-mediated nonlinear photon-photon interactions. These measurements enable the study of single-photon switches, Quantum Non-Demolition (QND) measurements of optical photons and quantum gates.

New and general methods of molecular and atomic cooling are developed by Ed Narevicius. His group is building a magnetic coilgun to decelerate molecular and atomic beams. Cold atoms and molecules will be used to study collisional processes at ultra-low temperatures where quantum effects become Chemical Physics 147 dominant.

Ron Naaman is investigating the use of molecules as components in electronic devices and sensors. This includes studying the electronic properties of organized thin molecular films and investigating information transfer through them. The group also studies the interaction of electrons with bio-molecules. Gilad Haran uses single-molecule fluroescence methods to study conformational dynamics, association and folding of proteins. In addition, his group also uses single-molecule Raman spectroscopy to probe dynamics of individual surface-adsorbed molecules as well as to study plasmonic interactions on the nano-scale. Single molecule conduction is studied by Oren Tal. Individual molecules are trapped between two metallic electrodes and their electric conductance is measured and related to their structural and dynamic properties. These studies are also an excellent test bed for studying electronic spin transport at the atomic and nanomater scale.

New methods for the computation of real time quantum dynamics in complex systems are developed by Eli Pollak. Applications include ab-initio chemistry, surface scattering, electron transfer, photoinduced processes and more. The fluorescence quenching by electron transfer assisted by diffusion and spin conversion in radical ion pairs as well as for triplet production and annihilation are being studied by Anatoly I. Burshtein within the original integral encounter theory, beyond the rate concept.

Turbulence both in hydrodynamics and in nonlinear wave interactions is investigated by Victor L'vov. Itamar Procaccia's group deals with various phenomena involving complexity in Nature; besides working on turbulence with L'vov, the group studies the properties of amorphous solids. How these solids form via the glass transition and what are the mechanical properties of the resulting amorphous solids, including their modes of failure like fracture, shear banding and plastic flow. The physics of motion of the active cytoskeleton and of membranes and cells is developed and its coupling to cell metabolism is investigated by Nir Gov.

Electron spin resonance (ESR) and double resonance spectroscopic (ENDOR) techniques are developed and applied by Daniella Goldfarb for the characterization of metal active sites in porous inorganic catalysts and metalloenzymes and for the study of the formation mechanism of the mesostructured mesoporus materials. New multidimensional methods of analysis in solution, solid-state and imaging magnetic resonance are also being developed by Lucio Frydman and his group, for the investigation of metabolism, of biomolecular structures and for dynamic elucidations. NMR methods are also used by Zeev Luz to investigate ordering and dynamics processes in condensed phases. Recently, Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) Spectroscopy has been applied to enhance the sensitivity of high 148 Chemical Physics resolution NMR spectra and to follow metabolic pathways in biological samples. In addition a new DNP spectrometer has been constructed to investigate the mechanism and possible improvements of the enhancement of nuclear polarization. Molecular motion at the solvent-surface interface inside mesoporous materials is studied and new experimental approaches for improving solid state proton-NMR are developed and tested in terms of bimodal Floquet theory by Shimon Vega.

http://www.weizmann.ac.il/chemphys/ Chemical Physics 149 Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Ilya Averbukh, Ph.D., USSR Academy of Science Russia, Moscow, Russian Federation The Patricia Elman Bildner Professor of Solid State Chemistry Lucio1 Frydman, Ph.D., University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina Daniella Goldfarb, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Erich Klieger Professor of Chemical Physics Gershon Kurizki, Ph.D., University of New Mexico The George W. Dunne Professor of Chemical Physics Ron Naaman, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Aryeh and Mintzi Katzman Professor Eli Pollak, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Sam and Ayala Zacks Professor Yehiam Prior, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, United States The Sherman Professor of Physical Chemistry Itamar Procaccia, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Barbara and Morris L. Levinson Professor of Chemical Physics David Tannor, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, United States The Hermann Mayer Professor Shimon Vega, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Joseph and Marian Robbins Professor

Professor Emeritus

Zeev Luz, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Associate Professors

Nir Gov, Ph.D., Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Incumbent of the Alvin and Gertrude Levine Career Development Chair (until November 2009) Gilad Haran, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Senior Scientists

Eran Bouchbinder, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Barak Dayan, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Yigal Allon Fellow Edvardas Narevicius, Ph.D., Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel 150 Chemical Physics Oren Tal, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Incumbent of the Alvin and Gertrude Levine Career Development Chair

Senior Staff Scientist

Peter Stern, Ph.D., The City University of New York, United States (left January 2009)

Associate Staff Scientists

Valery Ilyin, Ph.D., Kiev State University Alexander Milner, Ph.D., Ukrainian Academy of Science, Ukraine Anna Pomyalov, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Assistant Staff Scientists

Amos Bardea, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Akiva Feintuch, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Special Contract

Victor Lvov, Ph.D., Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

Senior Intern

Rahamim Guliamov, Ph.D., Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, çéôä, Israel Mark Vilensky, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Consultants

Adonis Lupulesco Eshel Ben-Yaakov, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel (left January 2009) Rangeet Bhattacharyy, State University of New York, Stony Brook, USA (left January 2009) Eran Bouchbinder, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (left September 2009) Anatoly Burshtein Noam Erez Reuven Ianconescu, Shenkar, College of Engineering & Design, Ramat-Gan, Israel David Petrosyan, Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Forth Detlef Reichert, University of Halle, Germany (left January 2009) Arik Yochelis, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Chemical Physics 151 Alexander Zakrassov (left November 2009)

Visiting Scientists

Gonzalo Alvarez, University of Cordoba, Argentina Talya Arusi-Parpar, Soreq Nuclear Center, Yavne, Israel Stefano Boccaletti, Nat. Inst. of App. Optics, Firenze, Italy Riccardo Castagna, ENS De Cachan LPQM, France Jeremy England, Princeton University , NJ, U.S.A. Stanislav Fedorenko, Russian Acad. of Sci., Novosibirsk, Russia Sergei Feskov, Volgograd State University , Russia Uriel Frisch, Observatoire de Nice, France Thomas Michel Gilbert, CNRS, Valbonne, France Yong He, Central South University , Changsha, PR China G.E. Hentschel, Emory University , Atlanta, GA, U.S.A. Rao Madan, Raman Rese. Inst., Bengalore, India Perunthiruthy Madhu, TIFR, Mumbai, India Amit Meller, Boston University, U.S.A. Mark Mineev-Weinstei, Los Alamos Nat. Lab., NM, U.S.A. Robert Schurko, University of Windsor, Canada Santanu Sengupta, Indian Inst. of Tech., Kharagpur, India Jiushu Shao, Chinese Acad. of Science at Beijing, PR China Moshe Shapiro Srinivasan Shekar, University of New-York, U.S.A. Joerg Tatchen, University of Dusseldorf, Germany

Postdoctoral Fellows

Tal Amitay-Rosen, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Lior Arazi, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Debamalya Banerjee, Indian Institute Of Science, Bangalore, India Laurent Boue, Universite; Paris 6/Ens, Paris Christian Oliver Bretschneider, University Of Nottingham Eyal Capua, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Sudheesh Chethil, Ph.D., Indian Institute Of Technology Madras, Chennai Lev Chuntonov, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel Jens Clausen, Ph.D., Friedrich-Schiller-Universit;T Jena Riccardo Conte, Scuola Normale Superiore Durga Bhaktavatsala Dasari, Ph.D., Indian Institute Of Technology Kanpur Noam Erez, Ph.D., Tel-Aviv University, Israel Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich, Mpi For The Physics Of Complex Systems Maayan Gal, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Patrick Giraudeau, University Of Nantes Doron Kabaso, Mount Sinai School Of Medicine, Ny Smarajit Karmakar, Indian Institute Of Science 152 Chemical Physics Svetlana Khokhlova, Institute Of Chemical Kinetics And Combustion Mor Mishkovsky, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Jeremy Michael Moix, Ph.D., Georgia Institute Of Technology Vijayasarathi Nagarajan, Ph.D., University Of Leipzig Maria Ott, Ph.D., University Of Luebeck Dana Peled, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Hubert Marek Piwonski, Ph.D., Institute Of Physical Chemistry Pas Alexey Potapov, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Inbal Riven, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Adi Salomon, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Anoopkumar Maheshkum Saxena, Tata Institute Of Fundamental Research, Mumbai Joerg-Elmar Willem Tatchen, Ph.D., Heinrich Heine University, Duesseldorf Zuoti Xie, Fudan University

Research Students

Tal Amitay- Rosen Tali Aqua David Avisar Noam Ben-Eliezer Eyal Benisaac Guy Bensky Atalia Birman Eyal Capua Sharona Cohen Yossi Cohen Reuven Eitan Sharly Fleischer Marc Florent Johannes Leonhard Floss Maayan Gal Erez Gershnabel Sasha Gersten Ben Golan Goren Gordon Michal Gordon- Grosman Gilad Gotesman Talia Harris Tal Honig Yonatan Hovav Ilia Kaminker Roy Kaner Royi Kaufmann Yuri Khodorkovsky Yulie Klerman Gregory Kopnov Omer Korech Etay Lavert-Ofir Edan Lerner Michal Leskes Nataliia Makedonska Tal Markus Erez Matalon Moshe Naoz Dana Peled Menahem Pirchi Alexey Potapov Marina Radoul Ido Regev Oleksii Rudenko Ephraim Shahmoon Andrey Shalit Roie Shlomovitz Itay Shomroni Yoav Shrot Assaf Tal Anand Kumar Tatikonda Maria Tkachev Noa Zamstein Guy Ziv Nir Zohar Jacques Zylberg Chemical Physics 153 Administrator

Varda Katzir 154 Environmental Sciences and Energy Research

Environmental Sciences and Energy Research

Dan Yakir, Head

Research in the department includes both experimental/field & theoretical studies focused on understanding the complex inter-relationships among the major Earth systems, and on the human need for non-polluting energy sources.

Scientists in the department have expertise in a range of Earth-Science disciplines, including climate dynamics, oceanic circulation, hydrology, paleoceanography and the study of past climatic patterns, plant-environment interaction, atmospheric chemistry and earth system dynamics. These disciplines, and topics studied in each one of them, are ultimately integrated as a means to understand and predict local, regional and global changes.

Our main objective for the future is to develop scientific activities that explore the critical interfaces coupling the Earth systems. These include the biosphereatmosphere, ocean atmosphere, oceansediment, and land surfaceground water interfaces. We also aim to offer solar energy sources as alternative to those which are adversely affecting our environment.

Research topics in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research include:

Atmospheric chemistry: Analytical chemistry of the atmosphere; Aerosol physics and chemistry including surface and heterogeneous chemistry; Aerosol optical properties; vegetation-climate interactions; Aerosol-climate interactions, Nano-particle chemistry in the atmosphere(Principal investigator: Yinon Rudich)

Clouds and cloud-aerosol interactions: Using remote sensing to study the radiation transfer in the atmosphere, cloud microphysics, inversion of the physical properties of the clouds and aerosols. Remote sensing and patterns and texture in clouds are also used to estimate manmade impacts on the radiation and the thermodynamic balance of the atmosphere, as well as on the water cycle. (Principal investigator: Ilan Koren)

Hydrology: Integration of laboratory and field studies with theoretical models to understand flow of water, and transport of conservative and reactive chemicals, from the ground surface, through the unsaturated zone, and within Environmental Sciences and Energy Research 155 saturated geological formations. Transport in porous media. Development of chemical methods for remediation of contaminated water. (Principal investigator: Brian Berkowitz)

Biogeochemistry: Plant-atmosphere interactions; Environmental influence on the exchange of trace gases and energy between land ecosystem and the atmosphere; Climatic influence on the natural abundance of carbon; oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in CO2, H2O and organic materials; Scaling biological processes from cellular to global scales. Tracing photosynthetic CO2 fluxes with Carbonyl Sulfide (COS).(Principal investigator: Dan Yakir)

Physical Oceanography and climate dynamics: Interactions between ocean biota and climate; Climate dynamics and paleoclimate; Dynamics of the Gulf of Eilat; Radio-wave oceanography. (Principal investigator: Hezi Gildor)

Paleoceanography and climate change: Global climate change reconstructions from stable isotope records in marine and continental sediments; Southern Ocean paleoceanography. Oxygen isotopes in biogenic silica; Stable isotopes in diatom records; Carbon and oxygen stable isotopes in corals. (Principal investigator: Aldo Shemesh)

Geophysics: Dynamics of the solid Earth. Applying computer modeling and experiments to processes of geological plate movements from the grain to the global scales; Brittle and chemical compaction; experiments and models of pressure solution; granular dynamics; flow and initiation of landslides. (Principal investigator: Einat Aharonov)

Energy Research: Focusing mainly on finding methods of utilization of concentrated solar radiation for efficient, cost-competitive solutions affecting

♦ Electricity production ♦ Energy storage ♦ Energy transportation

This includes the development of new solar thermal systems; solar derived clean fuels; concentrated photovoltaic systems; high temperature water splitting and carbon dioxide dissociation; high temperature water splitting; high temperature catalytic processes. (Principal investigator: Jacob Karni) http://www.weizmann.ac.il/ESER/ 156 Environmental Sciences and Energy Research Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Brian Berkowitz, D.Sc., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel The Sam Zuckerberg Professor Israel Dostrovsky, Ph.D., University of London, London, United Kingdom Institute Professor The Agnes Spencer Professor of Physical Chemistry Yinon Rudich, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Dan Yakir, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem at Rehovot, Rehovot, Israel

Professors Emeriti

Joel R Gat, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Martin M. Halmann, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel

Associate Professors

Jacob Karni, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States Aldo Shemesh, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Barry Rymer Family Professor

Senior Scientists

Hezi Gildor, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Incumbent of the Rowland and Sylvia Schaefer Career Development Chair Ilan Koren, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Incumbent of the Benjamin H. Swig and Jack D. Weiler Career Development Chair

Associate Staff Scientists

Ishai Dror, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem Irina Vishnevetsky, Ph.D., Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation Ruth Yam, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

Assistant Staff Scientist

Eyal Rotenberg, Ph.D., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Environmental Sciences and Energy Research 157 Special Contract

Robert Nathan Katz, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego (left January 2009)

Senior Intern

Ali Abo Rizig, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara, California, United States Orit Altaratz Stollar, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

Engineer

Ruth M.J. Benmair, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Consultants

Rimon Arieli, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Yosef Ashkenazy, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel (left September 2009) Itai Carmeli Israel Carmi Erick Fredj, Jerusalem College of technology, Jerusalem, Israel Joel R Gat Ellen Graber, Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel Martin M. Halmann Hanna Klein, Ezklien, Jerusalem, Israel (left April 2009) Emanuel Mazor Matvey Itzkovsky Tamar Moise Harvey Scher Bruno Yaron, Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel

Visiting Scientists

Emmanuel Boss, University of Maine, Orono, ME, U.S.A. Nadine Goeppert, University of Karlsruhe, (TKM), Germany Abraham Kogan, Technion, Haifa, Israel Alex Kostinski, Tech. University of Michigan, U.S.A. Yoav Lehan, Tel-Aviv University , Israel Stephen Leone, University of California at Berkeley, U.S.A. Shana Mattoo, NASA, Greenbelt, MD, U.S.A. Eli Tziperman, Harvard University , MA, U.S.A. Karen Willbrand, University of Cologne, Germany 158 Environmental Sciences and Energy Research Postdoctoral Fellows

Ali Abo-Riziq, Ph.D., University Of California Santa Barbara (Ucsb) Luis David Aimola, Ph.D., Universidade De Sao Paulo Orit Altaratz Stollar, Ph.D., Tel-Aviv University, Israel Gilboa Arye, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Alexandra Chudnovsky, Ph.D., Tel-Aviv University, Israel Miryam Greenstein, Bar-Ilan University, Israel Diana Gurevitch, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Hemu Kharel Kafle, Nagoya University Ilya Taraniuk, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Research Students

Gabriela Adler Yury Alioshin Rotem Bar-Or Yuval Ben Ami Tal Ben Moshe Eliyahu Biton Daniel Frazier Carlson Elad Dinar Gidon Fridman Liran Goren Maxime Gouet-Kaplan Nili Greenberg Eitan Hirsch Tamir Klein Leehee Laronne Ben-Itzhak Avi Lavi Naama Raz Yaseef Shira Rubin Guy Sisma - Vantora Keren Stimler Ilya Taraniuk Miriam Trainic Administrator

Hila Shochat Materials and Interfaces 159

Materials and Interfaces

David Cahen, Head The Rowland and Sylvia Schaefer Professor in Energy Research

Activities in the Department of Materials and Interfaces span a range of topics from materials to energy research, nanoscience, and biomolecular systems. A UNIFYING THEME is the STUDY OF MATERIAL FUNCTIONALITY AND ITS RELATION TO FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES AT MULTIPLE SCALES. These properties may be mechanical, structural, electronic, and chemical. Some examples are: How do shapes and sizes of nm-sized particles affect their spectral properties? How can we tune the properties of solar cells by manipulating their surfaces? How does friction in knee and hip joints depend on the biological materials that lubricate them? How can we design self-assembling, even self-replicating chemical or biomolecular systems? THE RESEARCH IS BASED ON AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH, and indeed the scientists bring complementary experience in chemistry, physics, and biophysics, including theory and experiment.

Among the materials under active study we can note:

♦ nano-particles and nanotubes of carbon and various (other) inorganic materials ♦ composite materials down to the nanoscale, with unique mechanical properties ♦ micro- and nano-crystalline ceramics with unique combinations of electrical and mechanical properties; ♦ crystalline and non-crystalline pyroelectric and piezoelectric materials ♦ self-assembling supra-molecular architectures for nano-lithography or for molecular electronics ♦ opto-electronic, pyroelectric, superconducting solids with extended bonding ♦ molecularly functionalized (hybrid) semiconductors and metals ♦ ultrathin ceramic or molecular organic films ♦ polymers and polyelectrolytes, complex fluids ♦ biomolecular materials: DNA, cytoskeleton ♦ biological tissues, cells, and matrix elasticity ♦ materials and processes for alternative, sustainable energy:

electrochemical sequestration and recycling of atmospheric CO2; photovoltaic (solar cell) materials and device structures 160 Materials and Interfaces Experimental and theoretical approaches include: ♦ optical and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, Kelvin probe ♦ first-principles calculations, density functional theory ♦ inorganic synthesis, template synthesis, electrochemistry ♦ impedance spectroscopy in the solid and liquid states; ♦ surface force apparatus ♦ atomic force microscopy, including functionalized versions (e.g., conducting probe, lateral force) ♦ optical tweezers ♦ mechanical testing, elasticity & indentation, down to the nanoscale ♦ crystal templating, chiral crystals ♦ X-ray diffraction & scattering ♦ micro- & nanofabrication, including new (non-traditional) processes ♦ microfluidics ♦ advanced optical, electron, and X-ray microscopies ♦ in vitro reconstitution of functional biosystems, biomimetics ♦ theory of membranes and gels, charge interactions & elasticity ♦ application of theory to understanding biological cell & tissue properties. Many facilities that we use are part of the Chemical Research Support Unit. They include the Electron Microscopy Unit, Surface Science (Scanning Probe Microscopies and Pho-toelectron Spectroscopy) unit, X-ray diffraction unit, combined clean rooms / micro-fabrication / biological specimen manipulation ("nano-bio") laboratories. Further facilities in the department or Chemical Support Services include systems for low temperature electrical transport and for optical and magnetic characterization of materials. In addition to new insights in how materials properties can be understood from their atomic, molecular, macro-/supra-molecular and over-all composition and structure, our inter- and multi-disciplinary strategy to the study of the functionality of materials and its relation to fundamental properties of matter at multiple scales, permits exploring new materials and combinations. It has also led to a number of practical applications.

Such accomplishments include:

Bar-Ziv Roy - Genetic circuit elements were constructed in vitro by engineering transcriptional activation and repression cascades, in which the protein product of each stage is the input required to drive or block the following stage.

Cahen David Our electronic quality molecular monolayers allow studying Si-based hybrid systems for molecular- (with simple molecules) and bio-electronics (with proteins) and may revitalize MIS solar cells (more on our solar cell work: Hodes, Lubomirsky). Materials and Interfaces 161 Elbaum Michael - Studies focus on thermodynamics of molecular exchange at the cell nucleus, on biomaterials involved in gene transfer between living organisms, and on soft X-ray microscopy.

Hodes Gary - 1 ppm impurities were shown to dictate the success or failure of solution deposition of ZnO films and to determine the chemical identity of semiconductor compo-sites. Efficient nano-crystalline semiconductor-sensitized solar cells were studied and tested.

Joselevich Ernesto - Growing carbon and other types of nanotubes on crystal surfaces led to their organization into well-defined geometries, such as serpentine, coiled, and more Torsion-induced conductance oscillations and torsional stick-slip behavior were found by twisting carbon and inorganic nanotubes.

Klein Jacob - Charged and zwitter-ionic polymer brushes, as well as surfactant layers in aqueous media, reduce friction between sliding surfaces to uniquely low values at mammalian joints, with implications for both tissue engineering and prosthetic implants.

Kronik Leeor - Major advances in quantitative first principle calculations of molecular assemblies that were made include, among others, accounting for dispersive interactions(van der Waals) and describing charge transfer excitations.

Lubomirsky Igor - Novel quasi-amorphous piezo-electric films were produced and their unique structure and properties studied, including as unique crystallization substrates for water. Ways to improve photovoltaic solar cells via optical and optics-based pathways were critically examined; an ultra-cheap, simple system for solar spectral splitting was developed.

Rubinstein Israel - Discontinuous, island-type gold films on transparent substrates exhibiting morphology-dependent optical properties were studied and used as transducers for our continuing advances in chemical and biological sensing.

Safran Sam - Self-assembly of inhomogeneous and charged membranes with application to rafts in biological cells, as well as elastic interactions and orientations of cells in gels and applications to biomaterials were studied.

Sagiv Jacob - Rapid multiple replication of hydrophilic-hydrophobic organic monolayer patterns via a novel "contact electrochemical" process based on wetting discrimination was proposed and demonstrated. 162 Materials and Interfaces Tenne Reshef - The first core-shell nanotubes of layered compounds were synthesized. With aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (0.7

A resolution), the details of the growth mechanism of WS2 nanotubes were elucidated.

Wagner Daniel H - The microstructure-property relation of dentin viewed as a composite was studied by nano-indentation with micro sized pillar-like specimens, under compression; adhesion energies of a single carbon (C) nanotube to a polymer matrix and organic liquids were determined; mechanical behavior of single C and inorganic nanotubes was studied; spontaneous anisotropic change in size and shape of live cell focal adhesion on fibronectin-coated glass surfaces was studied with composite mechanics.

Lahav Meir - Spontaneous enantio-selective polymerization of racemic amino acids into homochiral peptides in water, thin films and crystals was accomplished; its relevance to the origin of bio-chirogenesis was hypothesized.

Leiserowitz Les - Anti-malarial drugs can be designed via hemozoin crystal inhibition and models on hemozoin nucleation. 2D crystal alignment of oligopeptide a-helices & ß-sheets on water can be induced by a polarized IR laser field.

http://www.weizmann.ac.il/materials/ Materials and Interfaces 163 Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

David Cahen, Ph.D., Northwestern University, Evanston, United States The Rowland and Sylvia Schaefer Professor in Energy Research Jacob Klein, Ph.D., University of Cambridg, Cambridge, United Kingdom The Hermann Mark Professor of Polymer Physics Israel Rubinstein, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Samuel Safran, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States The Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Professor Jacob Sagiv, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Reshef Tenne, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Drake Family Professor of Nanotechnology Daniel Hanoch Wagner, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Livio Norzi Professor

Professors Emeriti

Zeev Alexandrowicz, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Joseph Jagur-Grodzinski, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Meir Lahav, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Leslie Leiserowitz, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Moshe Levy, Ph.D., State University of New York, Syracuse, United States Joost Manassen, Ph.D., University of Amsterdam Shimon Reich, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (deceased July 2009)

Associate Professors

Roy Bar-Ziv, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Incumbent of the Beracha Foundation Career Development Chair (until December 2009) Michael Elbaum, Ph.D., University of Washington, Seattle, United States Gary Hodes, Ph.D., Queen's University of Belfast Ernesto Joselevich, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Leeor Kronik, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Igor Lubomirsky, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel 164 Materials and Interfaces Senior Staff Scientists

Rivka Maoz, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Alexander Vaskevich, Ph.D., Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys, Moscow, Russian Federation

Associate Staff Scientist

Rita Rosentsveig, Ph.D., Leningrad Technological Institute, Russian Federation

Assistant Staff Scientists

Nir Kampf, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Alla Milner, Ph.D., National Polytechnical University, Kharkov, Ukraine Ayelet Vilan, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Special Contract

Ilya Zon, Ph.D., Academy of Science USSR, Moscow, Russian Federation

Senior Intern

Racheli Gabai-Malka, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (left February 2009)

Engineer

Baruch Ittah, M.Sc., Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel

Consultants

Gabriel Agar, Assaf Harofeh Hospital, Zerifin, Israel (left August 2009) Maya Bar Sadan, Julich Research Center, Julich, Germany Yaron Bar-Ziv, Assaf Harofeh Hospital, Zerifin, Israel (left August 2009) Ludmila Frolov Haim Grunbaum, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Joseph Jagur-Grodzinski Valery Kaplan Haim Leader, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel Moshe Levy Joost Manassen Alexander Margolin, NanoMaterials Ltd., Rehovot, Israel Doron Naveh, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA Leonid Odnopozov, IF, Consult, Rishon LeZion, Israel Materials and Interfaces 165 Zeev Porat, Nuclear Research Center, Negev, Israel Lev Rapoport, Holon Institute of Technology, Honon, Israel Meir Redlich, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (left September 2009) Raymond Tung, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, NY, USA (left June 2009) Isabelle Weissbuch Ana Yaron Albu Ella Zak, Nanomaterials Ltd, Rehovot, Israel Daniel Ziskind, Private Clinic, Jerusalem

Visiting Scientists

Stefano Curtarolo, Duke University , NC, U.S.A. David Ginley, NIH, NIE, Bethesda, MD, U.S.A. Ronit Goldberg, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Richard Hardiman, Hebrew University , Givat Ram, Jerusalem, Israel Richard Kaner, UCLA, CA, U.S.A. Lev Rapoport, Holon Inst. of Technology, Israel Tamar Seideman, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, U.S.A. Sarkar Shaibal, Indian Inst. of Tech., Bombay, India

Postdoctoral Fellows

Maya Bar, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Inna Barsky, Ben-Gurion University, Israel Tsevi Beatus, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Giuliano Bellapadrona, Sapienza University Of Rome Yoav Biton, Ph.D., Rutgers, The State University Of Nj Robert Charles Brewster, Ph.D., University Of California, Los Angeles Doron Burshtain, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Yael Dror, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel David Ehre, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Benjamin Markus Friedrich, Tu Dresden, Germany Ludmila Frolov, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Racheli Gabai-Malka, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Supratim Guha Ray, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Roni Antoine Illos, Ben-Gurion University, Israel Ganesan Karuppiah, Ph.D., Indian Institute Of Science, Bangalore, India Nagapriya Kavoori Sethumadhava, Ph.D., Indian Institute Of Science Sanghyun Kim, Kaist Lior Nissim, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Tutiki Umasankar Patro, Ph.D., Indian Institute Of Technology Bombay, India Silvia Piperno, University Of L'Aquila Dikla Raz-Ben Aroush, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel 166 Materials and Interfaces Izhar Ron, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Mark Schvartzman, Columbia University Victor Shelukhin, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Gabriel Shemer, Ph.D., Tel-Aviv University, Israel Xiaomeng Sui, Ph.D., Chinese Academy Of Science Einat Tirosh, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Tetsuya Yamamoto, Tokyo Institute Of Technology

Research Students

Aviad Baram Lee Barnea-Nehoshtan Tsevi Beatus Jonathan Berson Ariel Biller Dan Bracha Eran Edri Anna Faingold Jonathan Garel Rotem Har-Lavan Yafit Itzhaik Sergey Kapishnikov Tanya Karakouz Eyal Karzbrun Sari Katz Michael Kokotov Roman Korobko Anna Kossoy Ronen Kreizman Noa Lachman Adi Makmal Noa Marom Amir Natan Doron Naveh Olivia Niitsoo Lior Nissim Elena Rabinovich Dikla Raz-Ben Aroush Izhar Ron Lior Segev Lior Sepunaru Jasmine Seror Hagay Shpaisman Gilad Silbert Ronit Snir Raya Sorkin Sarah Sultan Odeya Tairy Alexander Tesler Ofer Tevet Allon Weiner Inna Wiesel Noga Yaakov Omer Yaffe Assaf Zeira Administrator

Yehudit Rousso Organic Chemistry 167

Organic Chemistry

Ronny Neumann, Head The Rebecca and Israel Sieff Professor of Organic Chemistry

The research in the Department of Organic Chemistry spans a wide range of topics, including synthetic-, mechanistic and structural aspects of organic, inorganic-, organometallic-, polymer-, bioorganic-, biological- and computational chemistry.

Soluble metal oxide clusters termed polyoxometalates are being investigated and developed as homogeneous oxidation catalysts by Ronny Neumann. Polyoxometalates have the ability to activate environmentally benign oxygen donors such as molecular oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, nitrous oxide and ozone. In the presence of hydrocarbons, selective oxidation reactions can be carried out. Catalytic oxidation reactions which are being investigated include the epoxidation of alkenes, the hydroxylation of alkanes, oxydehydrogenation of alcohols and other substrates and oxyhalogenation. Mechanistic and kinetic studies using a large variety of spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques allow the identification of active intermediates, the determination of different modes of activation of oxygen donors and the preparation of improved catalysts.

The team of Milko van der Boom is working to create novel films with desirable electronic and optical qualities. The formation of organic thin films is at the forefront of nanotechnology research. His team is hoping to replace today's conventional inorganic materials with organic compounds, which would be much easier to modify, thus offering far better, cheaper devices. The challenges of creating these films, however, are considerable - from effectively integrating custom-designed organic and metal-organic molecules into thin films, to creating materials that are highly ordered and smooth as well as thick enough to efficiently convey optical signals.

The group of Michael Bendikov who has joined the department recently, explores the structureproperty relationship in conducting polymers and their oligomers, aiming at the design of novel electronic materials. The chemical reactivity of carbon-nanotubes is also explored. The research combines synthesis, physical measurements and theoretical quantum mechanical studies.

The computational chemistry group of Jan (Gershom) Martin is engaged both 168 Organic Chemistry in the development of highly accurate ab initio computational thermochemistry methods (W1 and W2 theory) and in the methodology and applications of density functional theory, with a particular focus on organometallic reaction mechanisms relevant to homogenous catalysis. Theoretical vibrational spectroscopy beyond the harmonic approximation and basis set development (the SDB-cc-pVnZ basis sets) are subsidiary research interests.

Electron-rich complexes of transition metals, capable of insertion and activation of some of the strongest bonds are being developed by David Milstein. The selective insertion of a metal into a simple carbon-carbon bond presents new prospects for selective hydrocarbon functionalization. Activation of N-H and O-H bonds opens new directions for the selective use of ammonia and water. Facile activation of bonds to carbon by specifically-designed complexes has led to new catalytic reactions of significance to the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, including highly efficient carbon-carbon bond formation. A new approach towards catalysis based on the ordering of metal complexes in thin films was demonstrated (with Meir Lahav, Materials and Interfaces). The use of metals for the generation, stabilization and controlled release of biologically relevant, unstable organic transients is being studied. New ligands and complexes for MRI imaging, which are receptor specific, are being developed (with Hadassa Degani, Biological Regulation).

Biological activity of visual pigments and bacteriorhodopsin is related to a photocycle during which both the retinal and the opsin moieties undergo a series of structural changes. The molecular changes and their correlation with the corresponding biological functions are of primary importance. The use of artificial pigments, model compounds and spectroscopic methods by Mudi Sheves has resulted in the clarification of the role that single and double bonds play in the photocycle; protein-chromophore interactions in the binding site; the role of water and light in retinal protein activity; cations-protein interaction in bacteriorhodopsin; and the mechanism of rhodopsin light activation.

In Abraham Shanzer's group the principles of Biomimetic Chemistry are being applied to mimic bioactive molecules with emphasis on natural iron-carriers that are recognized by microbial receptors and consequently transported into the living cells. When labeled with fluorescent markers, these carriers proved to be useful diagnostic kits. When linked to a cytotoxic agents, they are envisioned as a new generation of anti microbial agents. Molecular electronics is being persued, including: (a) Preparation of molecules with desired optical, electronic and magnetic properties, and their assembly on gold surfaces (with Israel Rubinstein, Materials and Interfaces); (b) Sensors based on imidazolyl ligands capable of axial coordination of metalloporphyrins in a predetermined location above the conductive surfaces have been developed and used as sensors for oxygen, NO and CO; (c) Design and preparation of devices acting Organic Chemistry 169 as static and dynamic molecular switches for memory storage and Molecular Logic-Gates for executing algebraic operations.

The structure, function and thermal stability of thermophilic enzymes are being studied by Yigal Burstein, aiming at understanding the mechanisms of adaptation of enzymes to extreme environment and for designing novel enzymes for biotransformations in organic chemistry. A family of highly homologous alcohol dehydrogenases that span the phenotypic range of temperature in microorganisms, is investigated. Structural elements conferring thermal stability were identified and analyzed employing genetic engineering methods.

Chemical, biological and clinical studies of modulatory peptides including immunomodulator antibacterial anticancer and neuroactive compounds are being carried out by Mati Fridkin. Novel technologies for drug delivery and stabilization have been developed and applied to several proteins (e.g. insulin, growth hormone, interferon), peptides (e.g. GnRH ,exendin ) and small molecules ( antibiotics and anticancer drugs ). The clinical-pharmaceutical potential of several compounds are being evaluated. A novel approach toward Fe- chelation in relation to neuroprotection is being developed. En route to anti-Alzheimer and anti-Parkinson drugs.

Design, synthesis, structure and function of aminoglycoside-arginine conjugates (AACs), novel HIV-1 inhibitors of viral entry and transactivation of the viral transcripts by Tat protein, are being studied by Aviva Lapidot aiming at understanding the mechanisms of inhibition of the diversity functions of Tat protein, which might be critical for anti-AIDS strategies.

DNA organization and survival under stress is being studied by Avi Minsky. Morphological changes that occur within living cells, following their exposure to various stress conditions are being studied by electron microscopy and X-ray scattering. Under such conditions, genomic DNA undergoes either a spontaneous or a protein-promoted phase transition into highly packed and ordered structures in which the DNA molecules are sequestered and effectively protected. A new and general mode of protection through biocrystallization is indicated. The structural properties of stress-induced DNA-binding proteins that are involved in these structural transitions are being studied. Ultrasensitive calorimetrical methods are used to assess the effects of the large intracellular crowding and viscosity upon the thermodynamic features of interactions between macromolecules, such as DNA and proteins.

The group of Yossi Sperling is studying the structure and function in pre-mRNA processing of supraspliceosomes. These huge macromolecular assemblies contain, in addition to pre-mRNAs, all known components required 170 Organic Chemistry for their post-transcriptional processing (capping, polyadenylation, editing and splicing). Hence, they can be regarded as representing the nuclear RNA processing machinery. A new mechanism that regulates splicing by affecting splice site selection has been discovered. This discovery implies that the reading frame of mRNAs can be recognized in the nucleus prior to splicing. A model derived from structural studies of supraspliceosomes by electron microscopy is being developed to explain this unexpected finding.

http://www.weizmann.ac.il/Organic_Chemistry/ Organic Chemistry 171 Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Gershom (Jan) Martin, Ph.D., University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium The Margaret Thatcher Professor of Chemistry David Milstein, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Israel Matz Professor of Organic Chemistry Abraham Minsky, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Professor T. Reichstein Professor Ronny Neumann, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Rebecca and Israel Sieff Professor of Organic Chemistry Abraham Shanzer, Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Charlotsville, United States The Siegfried and Irma Ullmann Professor Mordechai Sheves, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Ephraim Katzir-Rao Makineni Professor of Chemistry

Professors Emeriti

Mario D. Bachi, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusaelm, Jerusalem, Israel Yigal Burstein, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Matityahu Fridkin, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Valeri A. Krongauz, Ph.D., L.Y. Karpov Physical Chemistry Institute, Moscow, Russian Federation Aviva Lapidot, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Abraham Patchornik, Ph.D., The Hebrew Univesity of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Joseph Sperling, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Associate Professor

Milko Van Der Boom, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Minerva Junior Research Group on Molecular Materials and Interface Design (until June 2009)

Senior Scientists

Michael Bendikov, Ph.D., Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Incumbent of the Recanati Career Development Chair of Energy Research David Margulies, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Incumbent of the Judith and Martin Freedman Career Development Chair 172 Organic Chemistry Boris Rybtchinski, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Incumbent of the Abraham and Jennie Fialkow Career Development Chair

Scientist

Rafal Klajn, Ph.D., Northwestern University, Evanston, United States

Senior Staff Scientist

Alexander M. Khenkin, Ph.D., Academy of Science, Russian Federation

Associate Staff Scientists

Irena Efremenko, Ph.D., Kazakh National Academy of Science, Alma-Ata, Russian Federation Edward E. Korshin, Ph.D., Kazan State University, Russian Federation

Assistant Staff Scientists

Yaniv Barda, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Yana Sheynin, Ph.D., Moscow State University, Moscow, Russian Federation Haim Weissman, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Junior Staff Scientist

Tamar Eliash, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (left March 2009)

Special Contract

Alexander Berchansky, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (left April 2009)

Consultants

Eyal Ben-Ari, Agan Aroma, Ashdod, Israel Alexander Berchansky Virginia Buchner Shlomo Dukler Moran Feller (left May 2009) Amiram Hirshfeld Boris Kraiz Michal Lahav (left February 2009) Yisrael Parmet, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel Edna Schechtman, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel Organic Chemistry 173 Joseph Sperling Oren Zimhony, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel

Visiting Scientists

Joyanta Choudhury, Indian Inst. of Tech., Kharagpur, India Eugene Khaskin, University of Maryland, U.S.A. Asit Patra, Indian Inst. of Tech., Kharagpur, India Dmitri Perepichka, McGill University, Canada Sanjio Zade, Indian Inst. of Tech., Bombay, India

Postdoctoral Fellows

Marc Altman, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Gnanaprakasam Boopathy, Ph.D., Bhavnagar University Iraklii Ebralidze, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Balaraman Ekambaram, University Of Hyderabad, Hyderabad. Joseph Englander, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Moran Feller, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Santosh Ganapathysubramanian, Ph.D., Indian Institute Of Technology Bombay Galina Golubkov, Ph.D., Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel Eyal Kamhi, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Viktoria Koltunov, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Sebastian Kozuch, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Jean-Francois C. M. Lamere, Ph.D., Universite Paul Sabatier, Toulouse Robert Langer, University Of Karlsruhe (Th) Maya Mani-Hazan, Bar-Ilan University, Israel Asit Patra, Indian Institute Of Technology, Kharagpur Emanuel Perugia, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Amaladass Pitchamuthu, Ph.D., University Of Madras Elena Poverenov, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Ujjal Kanti Roy, Indian Institute Of Technology Kharagpur Madhu Vedichi, Ph.D., University Of Hyderabad

Research Students

Marc Altman Jonathan Baram Delina Barats Shauli Daon Graham de Ruiter Iraklii Ebralidze Jessica Ettedgui Moran Feller Eran Fogler Moti Gargir Ori Gidron Hila Goldberg- Azoulay David Gruzman Eyal Kamhi Revital Kaminker Amir Karton 174 Organic Chemistry Jenny Kolsenik Marina Konorty Elizaveta Kossoy Elisha Krieg Alexandr Laskavy Noam Levi Anat Milo Leila Motiei Yael Mutsafi Elena Naiman-Poverenov Emanuel Perugia Meital Rachamim Hiyam Salem Leonid Schwartsburd Yamit Sharaabi Nelia Shechter Elijah Shirman Tanya Shirman Elena Smolensky Alona Ustinov Yair Haim Wijsboom Natalia Zamoshchik Nathan Moise Zauberman Olena Zenkina Administrator

Galit Zemel Saig Structural Biology 175

Structural Biology

Zippora Shakked, Head The Helena Rubinstein Professor of Structural Biology

The Department is committed to research in the major areas of structural biology and is investigating biological systems from the atomic to the cellular level of organization. The ultimate goal is to obtain a complete picture of biological structures in their complexity, with a continuity at all length scales, from Ångstroms to millimeters. The structures of biological macromolecules and their complexes are studied at the length scale of Ångstroms by X-ray diffraction from crystals, and in solution by advanced spectroscopic techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance and EXAFS. In addition, imaging techniques that span the range between nanometers and microns, such as electron microscopy, electron tomography and atomic force microscopy, are being used to study single molecules, macromolecular assemblies and whole tissue organization.

The elucidation of structure-function relationships of key components in main biological pathways is one of the general goals of the research conducted in the Department. One such pathway is the translation of the genetic code from DNA to proteins. A highlight of recent years has been the continued progress in determination of different ribosome structures also in complex with antibiotics. These significant achievements crown the titanic efforts of tens of years of research aimed at determining the structure and mechanism of action of ribosomes. Ribosomes are large particles composed of RNA and more than 50 proteins that are the principal protein synthesis machinery of the cell. The mechanism of translation of the code into proteins is also investigated by X-ray crystallography of tRNA synthetases and their complexes. Additional research in this area includes work on helicases that unwind RNA and elucidation of the 3-D structures of DNA molecules and DNA-protein complexes. Research is also being carried out on molecular chaperones and catalysts of disulphide bridge formation that assist protein folding which is the one of the last stations in the pathway from genes to functional proteins.

Structural and dynamical aspects of enzyme and protein function and recognition constitute another focal point of activity. Examples are studies on the mechanism of acetylcholinesterase, a key enzyme in the transmission of nerve impulses, and on proteins regulating membrane-fusion and virus entry into the cell. Antibody-antigen recognition is being studied using NMR and molecular biology tools in order to unravel the structural basis and energetics of these interactions. Antibody-antigen recognition is also being studied using 176 Structural Biology antibodies that interact with monolayer and crystal surfaces.

Studies on the relationships between organic and mineral components and between structure, function and mechanical properties of mineralized tissues including bone, teeth, shells and many others, are performed over the whole range of hierarchical organizations. The development of new techniques in Archeological Chemistry provides information about human life conditions and technologies in prehistoric times.

The X-ray and NMR facilities are state-of-the-art. A major upgrade was recently made in the electron microscopy facility with the addition of two high resolution transmission electron microscopes and an environmental field emission scanning electron microscope.

http://www.weizmann.ac.il/sb/ Structural Biology 177 Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Lia Addadi, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Dorothy and Patrick Gorman Professor Jacob Anglister, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Joseph and Ruth Owades Professor of Chemistry Amnon Horovitz, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Carl and Dorothy Bennett Professor of Biochemistry Zippora Shakked, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Helena Rubinstein Professor of Structural Biology Joel Sussman, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States The Morton and Gladys Pickman Professor in Structural Biology Stephen Weiner, Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States The Dr. Walter and Dr. Trude Borchardt Professor of Structural Biology Ada Yonath, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Institute Professor The Martin S. and Helen Kimmel Professor

Professors Emeriti

Henryk Eisenberg, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (deceased December 2009) Wolfie Traub, Ph.D., University of London, London, United Kingdom Edward Trifonov, Ph.D., Moscow Physico-Technical Institute, Russian Federation

Associate Professors

Deborah Fass, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States Mark Safro, Ph.D., Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow, Russian Federation The Lee and William Abramowitz Professor of Macromolecular Biophysics Irit Sagi, Ph.D., Georgetown University, Washington, United States The Maurizio Pontecorvo Professor 178 Structural Biology Senior Scientists

Koby Levy, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Center for Complexity Science Fellowship Incumbent of the Lilian and George Lyttle Career Development Chair Itay Rousso, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Incumbent of the Robert Edward and Roselyn Rich Manson Career Development Chair

Senior Staff Scientist

Tamar Unger, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Associate Staff Scientists

Shira Albeck, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Anat Bashan, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Elisabetta Boaretto, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (left March 2009) Orly Dym, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Harry Mark Greenblatt, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Naama Kessler, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Yoav Peleg, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Moshe Peretz, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Haim Rozenberg, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Assistant Staff Scientists

Tal Ilani, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Ella Zimmerman, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Senior Intern

Tal Ilani, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Netta Lev-Tov Chattah, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Osnat Rosen, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Inna Solomonov, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Marianna Tsvitov, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States Structural Biology 179 Intern

Zohar Biron-Sorek, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Netta Sela, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Tzviya Zeev-Ben-Mordehai, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (left November 2009)

Consultants

Ilana Agmon (left March 2009) Yacov Ashani Felix Frolow, Tel Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Tel-Aviv Michal Harel Maggie Kessler, Banner Chemicals Ltd., UK Tsipi Shoham, OSM-DAN Ltd., Collaborating Organisations, Rehovot, Israel Israel Silman Peter Stern Oren Zimhony, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel

Visiting Scientists

Elisabetta Boaretto, Bar-Ilan University, Israel Dan Cabanes, Universitat Rovira i Virgili - IPHES, Spain Yaron Caspi, Emory University , Atlanta, GA, U.S.A. Peta L. Clode, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia David Dreyfus, Yale University , New Haven, CT, U.S.A. Adi Eliyahu, Tel-Aviv University , Israel Adrian Goldman, University of Helsinki, Finland Alexander Guri Osnat Herzberg, University of Maryland, U.S.A. Michael Levitt, Stanford University , U.S.A. Erika Merschrod, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John, Canada Nina Moor, Russian Acad. of Sci., Novosibirsk, Russia John Moult, University of Maryland, U.S.A. Dvori Namdar, Tel-Aviv University , Israel Joseph Orgel, IBM Almaden Rese. Ctr., San Jose, CA, U.S.A. Theodore Papazoglou Kristin Poduska, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John, Canada Yael Slasky, Bar-Ilan University, Israel Hua Tang Donald Voet, University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Judith Voet, Swarthmore College, NJ, U.S.A. Ehud Weiss Paul Whitford, University of California at San Diego, CA, U.S.A. Naama Yahalom - Mack, Tel-Aviv University , Israel 180 Structural Biology Postdoctoral Fellows

Matthew James Belousoff, Monash University Zohar Biron Sorek, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Boris Brumshtein, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Gal Dela, Ph.D., Tel-Aviv University, Israel Eileen Sandra Eckmeier, University of Zurich Igal Finarov, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Gabriel Frank, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Micha Gladnikoff, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Racheli Gueta, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Netaly Khazanov, Ph.D., Bar-Ilan University, Israel Ester Malka Kitayner, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Nitzan Kol, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Yosef Yehuda Kuttner, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Netta Lev-Tov Chattah, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Inbar Maymon-Pomeranchik, Agriculture Faculty, Israel Eran Noah, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Aviv Paz, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Noemi Rosa Rebollo Franco, University of California Santa Barbara Noa Rubin, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Netta Sela-Passwell, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Dalit Shental, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Marianna Tsvitov, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine Tzviya Zeev-Ben-Mordehai, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Research Students

Assaf Alon Maya Amit Meir Max Barak Avi Ben Shimon Moshe Ben-David Shai Biran Boris Brumshtein Chen Davidovich Amir Eldar Iael Fargion Igal Finarov Gabriel Frank Ziv Frankenstein Dafna Geblinger Micha Gladnikoff Larisa Goldenberg Michal Goldschmidt Moran Grossman Ranit Gruber Racheli Gueta Tzachi Hagai Motti Hakim Nimrod Heldman Liron Hevroni Malka Kitayner Liron Klipcan Konstantin Kogan Nitzan Kol Avital Levy-Lior Julia Mahamid Amir Marcovitz Inbal Mermershtain Adi Moseri Michal Nadler-Holly Structural Biology 181 Eran Noah Orly Noivirt Ilona Nudelman Aviv Paz Yael Politi Lior Regev Noa Rubin Gili Samorodnitzky-Naveh Einat Schnur Netta Sela-Passwell Michal Shemesh Liat Shimon Miri Sokolovski Oren Tchaicheeyan Yael Udi Elvira Vitu Dana Vuzman Itai Wekselman Roy Ziblat Administrator

Galit Zemel Saig 182 Solar Research Facilities Unit

Solar Research Facilities Unit

Haim Garty, Vice President

The Hella and Derrick Kleeman Professor of Biochemistry

Michael Epstein, Head

The Solar Research Facilities of the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) are among the most advanced laboratories in the world for concentrated solar energy research. A major feature of the Unit is a Solar Power Tower containing a field of 64 large, multi-faceted mirrors (heliostats), each measuring 7x8 meters. A picture of the Solar Tower is shown in Figure 1. Each heliostat tracks the movement of the sun independently and reflects its light onto a selected target on a 54-meter high tower containing five separate experimental stations, each of which can house several experiments. Light can be reflected toward any or all of these stations, allowing a number of experiments to be carried out simultaneously. This is the only Solar Tower facility in the world located on a campus of a research or academic institute and is solely dedicated to scientific work. WIS invested over $15M in the construction and maintenance of this laboratory.

Recently a new optical feature was added in the form of a 75 m2 reflector attached to the tower at about 45 m above ground level. Using this reflector about one megawatt of concentrated sunlight can be beamed down onto a ground target. This is a unique feature existing only at the Weizmann Institute Solar Tower. WIS is presently upgrading the heliostat mirrors to improve their optical performance. The cost of this renovation project to the Institute is about $1M.

Research Projects Conducted at the Solar Research Facilities Unit

Our goal is to explore solar-driven thermal and chemical processes, enabling power production, fuel alternatives, long-term storage and convenient transportation options. Work at WIS is diverse and evolves based on the scientists vision and imagination. At present, our research programs address the following topics: Solar Research Facilities Unit 183 1. Electricity production developing cost effective ways for environmentally clean, solar-driven electricity production. The scientists involved in this program are Jacob Karni and Michael Epstein. 2. Hydrogen production WIS scientists work on several methods to produce hydrogen (a clean and efficient fuel) using solar energy. These methods include: (i) hydrocarbon reforming, (ii) methane decomposition, and (iii) solar thermal-electrochemical dissociation of water at high temperatures. The scientists involved in these programs are Abraham Kogan, Michael Epstein, Alexander Berman and Jacob Karni. 3. Biomass gasification developing means to use solar energy to convert biomass (such as organic waste) to fuel. The scientists involved in this program are Roman Adinberg, Michael Epstein and Jacob Karni. 4. Developing of high temperature stable catalyst for steam reforming of methane. The scientists involved are alexander Berman, Rakesh Kumar Karn, Michael Epstein and Jacob Karni. 5. Solar reduction of metal oxides, for example, the production of zinc from zinc oxide, for developing a clean process to provide zinc for fuel cells and for the production of hydrogen. The scientists involved in this program are Michael Epstein, Irina Vishnevetsky, Tareq Abu-Hamed and Jacob Karni. 6. Developing of heat storage in a phase change material (PCM) medium. Scientists involved are Roman Adinberg and Michael Epstein. http://www.weizmann.ac.il/ESER/People/Karni/research.html

Staff

Associate Staff Scientist

Roman Adinberg, Ph.D., Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation

Engineers

Rami Ben-Zvi, M.Sc., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Michael Epstein, B.A., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Doron Lieberman, M.Sc., Ben-Gurion Univesity of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel

1Vice President 184 Chemical Research Support

Chemical Research Support

Brian Berkowitz, Head The Sam Zuckerberg Chair

The Department of Chemical Research Support, comprising 14 major units, offers advanced and routine facilities for analytical and preparative chemical techniques to Institute scientists.

Each unit is headed by a Research Fellow or a Staff Scientist and is operated by qualified technical staff. The development program for the Department of Chemical Research Support and its mode of operation are supervised by Users Committees and by scientific advisors.

Chemical and Biophysical NanoSciences (Person in charge: Shirley Daube)

The objectives of the unit are to promote research in processes and phenomena in (bio)chemistry, (bio)physics and materials research on the nano-meter scale, which cannot be addressed within the existing facilities of the WIS. An important aspect of this development is the technological need for miniaturization. Fundamental scientific issues are addressed in the areas of synthesis of nanomaterials, nanomanipulation of matter, chemistry and physics of mesoscopic objects and of biomaterials.

More specifically we refer to the emerging capability to design and prepare systems, showing predetermined heterogeneity at the atomic and molecular levels. Towards this, conceptual capabilities of molecular control and self-assembly (ready-made components) are combined with those of sturdy supra- or non-molecular components.

The center of the unit is a class 10,000 clean room complex, including facilities for optical and electron beam lithography, a mask aligner MA-6, a sputtering system for thin film deposition, and a dry etching ICP apparatus. The facility has, in addition, apparatus for thermal and electron beam evaporation of metallic and dielectric films, and equipment for surface characterization (wettability/contact angle; a Rudolf ellipsometer; a surface profiler-Dektak 6M). A chemical hood inside the clean rooms provides capabilities for a broad range of chemical manipulations. We also provide the means to fabricate micro-fluidic devices. Chemical Research Support 185 In order to advance research towards implementation of biologically active molecules as integral components in inorganic devices, the center includes a Nano Bio lab. The Nano Bio team aid physicists and chemists in the design and performance of their research involving biological molecules. In addition, the Nano Bio lab provides the means to perform experiments and produce pre-designed biological molecules using basic molecular biology and biochemical techniques. The lab is equipped with a variety of centrifuges, gel electrophoresis and imaging apparatus for nucleic acids and proteins, shakers/incubators for bacterial cultures, an autoclave and a sonicator, an AKTA basic FPLC protein purification apparatus, PCR machines, NanoDrop and NanoVuespectrophotometers, FLA-5100 FUJI fluorescent scanner, BioTek Synergy HT fluorescent plate reader, and a Hamilton liquid handling robotic system. A radioactive workstation for 32P and 35S labeling is also available.

Computational Chemistry Unit (Person in Charge: Mark Iron)

Computational Chemistry: The application of modern computational methodologies to calculate the chemical and physical properties of molecules and related systems.

State-of-the-art software packages can be used to accurately calculate molecular properties, including properties that can be measured experimentally. Through informed choice of methodology, the results of calculations can be used to predict molecular features, interpret experimental data and understand molecular effects and behaviour.

We use commercial software packages (such as Gaussian09 and Molpro) to calculate electronic structure, molecular properties and molecular mechanisms using ab initio, Density Functional Theory (DFT), semiempirical and force field methods. More specifically, the following information can be retrieved from electronic structure calculations:

Reaction Mechanisms

♦ The characterization of organic, inorganic and organometallic reactions is one of the most common goals of computational chemistry. Relative energies for reactants, products, transition states and intermediates can be computed to give insight into the reaction pathway and to possibly predict how specific changes will affect the observed reactivity. In such a way, it may be possible to determine potential modifications that may enhance, or even radically alter, chemical selectivity and efficiency. Electronic Properties 186 Chemical Research Support ♦ Atomic charges ♦ Molecular orbitals ♦ Ionisation (oxidation) potentials and electron affinities Spectroscopic Properties

♦ Infrared (IR) frequencies and intensities ♦ Raman frequencies ♦ Electronic (UV-VIS) spectra ♦ Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra ♦ Polarizabilities and hyperpolarizabilities Kinetics and Thermochemistry

♦ Reaction kinetics (calculations of rate constants) ♦ Reaction thermochemistry ♦ Solvent effects Other services: ♦ Please enquire about any other types of calculations that may be of interest. Computational Chemistry Unit Website

Electron Microscopy Unit (Administrative Manager: Orna Yeger)

The Electron Microscopy Unit supports and facilitates research for all Weizmann Institute scientists, as well as other academic institutions and industrial clients. We provide service, collaboration and training on both short-term and long-term projects. Scientists can use equipment independently after appropriate training and supervision. Our goals include outreach to the microscopy community in Israel and abroad, as well as maintaining cutting-edge technology through continuing renewal and education.

Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM)

All three SEMs at the EMU are high-resolution microscopes equipped with Field Emission Guns (FEGs).

Environmental SEM XL 30 (FEI): Besides its basic configuration, the ESEM 30 XL has a micromanipulator attachment, as well as an EDS detector from EDAX for X-ray elemental analysis. The instrument permits the observation of specimens in an environment of up to 10 Torr in pressure, which facilitates the study of wet specimens.

The Ultra -55 from Zeiss, with declared resolution of 1.3 nm, has been outfitted with a BAL-TEC cryo-stage, permitting observation of frozen-hydrated specimens, and is also equipped with a STEM detector from Chemical Research Support 187 Zeiss.

The Supra -55 (Zeiss) is outfitted with nanomanipulators, Electron Beam Induced Current (EBIC) imaging system, detectors for back-scattered electrons and cathodoluminescence, and an EDS detector from Oxford for X-ray elemental analysis.

Focused Ion Beam Microscope (FIB)

The Helios Nanolab 600 Dual Beam Microscope from FEI combines a focused ion beam (FIB) column with a SEM column. This microscope has excellent resolution for SEM imaging, with nano-scale patterning (etch or material deposit). The FIB has a time-saving procedure for the preparation from block samples of thin cross-sections (lamellae), suitable for TEM analysis, using an advanced Omniprobe micromanipulator. The instrument also has a cryo-stage and EDS detector for X-ray elemental analysis. The Helios FIB/SEM is suitable for materials and biology studies, as well as microelectronic device prototyping.

Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEM)

There are five TEMs at the EMU, each one meeting specific experimental needs. All microscopes are equipped with digital imaging cameras.

Materials Science

The CM-120 (Philips) is a 120kV instrument with a Super-Twin lens configuration, allowing for high resolution imaging of samples from Materials Science. It is equipped with an EDS detector for X-ray elemental analysis, and a Gatan US1000 CCD camera.

The Tecnai F-30 (FEI) with a FEG filament, is a high-resolution instrument (UltraTwin lens configuration, resolution 0.17 nm), equipped with a double tilt holder. Attached to this 300kV microscope there is a post-column Gatan Imaging Filter (GIF) which enables EELS measurements (electron energy loss spectra) and elemental mapping at nanometer scale. There is a US1000 camera installed above the GIF.

Biological Sciences

All three Biological TEMs are equipped with special blades for cryo-temperature applications and have digital slow-scan cameras (CCDs) for low-dose work. 188 Chemical Research Support The Tecnai Spirit T12 (FEI) (120 kV) has a BioTwin lens configuration, which provides the high contrast suitable for biological specimens, and allows for screening at extremely low magnifications with the objective aperture in place. The Megaview III side-entry camera provides TV-rate viewing and wide field-of-view. The bottom-mounted FEI Eagle 2k CCD provides high sensitivity and excellent optics.

The Tecnai T-12 (FEI) (120kV), with Twin lens configuration, balances

between contrast and resolution, and uses a LaB6 filament for better brightness and coherence. The side-entry Gatan Erlangshen 500W camera provides wide field-of-view and TV-rate speed, while the TVIPS bottom-mount F224HD 2k CCD is extremely sensitive for super-lowdose cryoTEM applications. Tomography software is installed.

The Tecnai F20 (FEI), running at 200kV with a FEG filament, includes a Gatan Tridiem post-column energy filter for EF-TEM (energy filtered TEM) applications. There is also a host of analytical tools, including EELS, EDS for elemental analysis, a high-angle annular dark-field detector, DF/BF detector, and STEM capability. The microscope includes automated tomography capability for all configurations, including EF-TEM and STEM tomography.

Sample Preparation

Various pieces of auxiliary equipment for sample preparation are available in the unit. These include polishing apparatus, dimpling and ion milling machines, sputter, and physical evaporation apparatus, a critical point dryer, and several ultramicrotomes. The EM unit is equipped for conventional as well as low-temperature preparation of biological samples and immuno-labeling. There is equipment for cryo-applications such as high-pressure freezing (HPM 10, BAL-TEC), Freeze fracture device (BAF 60, BAL-TEC), cryo-plunging (including a new Leica automated plunger), AFS1 & AFS2 freeze-substitution devises (Leica) and cryo-microtome (Leica).

Image processing facilities include Linux clusters and servers, workstations running on Linux and Windows, and several Macintosh and PC computers, with advanced software for image analysis, single-particle and tomographic 3-D reconstruction, and visualization.

Electron Microscopy Unit Website

Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) (Person in Charge: Lev Weiner)

The Electron Spin/Paramagnetic Resonance (ESR/EPR) Unit is equipped with a Bruker ELEXYS 500 (X and Q bands, 9.5 and 35 GHz) and ER 200 D SRC Chemical Research Support 189 (9.5 GHz, X band) spectrometers. The various techniques for measuring the structure and properties of free radicals and paramagnetic ions in solid state and in solution are available for a wide range of temperatures.

The ESR Unit provides consultation and training for scientists interested in techniques for the detection and quantitation of oxidative stress in chemical and biological systems.

Site directed spin labeling of mutants of diamagnetic proteins provides unique information about properties of biopolymers under physiological conditions (pH, temperature, etc.)

A novel spin-tapping technique has been developed for quantitating and monitoring the kinetics of appearance of short lived reactive oxygen species and carbon-centered radicals in chemical, photochemical and biological systems. The technique can also be used to distinguish between the various reactive oxygen species, which include superoxide and hydroxyl (OH) 1 radicals, as well as singlet oxygen ( O2). The ESR technique is applicable to strongly scattering and stained systems,such as organ homogenates and cell cultures.

A novel ESR approach has been developed for the quantitative determination of sulfhydryl groups (down to 10 -12 moles) in chemical and biological systems.

Laboratory for Magnetic and Electrical Properties of Materials (Person in Charge: Gregory Leitus)

The unit provides research services for scientists who develop new materials or devices with special physical properties. The investigation in the Unit is based on Quantum Design's Magnetic Property Measurement System (MPMS2) which is amplified with various additional devices and systems. The MPMS2 provides DC (direct current) and AC (alternative current) magnetic measurements. It involves:

♦ Temperature Control System provides precision control of the sample temperature in the range 1.8 to 350 K. ♦ Magnet Control System provides magnetic fields from zero to positive and negative 1 T. The superconducting magnet can be operated in either persistent or non-persistent modes, and several charging option can be selected by the user. ♦ Superconducting SQUID Amplifier System (SQUID detector) provides reset circuitry, auto-ranging capability, a highly balanced second-derivative sample coil array and environment magnetic 190 Chemical Research Support influence protection. ♦ Sample Handling System. Ability to step the sample smoothly through the detection coil without transmitting undue mechanical vibration to the SQUID. It allows for varied scan lengths and options. ♦ Computer Operating System (upgraded in 2004). All operated features of the MPMS and external devices are under automated computer control including individual functions and measurement sequences.

The MPMS has expanded by Kethley's and SRS's external devices which together with Manual Insertion Utility Probe are organized in: ♦ DC resistivity and Hall effect measurements System provides 4-probes and van der Pauw electric transport measurement in direct current range from 0.1 pA to 5 mA ♦ AC conductivity measurements System provides electric transport measurement in alternative current ranges: amplitude from 2 pA to 5 mA, frequency range from 1 mHz to 100 kHz. ♦ Reciprocating Sample Option (RSO) employs small-amplitude, periodic displacement (down to 0.5 mm) of a sample inside MPMS' second-order gradiometer. High sensitivity: absolute: 10-8 emu, relative: 5x10-9 emu at field: 0-1 T and low frequency: 0.5 to 4.0 Hz. ♦ Continuous Low Temperature Control (CLTC)/Temperature Sweep Mode provides sweep with definite rate: 0.001 - 10 K/min, continuous operation below, upper and over 4.2 K (over 45 hours at 1.8 K), and temperature stability of +/-0.005K in the whole of temperature range. ♦ Fiberoptic Sample Holder (FOSH) allows user to illuminate a sample with an external light source during magnetic measurements.

Mass-Spectrometry and Chemical Analysis (Person in Charge: Arye Tishbee)

The Chemical Analysis Laboratory, provides training, consultation and method development for measurement, separation, purification, and isolation of a wide range of Organic compounds by Elemental analysis (CHN), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Gas Chromatography, Mass Spectrometry, Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC), Amino Acids, Atomic Absorption spectrophotometry, RAMAN ,Micro RAMAN, Infra Red (IR), Micro IR spectroscopy, and Rapid Kinetics monitoring using Stopped Flow instrument, Gas Sorption analysis.

BET- Rapid Gas Sorption measurement 2m2 and up using Nitrogen.

Available equipment: NOVA 1000, Quantachrome Instruments.

The Thermal Gravimetry unit provided TGA analysis up to 1400C. Chemical Research Support 191 Available equipment: TA SDT Q600 Air or Nitrogen environment.

The RAMAN unit provides Raman measurements, using 1064 µm 1.5W Laser excitation With a target area of 100 µm.

Available equipment: Bruker FT RAMAN - RFS 100/S Ge Diode detector Spectral range of 3600 - 70 cm-1. (stokes shift) and 100-2000 (anti-Stokes shift) . Controlled by PC based OPUS spectral software.

The Micro RAMAN unit provides micro Raman measurements, using 780 nm and or 633nm laser excitation, magnification range from x5 to x100, for a verity of samples, including temperature controlled stage with operating range of - 200 to + 5000C.

Available equipment: Renishaw Micro Raman Imaging Microscope Controlled via a PC base software, with temperature control, moving xyz stage, dual lasers 633 and 780nm, and Grams 2c spectral manipulation software.

The IR unit provides standard IR measurements.

The Micro IR unit provides micro IR Transmission and reflection measurements.

Available equipment: TENSOR 27 FT-IR instrument attached to an IR/Optical Microscope. IRscope II, with Transmission and reflection, measurement modes. 15X IR Objective Measured Area: 20 µm Minimum. Mid Range MCT detector 7000-600 cm-1.

Elemental Analysis for CHN.

Available equipment: Thermo EA 112 Elemental analyzer.

Rapid Kinetic Instrument unit provides Stopped Flow measurements, for enzyme reactions, Single, double, triple mixing with intermediate ageing, variable mixing ratio and dilution, µvolume operation using absorbance, fluorescence, or circular dichroism.

Available equipment: BioLogic MOS-450 with MPS 60. Consists of 4 syringes 10 - 2,5 ml, Min. Dead Time 0.98 ms, Min Ageing Time 1.63ms. Light source : 150W Xe, reflective achromatic monochromator , 180 to 800 nm. 1 nm. Steps. slits :2,4 or 8 nm, data acquisition rate, 50 ms/sample to 1000s/sample. Acquisition time 50 ms to 20s/nm.

The Mass Spectrometry Unit provides mass spectra for the determination of molecular weights and structure elucidation of organic compounds up to 192 Chemical Research Support 4000AMU including labile metal complexes, and for Peptides and proteins up approx. 18,000AMU Detection limit approx. 50 pg. GC-MS Analyses of complex mixtures of volatile organic compounds up to 700 AMU with system peak matching and library search. Detection Limit approx. 10pg. Accurate mass FD analysis of semi volatile and non soluble organic compound.

Available equipment: ESI-MS Micromass ZQ 4000 Mass Spectrometer equipped with ESI and ESCI probes for Electrospray and ESCI analysis. Connected to a MassLynx data station. UPLC - MS Micromass Q-TOF Premier, Quadrupole Time Of Flight High Resolution Mass Spectrometer equipped with ESI for Electrospray analysis. Connected to a Masslynx data station. Field Desorption FD-MS Micromass GCT Premier TOF equipped with FD probe .GCQ Polaris Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer for volatile compound, connected to Xcalibur data station equipped with NIST Library search capabilities.

The Amino Acid Analyzer Unit provides qualitative and quantitative Analysis of protein and peptide hydrolyzates. Detection Rage of 100-3000 pmoles, using OPA and FMOC pre column derivatization, monitoring at UV, using reverse phase separation. Detection range of 5 - 3000 pmole using AccQ.Tag pre column derivatization, and monitoring Fluorescent emission.

Available equipment: Waters PicoTag Work Station for gas phase Hydrolysis Waters 2695 Alliance HPLC equipped with fluorescence and Diode Array detectors and autoinjector , utilizing AccQ.Tag chemistries for the analysis of Hydrolizates and some physiological Amino acids.

The Atomic Absorption unit provides Analysis for a verity of elements in sensitivity of few mg/L depending on the analyte, a wide range of lamps is available for different elements. Both Flame and Graphite Oven atomizers are available.

Available equipment: Perkin Elmer Analyst 400 atomic absorption unit.

Molecular Modeling Unit (Person in Charge: Miriam Eisenstein)

This unit offers diverse structure analysis and molecular modeling services to many groups in the Chemistry and Biology faculties. These include homology modeling for proteins, protein-protein docking and conformational analysis of organic molecules. The available equipment is a 2-processor PC equipped with a high-end graphics card and a Silicon Graphics Octane work station. Several different computer programs and packages are in constant use: For example, the Accelrys InsightII package for display, homology modeling, energy minimization and molecular dynamics. The protein-protein docking program Chemical Research Support 193 MolFit, originally developed by M. Eisenstein, I. Shariv and E. Katchalski-Katzir, is continuously being improved and extend by Dr. Eisenstein.

MolFit Website

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) (People in Charge: Peter Bendel and Tali Scherf)

The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Unit comprises five High-Resolution NMR spectrometers ranging from 300-800 MHz, as well as a 400 MHz widebore spectrometer and two horizontal bore Biospec systems used mainly for imaging.

The new low-field NMR instrument (Bruker AVANCE III-300) is used primarily for routine identification and standard work with small organic molecules. It is equipped with a QNP (5 mm, Z-gradient) probe for, 1H, 13C, 19F, and 31P measurements and a 5mm BBO (31P 109Ag ) probe.

The Bruker Avance DRX-400 spectrometer includes seven different probes (5 and 10 mm). The selective 1H dedicated (5 mm) probe (high sensitive); a QNP (5 mm) probe, switchable by computer for 1H, 13C, 19F, and 31P nuclei; a BB (5 mm) broad band probe; a TBI (5 mm) Inverse with Z-gradient; a TXI (5 mm) Inverse(triple-channel) with Z-gradient; a BB (10 mm) multinuclear probe covering the range 107Ag to 31P; a BB (10 mm) low-frequency probe (39K -193Ir). It mainly serves scientists in the Department of Organic Chemistry.

A new Bruker AV-500 spectrometer was recently installed at the Institute. It also serves mainly scientists in the Department of Organic Chemistry and provides a modern facility for their analyses. This instrument has three channels and is equipped with six unique probes: a micro, 2.5 mm Triple-Resonance Inverse TXI probe, (1H, 13C, 15N) equipped with Z-gradient; a 5 mm multinuclear, Broad Band BBO (109Ag to 31P) probe, equipped with an automatic tuning and matching (ATM) as well as Z-gradient; a 5 mm Inverse Triple-resonance low frequency probe , TBI (1H, 31P, BB) with Z-gradient. The BB range is 39K 41K ; a 5 mm multinuclear (109Ag-31P) Inverse probe (BBI) that includes Z-gradient, an automatic tuning and matching (ATM) as well as a special tuning for 103Rh; QNP (5 mm) probe for 1H, 13C, 19F, and 31P measurements and a new CP-MAS probe.

The Bruker DMX-500 is mainly used for specialized research, including 2D NMR and biologically oriented work. The instrument is equipped with dedicated NMR probes for 1H, 2H, 13C, 15N, and 31P measurements, as well as 194 Chemical Research Support for "inverse" experiments, and a 13C CP-MAS probe. It has a new, 5 mm Triple-Resonance Inverse CryoProbe, TXI, (1H, 13C, 15N) equipped with Z-gradients.

The 800 MHz high-resolution spectrometer (Bruker, DRX Avance-800) provides access to the highest magnetic field currently available in Israel, enabling state-of-the-art high-resolution multi-dimensional experiments for macromolecular structure determination. The accessories include a multi-nuclear TXI probe with z gradient (15N, 13C, 1H, 5mm), a multi-nuclear QXI probe with x, y and z gradients (15N, 13C, 31P, 1H, 5 mm), and two solid-state MAS probes covering both low and high multi-nuclear frequency ranges. Recently, a new, 5 mm Triple-Resonance Inverse CryoProbe, TCI, (1H, 13C, 15N) equipped with Z-gradients was installed, which uses an automatic tuning and matching (ATM) device.

In addition, a Bruker 400-Avance III widebore spectrometer is used for NMR microscopic imaging. Spectroscopic capabilities include 1H and broad band multi nuclei probes and an automatic QNP probe, switchable by computer. Imaging is provided by two systems: a microscopy probe includes actively shielded gradients (up to 200 G/cm) with 5 mm rf coils for 1H, 1H/ 13C and 1H/ 31P. A mini-imaging probe with actively shielded gradients (up to 150 G/cm) includes several 1H RF coils, with diameters between 4 and 30 mm. The spectrometer is used mainly for research in biology and for non-invasive physiological and metabolic measurements of small samples.

The Biospec laboratory contains an NMR spectrometer (Bruker) based on a 4.7 Tesla magnet with a 30 cm horizontal bore. The system was upgraded during 1996 to the "Advance DBX" version with fully broadband dual-channel operation, self-shielded gradients and an assortment of resonators and surface coils with active coil detuning for crossed-coil operation. The system performs NMR spectroscopy and imaging experiments on animals, plant systems and other large and heterogeneous samples and specimens. It is being used by researchers from the Chemistry and Biology faculties for investigating tumors implanted in mice, models for angiogenesis of tumor blood vessels, spinal cord vessels, spinal cord damage and its treatment in rats, and characterizing flow and transport in three-dimensional porous media and rock fracture models.

Since March 2007, an additional horizontal-bore imaging spectrometer (Bruker Avance-II 94/20) was installed in the new 'Mamtak' (Center for Preclinical Research) building. The magnet has a field strength of 9.4 Tesla and an accessible bore of 20 cm.

High-Resolution NMR Website Chemical Research Support 195 MRI- Tips and Bugs

Organic Synthesis Unit (Person in Charge: Veronica Frydman)

The Organic Synthesis Unit provides a service to all the scientists in the Institute who need non-commercial chemicals in order to perform their research work. The Unit carries out upon request the synthesis and characterization of a wide variety of organic compounds, including (but not limited to) polymers, porphyrins, steroids, isotopically-labeled oligopeptides, spin-labeled chemicals, etc. Synthezised quantities range from small to medium scale. The Unit counts with a fully equipped organic synthesis laboratory, and uses the facilities provided by other units (e.g., NMR, ESR, MS, etc.) to characterize the intermediates and final products. The staff also provides consultation about experimental procedures and techniques.

Solar Optics Design; Mathematical Modeling (Person in Charge: Akiba Segal)

This unit offers assistance in the modeling of the solar optics systems connected with the main research around the utilization of concentrated solar energy at high temperatures. In this range we have a remarkable experience in the development of the non-imaging secondary optics devices. As example, we designed a new optical feature, which was added as a 75 m2 reflector attached to the Solar Tower at 49 m above ground level. Using this reflector, about one megawatt of concentrated sunlight can be beamed down onto a ground target. This is a unique feature exists only at the Weizmann Institute. We also designed the biggest solar energy concentrator in the World, which was also built, according to our design, at the Weizmann Institute. Both the tower reflector and the big concentrator are currently used in various researches that are recognized as between the most advanced solar researches in the World. We have also capabilities to design small energy concentrators, providing big light energy concentration, which can be used for various chemical processes, studied in the Faculty laboratories, which need high temperatures. These concentrators will use the solar energy with an appropriate optical system from the Institute's solar facilities, or, in laboratory, using an adequate light source as simulator of energy. Also we can offer assistance in conceiving mathematical models for various chemical processes that are in study by the scientists from the Faculty in order to complete and finish their research work. This means that we can provide consultation and development of methods for solving the various mathematical models and, eventually, the mathematical optimization of the results. 196 Chemical Research Support

Spectroscopy Unit (Person in Charge: Leonid Konstantinovski)

Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy consists of a Nicolet 460 single beam infrared Fourier transform spectrophotometer (FTIR) fully operated by a Nicolet computer (512K RAM, 13" high-resolution color monitor) equipped with two internal 3.5 inch disk drives for programming and data storage. The optical bench provides a maximal resolution of 2 cm-1 over the complete spectral range from 4000 to 400 cm-1 and contains a sample compartment built especially for introducing various IR accessories, such as gas cell, ATR, and so forth. This equipment is suitable for a large variety of analytical IR applications, offering high sensitivity and photometric accuracy and computerized data manipulation capabilities.

In addition, the Spectrometry Unit provides facilities for measuring optical absorption, optical rotatory dispersion (ORD) and circular dichroism (CD) at a wavelength range of 180-1000 nm and at a temperature range of -190°C to 70°C.

Available equipment : Aviv Model 202 spectropolarimeter, UV-visible diode array spectrophotometer, Beckman DU-7500.

The Unit for Radioactive Counting provides facilities for scintillation counting of b-radioactive sources. The unit is equipped with a Beckman Model LS7500 b-scintillation counter.

Surface Analysis Unit (Person in Charge: Sidney Cohen)

The surface analysis group provides the means for a variety of surface-sensitive measurements. These include chemical composition of the exposed atomic layers, atomic scale surface topography, electronic and mechanical surface properties, and detection of adsorbed molecules. The various units of this group are housed in two laboratories and include facilities for rudimentary sample preparation and cleaning, such as ozone cleaner, snowjet cleaning, and solvent cleaning station with clean hood.

The Scanned Probe Microscopy Unit contains three separate scanning tunneling/scanning force microscopes (also known as atomic force microscopes AFM):

♦ Veeco Metrology multimode AFM + Nanoscope 5 electronics, including the following modes: torsional resonance, electric force modes, conductive AFM (TUNA), scanning capacitance microscopy, liquid cell, and HarmoniX materials mapping package. XY scanners of Chemical Research Support 197 100 x 100 microns, or 14 x 14 microns. ♦ NT-MDT P47/LS enabling work with small and large samples, conductive AFM, and electric force modes. Scan range for large samples of 140 x 140 microns and for small samples 13 x 13 microns. All scanners use closed loop control. ♦ NT-MDT NTEGRA including high and low temperature attachments covering range from 30degrees - + 230 degrees, environmental control with low vacuum possibility, electric force modes, and liquid cell. XY scanning ranges range from 200x 200 microns using dual scanner, down to 12 x 12 microns for small sample work. All scanners use closed loop control. These microscopes enable determination of surface topography and mechanical and electrical properties at resolutions ranging from tens of microns down to atomic scale.

In addition, the laboratory houses an Agilent instrumented Nanoindenter equipped with XP and DCM heads for force ranges up to 500 mN or 14 mN respectively, and Nanovision for nm-scale mapping of the surface in-situ with the indenter tip.

The Electron Spectroscopy Unit is a multifaceted ultra high vacuum (below10-9 torr) system for surface analyses. The main analysis chamber includes a Kratos Axis-Ultra x-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), which detects elements and determines their chemical state on the surface at depths up to 15 nm and sensitivity of 0.1%. A monochromatic x-ray source and improved mapping capabilities are offered by this instrument, down to 3 µm spatial resolution in parallel imaging mode. The system includes an ultraviolet lamp for valence band measurements, ion gun for sputtering the surface and for ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS), and a flood gun for insulating samples. In addition, Auger electron spectroscopy at lateral resolution of 100 nm can be performed in the same chamber. A second spectrometer for XPS (Kratos AXIS-HS) is available in the laboratory, supported by a VG Low Energy Electron Diffractometer (LEED) for determining the surface crystalline structure.

Based on the XPS technique, we are capable of studying electrical properties of surfaces as well, using chemically resolved electrical measurements (CREM). These measurements are performed in-situ and do not require a physical electrode contact. They can provide I-V curves at selected surface positions resolved laterally and/or vertically, photovoltaic characteristics, sample work function and other electrical features all acquired in parallel with the chemical analysis.

Surface Analysis Unit Website 198 Chemical Research Support

X-Ray Crystallography (Person in Charge: Linda J. W. Shimon)

The X-ray Crystallography Laboratory of the Weizmann Institute is both a service and user facility. It is well equipped for the single crystal diffraction experiments needed for structural biology and chemistry research. We apply a variety of experimental methods to these investigations. Since each crystal is unique, we tailor each experiment to the individual sample and offer expertise in the following areas:

♦ Air sensitive crystals ♦ Unusually small crystals ♦ Low-temperature data collection ♦ Disorder or twinning ♦ Absolute structure determinations, including all-light atom structures ♦ Database searches A structure determination of molecular crystals will typically involve the following:

♦ Crystal Sample inspection under the polarizing microscope ♦ Determination of unit cell parameters, crystal system and space group ♦ Structure solution and refinement ♦ Creation of tables in CIF and other formats ♦ Publication-ready molecular and packing plots The measurements of organic and organometallic materials are performed using a Bruker KappaApexII CCD diffractometer with MiraCol optics or a Nonius KappaCCD diffractometer mounted on a FR590 generator, both utilizing Mo radiation. A Nonius Mach3 Kappa full 4-circle diffractometer mounted on a FR590 generator is also available with Cu radiation. Data collection may be performed at either LN or ambient temperatures. Low temperature has many benefits for X-ray structure determination, including better quality data in less time than room-temperature work and the ability to handle highly reactive compounds with minimal fuss. We typically collect data at 100K, but on occasion, destructive phase transitions force data collection at higher temperatures

For the Structural Biologists, the X-ray laboratory is a user facility. Macromolecular crystallographic measurements are made on two R-Axis IV++ systems. The image plate detectors are mounted on RU-H3R Rigaku rotating anode generators equipped with Osmic confocal focusing mirrors. One of these systems is outfitted with a 2-theta stage allowing high resolution data collection. Both systems are equipped with Oxford cryostream cooling systems for LN, low-temperature measurements. Also available in the laboratory are light-microscopes for sample inspection and mounting as well as digital cameras for crystal photography. Training is available for users, so Chemical Research Support 199 that they can perform their own experiments.

X-ray Crystallography Unit Website

X-Ray and Light Scattering (Person in Charge: Ellen J. Wachtel)

The aim of the laboratory for X-ray and light scattering is the structural characterization of both natural (organic and inorganic) and synthetic materials in a variety of forms and aggregational states and in a variety of environments. These materials include powders, thin films, dilute solutions, dispersions, microemulsions, liquid crystals, fibres and fibrous tissues, polymer composites.

X-ray diffractometry is a non-destructive, powerful yet simple technique capable of obtaining information on the structure of a material at the atomic level. Crystalline or semi-crystalline powders and thin films may be studied. Our instrumentation includes: two vertical theta-theta diffractometers- the sealed tube generator-based ULTIMA III (Rigaku) and the rotating anode generator-based TTRAXS III (Rigaku). These instruments have significant capabilities: texture determination using pole figure measurements; measurement of residual stress; measurement in inert environment; variable temperature (low/med T) control; capillary sample holders; thin film reflectivity. In addition we have a Rigaku D-Max/B horizontal goniometer fitted with a diffracted beam graphite monochrometer affixed to a Rigaku RU200 rotating anode X-ray generator (12kW) with Cu target. Data acquisition for the three systems is computer controlled and data analysis is performed on a separate platform with Jade9.0 software.Search/match protocols use the Powder Diffraction File of the ICDD (International Center for Diffraction Data) on CD-Rom.

Small angle and wide angle X-ray scattering (SAXS and WAXS) cameras are available on an Elliott GX6 rotating anode generator (3kW) with copper target. Sample temperature may be controlled between 0 to 2000C, and 7kG and 13kG rare earth permanent magnets are used for alignment of macromolecules. Data acquisition is via a linear position sensitive detector of the delay line type with computer interface or imaging plates. Software is provided for calculating Guinier fits and Patterson-like functions and for determining structure factors. Simple modeling programs are also available.

There are two light scattering apparati. One consists of a Spectra Physics argon ion laser; goniometer and index matching bath; temperature controller (5-400C); photomultiplier tube selected for photon counting; Brookhaven Instruments correlator 2030AT and software for calculation of hydrodynamic size distributions via the inverse Laplace transform (CONTIN algorithm).The 200 Chemical Research Support instrumentation is used to characterize the hydrodynamic size and/or molecular weight of biological macromolecules in aqueous solution; of synthetic polymers in organic solvents; of micellar or liposomal preparations; and of microemulsions. The second instrument (Viscotek) is suited only for dynamic light scattering at 90 degrees and uses a diode laser source, wavelength 830nm.

http://www.weizmann.ac.il/Chemical_Services/ Chemical Research Support 201 Staff

Professor

Brian Berkowitz1, D.Sc., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel The Sam Zuckerberg Professor

Senior Research Fellows

Sidney Cohen, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Arye Tishbee, Ph.D., University of Houston, Houston, United States

Senior Staff Scientists

Peter Bendel, Ph.D., State University of New York, Stony Brook, United States Hagai Cohen, Ph.D., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Miriam Eisenstein, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Konstantin Gartsman, Ph.D., Physical Technical Institute, Russian Federation Eugenia Klein, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Leonid Konstantinovski, Ph.D., Rostov University, Rostov on Don, Russian Federation Ronit Popovitz-Biro, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Akiba Segal, Ph.D., Jassy University, Romania Linda J.W. Shimon, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Vera Shinder, Ph.D., Moscow University, Biochemical Institute, Academy of Science Ellen Wachtel, Ph.D., Yale University, New Haven, United States (retired October 2009) Lev Weiner, Ph.D., Institute of Catalysis, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation Sharon G. Wolf, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Associate Staff Scientists

Shirley Daube, Ph.D., University of Oregon, Eugene, United States Yishay (Isai) Feldman, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Veronica Frydman, Ph.D., University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina Grigorii Leitus, Ph.D., Metallurgy Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation Tali Scherf, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Eyal Shimoni, Ph.D., ETH, Zurich, Switzerland 202 Chemical Research Support Assistant Staff Scientists

Yoav Barak, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Tatyana Bendikov, Ph.D., Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Arkady Bitler, Ph.D., Leningrad State University, Leningrad, Russian Federation Yael Diskin Posner, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Mark Alan Iron, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Palle Von Huth, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Engineers

Gregor Rory Leitch Alexander Yoffe, M.Sc., University of Tashkent, Russian Federation

Consultants

Itai Carmeli Matvey Itskovsky (left May 2009)

Postdoctoral Fellow

Estelle Kalfon-Cohen, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

Administrator

Hila Shochat

1Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research The Center for Energy Research 203

The Center for Energy Research

Haim Garty, Vice President The Hella and Derrick Kleeman Chair of Biochemistry

The Energy Research Center was established in 1980 to promote and encourage research in all aspects of energy-related research. Energy research covers a broad range of disciplines, and all the Faculties in the Institute are involved. The basic philosophy of the Center is to keep the various energy projects within the framework of the departments in which they originated as long as possible and to promote close contact between scientists working in the various fields, thereby encouraging innovation.

The Center provides facilities shared by all the research groups, holds seminars and disseminates information.

Most of the energy research work done in the Institute is related to the exploitation of solar radiation. There are research projects in the direct conversion area, in thermal electricity generation, in thermally driven chemical processes, and in photochemistry.

Within the commissioning of the Canadian Institute for the Energies and its Solar Research Facilities Unit, and the operation of the Schaeffer Solar Furnace, it became possible to carry out many new projects. 204 The Fritz Haber Center for Physical Chemistry

The Fritz Haber Center for Physical Chemistry

Lucio Frydman, Director

The Fritz Haber Center supports various scientific activities in the fields of Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics. The support of the Center is given directly to research groups to help initiate new endeavors and for ongoing activities. The support is usually dedicated to the purchase of new scientific equipment, upgrade of operating laboratories and extension of existing experimental systems.

During the 2008/2009 period the Center supported the purchase of scientific equipment for the following projects:

♦ Fritz Haber Center support was used to purchase a high numerical aperture condenser and a special objective with a varying numerical aperture, needed to implement dark-field spectromicroscopy. This project involves devising novel ways to engineer clusters with well-defined structure and inter-particle-distance. The smSERS technique, which relies on optical microscopy, was thereby enhance with these accessories by allowing use of another optical microscopy technique: dark-field spectromicroscopy. (Prof. Gilad Haran, Dept. Chemical Physics, PI).

♦ A triple-resonance HCN nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) probe was purchased, to carry out ultrafast multidimensional experiments on organic and protein samples at 600 MHz. This is a substantial addition to the 500 MHz equipment available so far in our laboratory, which showed substantially lower performance. In conjunction with new pulse sequences, we trust to use this equipment for the fast analysis of folding proteins and nucleic acids, as well as for new basic spectroscopy developments. (Prof. Lucio Frydman, Dept. Chemical Physics, PI).

♦ A cryo-container for storage of biological samples (proteins, peptides and RNAs) was purchased. This large cryo-container released the pressure on the two old ones that are much smaller. Samples stored in this container are used to study The reaction mechanism of cd1 nitrite reductase; the mechanism of action of the RNA helicase DbpA (the enzyme unwinds the double stranded RNA into a single strand using energy from ATP hydrolysis); peptide-membrane interactions; the The Fritz Haber Center for Physical Chemistry 205 electronic structure of a new electron transfer mediating Cu type 0 in azurin mutants. (Prof. Daniella Goldfarb, Dept. Chemical Physics, PI).

♦ A special IR thermometric camera for studying various thermo-chemical reactions, driven by solar energy, has been purchased. These studies are conducted at the Weizmanns solar tower; ongoing projects aided by this equipment take place in the areas of methane reforming, metal-oxides reduction, methane decomposition, CO2 dissociation, and gasification of carbonaceous materials. The common denominator of these projects is the desire to understand and characterize methods, which convert solar energy into chemical potential (i.e. make synthetic fuels). (Profs. Yaakov Karni and Dan Yakir, Dept. Environmental Sciences, coPIs).

♦ An acoustic noise enclosure for a molecular force probe was purchased and installed. molecular force probes are used to mount various single nanoparticles on the tip of its cantilever (the MFP works similarly to an AFM but is optimized to measure forces). These are brought to the surface of single or confluent living cells on a surface, and measure directly the nature of the interactions as a function of different parameters such as surface separations, salt concentrations and temperature, and including in particular different proteins adsorbed onto the nanoparticle surface, as in physiological systems. A major bottleneck for us in measuring directly the extremely small forces involved concerns noise from ambient sources. It is possible to suppress these very effectively using an Acoustic Noise Enclosure of the type hereby supported (Prof. Y. Klein, Dept. Materials and Interfaces, PI).

♦ A high-performance computer (Intel DP35DP Dragontail Peak, Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 (2.66 GHZ, 12MB Cache, 64 bit processor) was purchased for heavy time-dependent ab initio computation of structure and dynamics in molecules and surfaces. (Prof. Eli Pollak, Dept. Chemical Physics, PI).

♦ Using support from the Fritz Haber center a condensation particle counter (CPC, TSI Model 3786 Ultrafine Water based Condensation Particle Counter (UWCPC)) for measuring airborne particles smaller than 20 nanometers was purchased and deployed it with our cavity ring down system, so far in the laboratory. Meanwhile a survey was conducted using an optical particle counter (OPC) at the Yatir station to test for feasibility and initial data analysis. The OPC was used in order to estimate size resolved fluxes. Using acquired 1 month worth of data from the field a spectral estimation was made, in order to figure out if it is possible to measure particle fluxes at this site. Power 206 The Fritz Haber Center for Physical Chemistry densities of the fluctuations of the finest dust sizes and of the uncompensated vertical wind component, during one warm and one cold hour, were smoothed in simple standard ways. These results give reason to believe that fluxes of aerosols can be measured in the station, using both the OPC and CPC, (Prof. Yinon Rudich, Dept. Environmental Sciences, PI).

♦ A fast-spinning triple-resonance nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) probehead was purchased, capable of studying solids under magic-angle-spinning at a field of 14.1 T. This probe is being used in conjunction with a new 600 MHz console for developing new homo- and hetero-nuclear decoupling sequences, which we trust will eventually become of mainstream use in the world of high-field NMR (Prof. Shimon Vega, Dept. Chemical Physics, PI). The Ilse Katz Institute for Material Sciences and Magnetic Resonance Research 207

The Ilse Katz Institute for Material Sciences and Magnetic Resonance Research

Yehiam Prior, Director The Sherman Professor of Physical Chemistry

The Institute was established in November 2000 with a generous founding endowment made by the Ilse Katz Foundation. The Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry is the Director.

The Institute is dedicated to the promotion of excellent research in the fields of materials and magnetic resonance at the Weizmann Institute. Both fields represent to date spear points of technologically advanced interdisciplinary research, encompassing topics ranging from medicine to physics, through chemistry and biology. Large investments are required in infrastructure and instrumentation, including support for the personnel responsible for the laboratories. This is the main focus of the Ilse Katz Institute. In addition, the Ilse Katz Institute encourages and supports young investigators committed to advanced research in any field of materials and magnetic resonance. 208 The Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Archaeological Sciences

The Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Archaeological Sciences

Stephen Weiner, Director The Walter and Dr. Trude Brochardt Chair of Structural Biology

Archaeology is the study of ancient cultures based on the material remains that have survived the ravages of time. This represents a challenging objective that requires on the one hand, some of the most sophisticated analytical tools available, and on the other hand a keen understanding of human culture and history. This blend of science and humanities is unique. Israel's geographic location at the cross-roads between Africa, Europe and Asia, and its relatively mild climate, are two of the main reasons why this small country is so well endowed with a wonderfully rich archaeological record.

The achievements of the archaeological community of this country over the last 80 years have contributed enormously to the overall knowledge of past human culture. The last 40 years have, however, witnessed a shift in the way archaeological research is practiced. There is an increasing use of the scientific method, along with a dependence on more and more sophisticated analytical capabilities. This trend in turn has exasperated a situation that exists in Israel, and almost all western countries, namely that archaeologists are educated in the faculties of humanities, yet the practice of archaeology in many respects is most suited to the natural sciences.

This situation prompted the Weizmann Institute to establish the Kimmel Center for Archaeological Science, with its primary aim being the training of students in both the natural sciences and archaeology. In November 1997, the Center was formally established in a newly renovated building on the campus designed by the famous architect, Mendelsohn.

In 2006 a formal agreement was signed by the presidents of the Weizmann Institute and Bar Ilan University to conduct joint research and teaching in the field of archaeological science. Three archaeological scientists now perform most of their research at the Institute and most of their teaching at Bar Ilan university. From 2007 a new undergraduate program enables students at Bar Ilan University to obtain bachelors degrees in archaeology and chemistry, biology or geography. Post graduate students (M.Sc and Ph.D.) perform their research at the Kimmel Center. Students starting a Ph.D. in archaeological science who do not have a background in natural sciences or archaeology, The Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Archaeological Sciences 209 spend their first year studying the necessary courses. The remaining 4 years are devoted to research and some course work.

The Center's resources are used primarily for fellowships and modest research funds for post graduate students.

Each summer the Kimmel Center students and staff spend several weeks in the field. An on-site laboratory is operated. Current sites being studied in Israel include Tel Dor, Tel es Safi, Tel Megiddo and Kebara Cave. Part of this time is devoted to an international field school in archaeological science.

The Center has laboratories equipped for studying sediments (infrared spectroscopy, optical mineralogy and micromorphology), for radiocarbon analysis (pre-screening procedures and target preparation lines), for metallurgy (x-ray fluorescence and optical analysis) and for residue analysis of ceramics (GC-MS). The main campus facilities currently used for archaeological research, include the electron microscope facilities for imaging and elemental analyses, Raman and infrared vibrational spectrometers, and thermogravimetric and CHNO analysers. The Center also supports scientific exchanges with foreign scientists, and holds weekly meetings and seminars for scientific communication. http://www.weizmann.ac.il/kimmel-arch/home.html 210 The Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Molecular Design

The Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Molecular Design

David Milstein, Director The Israel Matz Chair of Organic Chemistry

The Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Molecular Design is aimed at the design and synthesis of organic and organometallic molecules of novel properties and at the development of new synthetic methodology. Cooperation between scientists working on various aspects of these areas is strongly encouraged.

The Center deals currently with the following topics:

The design and synthesis of novel metal-binding coordination compounds with special chemical properties.

Development of methodology for the synthesis and structural modification of organic compounds of importance for the pharmaceutical- and fine chemical industries.

Development of novel molecular catalysts for efficient, selective and environmentally friendly processes of high industrial and academic interest.

The design and synthesis of biomimetic transition-metal coordination compounds.

The synthesis of novel metal-containing chromophores as selective sensors at ppm levels.

Development and application of theoretical calculations of molecular properties and computational studies of the reactivity of organic and organometallic molecules.

The synthesis of new conducting polymers.

Non-covalent synthesis by self assembly. The Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Nanoscale Science 211

The Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Nanoscale Science

Reshef Tenne, Director The Drake Family Professor in Nanotechnology

Objectives: The objectives of the Helen and Martin Kimmel center for Nanoscale Science is to encourage research in this burgeoning scientific discipline in general, and to help establish the links between molecular biology and nanoscale science, in particular; Another objective of the center is to promote education of young researchers who will be the future generation scientists in this field.

Means: To achieve these goals, the center supports the Helen and Martin Kimmel Nanoscale Laboratories (NL) in the basement of the Perlman building, which include clean rooms; molecular biology laboratories, and auxiliary laboratories for the characterization and manipulation of nanomaterials. It further supports laboratories engaged in nanomaterials synthesis and their characterization, and the activity in computations of nanomaterials. During this first year of operation, the NL have been completed and its scientific and technical staff has been established. The JEOL 6400 scanning electron microscope (SEM) was moved to the NL and an electron beam lithography system was installed on it.

Highlights of the scientific activities during this year: The mechanical properties of individual WS2 nanotubes were further investigated. This work suggests numerous applications for such nanotubes, especially in high strength nanocomposites (R. Tenne). Cell-free genetic circuit elements were constructed in a transcription-translation extract. For this purpose transcriptional activation and repression cascades were engineered, in which the protein product of each stage is the input required to drive or block the following stage (R. Bar-Ziv). A new microfluidic-based 1D solid made of an array of water droplets in oil with attenuated sound velocity was discovered and physically characterized (R. Bar-Ziv). A new carbon nanotube based nanoelectromechanical device was fabricated and its quantum mechanical current oscillations measured (E. Joselevich). 212 The Helen and Milton A.Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure and Assembly

The Helen and Milton A.Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure and Assembly

Ada Yonath, Director The Martin S. and Helen Kimmel Chair

The Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure and Assembly, established in 1988, aims at encouraging research at the molecular level on frontier scientific problems concerning the assembly of biological macromolecules into functionally active intracellular units and organelles.

The center is supporting research projects in the following aspects of bio-macromolecular structural research: nucleic-acids and protein expression and purification, crystallization, crystallographic data collection at international state-of-the-art facilities, display and visualization of life processes.

The center is actively involved in educating graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. This includes participation in international conferences and workshop alongside inviting distinguished professors for short and long periods.

It also shares responsibility for various functions of the chemical infrastructure facilities and biological services alongside providing the means for key inter-departmental common facilities.

Funds are being divided into the following categories:

1. Purchasing, installation, and development of state-of-the-art sophisticated equipment to be used for the investigation of structural aspects of life sciences. Examples are cryo and ambient-temperature X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, cryo and ambient-temperature EM imaging and time-resolved experiments at the micro-second limits. This includes also the upgrading, maintenance and repair of the existing instrumentation on a regular basis and by emergency calls.

2. The biocrystallographic laboratory: a common facility for large scale preparations of sensitive biological materials in purity allowing high performance of crystallographic analysis and/or NMR studies. The Helen and Milton A.Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure and Assembly 213 3. Funding selected programs of an outstanding quality, albeit premature and/or risky to be funded by the common agencies.

4. Assisting the first steps of young scientists as well as of more experienced new comers.

5. Providing means for the organization of conferences, seminars, courses and symposia dealing with aspects of structural biology. Assisting short and long term visits of leading scientific figures as well as post doctoral fellows. Facilitating the attendance of graduate students in workshops and advanced courses, carried out in Israel and/or abroad. The center also stimulates interactions with worldwide experts with specific skills in the area of structural biology. 214 The Joseph and Ceil Mazer Center for Structural Biology

The Joseph and Ceil Mazer Center for Structural Biology

Zippora Shakked, Director The Helena Rubinstein Professor of Structural Biology

The Joseph and Ceil Mazer Center for Structural Biology, established in 1980, encourages research and cooperation among scientists working in this area. The Center operates by (a) direct grants to selected research projects, especially those that attempt to solve significant albeit risky problems; (b) participation in providing biological, chemical, and crystallographic services, in purchasing equipment and in improving experimental facilities; and (c) sponsoring seminars, symposia, short-term visits and the participation of young scientists in schools, workshops and meetings.

A significant part of the funds are allocated for the maintenance of the laboratory for biological structure determination. Support was also given to Chemical and Biological Services. The Gerhardt M.J. Schmidt Minerva Center on Supramolecular Architecture 215

The Gerhardt M.J. Schmidt Minerva Center on Supramolecular Architecture

David Cahen, Director The Rowland and Sylvia Schaefer Chair in Energy Research

The Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Center for Supramolecular Architectures was founded in 1995 to promote interdisciplinary research in the field of condensed matter and molecular chemistry, physics and biophysics. The centre was renewed in 2002 for another 8-year period.

Within the framework of the centre both experimental and theoretical studies are carried out, generally by

♦ support of relevant Weizmann faculty to their research, to allow (basis for) collaboration with German scientists ♦ support of relevant Weizmann faculty for direct collaboration with German scientists ♦ contributions to critical equipment needs ♦ conferences, and schools ♦ visits of relevant German scientists to the Weizmann Institute and Israel ♦ visits of relevant Weizman scientists to German colleagues. "Relevant" here refers to research activities in the areas that the Centre is concerned with. Areas that have been supported in the recent past include

♦ structure and function of thin films, made of molecular organic as well as of hard (inorganic) materials; ♦ studies on architectures of soft materials, such as micelles, vesicles and membranes, ♦ studies of the inorganic-organic materials interface, ♦ mesoporous materials. The travel support of the centre is mostly for graduate students, postdocs and young scholars for genuine, bona-fide collaborative studies between German and Israeli scientists. Among the meetings that the centre supports, student-organized ones conferences, as well as schools take a prominent place.

The scientific aims of the centre were defined in 2002 as

♦ to promote collaborations among German and Israeli scientists in the area of supramolecular chemistry in the broadest sense; 216 The Gerhardt M.J. Schmidt Minerva Center on Supramolecular Architecture ♦ to provide means for the direct contacts between students and young researchers from the two countries in the general area of supramolecular chemistry. ♦ to enhance the overall scientific activity in this field at the Weizmann Institute. In the past 7 years the centres focus shifted to some extent in that nm-scale was added to supramolecular, including areas such as nanocomposites and more and more interest in terms of contacts and collaborations with Germany was generated in the area of physical biology

The centres activities comprise the above-mentioned parts: Support of Weizmann faculty to their research, to advance collaboration with German scientists; this takes form of direct support for general research expenses, at times personnel, at times support for small equipment and oftentimes support for running expenses.

support of relevant Weizmann faculty for direct collaboration with German scientists: this concerns direct support for the Weizmann side of collaborative research with Germany. In some cases support for work in Germany by the Weizmann scientists will de facto provide also support for the German partner.

contributions to critical equipment needs: support for medium to large instrumentation is provided, mostly as leverage to help collect the funds for the required piece of equipment conferences, and schools: here we provide partial support again mostly as leverage to help raise the missing funds. The exception is the student-organized conference series where the bulk of the support comes form the centre (and from collaborating centres).

visits of German scientists to the Weizmann Institute and Israel and of Weizman scientists to German colleagues: here partial or complete travel and/or accommodation grants are provided for scientists from Germany to the Weizmann Inst. and from here to Germany. In the case of German visitors, we try in as far as possible, also to involve other institutions, if the visitors time schedule allows it.

The centres activities are best summarized as follows:

Use the funds available to make the maximal impact on research that is both related to the centres goals, and contributes or has a high chance of contributing to German-Israeli scientific collaboration, with an emphasis on underfunded and/or early-stage deserving research areas.

CENTRE ADMINISTRATION The Gerhardt M.J. Schmidt Minerva Center on Supramolecular Architecture 217 The direction of the centre is overseen by an Advisory Committeee, the Beirat, headed by Prof. Hans-Jürgen Butt of the MPI-Mainz, with as members Prof. W. Tremel (Univ. of Mainz) Prof. P. Frätzl (MPI-Gölm) Prof. D. Milstein (Org. Chem. - Weizmann Inst.) Prof. I. Talmon (Chem. Engn. - Technion) Prof. S. Vega (Chem, Phys. - Weizmann Inst.)

Scientists involved:

The scientists that were involved in the centre are both young, untenured, and established researchers, from the Faculty of Chemistry at the Weizmann Institute. The Schmidt centre does not use the "membership" and "associate membership" structure, commonly adopted by many other Minerva centres. This approach allowed flexibility in support, with the emphasis on the areas that are supported, more than on the specific groups.

This strategy paid off well, as interests and areas of activities of several groups shifted during the past 7 years and the way supramolecular science was perceived also underwent some evolution. Thus, the main criterion for who is part of the centre is in how far the centre can support the research of the scientist, within the areas of scientific endeavour that the centre covers, with clear preference for research that has collaborative aspects with Germany.

The following core group of the following Weizmann scientists were and are involved in the Schmidt centres activities over the past 7 years:

Lia Addadi Roy Bar Ziv David Cahen Sidney Cohen Michael Elbaum Daniela Goldfarb Ernesto Joselevich Jacob Klein Meir Lahav Israel Rubinstein Sam Safran Jacob Sagiv Avraham Shanzer Reshef Tenne Milko van der Boom H. Daniel Wagner

In addition, the following scientists were involved in the centre during part of the past 7 years,

Nir Gov Gilad Haran Gary Hodes Leeor Kronik Les Leiserowitz Igor Lubomirsky Ron Naaman (the late) Shimon Reich

Centre-supported research areas

The areas that the centre has been and is actively involved in over the past few years were: 218 The Gerhardt M.J. Schmidt Minerva Center on Supramolecular Architecture ♦ Biomineralization; Antibody - Surface Recognition; Cell Adhesion (Addadi) ♦ Synthetic Biology (Bar-Ziv) ♦ Molecular & Biomolecular Electronics (Cahen) ♦ Applications of scanning probe microscopy, and nanoindentation (Cohen) ♦ X-ray microscopy for imaging of biological materials (Elbaum) ♦ Semiconductor-sensitized nanoporous solar cells, SSSCs (Hodes) ♦ Mesoporous materials and micellar structures (Goldfarb) ♦ Molecular Wires, From Self-Organization to Functional Nanosystems (Joselevich) ♦ Interactions between surfaces, friction and lubrication (Klein) ♦ Computational approaches to molecular / non-molecular systems (Kronik) ♦ Origin of Homochirality (Lahav) ♦ Pathological crystallization (Leiserowitz) ♦ Laser controlled thin film crystallization at interfaces (Leiserowitz) ♦ Pyroelectric & piezoelectric materials as auxiliaries for crystallization (Lubomirsky & Lahav) ♦ Electronic properties of nm-structures, interfaces & self-assembled monolayers (Naaman) ♦ Metal nanoparticle nanotubes and metal films for sensors (Rubinstein) ♦ Theory of soft matter and biomaterials (Safran) ♦ Biomimetic chemistry (Shanzer) ♦ Inorganic Fullerenes (Tenne) Supramolecular assemblies with nanoparticles (van der Boom) ♦ Nanocomposites (Wagner) MEETINGS:

While several national and international meetings held in Israel enjoyed support for their German guests from the Centre, such as the workshop on Biological and Soft Matter, 18.9.03, in Rehovot, that on International Networks of Protein Engineering Centers (INPEC) Nov 9 13, 2005, at Ein Gedi and the Farkas symposium on photochemistry in organized media February 10-14, 2008 Ein Bokek, clearly the foremost meeting activities of the Center were the biannual students symposia, often together with the Reimund Stadler Minerva Center of Ben-Gurion University in Beer Sheba. Thus the 5th such symposia on the topic of "Advanced Materials" took place in Mainz in 2003. The 6th symposium in this series on "Molecular Based Devices" was held from 6-8 March 2005 at the Weizmann Institute.

The 7th symposium took place between 29.5-3.6.07 in the Harnackhaus in Berlin. This symposium was organized in conjunction with the Minerva School for "Bio-Inspired Materials" The Gerhardt M.J. Schmidt Minerva Center on Supramolecular Architecture 219 In April/May 2007 also another postponed (due to the 2nd Lebanon war) Minerva school took place in Israel, on "Unique Molecular Effects in Electronic Materials and Devices", which was mostly self-supported (via the Minerva schools program and other grants).

In Sept. 2007 the Schmidt Minerva centre co-organized a Mini-Symposium for (14) competitively selected, top Israeli graduating PhD students in the Chemistry, Physics and Engineering of Materials Research, with emphasis on Nano, -Macro- and Supra-molecular chemistry and physics in Israel. The symposium was a joint effort of the Weizmanns Schmidt, BGUs Stadler and the Bar Ilan Minerva centres, with as purpose to increase the awareness of these students of the opportunities for postdoctoral work in Germany and, more generally, for collaboration with German scientists.

In Sept. 2008 the latest Student Symposium on "Molecules as Sensors" was held in Safed, more student-focused than the 5th -7th ones, (i.e., more like the earlier such student symposia), this time jointly organized with Bar-Ilan Universitys Minerva Centre for Nanoscale Particles and Films. 220 The Moskowitz Center for Nano and Bio-nano Imaging

The Moskowitz Center for Nano and Bio-nano Imaging

Avi Minsky, Director The Professor T. Reichstein Chair

The Moskowitz Center for Nano and Bio-nano Imaging was established in 2006. The primary aim of this center is to support activities that will enhance the capacities of the imaging unit of the Weizmann Institute and maintain its position as a worldwide center of excellence.

The policy of the Moskowitz Center for Nano and Bio-nano Imaging is to encourage new initiatives for internal development. These initiatives, conceived and carried out by the center staff in collaboration with students and Post-Doc fellows, are aimed at promoting and improving imaging techniques and capabilities.

The center supports the purchase of new, state-of-the-art equipment and the upgrade of existing facilities.

The center sponsors participation of students and staff members in conferences and meetings dedicated to microscopy, as well as visits to other laboratories and participation in professional training and evaluation of new methods and equipment.

In 2008 the Moskowitz Center for Nano and Bio-nano Imaging supported a project conducted by a software engineer in collaboration with members of the center staff that was aimed at bringing current image analysis techniques to the stage that they can be used reliably to analyze electron tomography data.

The center supported the purchase of a state-of-the-art cryo-microtome that enables cryo-sectioning of biological samples under conditions that optimally preserve their native structures. Additionally, the center supported the purchase of a STEM attachment to the ZEISS ULTRA SEM microscope, that provide a continuity in the possibility of observing details of specimens from very low (50 X) to very high (1 000 kX) magnification.

The center sponsored participation of staff members in the European Meeting on Electron microscopy. The Sussman Family Center for the Study of Environmental Sciences 221

The Sussman Family Center for the Study of Environmental Sciences

Dan Yakir, Director

The Sussman Family Center for the Study of Environmental Sciences was established in 1993. Its main goals are to promote, coordinate, and support research on the environment in the Institute in general, and in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research in particular. In recent years, the Sussman Family Center supported the acquisition and upgrading of equipment needed for a wide spectrum of state-of-the-art environmental sciences research. This included the purchase of a computing system needed for large-scale climate and geophysical modeling; and purchase of components needed to upgrade research instruments in the department's laboratories.

In recent years, the Sussman Family Center focused its efforts on supporting the recruitment of Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows to carry out research in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research. Linked to this effort, the Sussman Family Center also invested in supporting visits by distinguished scientists from the various environmental science disciplines, both on an individual basis and as part of workshops and symposia organized by the Department. The Sussman Family Center will continue to allocate funds for the acquisition of new equipment, for individual research projects, and to promote scientific interactions between scientists, postdoctoral fellows, and students, both from the Weizmann Institute and from other international centers of environmental research.

In 2007, funding was allocated for the following:

New Faculty - The support for the research program of our newest faculty member, Dr. Ilan Koren, a cloud physicist who arrived at the Institute after completing his postdoctoral research at NASA. Dr. Koren has established a new research group in the Departent of Environmental Science and Energy Research, and has been a very valuable addition to our team.

The establishment of the Postdoctoral Award program - This is a new initiative launched by the Center in 2007 in order to promote the postdoctoral research of highly talented Ph.D. graduates of all Israeli institutions of higher learning. A $10,000 Postdoctoral Award program was established for carrying out postdoctoral research in environmental sciences at a prominent laboratory abroad (see http://www.weizmann.ac.il/ESER/about.html). This will serve as a unique tool for the Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy 222 The Sussman Family Center for the Study of Environmental Sciences Research to identify the best potential candidates for future faculty recruitment. Ms. Shimrit Finkel, a Marine Biologist from Tel Aviv University, was the first person to be awarded this new fellowship.

Conferences, Visitors, and Fellowships - The Sussman Center sponsored three scientific conferences, and a number of prominent visitors. (See following sections below).

Equipment - The generous funds from the Sussman Center assisted in the purchase of a computer cluster that currently enables us to run high resolution numerical models of a cloud resolving model, as well as calculate a complete full radiation of cloud fields. This is the first time since the establishment of our group in the Weizmann Institute that we have been able to perform such high resolution modeling. These modeling capabilities enable us to perform cutting-edge research in one of the most important investigations in climate studies today, which is the effect of aerosols on clouds. This aerosol effect poses the largest uncertainty in climate change studies, as shown in the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report (IPCC, 2007).

Although observations and in-situ measurements provide direct evidence of physical phenomena, they cannot provide a comprehensive description of processes and their feedbacks, due to lack of information in time and/or in space. Models, provided they adequately resolve physical processes and their couplings, are the main tool through which all the information can be integrated, and the effects of aerosols can be studied from the microphysical to the whole-cloud dynamical scale. Cloud-resolving numerical models are probably the only tool that can separate cause-and-effect and give a more complete physical interpretation of the observed correlations. As computers become more powerful, the capacity of numerical models is improving significantly. Today, with clusters of many CPUs, models representing various physical variables can be run at high spatial and temporal resolution over large domains. Our new modeling unit has already helped us to solve a few of the key questions on the interplay between clouds and aerosols over our region.

Land Preservation - The Sussman Family Center also supports public outreach activities associated with the preservation of the unique and pristine landscapes of the Negev desert, which is currently being endangered from mining and other human activities. Prof. Emanuel Mazor has continued his efforts, supported by the Center, to increase awareness of sustainable development in the Negev, through research and educational initiatives, and through an effort to obtain UNESCO World Heritage Status for the three craters: Makhtesh Ramon, Makhtesh Gadol (see picture below), and Makhtesh Katan. Visitors. The Sussman Family Center for the Study of Environmental Sciences 223 In the past year, the Center also focused on promoting international scientific interactions between Institute scientists and prominent scientists in other major research centers around the world. This activity aims to provide opportunities for discussion, teaching, and training associated with issues that are at the cutting-edge of global environmental research. This effort brought to the Institute guests from Harvard, NASA, MIT, as well as other esteemed institutions. Visiting scientists were involved in special workshops, colloquia, and seminars.

This years guests included:

Dr. Lorraine Remer, NASA/GSFC, USA. Dr. Remer is an associate member of the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) Science Team and a member of the Global Aerosol Climatology Project Science Team at NASA, and studies climatic effects and remote sensing of atmospheric aerosols.

Prof. Daniel Rothman, MIT, USA. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Prof. Rothman is a Professor of Geophysics, and his research interests include complex geological and geobiological systems.

Prof. David Sparks, Texas A&M University, USA. Department of Geology, Prof. Sparks is an Associate Professor of Geology and Geophysics, and his research focuses on granular dynamics in earth systems.

Prof. Sherwin Spencer, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus. Department of Aeronautics, Prof Sherwin is Professor of Computational Fluid Mechanics, and develops new techniques for computational fluid mechanics.

Dr. Yeonghee Ahn, Dong-A University, Korea. Department of Environmental Engineering, Dr. Ahn studies microbial populations and their activity in the environment in order to develop and implement new environmental biotechnology.

Dr. Mira Olson, Drexel University, USA. Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, Dr. Olson studies bacterial responses and accumulations surrounding immiscible water contaminants in porous and fractured media.

Prof. Riccardo Valentini, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy. Department of Forest Science and Environment, Prof. Valentinis expertise concerns forest ecology and biogeochemistry; particularly carbon balance estimation by means of different methodologies, including eddy covariance measurements and models. 224 The Sussman Family Center for the Study of Environmental Sciences Prof. Russell Monson, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Prof. Monsons research focuses on the subalpine-forest ecosystem carbon balance, and the nature of forest hydrocarbon emissions and its relationship to atmospheric chemistry.

Prof. Josep Penuelas, Research Professor at the National Research Council of Spain (CSIC), and Director of the Plant Ecophysiology and Global Change Unit in the CREAF-Universitat Aut noma de Barcelona. Prof. Penuelas is an ecologist studying plant ecophysiology and atmosphere-biosphere interactions. His recent research topics include; global change, climate change, atmospheric pollution, biogenic volatile organic compounds, emissions, remote sensing, and functioning, and the structure of Mediterranean terrestrial plants and ecosystems.

Prof. Roni Avissar, Duke University, North Carolina, USA. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Prof. Avissars work includes analytical, numerical, and observational studies as focused on the development and evaluation of various environmental fluid dynamics models to study ocean-land-atmosphere interactions at the various spatial and temporal scales.

Prof. Alex Kostinski, Michigan Tech, Michigan, USA. Department of Physics, Prof. Kostinksis recent research has been in cloud, aerosol, and precipitation physics, radar meteorology, astrophysics, wave propagation in random media, turbulent fluids, adaptive optics, and polarization optics.

Prof. Eli Tziperman, Harvard University, MA, USA. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Prof. Tziperman studies large scale climate and ocean dynamics, including El Nino, thermohaline circulation, abrupt climate change, glacial cycles and equable climates; and advanced methods of ocean data assimilation.

Dr Jesse H. Kroll, Center for Aerosol and Cloud Chemistry, Aerodyne Inc., Dr. Krolls research interests center on the atmospheric chemistry of organic species, particularly the gas- and particle-phase reactions involved in the formation and evolution of organic aerosols. His research experience includes chamber studies of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation, and flow-tube studies of gas-phase chemical reactions.

Conferences The Sussman Family Center generously supported three conferences that were organized by scientists from the Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research (please see additional information under Events in the Department webpage).

International Workshop on Global Dimming And Brightening, Ein Gedi, The Sussman Family Center for the Study of Environmental Sciences 225 Israel, February 10-14, 2008. (see http://www.atmos.umd.edu/~srb/GDB_meeting/GDB_meeting.htm). This workshop brought together the top scientists in the field of Global Dimming and Brightening with the following objectives: to critically review the surface and satellite observational evidence for global dimming/brightening, evaluate possible causes, assess the impact of global dimming/brightening on climate change and biogeochemistry, including land use, hydrology and agriculture, recommend research activities to advance our knowledge of all aspects of the this problem, and to plan coordination mechanisms to facilitate progress on needed developments. Papers presented at the conference were published in a special issue produced by the American Geophysical Union, one of the leading scientific journals in the field.

A special Conference of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) titled, "Afforestation to Control Desertification" was held in April 2007 in Jerusalem. In an effort to bring together leaders in the science and practice of afforestation and sustainable forest management in arid and semi-arid zones, this conference provided a broad forum for the summary and synthesis of state-of-the-art afforestation practices, as well as an introduction to the achievements of the Israeli arid lands afforestation during the last six decades. The Sussman Family Center for the Study of Environmental Sciences at the Weizmann Institute of Science also hosted this event and invited a number of the esteemed 226 Additional Institutes that have contributed to Scientific Advancement

Additional Institutes that have contributed to Scientific Advancement

Perlman Institute of Chemical Sciences Additional Institutes that have contributed to Scientific Advancement 227 228 Additional Institutes that have contributed to Scientific Advancement Faculty of Physics

Dean: Yosef Nir The Amos de Shalit Professor of Theoretical Physics

Haim Harari, Ph.D. (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) Institute Professor The Annenberg Professor of High Energy Physics 230 Faculty of Physics

Faculty of Physics

Dean: Yosef Nir The Amos de Shalit Professor of Theoretical Physics

The Faculty of Physics consists of three departments: Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics. In addition, a unit of Physical Services support the experimental groups. The research in the faculty is conducted by 44 faculty members, about 130 graduate students and about 40 post doctoral fellows and visitors.

The research in the faculty covers a wide range of experimental and theoretical areas. The experimental effort includes studies of solid state and semiconductor physics, superconductivity, plasma, radiation detection physics, nuclear physics, atomic and molecular physics, hydrodynamics and optics. In addition, the faculty is involved in large scale high energy experiments done at accelerators in Brookhaven, Geneva and Hamburg. The experimental activity is carried out by some 20 groups operating within the faculty, most of which established and developed during the last decade. The faculty is now extending its activities in atomic and laser physics, and entering into new areas such as experimental astrophysics.

Theoretical studies at the faculty cover areas like high energy physics, string theory, mesoscopic systems, interacting electron systems, equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical physics and astrophysics.

In addition, a new interdisciplinary direction of research, biologically oriented physics, has been developed within the faculty. Several research groups are engaged in theoretical and experimental studies in cooperation with groups from other faculties.

The faculty hosts The Albert Einstein Minerva Center for Theoretical Physics, The Crown Photonics Center, The Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Center for Submicron Research, The Minerva Center for Nonlinear Physics of Complex Systems, The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for High Energy Physics, and the Center for Experimental Physics.

http://www.weizmann.ac.il/homepage/pages/dphys.shtml Condensed Matter Physics 231

Condensed Matter Physics

Mordehai Heiblum, Head The Alex and Ida Sussman Professor of Submicron Electronics

Research in our department covers a broad range of subjects in condensed matter physics and in astrophysics. It can be broadly divided into three main groups: Experimental Condensed Matter Physics, Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics and Astrophysics.

Experimental Condensed Matter Physics: The group consists of five faculty members whose research interests include transport in low-dimensional systems, interacting electrons in high magnetic fields, scanning probe measurements, optical spectroscopy and superconductivity. An important part of this activity is conducted within the Braun center for sub-micron research, which provides state of the art fabrication and measurements facility. The experimental activities in more details are:

Moty Heiblum: - Controlled dephasing of electrons -'Which Path' type Experiments (with D. Mahalu, V. Umansky and H. Shtrikman). - Phase measurements of Electrons (with D. Mahalu and H. Shtrikman). - Charge and statistics of fractional charges in the fractional quantum Hall effect regime (with V. Umansky and D. Mahalu). - Growth of high purity semiconductors by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (with V. Umansky).

Israel Bar-Joseph: - Exciton Physics - Molecular electronics - Nano-Plasmonics

Shahal Ilani - The physics of electrons in one and two dimensions - Imaging of quantum phenomena on atomic scales using unique low-temperature scan-probes - Single-spin quantum manipulation 232 Condensed Matter Physics Dan Shahar: - The fractional and integer quantum Hall effects and related phenomena. - Electronic transport of inorganic nanotubes (with R. Tenne). - The superconductor-insulator transition in two-dimensional films and one-dimensional wires.

Eli Zeldov: - High-temperature superconductivity - Vortex dynamics - Vortex matter phase transitions - Magneto-optical imaging - Scanning nano-SQUID microscopy

Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics:

Ehud Altman: - Strongly correlated quantum states of ultracold atoms. - Non equilibrium quantum phases and phase transitions. - Theory of high Tc superconductivity.

Alexander Finkelstein: - Disordered Conductors, Metal-Insulator Transition; - Low-Dimensional and Strongly Correlated Electron Systems; - Fundamentals of the Fermi-Liquid Theory; - Thermoelectric Phenomena; - Superconductivity in Amorphous Systems; - Electron Systems near Quantum Critical Points; - Fundamentals of Spintronic Devices.

Yuval Gefen: - Strongly correlated electronic systems out of equilibrium - Tunneling of fractionally charged quasi-particles - Fractional charge and fractional statistics of anyons - Spin effects in quantum dots and mesoscopic conductors - this is related to the emerging field of Spintronics. - Berry phase and geometric effects in mesoscopic systems, including dissipative and "environmental" effects. This has important implications in the fast developiong field of quantum computing.

Yoseph Imry: - Slow relaxation modes, their distribution and the resulting relaxation and "aging" in electron glasses. - Hierarchical decay and the Dicke effect in quantum dots coupled to reservoirs.

- Mesoscopic superconductivity, superconducting fluctuations above Tc and Condensed Matter Physics 233 the effects of pair-breaking -- towards explaining large mesoscopic persistent currents. - Transport through molecules having vibrational modes, the effects of the inelastic channel opening, the resulting noise and decoherece. - Quantized AC charge-relaxation resistance and Coulomb blockade in capacitively coupled quantum dots. - Fluctuation-Dissipation Theorem in nonequilibrium steady states and attempts for generalization to non-stationary states.

Shimon Levit: - Non classical light - squeezed photons, nano-optics, microcavities. - Semiconductor optics with non classical light. - Photonic Crystals. Quantum Mechanical Techniques. Path Integrals.

Yuval Oreg: - Disordered superconductors in low dimension. - Field-theory in condensed matter. - Luttinger liquids and multi-channel Kondo effect. - Many body effects in nano-scale systems (e.g small quantum dots). - Topological Insulators

Ady Stern: - The fractional quantum hall effect. - Non-abelian statistics and topological quantum computation. - Topological insulators. - Transport in novel materials (e.g., p-wave superconductors).

Theoretical Astrophysics: (until September 2009)

Tal Alexander: - Massive black holes (MBHs)

♦ Stellar dynamics near MBHs ♦ Close interactions of stars and MBHs ♦ Gravitational wave sources - The MBH in the Milky Way ♦ The origin of young stars near the Galactic MBH ♦ Post-Newtonian effects near the Galactic MBH ♦ Interpretation and modeling of observations of the Galactic Center Experimental Astrophysics: (until September 2009)

This is a new research area being developed by the department. Dr. Gal-Yam is the first faculty member working in this area, in close collaboration with the Theoretical Astrophysics group members. The activities in experimental astrophysics include: 234 Condensed Matter Physics Avishay Gal-Yam: My research is focused on cosmic explosions: the catastrophic deaths of stars. Huge amounts of energy are released within hours in events so bright they are seen from the edge of the Universe. The resulting extreme physical conditions involve huge densities, pressures and temperatures, strong magnetic fields, nuclear and high energy particle reactions, and strong relativistic effects (special and general). These topics are at the forefront of research in high energy particle astrophysics and gravity theories, with implications from the source of life to cosmology.

Moti Milgrom: - Underlying theories for the modified dynamics. - Black holes at the center of galaxies. - High energy astrophysics. - Phenomenology of galaxy dynamics.

Vladimir Usov: - Quark stars and their observational appearance (with M. Milgrom). - Physical processes in relativistic electron-positron plasma. - Physical processes in very strong magnetic fields. - The theory of nonthermal radiation from compact astronomical objects (pulsars, white dwarfs, gamma-ray bursters, etc.). - Hydrodynamics and high-energy physics of colliding stellar winds in binary systems.

Eli Waxman: - Neutrino astrophysics - High-energy astrophysics - Relativistic plasma astrophysics

http://www.weizmann.ac.il/condmat/ Condensed Matter Physics 235 Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Israel Bar-Joseph, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Jane and Otto Morningstar Professor of Physics Alexander Finkelstein, Ph.D., Landau Institue, Moscow, Russian Federation The Charles and David Wolfson Professor of Theoretical Physics Yuval Gefen, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel The Isabelle and Samuel Friedman Professor of Theoretical Physics Moty Heiblum, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, United States The Alex and Ida Sussman Professor of Submicron Electronics Shimon Levit, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Harry Kweller and Kathleen Kweller Professor of Condensed Matter Physics Adi Stern, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Eli Zeldov, Ph.D., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel The David and Inez Myers Professor

Professor Emeritus

Yoseph Imry, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Associate Professors

Yuval Oreg, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Dan Shahar, Ph.D., Princeton University, Princeton, United States

Senior Research Fellow

Vladimir Y. Umansky, Ph.D., Academy of Science of the USSR, Leningrad, Russian Federation

Senior Scientists

Ehud Altman, Ph.D., Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Incumbent of the Louis and Ida Rich Career Development Chair Shahal Ilani, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Yigal Allon Fellow Incumbent of the William Z. and Eda Bess Novick Career Development Chair 236 Condensed Matter Physics Senior Staff Scientist

Hadas Shtrikman, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Associate Staff Scientist

Yuri Myasoedov, Ph.D., Franko Lvov State University, Ukraine

Intern

Michael Stern, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Engineers

Michael Fourmansky, B.A., Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel Vitaly Hanin, M.Sc., Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel Diana Mahalu, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Olga Raslin, M.Sc., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Nahum Stern, M.Sc., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Consultants

Amnon Aharony, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel Ora Entin, Ben-Gurion University of the Nevev, Beer-Sheva, Israel Yigal Gat, Ma'aynei Ha'Yeshua Hospital, Bnei Brak, Israel Dima Gutman, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel Lev Medvedovsky Yigal Meir, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel (left December 2009) Jeseph Sperling

Visiting Scientists

Alexander Altland, University of Koln, Germany Yunchul Chung, Nat. University , Pusan, Korea Iouri Galperine Oktay Goektas Dafne Guetta, Observatorio Astrofisico Arcetri, Firenze, Italy Martin Huber, University of Colorado at Denver, U.S.A. Mikhail Kiselev, ICTP - Int. Ctr. Theo. Phys., Trieste, Italy Veniamin Kozub, A.F. Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, Russia Ofer Lahav, University of London, UK Frieder Lenz, University of Erlangen, Germany Abraham Leob, Harvard University , MA, U.S.A. Abraham Loeb, Harvard Med. School, MA, U.S.A. Condensed Matter Physics 237 Samuel Moukouri, University of Michigan, U.S.A. Georg Schwiete, University of Bochum, Germany Anatoly Shabad, Russian Acad. of Sci., Moscow, Russia Peter Silvestrov Felix Von Oppen, Free Univ., Berlin, Germany

Postdoctoral Fellows

Haim Beidenkopf, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Aveek Bid, Ph.D., Indian Institute Of Science Gabriele Campagnano, Tu Delft Hyungkook Choi, Seoul National University Anindya Das, Indian Institute Of Scienec Sarah Esther Goldberg, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Sebastian David Huber, Eth Zurich Nebile Isik, Walter Schottky Institute (E24) Tum Arjun Emmanuel Alvar Joshua, Indian Institute Of Science Pradip Khatua, Iit Kanpur Andrey Kretinin, Ph.D., University Of Exeter Arijit Saha, Harish-Chandra Research Institute (Hbni, Deemned U Michael Stern, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Denis Vasyukov, University Of Exeter

Research Students

Ariel Amir Hamutal Bary-Soroker Haim Beidenkopf Assaf Carmi Eyal Cohen-Hoshen Emanuele Dalla Torre Yehuda Dinaii Merav Dolev Uri Evra Amit Finkler Valery Garmider Sarah Goldberg Lilach Goren Eran Grinvald Yaron Gross Ilia Gutman Avraham Guttman Roni Ilan Hiroyuki Inoue Yaacov Kraus Dganit Meidan Dan Mendels Karen Michaeli Nissim Ofek Maoz Ovadia Sharon Pecker Hagai Perets Zohar Ringel Yehonathan Segev Emil Weisz Oded Zilberberg 238 Condensed Matter Physics Administrator

Tomer Hansen Particle Physics and Astrophysics 239

Particle Physics and Astrophysics

Itzhak Tserruya, Head (until September 2009) The Samuel Sebba Chair of Pure and Applied Physics

Eli Waxman, Head (from October 2009) The Max Planck Professor of Quantum Physics

The Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics is composed of several groups which have inter-related research directions. In Experimental Physics, we have groups in Heavy Ions, High Energy Physics, Molecular Physics, Nuclear Physics, Observational Astrophysics, Plasma Physics and Radiation Detection. In Theoretical Physics, we have activities in Astrophysics, Field Theory, Many Body Theory, Particle Physics and Quantum Mechanics. The various activities are grouped below into three sub-groups: I. Experimental Physics, II. Theoretical Physics, and III. Theoretical & Experimental Astrophysics.

I. Experimental Physics

Heavy Ions: the PHENIX and CERES Experiments

The Weizmann Institute heavy ion group includes Alexander Milov, Ilia Ravinovich and Itzhak Tserruya. The activities led by Itzhak Tserruya are focused on the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. RHIC is dedicated to the study of QCD and in particular high density QCD via heavy-ion collisions at energies up to vsNN= 200 GeV. PHENIX was designed to measure all potential signatures of the phase transition leading to deconfinement and chiral symmetry restoration expected to take place in these collisions. Capitalizing on the experience gained with the CERES experiment and to further investigate the enhancement of low-mass electron-positron pairs discovored by CERES, the group in PHENIX is particularly interested in the measurement of low-mass dileptons including the low-mass vector mesons, via their decay into electron-positron pairs, which are sensitive probes of chiral symmetry restoration. The group has developed a novel Hadron Blind Detector (HBD) as 240 Particle Physics and Astrophysics an upgrade of the PHENIX detector for the measurement of low-mass electron pairs at RHIC. The HBD is now installed in PHENIX and first physics data were collected in the RHIC run of 2009. In addition to that, the group is responsible for the innermost set of pad chambers, called PC1, that are essential elements of the charged particle tracking system.

The activities led by Alexander Milov are focussed on the heavy-ion program of the ATLAS experiment at the LHC (Large hadron Collider) that is just starting operations at CERN. The main initial goal is to investigate the QGP under the new regime of higher energy density available at LHC and to concentrate on global observables to assess whether under such new conditions the QGP beahves like at RHIC or whether it exhibits new properties unseen at lower energies. The first proton-proton collisions presently being collected allow us to learn about the performance of the ATLAS detector and optimize the analysis techniques which will be applied in future studies. Among the highest priorities for the group is to improve the detector performance at very low momentum which is crucial to analyze the bulk particle production in heavy ion collisions when the first heavy ion data are collected at the end of 2010.

High Energy Physics: The ATLAS Experiment

The group which includes Giora Mikenberg, Ehud Duchovni, Eilam Gross, Daniel Lellouch and Vladimir Smakhtin, is mainly involved now in the commissioning of the ATLAS experiment and in analyzing its first data. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which is situated at CERN - Geneva, started colliding counter-rotating proton beams in November 2009. The hardware contribution of the Weizmann group to the ATLAS experiment includes a major part of the forward muon trigger system based on the Thin Gap Chambers (TGC) technology which was developed at Weizmann. The analysis topics, in which the group is engaged are mainly the search for a light Higgs boson(s) in the framework of Supersymmetry and searches for physics beyond the Standard model, in particular search for supersymmetric particles and for mini black holes.

The group is also engaged in an R&D project aims at transforming the TGC chambers to tracking device capable of operating in the harsh Super-LHC environment.

Molecular Ion Quantum Dynamics

Led by Daniel Zajfman, the group works in the field of molecular astrophysics, ion trapping, cluster physics, nanosecond and femtosecond laser and electron induced processes. Experiments are being carried out both at the Particle Physics and Astrophysics 241 ion trap laboratory at the Weizmann Institute, and at the Test Storage Ring, located at the Max-Planck Institut, Heidelberg, Germany. The experiments study the internal dynamics of few body quantum systems.

Nuclear Physics

Led by Michael Hass, the group also includes Gvirol Goldring. Measurements are carried out in two major areas: a) Nuclear Structure and electromagnetic moments in nuclei with extreme values of isospin as exist far from the valley of stability. At the REX-ISOLDE (CERN), GANIL (France) and GSI (Germany) centers the group uses various production means to reach such exotic nuclei and measure the electromagnetic moments of ground states and isomeric states. b) Nuclear-astrophysics experiments such as measurement at the 3 MV VDG accelerator of the 7 Be(p,γ)8B and 3He(4He,γ)7Be cross sections that are essential for understanding the issues of solar-neutrino oscillations and mass and are connected to Big-Bang Nuclear-Synthesis. The group is also involved in measurements of nuclear reactions devoted to the understanding of explosive nucleo-synthesis scenarios that occur in, e.g., x-ray bursts and supervovae.

A new developing activity is the initiative to work with radioactive beams in Israel. Such nuclear structure and astrophysics measurements may become possible in the near future with the completion of Phase-I of the high-current, 40 MeV, proton and deuteron accelerator, SARAF, at Soreq. The possibilities with the SARAF are strongly coupled to planned activities at the next-generation, SPIRAL-II facility at GANIL(France),to utilize light radioactive like 14O, 15O, 18Ne and 6He for basic research in nuclear astrophysics of explosive phenomena (see above) and neutrino physics . This part is in collaboration with Dr.Dan Berkovits and Dr. Israel Mardor (Soreq Nuclear Research Centre).

6He and 8Li radioactive nuclei can also be produced at the Weizmann Institute Laboratory by using the newly-purchased neutron generator that employs the D+T reaction to provide high fluxes of 14 MeV neutrons. Such beams will be utilized for precision studies of Fundamental Interactions in the β-decay process by directing the respective ions into an Electrostatic Ion Beam Trap (EIBT) and measuring the decay products in the trap. Such studies are aimed at providing unique precision results that may demonstrate New Physics that is beyond the present Standard Model of elementary particles and interactions. This program is in close collaboration with the group of Prof. Daniel Zajfman and Dr. Oded Heber.

Plasma Physics

Recent activities in the Plasma Laboratory encompass: 242 Particle Physics and Astrophysics ♦ Conversion of magnetic-field energy to kinetic energy and radiation in imploding and stagnating plasmas. ♦ Ionization waves, pressure waves, turbulence and magnetic field distribution in plasmas imploded by magnetic fields. ♦ Propagation of magnetic shocks in low-resistivity plasmas; Hall-effect physics. ♦ Spectroscopic determination of magnetic fields in highly turbulent, nonuniform, and dynamic plasmas. ♦ Investigations of warm dense matter (WDM) a transient non-equilibrium state of matter between a solid and a plasma, created in the interaction of short intense laser pulses with a solid target, including studies of the relativistic electrons and ultra-high fields formed in the targets. ♦ Extensive modeling of spectral line shapes and plasma kinetics.

Radiation Detection

The work led by Amos Breskin and including Rachel Chechik, Sergei Shchemelinin and Sana Shilstein, involves study of radiation interactions with gas and solid matter and the development of novel methods to exploit the resulting secondary charges for radiation detection. This permits conceiving fast and accurate advanced radiation imaging detectors equipped with novel electron multipliers and efficient radiation converters, such as photocathodes for ultraviolet and visible light, and X-ray and neutron converters. The research program includes both experimental investigations and theoretical modeling. An important activity is the development of modern detection concepts for nuclear, particle and astroparticle physics, synchrotron radiation, material science, medicine and radio-biology. New methods are investigated for early detection of prostate cancer, positron emission tomography (PET) and for quantifying radiation damage to DNA.

II. Theoretical Physics

Field Theory

The work of Ofer Aharony involves field theories, string theories, and the recently discovered relations between them along the lines of the AdS/CFT correspondence. Particular interest is in the study of string theory duals for non-conformal field theories like QCD, in understanding non-gravitational non-local field theories (such as "little string theories") and in finding Particle Physics and Astrophysics 243 a general non-perturbative definition for string theory / M theory.

The work of Micha Berkooz focuses of the development and application of new theoretical ideas and methods to the study strongly coupled physical systems. It currently focuses on non-perturbative aspects of String theory, field theory, supersymmetry and gravity, and their application to particle phenomenology, strongly coupled critical behaviour in condensed matter system in and off equilibrium, and the application of quantum information theory to dynamical black holes.

The work of Doron Gepner is centered around two subjects: 1) Solving the quantum field theory associated with manifolds of exceptional holonomy: minimal models associated with the so called Shatashvili-Vafa algebra are investigated and smooth non-orbifold constructions are realized in analogy with the Gepner construction. 2) Realizing pseudo conformal field theories: these have the same fusion rules as known affine or bosonic theories, but different modular matrix. All pseudo bosonic theories and also some of the pseudo affine theories can be realized. The plan is to realize all affine theories by using multi-para fermions.

The work of Yitzhak Frishman includes various subjects in non-Abelian gauge theories, perturbative and non-perturbative. In a recent work, with John Ellis,the spectrum of exotic baryons in two-dimensional QCD is discussed together with various other properties. Two-dimensional QCD provides overall support to the chiral-soliton picture for the structure of normal and exotic baryons in four dimensions.

Nuclear Theory

Michael Kirson works on the theory of the structure of atomic nuclei. Recent work has concentrated on the systematics of nuclear masses and spectra, with particular reference to semi-empirical mass formulas and to random two-body interactions.

Particle Physics

Led by Yossi Nir, subjects include flavor at the LHC; particle cosmology, especially electroweak baryogenesis, leptogenesis and dark matter; phenomenology and flavor issues in supersymmetric theories; CP violation."

Quantum Mechanics

The work of Shmuel Gurvitz includes multi-dimensional tunneling; quantum measurement and decoherence; Zeno effect; quantum transport in mesoscopic 244 Particle Physics and Astrophysics systems; deep inelastic scattering in nuclei.

III. Theoretical & Experimental Astrophysics.

The astrophysics group includes five faculty members: 4 Theoretical astrophysicists (T. Alexander, M. Milgrom, V. Usov, and E. Waxman) and 1 observer (A. Gal-Yam). Their research interests are briefly summarized below. See the Astrophysics Home Page for more details.

The research of T. Alexander focuses on:

♦ Massive black holes (MBHs): Stellar dynamics near MBHs, Close interactions of stars and MBHs, Gravitational wave sources; ♦ The MBH in the Milky Way: The origin of young stars near the Galactic MBH, Post-Newtonian effects near the Galactic MBH, Interpretation and modeling of observations of the Galactic Center.

A. Gal-Yam is the first faculty member working in the area of observational astrophysics. He is developing this area in close collaboration with the Theoretical Astrophysics group members. His research is focused on cosmic explosions: the catastrophic deaths of stars. Huge amounts of energy are released within hours in events so bright they are seen from the edge of the Universe. The resulting extreme physical conditions involve huge densities, pressures and temperatures, strong magnetic fields, nuclear and high energy particle reactions, and strong relativistic effects (special and general). These topics are at the forefront of research in high energy particle astrophysics and gravity theories, with implications from the source of life to cosmology.

The research of M. Milgrom focuses on: ♦ Underlying theories for the modified dynamics (non-relativistic and relativistic). ♦ Phenomenology of galaxy dynamics. ♦ Effects of the modified dynamics in the solar system.

The research of V. Usov focuses on: ♦ Quark stars and their observational appearance (with M. Milgrom). ♦ Physical processes in relativistic electron-positron plasma. ♦ Physical processes in very strong magnetic fields. ♦ The theory of nonthermal radiation from compact astronomical objects (pulsars, white dwarfs, gamma-ray bursters, etc.). Particle Physics and Astrophysics 245 ♦ Hydrodynamics and high-energy physics of colliding stellar winds in binary systems.

The research of E. Waxman focuses on: ♦ Neutrino astrophysics ♦ High-energy astrophysics ♦ Relativistic plasma astrophysics http://www.weizmann.ac.il/particle/ 246 Particle Physics and Astrophysics Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Ofer Aharony, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Micha Berkooz, Ph.D., Rutgers University, Piscataway, United States Amos Breskin, Dr. Ing., University of Grenoble, France The Walter P. Reuther Professor of Research in the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy Shmuel Gurvitz, Ph.D., Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Moscow, Russian Federation Haim Harari, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Institute Professor The Annenberg Professor of High Energy Physics Michael Hass, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Murray B. Koffler Professor Yitzhak Maron, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Stephen and Mary Meadow Professor of Laser Photochemistry Giora Mikenberg, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Lady Davis Professor of Experimental Physics Mordehai Milgrom, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Isidor I. Rabi Professor of Physics Yosef Nir, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Amos de Shalit Professor of Theoretical Physics Itzhak Tserruya, Ph.D., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel (on extension of service) The Samuel Sebba Professor of Pure and Applied Physics Vladimir Usov, Ph.D., Space Research Institute, Moscoe, Russian Federation Eli Waxman, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Max Planck Professor of Quantum Physics Daniel Zajfman, D.Sc., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel The Simon Weinstock Professor of Astrophysics

Professors Emeriti

Abraham E. Blaugrund, Ph.D., State University of Utrecht Yehuda Eisenberg, Ph.D., Cornell University, Ithaca, United States Yitzhak Frishman, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Gvirol Goldring, Ph.D., University of London, London, United Kingdom Uri Karshon, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Michael W. Kirson, Ph.D., Cornell University, Ithaca, United States Moshe Kugler, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Harry J. Lipkin, Ph.D., Princeton University, Princeton, United States Avraham S. Rinat, Ph.D., University of Amsterdam Igal Talmi, Dr. Sc. Nat., E.T.H., Zurich, Switzerland Particle Physics and Astrophysics 247 Zeev Vager, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Zeev Zinamon, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Associate Professors

Tal Alexander, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Ehud Duchovni, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Doron Gepner, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Eilam Gross, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Senior Scientists

Avishay Gal-Yam, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel Alexander Milov, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Gilad Perez, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Senior Staff Scientists

Vladimir Bernshtam, Ph.D., Donetsk State University, Donetsk, Ukraine Vladimir Fisher, Ph.D., Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, Moscow, Russian Federation Daniel Lellouch, Ph.D., University of Paris VI, Paris, France Ilia Ravinovich, Ph.D., Yerevan Physics Institute, Armenia

Associate Staff Scientists

Eyal Kroupp, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Vladimir Smakhtin, Ph.D., Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation Evgeny Stambulchik, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Alexander Starobinets, Ph.D., The Institute of High Current Electronics, Russian Federation

Assistant Staff Scientist

Gabor Kupi, Ph.D., Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary

Junior Staff Scientist

Daniel Strasser, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (left June 2009) 248 Particle Physics and Astrophysics Special Contract

Jun Miyamoto, Ph.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States (left October 2009) Leonid Weingarten, Ph.D., ivanovo State Universtiy, Ivanovo, Russian Federation (left August 2009)

Senior Intern

Carlos Badenes, Ph.D., Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain Amit Klier, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Intern

Igor Rahinov, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

Engineers

Donald Hochman, Ph.D., SUNY, Stony Brook, United States Boris Yankovsky, M.Sc., The Metallurgy Institute, Russian Federation

Consultants

Ron Arad, Center for Nuclear Research, Nahal Soreq, Yavne, Israel Yosef Babichenko, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Rachel Chechik Roman Dovgard Shmuel Elitzur, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Amnon Fisher Amnon Fruchtman, Center for Technology Education, Holon, Israel Amit Giveon, The Hebrew University of Jerusaelm, Jerusalem Gvirol Goldring Marek Karliner (left May 2009) Shai Kaspi (left October 2009) Edmond Klodzh, IDF (left June 2009) Barak Kol, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (left October 2009) Yuri Krichevets, Micro Component ltd., Migdal HaEmek, Israel (left January 2009) Harry J. Lipkin Nisan Itzhaki, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel (left October 2009) Eran Nardi, Nahal Soreq, Yavne, Israel Yaron Oz, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel (left October 2009) Avraham S. Rinat David Salzmann Particle Physics and Astrophysics 249 Sariel Shalev, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel Sergei Shchemelinin Jacob Sonnenschein, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel (left October 2009) Igal Talmi Rafael Yaari (left January 2009) Shay Zucker, Tel Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Tel-Aviv, Israel (left November 2009)

Visiting Scientists

Nathan Berkovits Kate Blesener, Cornell University , NY, U.S.A. Barak Bringoltz, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, U.S.A. Richard Chasman, Argonne Nat. Lab., IL, U.S.A. Michel Fabre Dela Ripe, IPN, France Yuval Grossman Finn Larsen, University of Michigan, U.S.A. Louis Lyons, Imperial College, London, UK Murray Peshkin, Argonne Nat. Lab., IL, U.S.A. Vladimir Peskov, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden Dori Reichman, University of Michigan, U.S.A. Dirk Schwalm, Max Planck Inst., Heildelberg, Germany Pekka K. Sinervo, University of Toronto, Canada Tomer Volansky Amos Yarom, Princeton University , NJ, U.S.A. Itay Yavin, Princeton University , NJ, U.S.A.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Muhammad Akashi, Ph.D., Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel Ran Budnik, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Henrik Buhr, Ph.D., Ruprecht-Karls-Universit;T Heidelberg Kuljeet Singh Chakkal, Ph.D., Department Of Physics, Panjab University, Chd. Cedric A. A. Delaunay, University Of Paris Xi And Spht Cea-Saclay Zeev Fradkin, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Florian Karl Gmeiner, Lmu Munich Masanori Hanada, Ph.D., Department Of Physics, Kyoto University Bhim Prasad Kafle, Graduate University For Advanced Studies Tamar Kashti, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Boaz Katz, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Vivek Kumar, Ph.D., Department Of Physics, Panjab University, India Seung Joon Lee, Cornell University Lorenzo Mannelli, Ph.D., University Of California Santa Cruz Aviv Ofer, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel 250 Particle Physics and Astrophysics Dmitry Osin, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Hagai Perets, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Igor Rahinov, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Daniel Robles Llana, Ph.D., Stony Brook University Guy Ron, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Assaf Sternberg, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel Severino Tessarin, Ph.D., Trinity College Dublin Dong Xu, Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, Unive Ofer Yaron, Tel-Aviv University, Israel

Research Students

Raz Alon Dror Alumot Ofer Aviv Liron Barak Leon Berdichevsky Acosta Kfir Blum Michal Bregman Ran Budnik Vladimir Cherepanov Marco Cortesi Matan Field Ofir Gabizon Oram Gedalia Daniel Grossman Tsviki Hirsh Yonit Hochberg Boaz Katz Doron Kushnir Uri Lev Alexey Lyashenko Dmitry Milstein Maxim Naglis Denis Pavlyuchenko Itay Rabinak Guy Rosenzweig Boaz Rubinstein Nir Sapir Deepali Sharma Ohad Silbert Yoni Toker Sergey Vaintraub Ofer Vitells Ran Yacoby Administrator

Kobi Ben-Shmuel Physics of Complex Systems 251

Physics of Complex Systems

Gregory Falkovich, Head

Elisha Moses is an experimentalist studying Neuro-Physics: We are interested in experimental investigation of physical aspects in the brain. At present we are pursing three main directions. Information flow. We construct living linear neural networks under our microscope that allow us to follow precisely the propagation of information along a biological Shannon-like information channel. Both one-dimensional and two-dimensional hippocampal cultures are studied using both optical and electric detection. Using a novel application of percolation theory, we obtain quantitative biological information about the connectivity of the living neural network. Interaction of neurons with electromagnetism. We stimulate neurons using a non-invasive method, both in human brains and in cultured dishes, by applying a strong and short magnetic pulse. Applications to synchrony in the brain and the study of aspects of Schizophrenia offer a fascinating perspective.

Joel Stavans' group is currently engaged in studies of the interaction of proteins and DNA using single-molecule techniques, and the behavior of genetic networks in bacterial cells. Research on protein-DNA interactions is currently focused on the properties of homologous recombination. These studies are conducted using a variety of fluorescence techniques including fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) at the ensemble and single-pair level. The group is also characterizing and modelling the properties of the dynamical response of small genetic networks in bacterial cells, in both large populations and single cells. Experiments are currently being carried out on (a) the SOS response, elicited as a result of genome damage and (b) small RNA-controlled networks.

Victor Steinberg's group is studying dynamics of various single flexible micro-objects and hydrodynamics of their solutions and suspensions. This year the following projects are under investigation: (i) Properties of elastic turbulence and mixing in polymer solutions with polymer concentrations from dilute till concentrated regimes; (ii) Single polymer dynamics and conformations in elastic turbulence and molecular stress sensor; (iii) Convective turbulence in SF6 near its gas-liquid critical point; (iv) Turbulent drag reduction in swirling flow due to addition of polymers; (v) Dynamics of a vesicle in shear, mixed and elongation flows (vi)Hydrodynamics and rheology 252 Physics of Complex Systems of vesicle suspension; (vii) Development of technology of capsule production and dynamics of a single capsule in a general flow: (viii) Dynamics of a single Red Blood Cell in a general flow.

Eytan Domany's research turned in the last years towards problems in Biology and Bioinformatics, with emphasis on development and application of methods for the visualization and analysis of data from high thoughput experiments. Computers play a central role in nearly all aspects of the group's work. Clustering, sorting and a variety of other statistical methods are used to study biological data such as gene expression, DNA copy number, micro RNA etc, coming from various experimental platforms. We collaborate with several Weizmann research groups from the Life Sciences, as well as with laboratories at other Israeli institutions and hospitals, and also with groups from the US and Europe. Our main focus is on cancer, but we are open to other problem areas as well. Our activities range from rigorous mathematical work, through development of novel computational tools, their algorithmic implementation and application to analyze data obtained by our collaborating labs. A certain level of activity in Statistical Mechanics is maintained; for example, the structure of RNA and its binding to micro RNA are studied.

Gregory Falkovich studies systems far from equilibrium, in particular, turbulence. His main interest on a fundamental side is in symmetries. He studies anomalies i.e. breakdown of symmetries that do not disappear when symmetry-breaking factor goes to zero. With collaborators in France and Italy, he discovered new emerging symmetries like conformal invariance in inverse turbulent cascades and now tries to incorporate this in turbulence theory. He also studies interplay between nonlinearity and randomness in the systems of fluid-mechanical type. Another direction of work is on spectral condensates that appear in inverse cascades and condensate-turbulence interaction.

David Mukamel's group is active in the general area of statistical physics. In particular extensive studies of collective phenomena far from thermal equilibrium have been carried out. Models corresponding to phase separation, wetting and roughening transitions, and coarsening processes have been introduced and studied. Equilibrium collective phenomena are also investigated in various contexts. The denaturation and unzipping phase transitions of DNA molecules have been analyzed. Peculiar phenomena which are characteristic of systems with long range interactions (such as gravitational systems) have also been investigated.

In Uzy Smilansky's group, research on Quantum Chaos evolves around the following topics: Quantum graphs - spectral statistics, scattering and trace formulae. The morphology of nodal lines of billiards wave functions and the number of nodal domains are investigated, with two aims: To establish a criterion of quantum chaos, and to determine the extent by which knowledge Physics of Complex Systems 253 of the nodal set determines the billiard shape. We have still some interest in the following subjects: Conditions for hyperbolicity for billiards on surfaces with constant curvatures. Quantization of billiards in homogeneous magnetic fields, and the density of exterior and interior edge states. The classical and quantum spectral duality.

Nir Davidson's group develops new techniques for laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms. They are studying new optical traps that are based on repulsive light forces, in which spontaneous emission of photons is suppressed. Such traps provide long atomic coherence times and hence enable extremely accurate spectroscopic and dynamical measurements, including observation of chaotic motion of ultra-cold atoms in optical "billiards". They are also conducting experiments in a Bose-Einstein condensate including measurements of its zero-temperature excitation spectra its ground state properties and its coherence.

Asher A. Friesem and his group are conducting basic investigations on non-conventional elements based on diffractive and planar optics, on the resonance behavior of grating-waveguide structures, on the performance of special phase elements inside laser cavities, and on new optical architectures for a variety of applications. These investigations are leading to new laser configurations, highly advanced optical arrangements for displays, high-speed electro-optic devices and special biological and chemical sensors.

Yaron Silberberg and his group are studying ultrafast and nonlinear optics. Using femtosecond optical pulses, they study how the shape of these pulses affects the interaction between the light and atoms or molecules. In particular, the group investigates how shaped pulses can be used in nonlinear laser spectroscopy. Shaping also affect nonclassical sources of light, and shaping of single photon sources has been demonstrated. In another effort, the group investigates nonlinear microscopy - using femtosecond pulses in biological microscopy. The group has developed a new type of microscope based on third-harmonic generation and it tests it on various types of biological specimens. Finally, the group also works on soliton physics, and continues its studies of discrete solitons in waveguide arrays.

Adam Schwimmer continued to study various aspects of Quantum Field Theory and String theory and their interrelation. In particular the group studied the relation between Conformal Field Theories appearing on the boundary of AdS type space-times and the String Theory description in the bulk. The role played by the stringy Solitons ("D-branes") in holographic theories was elucidated.

Tsvi Tlusty and his group deal with modeling living information systems, their molecular components and the way they evolve. A central question in this 254 Physics of Complex Systems field is the impact of the inherent molecular recognition noise on the design of information channels. We examine this question in the contexts of the genetic code and the transcription regulatory network (with Uri Alon). A specific example that is currently considered is the circuitry that controls the p53 tumor-suppressor (with Tzachi Pilpel). On a more microscopic scale, we examine the actual physical forces that act during molecular recognition and suggest that the structure of certain bio-recognizers has evolved to optimize the quality of detection. The suggested design principles are considered as possible engines that could drive the evolution of biological information systems. Other research activities include modeling 2D neural networks in terms of percolating random graphs (with Elisha Moses) and the theory of particle-laden microfluidic flow (with Roy Bar-Ziv).

Dan Oron and his group are studying nonlinear dynamics in nanocrystals using ultrafast time-resolved techniques as well as quasi-continuous-wave energy- and frequency- resolved methods. Much of the research effort is aimed towards utilizing the unique resonant properties of semiconducting and metallic nanoparticles towards applications as nonbleaching contrast agents in bioimaging. The group also studies the fundamental aspects of exciton-exciton interactions in multicomponent semiconductor quantum dots and in doped quantum dots. In this context, possible applications in optical gain devices and in photovoltaics are explored.

Roee Ozeri's group uses laser cooled and trapped ions for quantum information, quantum optics and quantum metrology experimental studies. In particular we focus on the quantum information aspects of ion-photon interactions. The coupling of an ion-qubit to the elecro-magnetic vacuum through spontaneous photon scattering is studied as a generic model for quantum noise. The decoherence induced as well as active methods to correct for it through quantum feedback are explored.

Nirit Dudovich's group studies basic phenomena in strong field light-matter interactions. In particular, the group focuses on the generation and measurement of attoseconds pulses (1 attosecond is 10-18 seconds). The advent of time resolved measurements with attosecond resolution opens new fields in which the observation of fast electronic dynamics can be attained. The group develops new approaches to observe highly nonlinear interactions and to manipulate their evolution in time and space.

http://www.weizmann.ac.il/complex/ Physics of Complex Systems 255 Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Nir Davidson, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Peter and Carola Kleeman Professor of Optical Sciences Eytan Domany, Ph.D., Cornell University, Ithaca, United States The Henry J. Leir Professorial Professor Gregory Falkovich, Ph.D., Novosibirsk State University Elisha Moses, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel David Mukamel, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Harold J. and Marion F. Green Professor Yaron Silberberg, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Harry Weinrebe Professor of Laser Physics Uzy Smilansky, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (on extension of service) The Wolfgang Gentner Professor of Nuclear Physics Joel Stavans, Ph.D., University of Chicago, United States

Professors Emeriti

Asher Friesem, Ph.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States Adam Schwimmer, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Victor Steinberg, Ph.D., Laboratory of Critical Phenomena, Moscow, Russian Federation

Senior Scientists

Nirit Dudovich, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Yigal Allon Fellow Dan Oron, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Yigal Allon Fellow Roee Ozeri, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Tsvi Tlusty, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Center for Complexity Science Fellowship

Engineers

Rostyslav Baron, Ph.D., Institute of Low Temperatures, Kharkov's, Russian Federation Yuri Burnishev, Ph.D., Ural Branch of the USSR Academy of Science, Russian Federation (left April 2009) 256 Physics of Complex Systems Consultants

Ittai Fattal, Belinson Hospital, Petach-Tikva, Israel Itzhak Fouxon, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Asher Friesem Nissan Itzhaki, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel (left October 2009 Yariv Kafri, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel (left November 2009) Ido Kanter, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel Nava Levit Binnun, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya (left July 2009) Yonggang Liu, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Germany Eliezer Rabinovici, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Shahar Seifer, Independent (left March 2009) Noam Shental, The Open University, Raanana, Israel Shira Silberberg Shmuel Starobinets Shimon Yankielowicz, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Norman Zabusky Or Zuk, MIT, Harvard, USA

Visiting Scientists

Nuria Amigograu, University of Barcelona, Spain Abraham Beltzer, Holon Inst. of Technology, Israel David Biron, University of Chicago, Il, U.S.A. Thierry Dauxois, ENS-Lyon, France Frank Dittes, University of Applied Sceinces,Nordhausen, Germany Martin Evans, University of Edinburgh, Scotland Alexei Ilyin, Russian Acad. of Sci., Moscow, Russia David Kutasov, University of Chicago, Il, U.S.A. Erel Levine, UCSD Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, U.S.A. Jonathan Levitt Assaf Rotem, Harvard University , MA, U.S.A. Stefano Ruffo, University of Florence, Italy Gunter Schuetz, HLRZ, Julich, Germany Jordi Soriano-Fradera, University of Postdam, Germany Olav Stetter, Max Planck Inst., Heildelberg, Germany Vicenzo Vitelli, University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Noam Werner Jun Zhang, University of New-York, U.S.A. Or Zuk, Broad Institute Cambridge, U.S.A. Physics of Complex Systems 257 Postdoctoral Fellows

Nir Bar-Gill, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Dipankar Bhattacharyya, University Of Calcutta Michael Gilbert G. Bon, Ecole Polytechnique Barry Dov Bruner, Ph.D., University Of Toronto Raphael Benjamin Chetrite, Ecole Normale Superieur De Lyon Adi Diner, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Tamar Friedlander, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel David Jacques Gachet, Ph.D., Fresnel Institute, Aix-Marseille Iii University Nicolas Alexandre Be Galle, University Of Lille 1 Leore Grosman, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Shamik Gupta, Tata Institute Of Fundamental Research Yair Horesh, Ph.D., Bar-Ilan University, Israel Shimshon Jacobi, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Yonggun Jun, University Of Pittsburgh Yonggang Liu, Ph.D., Chinese Academy Of Sciences Adi Natan, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Fabien Piotet, Ph.D., Bristol University Vaibhav Shridhar Prabhudesai, Ph.D., Tata Institute Of Fundamental Research Assaf Rotem, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Gabriel Seiden, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel Yair Shokef, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel Dov Steiner, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Sanjiv Kumar Tiwari, Ph.D., Indian Institute Of Technology Kanpur India

Research Students

Itai Afek Eldad Afik Nitzan Akerman Ido Almog Amnon Amir Amit Aronovitch Karen Assayag Assaf Avidan Ram Band Nir Bar-Gill Yaron Bromberg Yehonatan Dallal Zvicka Deutsch Yotam Drier Vardit Eckhouse Yehonatan Elon Moti Fridman Yinnon Glickman Ori Hirschberg Stella Itzhakov Ori Katz Shlomi Kotler Yoav Lahini Adam Lampert Adina Lederhendler Adam Mani Adi Natan Shiri Nitzan- Meshner Micha Nixon Idan Oren Rami Pugatch Oren Raz Yoav Sagi Yonatan Savir 258 Physics of Complex Systems Osip Schwartz Dror Shafir Michal Sheffer Eran Small Haim Suchowski Asaf Tal Marija Vucelja Amit Zeisel Administrator

Israel Gonen Physics Services 259

Physics Services

Amos Breskin, Head The Walter P. Reuther Professor of Research in the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy

The Physics Services, comprising of five different units, offers advanced services in particle accelerators, electronics, data acquisition, vacuum and cryogenics, thin films and mechanical workshop. These units provide services to the scientific groups throughout the institute as well as to various external users. The structure of the Physics Services is:

1. Accelerator Laboratory (Prof. M. Hass, in charge) Operation of the 14 MV Pelletron accelerator and the 2 MV VDG accelerator

2. Electronics and Data Acquisition (Dr. L. Levinson, in charge) DAQ solutions to research problems Electronics design and construction Repair of sophisticated electronic instruments Real-time DAQ software

3. UHV, cryogenics and thin films (Dr. M. Rappaport, in charge) Consultation and design for experimental systems Thin films deposition: evaporation, sputtering, electron-gun, rolling

4. Data acquisition (Dr. E. Segre, in charge) Consultation and design of on-line data acquisition, image processing, etc...

5. Mechanics workshop (Y. Asher, in charge) http://www.weizmann.ac.il/physics/services.html

Staff

Professor

Amos Breskin11, Dr. Ing., University of Grenoble, France The Walter P. Reuther Professor of Research in the Peaceful Uses of 260 Physics Services Atomic Energy

Senior Staff Scientists

Oded Heber, Ph.D., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Lorne Levinson, Ph.D., Brown University, Providence, United States Michael Rappaport, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, United States

Associate Staff Scientist

Enrico Segre, Ph.D., University of Turin, Turin, Italy

Engineers

Gedalia Perelman, M.Sc., Polytechnical University, Russian Federation Alexander Roich, M.Sc., Technological Institute for Electricity and Communication, Tashkent

Visiting Scientist

Jean-Pierre Eckmann, University of Geneva, Switzerland

Administrator

Kobi Ben-Shmuel

1Department of Particle Physics and Astophysics The Benoziyo Center for Astrophysics 261

The Benoziyo Center for Astrophysics

Eli Waxman, Director The Max Planck Chair of Quantum Physics

The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Astrophysics promotes research in theoretical and experimental astrophysics, cosmology, and related topics at the Weizmann Institute of Science. In addition, it supports collaborations with academic institutions in Israel and abroad, and the training of young researchers studying for MSc and PhD degrees, and postdoctoral fellows.

For more information, check the center's web-page: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/astrophysics/ 262 The Center for Experimental Physics

The Center for Experimental Physics

Yosef Nir, Director

The Amos de Shalit Professor of Theoretical Physics

The Center for Experimental Physics was established in 2002. The main emphasis of the Center is to foster high-level research in all areas of experimental physics. The Center supports experimental efforts through human-contact activities, such as hosting experimental physicists visiting from abroad and post-doctoral trainees working with different experimental groups in the Institute. The Center also supports, partially or fully, small topical meetings and workshops. It also supplies partial help for the purchase and maintenance of special experimental equipment.

The research in Experimental Physics at the Weizmann Institute ranges from the most basic aspects of particle physics, usually carried in major facilities abroad, through experimental studies, at the Faculty laboratories, of basic material properties such as semiconductors and superconductors; of atomic, molecular, plasma and optical physics, to interdisciplinary studies of the physics of biological systems. The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for High Energy Physics 263

The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for High Energy Physics

Giora Mikenberg, Director The Lady Davis Chair of Experimental Physics

Although the universe in which we live looks very complex, with a large variety of different molecules and forces that binds them together, it is commonly assumed that shortly after the moment of creation the universe was a much simpler place. In particular, it is believed that only a single (unified) force existed. During the expansion of the universe its temperature dropped and the unified force was split into the four forces we know today (gravitation, nuclear, electromagnetic and the weak force which drives the radioactive decay). First viable models of the unification concept were suggested about 25 years ago and were experimentally confirmed some 15 years ago. A major consolidation of this concept was later done at LEP, the Large Electron Positron accelerator situated at CERN. Virtually all of the present knowledge about the fundamental particles and their interaction is included in a model named 'Standard Model'. In spite of its spectacular success and its incredible predictive power, the Standard Model cannot be the ultimate theory of particles and their interactions. Few fundamental measurements are still to be done and few crucial questions are still to be answered. The following projects that are supported by the Benoziyo center, address some of the more fundamental aspects of the Standard Model.

The ATLAS Project at the LHC Accelerator

The ATLAS group concluded, during the last year, a successful installation of its 3600-detectors Thin-Gap Chamber (TGC) system. The system was fully operational and collected LHC induced beam events, as well as a large amount of cosmic radiation.

The team is also involved in R&D work required for the adaptation of the TGC to the harsh environment of the future Super-LHC (SLHC). At the SLHC the Israeli system will perform two tasks: Triggering on muonic events; and tracking muons which emerged from the interaction point with small angle with respect to the beam direction.

The group has also constructed part of the readout system of the TGC complex. 264 The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for High Energy Physics The hardware was commissioned together with the chambers.

In order to carry out the physics analysis millions of events need to be simulated. The complexity of the ATLAS detector coupled with the high beam energy of the LHC will result in complex events whose simulation require more than 30 minutes per event. The large amount of computing power required can be obtained by large number of closely linked computers within a system called GRID. The Weizmann group has spearheaded the GRID activity in Israel.

Contemporary basic physics is confronting three major issues:

♦ The origin of mass (or the search for the Higgs boson) ♦ The amazing weakness of gravitation (or completing Einstein's dream of unifying all the forces in nature) ♦ The source of CP violation (or why the universe contains only matter and no anti-matter) The Weizmann team is focusing on the first two issues. One part of the group (which now has eight students, a postdoc, three technicians, two programmers and six faculty members) is working on various aspects of Higgs boson searches. In particular, the group is very active in preparing the statistical tools that will be used for the interpretation of the results. It focuses on the Supersymmetric case in which five Higgs bosons are expected and searches for the charged and lightest Higgs particles through their decay into tau-lepton(s).

The other part of the team focuses on the most popular model that goes well beyond our present knowledge. This model, known as Supersymmetry (SUSY), assumes that each of the known particles has a partner with different spin-statistics. The SUSY partners escape detection, but are expected to be indirectly detected at LHC due to their high mass. Supersymmetry is the first step for the long sought unification of forces. If found, it will solve some major problems in our present models, and will take us a long step toward unification. In particular the group is focusing on inclusive searches, on high jet multiplicity events and, as a first step, on better understanding of jet-energy calibration and resolution and on better identification of high pT b-quark jets.

The Physics of Heavy Ions: the PHENIX Experiment

The main activity of the Heavy Ion group at the Weizmann Institute is centered on the PHENIX Experiment at BNL. The PHENIX Experiment deals mainly with the study of a new state of matter called Quark-Gluon Plasma. This particular state characterizes the Universe a few microseconds after the Big-Bang. The Weizmann Heavy Ion Group is mainly involved in the detection of low mass electron-positron pairs which will follow very The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for High Energy Physics 265 interesting results obtained by the group in previous experiments. For this reason, and under the leadership of the Weizmann Group, a new "Hadron Blind Detector" has been developed. This detector has been installed in 2007, fully instrumented with new GEMs. The analysis of data collected in the 2007 run clearly demonstrated the ability of the HBD to reject the combinatorial background originating from pi-zero Dalitz decays and gamma conversions, in the measurement of low-mass electron pairs, by more than one order of magnitude. 266 The Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Center for Submicron Research

The Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Center for Submicron Research

Mordehai Heiblum, Director The Alex and Ida Sussman Professor of Submicron Electronics

Research activities at the Center are concentrated on fabrication and investigation of small semiconductor structures. The energy spectrum, interactions, and dynamics of electrons in these structures are strongly affected by the reduced dimensions. The structures are grown by state-of-the-art molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), patterned using very high resolution electron beam writing system and processed using advanced techniques.

Research at the Center is conducted by staff and students of approximately 30 people, organized in three scientific groups (headed by Israel Bar-Joseph, Moty Heiblum, and Shahal Ilani). Major research activities are directed toward studying the transport properties of electrons and holes in a large parameter range: from DC to microwave frequencies, from a temperature of a few milliKelvin above absolute zero to room temperature, and from zero to extremely high magnetic fields. Another research effort is directed toward studying the optical properties, with continuous waves or with short optical pulses, of two-dimensional electron gas and of highly excited one-dimensional wires. An important facet of the research at the Center is the development of new confining structures and the fabrication of very pure material.

http://www.weizmann.ac.il/smc/ The Albert Einstein Minerva Center for Theoretical Physics 267

The Albert Einstein Minerva Center for Theoretical Physics

Eli Waxman, Director (until September 2009) The Max Planck Chair of Quantum Physics

Mordehai Milgrom, Director (from October 2009) The Isidor I. Rabi Professor of Physics

The Albert Einstein MINERVA Center for Theoretical Physics was established in 1980 with the generous donation of an endowment fund from the Bundes Ministerium für Forschung und Technologie (BMFT) of the Federal Republic of Germany, through the joint committee for German Israeli Scientific Cooperation (Minerva). The main emphasis of the Center is to foster high level research in theoretical physics, while promoting cooperation among German and Israeli theorists. The Center supports human contact activities, such as theoretical physicists visiting from abroad, and consultants working with different theory groups at The Weizmann Institute. The Center also supports, partially or fully, small topical meetings and workshops. Naturally, most of the activity of the Center is related to research projects based at the Faculty of Physics, but considerable support has also been lent to appropriate projects in the Faculty of Chemistry and, to a lesser extent, in the Faculty of Mathematics. The support from the Center plays an important role in almost all the research in theoretical physics at the Institute.

Visiting Theoretical Physicists

During 2009 we supported 51 visitors who came to the Institute to collaborate and to give lectures. The visitors came from Germany (8), United States (21), France (7), Italy (4), UK (2), The Netherlands (2), Russia (2), China (1), Canada (1), Switzerland (1), Finland (1), and Spain(1).

The Advisors (Associate Membership) Program

The advisors are theoretical physicists, with appointments in other academic institutes in Israel, who come to the Weizmann Institute for up to 1 day per week for part or the whole of the academic year. They collaborate with scientists from the Weizmann Institute and give lectures here. Much joint work results. 268 The Albert Einstein Minerva Center for Theoretical Physics In 2009, three advisors were in the Department of Condensed Matter Physics, nine in the Department of Particle Physics, and four in the Department of Complex Systems. The advisors for Condensed Matter Physics were Prof. Amnon Aharony, Prof. Ora Entin-Wohlman, and Prof. Yigal Meir, all from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The advisors for Particle Physics were Dr. Yosef Babichenko, Dr. Roman Dovgard, Prof. Amit Giveon, Prof. Barak Kol, Prof. Eliezer Rabinovici, and Prof. Shmuel Elitzur, all from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Prof. Nissan Itzhaki, Prof. Marek Karliner, Prof. Yaron Oz, Prof. Jacob Sonnenschein, Tel Aviv University. The advisors for Complex Systems were Prof. Shimon Yankielowicz, Tel Aviv University, Dr. Yariv Kafri, Technion, and Prof. Ido Kanter, Bar-Ilan University.

Center supported conferences (2009):

Landau-Weizmann Workshop on Theoretical Physics - Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, 09.11.2008-11.11.2008

The Einghteenth Particle and Nuclei International Conference - Eilat, Israel, 09.11.2008-14.11.2008

Fireworks 2008 - Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, 14.12.2008-21.12.2008

Physics Students Open Day - Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, 10.03.2009

Random Matrices and Integrability - Yaad Hashmona, Israel, 25.03.2009-30.03.2009

Steady-states, fluctuations and dynamics of non-equilibrium systems - Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, 07.06.2009-11.06.2009

Einstein Colloquia

In celebration of Einstein's Annum Mirabilis centennial, a special series of physics colloquia, the "Einstein Colloquia", was initiated and supported by the center. The colloquia were given by distinguished physicists, describing recent progress in research related to Einstein's great contributions of 1905.

J. C. Séamus Davis (Cornell University and Brookhaven National Lab.), "Exploration of Cuprate Electronic Structure using Quasiparticle Interference imaging in the Superconducting and Pseudogap Phases"

Nima Arkani-Hamed (Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton), "Fundamental Physics, Cosmology and the Large Hadron Collider" The Albert Einstein Minerva Center for Theoretical Physics 269 Shoucheng Zhang (Stanford University), "Topological Insulators and Topological Superconductors" http://www.weizmann.ac.il/physics/einstein_physics.html 270 The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger Center for Nanophysics

The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger Center for Nanophysics

Mordehai Heiblum, Director The Alex and Ida Sussman Professor of Submicron Electronics

The Maurice and Gabriella Goldschleger Center for Nanophysics was established in 2001. Fueled by the success of the research on Mesoscopic Physics, the main goal of this center is to promote theoretical and experimental research in Nanophysics at WIS. This is done by funding student and postdoc fellowships, and by supporting physics students who travel to workshops and schools in this field. An important priority of the center is enhancing the collaboration between nano-physicists at WIS and their peers abroad. The center provides funds for visitors and for organizing workshops in this field. The Minerva Center for Nonlinear Physics of Complex Systems 271

The Minerva Center for Nonlinear Physics of Complex Systems

Itamar Procaccia, Director The Barbara and Morris L. Levinson Chair of Chemical Physics

The Center was established jointly by the Technion and the Weizmann Institute. It maintains strong links with the Max Planck Institute for Physics of Complex Systems in Dresden. The Center supports the activities of three groups at the Weizmann Institute, in addition to a variety of exchanges, workshops, schools and seminars.

The main subjects covered by the Center in the last few years were:

Hydrodynamics, Turbulence and Pattern Formation-Theory

1. Turbulence. Our research in the last few years concentrated on understanding the universality of turbulence, with a focus on the "anomalous" exponents that characterize the scaling properties of correlation functions and structure functions. We had three major lines of progress, in each of which we have achieved significant results. First, anomalous scaling was related to the existence of "Statisticallly Preserved Structures", which remain invariant (on the average) on the background of the turbulent flow. Such invariant functions are responsible for the observed anomalous exponents that were mysterious for decades to turbulence researchers. Now we can identify them as eigenfunctions of eigenvalue 1 of appropriate operators. Second, we have presented a systematic and accurate approach to peeling off anisotoropic contributions from turbulent statistical objects. We showed how each isotropic sector exhibits its own set of anomalous exponents which are universal. This way we have settled long standing issues related to the decay of aniostropy as a function of length scale and Reynolds number. Finally we have addressed the problem of drag reduction in turbulence by polymeric additives, and proposed a rather complete theory of this mysterious phenomenon. In particular we explained the universal "Maximum Drag Reduction" (MDR) asymptote, and offered explanation to the non-universal cross over back to Newtonian behavior. The theory provides an explanation to the common aspects and to the differences in drag reduction by flexible and rodlike polymers. 272 The Minerva Center for Nonlinear Physics of Complex Systems

2. Fractal Grourth. We considered Laplacian growth and Diffusion Limited Aggregates (DLA). By constructing conformal maps from the unit circle to the fractal patterns we obtained dynamical equations for the conformal maps, allowing us to solve for the interesting patterns that evolve in these systems. We understood completely Laplacian dynamics and developed a theory of DLA which is able to predict all the multifractal properties from first principles. In particular we have offered a convergent calculation of the fractal dimension of DLA, settling a long standing question whether it is fractal or not (it is).

In the last year we have developed the dynamics of conformal maps to problems of fracture of brittle materials. We have solved the quasi-static fracture problem and are making progress in dynamic fracture. We have offered novel methods to analyze the roughening of fractured interfaces, and begun to explore the physics of plasticity and its implications on fracture.

Hydrodynamics, Turbulence, and Pattern Formation-Experimental

During the past years the main progress has been made on the following projects: 1. Elastic turbulence and Batchelor regime of mixing in dilute polymer solutions. The central subject in the laboratory during this period was the investigation of various aspects of hydrodynamics of polymer solutions. Significant progress has been made in our understanding of the role of elastic stresses in hydrodynamics of polymer solutions. Statistics of global (torque and injected power) and local (velocity and velocity gradient fields) characteristics of the elastic turbulence in a flow of a polymer solution between two disks was experimentally investigated. Analogy with a small scale fast dynamo in magneto-hydrodynamics and with a passive scalar turbulent advection in the Batchelor regime was used to explain the experimentally observed statistical properties, flow structure, and scaling of the elastic turbulence. Dependence of properties of elastic turbulence on polymer concentration was studied in detail. Next step in this project was to study turbulent mixing of very viscous fluids by adding polymers. We studied mixing in curved channels of macroscopic size (3mm side size in cross-section) and in a micro channel of 100 micron side size cross-section. It turned out that these studies have besides obvious importance for application also rather important implications in our basic understanding of chaotic mixing. Indeed, it was demonstrated that mixing due to elastic turbulence is an ideal system to study the Batchelor regime of mixing. The latter is a rare example of the model of dynamics of a passive scalar in a turbulent flow, for which the The Minerva Center for Nonlinear Physics of Complex Systems 273 analytical solution was obtained. Mixing due to elastic turbulence regime provided quantitative verification of theoretical predictions and further initiated theoretical activity to quantitatively understand the results. 2. Single polymer dynamics and conformations in a random flow. Single polymer dynamics and statistics of conformation were studied in shear and random flows. Coil-stretch transition in polymer conformation in a random flow was identified and characterized. Dependence of the coil-stretch transition on polymer concentration and molecular weight are studied, and also the degree of polymer stretching in a random flow on its closeness to a wall. New fluorescent labeling technique with quantum dots is developing in the lab in order to conduct experiments on a single polymer in various flows to measure end-to-end vector that is used in a theoretical model. Further experiments on synthetic polymer molecules are in progress. 3. Hydrodynamics of complex fluids in micro-channels. Dynamics of vesicles and rheology of vesicle solutions are realistic models for blood flow. Different regimes in dynamics of a single vesicle in shear flow that appears between two disks and in micro-channels were quantitatively studied. It was demonstrated that in tank-treading regime a vesicle dynamics in a wide range of vesicle deformations is described quantitatively well by the recently developed theoretical model. On the other hand, a transition from tank-treading to tumbling regime occurred rather differently from what expected. First, a new regime of vesicle trembling at lower shear rates was identified when both vesicle inclination angle and shape deformation were oscillated. Second, these shape deformations persisted also in the tumbling regime. Recently, hydrodynamics of concentrated solution of vesicles was studied by measurements of its global (pressure drop as a function of discharge in a micro-channel flow) and local (dynamics of a single vesicle) properties. Strong fluctuations in vesicle inclination angle due to vesicle interaction via flow (up to two orders of magnitude larger than thermal noise) were observed and studied specifically in a case of two vesicles interaction. Investigation of dynamics in other flows such as elongation and random flows is currently on the way. Finally, we are going to identify rheology of vesicle solution to compare it with empirical constitutive equations used for blood rheology. Similar research we are planning to perform for solution of worm-like micelles and any other fluids that show visco-elastic properties. 4. Further development of new acoustic detection technique of vorticity distribution in turbulent flows and its application for turbulent drag reduction. During the last several years we developed a new sound scattering technique for measurements of velocity and vorticity fields in a turbulent flow. We use this technique together with Laser Doppler and particle image velocimetry methods, hot-wire anemometry, precise 274 The Minerva Center for Nonlinear Physics of Complex Systems measurement of torque, and pressure fluctuations to study turbulent drag reduction. The latter problem we study in von Karman swirling flow between two counter-rotating disks of water or water-sugar solutions with different concentration of PAAm 18M molecular weight. 5. Convective turbulence in SF6 near its gas-liquid critical point. Turbulent convection was studied in a gas SF6 near the gas-liquid critical point. This unique system provides us an opportunity to reach extremely large Raleigh numbers (up to 1015) and to study the Pr dependence over an extremely wide range (up to 500) in the same system. The existence of the critical fluctuations provided us the possibility to perform laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) measurements of the velocity field in a rather wide range of the closeness to the critical point. Using this novel technique developed in our laboratory, we studied statistical properties of the velocity field in a wide range of Re and Pr numbers. Together with the local temperature and global heat transfer and temperature and velocity profile measurements it provided us complete information about convective turbulence. A surprising outcome of theses studies was a very weak influence of strong non-Boussinesq effect on global and local scaling properties of convective turbulence. Quantum Chaos - Theory

The main problem in "quantum chaos" is to reveal the quantum mechanical implications of classical chaos. Chaotic dynamics - a generic property in classical physics, leave universal fingerprints in quantum physics, which are unraveled by the on going research in "quantum Chaos". The results are relevant and applicable in Mesoscopics, Atomic, Molecular and Nuclear physics. As a matter of fact, "quantum chaos" appears in all problems where wave propagation is studied in the short wavelength limit. Thus, "quantum chaos" is also studied in acoustics, electromagnetic propagation, cavities etc. The observation which brought "quantum chaos" to the focal point of modern theoretical physics, was the intimate connection between the distributions and statistics of many quantum observables, and the underlying classical dynamics. More precisely, it was found that the predictions of random matrix theory, a minimum-information statistical approach, accurately reproduce the properties of simple quantum systems, as long as the underlying classical dynamics is chaotic. In this way, the ergodicity which is the hallmark of classical chaos is extended into the quantum domain. In our recent research we contributed to this effort along the following lines: 1. Quantum graphs. In the quest for the simplest quantum systems which display spectral fluctuations which are reproduce by random matrix theory, we proposed quantum graphs, for which an exact trace formula exists, and the "classical dynamics" was shown to be mixing. The Minerva Center for Nonlinear Physics of Complex Systems 275 An extensive test of the spectra of simple graphs have shown an excellent reproduction of various statistical measures derived from random matrix theory. Moreover, the derivation of spectral correlation functions can be reduced to the solution of combinatorial problems. With this insight, the applicability of random matrix theory for graphs was theoretically established to better degree than hitherto achieved in any other system. Various other problems of interest, such as isospectrality (which relates to the question- "Can one hear the shape of a graph?"), quantum irreversibility (dephasing) and nodal structures of wave functions on graphs are also studied. Recently we introduced a method to construct graphs which are isospectral but are not congtuent.

2. The statistics and structure of nodal domains. Real wave functions (in 2d for simplicity) vanish along lines which separate domains where the wave function has a constant sign. The properties of the sets of nodal lines and nodal domains are sensitive to the underlying classical dynamics. We revived the interest in this aspect of "quantum chaos" by introducing a new statistical measure for the distribution of the number of nodal domains. We derived the universal features of this distribution for quantum integrable problems, and conjectured its behavior for chaotic ones.

3. Can one count the shape of a drum? We study the sequences obtained by counting the number of nodal domains of wave functions ordered by increasing energies. We have shown that these sequences of integers store geometric information on the shape of the boundary of the "drum". Moreover, we conjectured and verified the conjecture numerically that these sequences resolve isospectral ambiguities. Recently we proved the validity of the conjecture for a certain class of isospectral graphs. 276 The Minerva Center for Nonlinear Physics of Complex Systems Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science

Dean: Zvi Artstein The Hettie H. Heineman Chair of Mathematics 278 Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science

Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science

Dean: Zvi Artstein The Hettie H. Heineman Chair of Mathematics

The Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science consists of two departments: the Department of Mathematics, and the Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics. The research is spread over many areas in mathematics, applied mathematics, and computer science.

There are no clear-cut lines separating the different areas, and many projects span more than one of them. The research itself ranges from abstract and very theoretical considerations within mathematics and computer science, through applying mathematics and computer science in other sciences, including Life Sciences, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering and the Social Sciences. It is not easy to divide the faculty members into well identified research groups, as there is a large overlap in research interests and expertise, an overlap that in turn contributes to the strength of the Faculty. Thus, the best way to see what is done in the Faculty is to read the research summaries for each of the departments and for each individual scientist.

The Faculty also hosts the The Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science, The John von Neumann Minerva Center for Development of Reactive Systems, The Prospective Institute for Biomatics and the Moross Laboratory for Vision Research and Robotics.

http://www1.weizmann.ac.il/homepage/pages/dmath.shtml Computer Science and Applied Mathematics 279

Computer Science and Applied Mathematics

Uriel Feige, Head The Lawrence G. Horowitz Professor

Research in computer science encompasses theoretical studies on the foundations of computer science, experimental aspects of computer science, computer vision and robotics, machine learning and statistical data analysis, and the study of information processing by biological systems, theoretical biology and bio-informatics. On the theoretical side, topics include computational complexity, cryptography, algorithms, distributed computing, methods for system verification, specification and development, logics of programs, combinatorics and number theory, combinatorial games, information retrieval, and numerical analysis. Experimental research includes the development of concurrent languages, visual languages, and programming environments. The study of vision, robotics, and motor control includes both theoretical and experimental components. We have expanded our activity at the interface of biology and computation by adding a program in bio-informatics, and studying computations by biological machinery and modeling and analysis of biological systems.

Research in applied mathematics includes two main themes. The first is the basic study of applied mathematics and the development of new mathematical tools of general applicability in science and engineering. The second theme is the use of mathematical techniques to elucidate phenomena of interest in the natural sciences, such as biology, medicine, and physics.

Complexity theory deals with classifying computational problems by the amount of computational resources they require; in particular, the number of processing steps and the memory required for their solution. In addition to studies aimed at providing absolute answers to questions of the above nature (e.g., lower bounds on the complexity of specific types of computational tasks), much study evolves around relating seemingly different computational phenomena (e.g., the PCP characterization of NP).

Algorithms: Research on algorithms includes the design of approximation algorithms for difficult (NP-hard) optimization problems, the design of heuristics for such problems, and the design of algorithms that work efficiently on large data sets. The analysis of these algorithms often involve the use of tools from mathematical areas such as probability theory and high dimensional 280 Computer Science and Applied Mathematics geometry.

Cryptography deals with methods for protecting the privacy, integrity, and functionality of computer and communication systems. The research activities on the area range from providing firm foundations to the construction of such methods to providing actual constructions for specific needs. Correspondingly, research in Cryptography ranges from very abstract (or theoretical) to very applied (or concrete). The full range of these activities is represented in our department.

Randomness is related to computation in various ways, and a central question is whether randomness is inherently useful in various computational settings. Research in this area evolves around finding new ways of using and manipulating randomness (e.g., extracting pure randomness from impure random sources) on the one hand, and finding ways to dispense of randomness on the other hand.

Program verification: Research on the automatic verification of computer systems, including digital circuit design, reactive and real-time systems, and reactive systems. Current research includes the synthesis of reactive modules, automatic verification of multi-process systems, and specification methods that combine transition systems with temporal logic.

System specification: Research on languages for the modeling and simulation of complex reactive systems. Work focuses on visual formalisms, based on topological and geometric constructs. It includes the semantics and implementation of Statecharts, an object-oriented version of Statecharts, and a new language for inter-object message specification, called LSC's (live sequence charts). Related work is on the layout of diagrams, such as undirected graphs and blob/window hierarchies.

Distributed computing and communication networks: Work in this area includes the design of efficient communication patterns and efficient transmission of information between sites in a network.

Vision: Object recognition: developing methods for recognizing objects, such as faces or cars, from their images.

Aids for the visually impaired: Using computer vision methods to help the visually impaired.

Visually guided navigation: using vision to guide mobile robots and robotic arms to reach a desired position.

Video analysis and application: using video analysis to handle and manipulate Computer Science and Applied Mathematics 281 information from multiple video cameras imaging the same scene (either simultaneously or at different times). Video enhancement, video indexing and browsing (e.g., over the internet), compression (for storage and transmission), video-based surveillance and monitoring, and multi-media applications.

Motor control and robotics: Movement control in biological and robotic systems: studying the processes of motion planning and control in biological systems and the strategies employed by the brain in the planning, execution and control of multi-joint movements and different motor tasks, such as reaching, pointing, grasping and drawing. Studies of movement generation in flexible biological and robotic arms.

Motor learning and adaptation: Investigating the rules that govern skill acquisition and learning in humans, and developing learning algorithms and architectures for robotic systems.

Movement disorders research: In collaboration with neurologists we investigate and characterize the motor impairments manifested in neglect patients, Parkinson's disease patients and other movement disorders.

Machine learning and statistical data analysis: development and theoretical analysis of algorithms to perform various data analysis tasks including clustering classification and regression, specifically in high dimensional settings.

Scientific computing: Developing new efficient methods for solving equations that appear in many natural problems. Solving the mathematical equations that describe natural phenomena in physics, chemistry, and other branches of science, is often a formidable computation task. We are involved in developing more efficient computational methods with possible applications in diverse areas, such as fluid dynamics, medical imaging, image processing, astrophysics, and others. One major direction is the development of hierarchical methods that approximate the problem in space and time simultaneously on several resolution levels. Another direction is the analytic estimation of the errors caused in the computation by discrete computer calculations, and developing methods for controlling such errors.

Dynamical systems, partial differential equations and applications: We develop and use dynamical systems approach and PDE tools to analyze nonlinear evolution equations which arise in diverse fields of interest. The applications include fluid mechanics, geophysics, chemical reactions, combustion theory, nonlinear fiber optics, lasers, elasticity, biological models and control theory. Our research lies at the interface between rigorous applied analysis and physical applications. Current projects that deal with finite dimensional systems include studying the motion of particles in optical traps 282 Computer Science and Applied Mathematics (billiards), various aspects of mixing in fluid flows, models that arise in nonlinear optics and the dynamics of certain models in biology. Some of these projects contribute to the understanding of basic underlying structures of nonlinear Hamiltonian systems. Projects which deal with infinite dimensional systems include the study of complex nonlinear phenomena, such as turbulent flows and the long-term behavior (global attractors) to nonlinear dissipative partial differential systems, such as the Navier-Stokes equations, reaction-diffusion systems and other related systems. The dynamics of such dissipative nonlinear PDE models involves a wide spectrum of temporal and spatial scales. This often makes it prohibitively expensive computationally. We approach this challenging problem by developing reliable reduced approximate PDE models, which are possible to implement computationally and to be validated rigorously, for the relevant spatial and temporal scales.

Bioinformatics and computational biology: The recent sequencing projects provide us with all the basic "building blocks" of life, including a nearly complete description of all of the genes. The next challenge is to unravel how these parts interact and assemble into larger cellular machines, capable of carrying out increasingly complex functions. Our research activities address this challenge by developing computational frameworks that model complex biological systems, through integration of heterogeneous sources of biological data. Recent directions include development of: models of transcriptional control that incorporate transcription factors, DNA sequences, transcription degradation, binding competition and synergy; models of translational control through microRNA-RNA interactions; models of chromatin structure through nucleosome positions, post-translational histone modifications, and chromosomal expression domains. Applications of these models that are currently being pursued include understanding pattern formation during development and understanding control of gene expression during the cell cycle. The underlying computational techniques and algorithms are statistical in nature, including general tools from Machine Learning and probabilistic graphical models.

Biomolecular computers: Engineering of computers made of biological molecules. A programmable, autonomous computer made of DNA and enzymes, capable of sensing and diagnosing molecular disease symptoms, and in response releasing a drug-like molecule, was demonstrated in vitro. The next challenge is demonstrating the operation of the computer in a living cell.

Cell lineage analysis and its applications: We developed a method for reconstructing cell lineage trees based on the detection and analysis of somatic mutations, and now explore its application to cell lineage analysis in mice as well as its application to the analysis of the development of cancer.

Biological modeling: We are involved in several efforts of modeling and Computer Science and Applied Mathematics 283 analyzing complex biological systems. We view this as reverse engineering, and use techniques from systems and software engineering, including visual formalisms, such as statecharts and LSCs, advanced model executability techniques, such as smart play-out, reactive animation, and verification. In particular, we have been working on cell fate determination in C. elegans and on T cell development in the thymus. We are currently working on pancreatic cell development, and on lymphocytes in the lymph node. A particularly interesting aspect of the work is the use of verification techniques to prove the consistency between proposed mechanistic models of behavior and laboratory observations.

Olfaction: Our work on the synthesis and communication of odors and on the analysis of eNose signals for olfaction continues. We have worked on predicting the actual response of a biological olfaction receptor (I7) from eNose experiments, and are now looking into the possibility of extending these results to odor perception space, possibly using advanced imaging and sensing techniques. http://www.wisdom.weizmann.ac.il/ 284 Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Ronen Basri, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Elaine and Bram Goldsmith Professor of Applied Mathematics Uriel Feige, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Lawrence G. Horowitz Professor Tamar Flash, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States The Dr. Hymie Moross Professor Oded Goldreich, Ph.D., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel The Meyer W. Weisgal Professor Shafrira Goldwasser, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, United States David Harel, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States The William Sussman Professor of Mathematics Michal Irani, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Moni Naor, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, United States The Judith Kleeman Professor David Peleg, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Norman D. Cohen Professor of Computer Sciences Ran Raz, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Vered Rom-Kedar, Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States The Estrin Family Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Adi Shamir, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Paul and Marlene Borman Professor of Applied Mathematics Ehud Shapiro, Ph.D., Yale University, New Haven, United States The Harry Weinrebe Professor of Computer Science and Biology Edriss S. Titi, Ph.D., Indiana University, Bloomington, United States Shimon Ullman, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States The Ruth and Samy Cohn Professor of Computer Sciences

Professors Emeriti

Ari Ben-Menahem, Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States Achi Brandt, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Aviezri S. Fraenkel, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, United States Amir Pnueli, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (deceased November 2009) Computer Science and Applied Mathematics 285 Associate Professors

Irit Dinur, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Daniel Michelson, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Elchanan Mossel, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Omer Reingold, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Senior Scientists

Robert Krauthgamer, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Yigal Allon Fellow Anat Levin, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Yigal Allon Fellow Incumbent of the Helena Rubinstein Career Development Chair Boaz Nadler, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Eran Segal, Ph.D., Stanford University, Stanford, United States Yigal Allon Fellow Incumbent of the Soretta and Henry Shapiro Career Development Chair (until October 2009) Amos Tanay, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Yigal Allon Fellow

Associate Staff Scientist

Meirav Galun, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Assistant Staff Scientists

Dorit Ron, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Adina Weinberger, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Special Contract

Assaf Marron, Ph.D., University of Houston, Texas, United States

Senior Intern

Gregory Linshiz, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Intern

Avital Sadot, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel 286 Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Engineers

Yorram Kalef, M.Sc., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Leah Mory, M.Sc., Weizmann Institute of Science Oded Smikt, M.Sc., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel (left November 2009)

Consultants

Nimrod Dorfman (left November 2009) Aviezri S. Fraenkel Prahladh Harsha (left June 2009) Boris Levant (left November 2009) Felix Polyakov, Bank Leumi, Israel (left August 2009) Yoram Yekutieli, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem Ido Zelman, Havruta School, ICYL, Neve Hadassa

Visiting Scientists

Sol Efroni, NIH, MD, U.S.A. Jasmin Fisher, Imperial College, London, UK Nir Piterman, Imperial College, London, UK Gregory Shakhnarovich, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland Nathan Srebro Barton, University of Chicago, Il, U.S.A.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Noa Agmon, Bar-Ilan University, Israel Adi Akavia, Mit, Cambridge Ma Binyamin (Benny) Applebaum, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel Eden Chlamtac, Princeton University Maya Dadiani, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Orr Dunkelman, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel Marina Fridin, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Lee-Ad Gottlieb, New York University Ouziel Hadad, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Refael Haddad, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Carmit Hazay, Bar-Ilan University, Israel Shalev Itzkovitz, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Tali Kaufman, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Irena (Ira) Kemelmacher-Shlizerm, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Leonid Kontorovich, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University Robby Lampert, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Shahar Maoz, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Computer Science and Applied Mathematics 287 Uri Maoz, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Sebastian Mueller, University Of MüNster Fabio Antonio Ramos Tavares, Federal University Of Rio De Janeiro (Ufrj) Alex Rav-Acha, Ph.D., The Hebrew University Avital Sadot, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Elad Segev, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Kushal Kumar Shah, Indian Institute Of Technology Madras Eli Shlizerman, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Avital Tsofe, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Oren Weimann, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Einat Zalckvar, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Research Students

Sharon Alpert Mica Arie-Nachimson Yoram Atir Shai Bagon Avi Barliya Naamah Bloch (Swerdlin) Oren Boiman Zvika Brakerski Shiri Chechik Daniel Cohen Michael Dinerstein Nimrod Dorfman Yair Field Marina Fridin Darya Frolova Ronit Fuchs Daniel Glasner Elazar Goldenberg Michal Gordon Lena Gorelick Ronen Gradwohl Refael Haddad Daniel Harari David Avi Held Yaacov zvi Hoch Ram Jaschek Amir Kantor Erez Kantor Noam Kaplan Leonid Karlinsky Irena Kemelmacher-Shlizerm Michael Kertesz Orit Kliper-Gross Gillat Kol Boris Levant Dan Levi Jasmine Linshiz Shai Litvak Noam Livne Shachar Lovett Shai Lubliner Roy Malka Ohad Manor Shahar Maoz Or Meir Yaron Meirovitch Lior Noy Merav Parter Tom Ran Yaniv Sa'Ar Tali Sadka-Raveh Itai Segall Gil Segev Eilon Sharon Eli Shlizerman Eitan Yaffe Danny Zeevi Ido Zelman Maria Zontak 288 Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Administrator

Raanan Michael Mathematics 289

Mathematics

Sergei Yakovenko, Head The Gershon Kekst Professor

The principal research interests of the Department lie in the three general areas of Analysis (understood in the broadest sense, including applications), Geometry and Algebra.

Topics covered in Analysis include operator and matrix theory, function theory on the plane, graphs and Riemann surfaces, spectral theory, several aspects of probability, and some applications of statistics, linear and nonlinear ordinary and partial differential equations, harmonic analysis, dynamical systems, ergodic theory, control theory in its various manifestations, optimization, game theory and mathematical economics, approximation and complexity of functions, numerical analysis, singularity theory, and robotics.

The areas of Geometry studied at the Department are the structure of finite and infinite dimensional spaces, geometric aspects of random walks and percolation, real analytic geometry and o-minimal structures, topology of singular holomorphic foliations.

The direction of Algebra includes some aspects of algebraic geometry, non-Archimedian analytic spaces, representation theory, quantum groups, combinatorics, number theory, automorphic forms, ring theory, and enveloping algebras. Although the approach taken is primarily that of pure mathematics, some of the research leans toward possible applications. Listed below is a sample of some of the specific topics that the department's members have pursued lately or are involved in now.

Algebraic Geometry: Work has be continued on so called algebraic and analytic geometry over the field of one element. Roughly speaking, algebraic geometry over the field of one element studies algebraic varieties defined by binomial equations in a way that does not regard the addition operation. This way reveals additional structures of combinatorial nature on binomial algebraic varieties, which are not seen in the presence of the addition operation. Analytic geometry over the field of one element is related to the corresponding algebraic geometry in a similar way as in the classical situation, and studies objects that encode a skeletal structure of algebraic varieties and non-Archimedean analytic spaces. 290 Mathematics

Analytic theory of ordinary differential equations: A comlete solution of the Infinitesimal Hilbert 16th Problem was achieved: the number of isolated zeros of complete Abelian integrals is explicitly bounded by the double exponential of the degree. A similar bound for the oscillarion of solutions of Fuchsian systems with real spectra of all residues was achieved; in this case the bound is non-uniform but growing polynomially near the frontier of Fuchsian class.

A general finiteness result for zeros of pseudo-Abelian integrals was achieved for perturbation of non-Hamiltonian (Darbouxian) integrable systems.

Deep relations between the Hilbert's problem (as well as another closely connected one - Poincare's Center-Focus problem) and several fields in Classical and modern Analysis and Algebra have been found. Among them Generalized Moments, Several Complex variables, Composition Algebra and D-modules. These promising relations are now investigated.

Analytic and real algebraic geometry: Polynomials associated with geometric objects (smooth manifolds and convex sets) are studied. The volume of a tubular neighborhood of a manufold, as a function of the radius of the manifold, is one example of such a polynomial. Special functions appear naturally in this study. Interesting relations are discovered. In particular, distribution of zeros of such polinomials is investigated for some manifolds.

The Maxwell problem (the question about the number of equilibrium points for the electrostatic field created by three charges) was advanced and an upper bound 12 was achieved (the conjectured number is 4 and previous results were in the range of billions).

A new demonstration of the Gromov theorem was achieved.

Automorphic forms: On the one hand, joint work is finishing up on lower bounds for automorphic L-functions at the edge of the critical strip; on the other, we are seeing how these results fit into the general scheme of bounds for these L-functions.

Recently, Langlands's theory of automorphic forms has been looked at from the point of view of p-adic analysis. Although some results on Hecke's L-functions have been successful, much remains to be done. We have been trying to understand what the theory of Langlands-Shahidi might tell us from this point of view. So far, we have worked out the p-adic analysis of the inverse of Riemann's zeta-function.

Banach spaces: The geometry of finite and infinite dimensional normed Mathematics 291 spaces and maps between them is investigated. A topic of particular interest is classification problems in the class of Banach spaces under Lipschitz and uniform homeomorphisms, and under Lipschitz and uniform quotient maps. Another main subject is tight embedding results, particularly for finite dimensional subspaces and subsets of Lp.

Combinatorics: The study of various permutation statistics on the symmetric groups and on related groups continues. New refinements and extensions of MacMahon's classical equidistribution theorem are found, relating that sub-area of Enumerative Combinatorics to the sub-area of Shape-Avoiding Permutations.

Differential and integral operators: The well-known asymptotic formulas for the Heat Kernel on the Heisenberg Group (for small time) are not uniform near the conjugate line. In particular the power laws are different for generic points and conjugate points. We establish an integral formula whose Laplace asymptotics clearly show how the asymptotic law is deformed as one approaches the conjugate line. The sub-Riemannian nature of the geometry dictates application of the Hamiltonian formalism (on the cotangent bundle) rather than the more conventional approach involving connections on the tangent bundle. Explicit formulas for wave kernels of degenerate hyperbolic and elliptic operators are obtained, using Laplace transformation and sophisticated inversion formulas for products of confluent hypergeometric functions. The resulting formulas involve hypergeometric functions of rational functions of the arguments.

Game theory and mathematical economics: Costs of time and negotiations were incorporated into a dynamic system leading to the Nash bargaining solution for cooperative games. A strategic model of financial markets, in which a central bank determines interest rates and creates money, is developed. Nash equilibria for the price-taking agents are studied. As the number of individual agents increases, the price making strategic behavior becomes indistinguishable from that of price takers, a-la Walrasian models.

Dynamical systems: Coupled slow and fast ordinary differential equations were examined via singular perturbations analysis. Attention was paid to the structure of switching between manifolds of equilibria of the fast motion. Invariant measures of multi-valued dynamics were characterized. Ergodic theory on non-compact spaces is investigated.

Modeling biological system: How long does it take in average for a random particle to escape from a sphere with a small hole? this question is at the basis of many problems related to chemical reactions in microstructures. In particular, it is possible to redefine the forward binding rate constant in confined geometry. Applications go from dendritic spine and synapses, to the 292 Mathematics analysis of noise in photoreceptors.

Operator theory and Matrix Function theory: Finite dimensional reproducing kernel Krein spaces were used to obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of solutions to a number of biangential interpolation problems in the extended Schur class of meromorphic matrix valued functions with a finite number of poles in the domain of interest. Linear fractional descriptions of these solutions were also obtained when the conditions for existence were met.

A monograph devoted to the theory of J-contractive and J-inner matrix valued functions and a number of applications of this theory was completed and published by Cambridge University Press.

Optimization and control: The control of coupled slow and fast motions was examined. The model is of singular perturbations with, possibly, measure-valued variables representing the limit of the fast variables. Design of switching modes between manifolds of equilibria or invariant measures of the fast dynamics were examined. The possibility to ignite impulses of the slow dynamics was demonstrated. The limit occupational measures of controlled dynamics were examined utilizing general convexification techniques.

Partial Differential Equations and global analysis: Influence of small noise on dynamical systems on Riemannian compact manifolds can be studied using the asymptotic of the probability density function. As the noise goes to zero, the ground state solution gets concentrated on the subsets of the recurrent set of the dynamical system, where the topological pressure (formulated as a variational problem) is achieved.

Probability and geometry: Several subjects relating probability and geometry of sets in finite dimensional space or in discrete structures are investigated. These include problems pertaining to Statistical Physics; in particular, percolation, random walks on diverse geometrical structures, motion in random media, the study of convex sets in high dimensional Euclidean space, as well as the study of random matrices. Also studied are various aspects of stochastic analysis and filtering theory.

Representation theory and related topics: This concerns the representation theory of algebraic groups, enveloping algebras and quantum groups -- specifically at present, the construction of adapted pairs leading to affine slices for coadjoint orbits, the path model of crystals for Borcherds algebras, embedding of reflection groups in Weyl groups and constructing invariants by reverse transgression.

Another direction is the representation theory of classical Lie superalgebras Mathematics 293 and related vertex algebras. Specifically, a criterion of simplicity of vacuum module was conjectured and it was proven for simple Lie algebras and some Lie superalgebras. This was applied to study of W-algebras. Vacuum Shapovalov-Kac determinant for Virasoro and Neveu-Schwarz algebras was computed.

For both associative and Lie algebras with polynomial identities, the study of their codimension growth is continued, via the applications of the representation theory of the Symmetric groups. The Vershik-Kerov representation theory of the infinite symmetric group, together with Probability and with the Theory of Symmetric Functions, are applied to the study of combinatorial identities.

Spectral theory of differential operators: The Dirichlet Laplacian in a class of narrow planar domains is considered. The asymptotic behaviour of its spectrum is studied when the width of the domain tends to zero. It is shown that this behaviour is determined, up to the second term of asymptotics, by the germ of the function defining the shape of domain, at its maximal point. Applications to the spectrum of thin waveguides are given. http://www.wisdom.weizmann.ac.il/ 294 Mathematics Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Zvi Artstein, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Hettie H. Heineman Professor of Mathematics Itai Benjamini, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The Renee and Jay Weiss Professor Vladimir Berkovich, Ph.D., Moscow State University, Moscow, Russian Federation The Matthew B. Rosenhaus Professor Stephen Gelbart, Ph.D., Princeton University, Princeton, United States The Nicki and J. Ira Harris Professor Anthony Joseph, Ph.D., University of Oxford, United Kingdom (on extension of service) The Donald Frey Professor Yakar Kannai, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (on extension of service) The Erica and Ludwig Jesselson Professor of Theoretical Mathematics Victor Katsnelson, Ph.D., Kharkov University, Kharkov, Ukraine The Ruth and Sylvia Shogam Professor Amitai Regev, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (on extension of service) The Herman P. Taubman Professor of Mathematics Gideon Schechtman, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel The William Petschek Professor of Mathematics Sergei Yakovenko, Ph.D., Institute of Control Science, Moscow, Russian Federation The Gershon Kekst Professor Yosef Yomdin, Ph.D., Novosibirsk State University, Russian Federation The Moshe Porath Professor of Mathematics Ofer Zeitouni, Ph.D., Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

Professors Emeriti

Harry Dym, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States Michael Solomyak, Ph.D., University of Leningrad, Russian Federation

Associate Professors

Maria Gorelik, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Gady Kozma, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Omri Sarig, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Mathematics 295 Senior Scientist

David Holcman, Ph.D., Pierre et Marie Curie University, Paris VI, France (left February 2009) Incumbent of the Madeleine Haas Russell Career Development Chair (until February 2009) Dmitry Novikov, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Consultant

Gil Alon, The Open University, Raanana, Israel Yevgenia Apartsin, Bar-Ilan University Yosef Bernstein, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Anna Melnikov, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel Andrei Reznikov, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel Nina Roytvarf Eitan Sayag, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (left September 2009) Boaz Tsaban, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel (left October 2009) Victor Zalgaller

Visiting Scientists

Damir Arov, S. Ukrainian University , Odessa, Ukraine Claude Bardos, University of Paris VII Denis Diderot, Jussieu, France Vladimir Derkach, Academy of Sciences, Kiev, Ukraine Antoine Ducros, University of Rennes, Beaulieu, France Jean-Pierre Fouque, University of California at Santa Barbara, U.S.A. Anne Henke, University of Oxford, UK Phil Holmes, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Markus Isaksson, Chalmers Inst. of Technology, Goteborg, Sweden Boris Khesin, University of Toronto, Canada Troy Lee, Rutgers University , NJ, U.S.A. Lev Lerman, Rese. Inst. for App. Math., Nizhny Novgorod, Russia Nathan Enoch Lewis, Vacciguard, Misgav, Israel Leonid Makar-Limanov, Wayne State University , U.S.A. Mike(Micha) Mirsky, Seattle University, U.S.A. Asaf Naor, NYU, U.S.A. Alexei Pantchichkine, University Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France Austrin Per, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden Iosif Polterovich, University of Montreal, Canada Arnab Sen, University of Berkeley, U.S.A. Marshall Slemrod, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, U.S.A. Alexander Stoyanovsky Dieter Van Melkebeek, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, U.S.A. 296 Mathematics Michael Weinstein, Columbia University , NYC, U.S.A. Artem Zvavitch, University of Kent, U.S.A.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Lucas Fresse, Ph.D., Universit Claude Bernard Lyon 1 Dmitry Gourevitch, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Crystal Hoyt, Ph.D., University Of California, Berkeley Nathan Keller, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Dalia Krieger, Ph.D., University Of Waterloo Nir Lev, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Adi Shraibman, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Tamir Tuller, Tel-Aviv University, Israel Johan Harald Tykesson, Chalmers University Of Technology David Windisch, Eth Zurich Atilla Yilmaz, Courant Institute - New York University

Research Students

Avraham (Rami) Aizenbud Dmitry Batenkov Gal Binyamini Ido Bright Dominik Reinhard Freche Dmitry Gourevitch Dvir Haviv Roni Haim Machluf Tal Orenshtein Eviatar Procaccia Shifra Reif Niv Moshe Sarig Eric Shellef Adi (Arkadi) Taflia Ariel Yadin Administrator

Raanan Michael The Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science 297

The Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science

Zvi Artstein, Director The Hettie H. Heineman Chair of Mathematics

The Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science providews support to the entire spectrum of research and educational topics carried out at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science and related research at The Weizmann Institute ; that includes theoretical and applied aspects of mathematics and computer science from basic, fundamental research to cutting edge applicable research.

We use the funds of the Belfer Institute to support long and short term visits of high quality researchers from around the world. These visitors give lectures and collaborate with our faculty members. The Belfer Institute also helps support workshops and conferences on related topics that we organize. Part of the funds are used to purchase servers and communication equipment, personal computers and other computing equipment, as well as updating the communication means in order to achieve outstanding results. Once in a while, and in very special cases, we use the Institutes funds in supporting salaries, especially for particularly outstanding students and postdoctoral fellows.

We have plans to use the Belfer Institute funds also for broader initiatives of a more general kind, extending our day-to-day activities. These include supporting larger research projects involving groups of outside scientists that we would invite to cooperate with our faculty members and students, and inviting outside expert lecturers to teach topics not covered by our normal curriculum. These will serve to enhance our visibility, and will help attract more outstanding students and postdoctoral fellows, thus contributing to the overall quality of the Facultys work.

In the 2009 fiscal year, the Belfer Institute sponsored many programs and projects. Here we list the main ones only: The 2009 Pekeris Lecture, delivered by Prof. Daphne Koller from Stanford University, "Probabilistic Models for Holistic Scene Understanding". Support for several scientific meetings, including the Annual Meeting of the Israel Mathematical Union; Chromatin and Transcriptional Regulation conference and the 2nd Student Probability Day. Support for a range of Faculty Seminars including the program of Distinguished Lecture Series. Travel support for the doctoral students. Support for a long list of guests, including: Iosif Polterovich, Oded Maler, Michael 298 The Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science Aizenman, Dieter Van Melkebeek and others. Direct support for scientists including salary support for several students. System administrators support, including computer back up and general maintenance. Support for new equipment and continual upgrading communication equipment and ongoing supplies. We continued to support to the Faculty Library including updating the books and journal collections. The Ida Kohen Center for Mathematics 299

The Ida Kohen Center for Mathematics

Zvi Artstein, Director The Hettie H. Heineman Chair of Mathematics

The Ida Cohen Center for Mathematics provides support for across-the-board activities within the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science. Most of the fund is divided up and given to the two department heads to supplement their regular budgets. For further details and the description of activities in the Departments, please see the corersponding scientific descriptions. 300 The John von Neumann Minerva Center for the Development of Reactive Systems

The John von Neumann Minerva Center for the Development of Reactive Systems

David Harel, Director The William Sussman Professorial Chair in Mathematics

The John von Neumann Center was established in December 1997, thanks to a generous endowment from the ministry for Science and Technology (BMFT) of the Federal Republic of Germany, through Minerva, the joint committee for German-Israeli cooperation. Prof. Amir Pnueli was director until March 31, 2005, and Prof. Harel took over on April 1, 2005. The title of the center also changed somewhat.

The mission of the center is to advance and promote the state of the art of developing complex reactive systems, mainly through the processes of specification (modeling) and analysis.

Our research concentrates on visual formalisms and supporting tools for modeling, and on powerful simulation and analysis methods, including verification. We emphasize both intra-object and inter-object approaches, using state-based and scenario-based languages and methodologies (e.g., statecharts and live sequence charts). Recently, we have been working on a general approach, which we call Behavioral Programming. We also work on related topics, such as natural language specification, reactive animation and GUI-based programming.

Throughout, the relationship between our work and accepted standards, such as the UML, is carefully maintained and extended. We also cultivate joint work with industry and case studies, so that our work does not result in academic advances only.

We also work quite heavily on several application areas, first and foremost amongst them is biological modeling, using similar techniques taken from reactive system development. Others include service-oriented computing, tactical simulators and health care processes. Some of our work on odor analysis and synthesis is also under the Centers umbrella. The Prospective Institute for Biomatics 301

The Prospective Institute for Biomatics

Zvi Artstein, Director The Hettie H. Heineman Chair of Mathematics

The Prospective Institute for Biomatics promotes the understanding of Biology via the Mathematical and Computer Science approach. The Center has supported collaborative work in the area, carrying out computations and the establishment of a wet laboratory for our biomaticians. 302 The Prospective Institute for Biomatics Feinberg Graduate School

Dean: Lia Addadi The Dorothy and Patrick Gorman Professor 304 Feinberg Graduate School

Feinberg Graduate School

Dean: Lia Addadi The Dorothy and Patrick Gorman Professor

The Feinberg Graduate School The Feinberg Graduate School [FGS], the educational body of The Weizmann Institute of Science, was founded in 1958.

Mission The School's goal is the advanced training of new generations of creative and original researchers in the natural sciences and mathematics, or, in other words, the education of future scientific leaders. Therefore, all FGS students are directly involved in the research conducted at the Institute.

Recognition The School is chartered as a higher education institution in the State of New York, U.S.A., and accredited by the Council for Higher Education in Israel.

Study Programs FGS offers graduate programs leading to the following degrees: Master of Science (M.Sc.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).

Major Fields of Study and Research Study programs are offered in five major fields of study: Physical Sciences; Chemical Sciences; Life Sciences; Mathematics and Computer Science; and Science Teaching

Dean Prof. Lia Addadi.

Steering Committee The Dean is assisted by a Steering Committee consisting of the directors of the Research Schools (see below), and the Chair of the Board of Studies in Science Teaching:

Prof. Shimon Levit (Physical Sciences) Prof. Gilad Haran (Chemical Sciences) Prof. Ari Elson (Life Sciences) Prof. Ran Raz (Mathematics and computer Science) Feinberg Graduate School 305 Prof. Nir Orion (Science Teaching)

Research Schools Studies at FGS are conducted within the framework of research schools. Each school is headed by a director appointed by the FGS Dean. Each director is assisted by a Board of Studies. The director of each school coordinates all activities in the relevant field of study. These include: guidelines for academic requirements, courses, laboratory work, admission of students, and evaluation of their progress in both research and studies.

Research School of Physical Science Director: Prof. Shimon Levit Field of Study: Physical Sciences

Solo Dwek and Maurizio Dwek Research School of Chemical Science Director: Prof. Gilad Haran Field of Study: Chemical Sciences

Lorry I. Lokey Research School of Biochemical Science Director: Prof. Ari Elson Field of Study: Life Sciences

Ekard Research School of Biological Science Director: Prof. Ari Elson Field of Study: Life Sciences

Moross Research School of Mathematics and Computer Science Director: Prof. Ran Raz Field of Study: Mathematics and Computer Science

Director and Academic Secretary Dr. Ami Shalit

The Graduate School Office The FGS office coordinates the operations of the School

Thesis Advisors and Lecturers The instructors and mentors of FGS students are Weizmann Institute of Science faculty members as are most of the lecturers teaching the courses offered by FGS.

Language of Instruction The official language of instruction at FGS is English. This enables foreign students to also benefit from its programs. 306 Feinberg Graduate School Admission The only criterion for acceptance to the FGS programs is academic excellence and integrity. A total of 333 new students were accepted during the academic year 2008/2009 (i.e. from October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009). Of these students 162 were accepted to the M.Sc. program and 171 to the Ph.D. program.

Graduates In 2009, a total of 270 degrees were conferred upon FGS graduates. Of these, 129 were Ph.D. degrees and 141 were M.Sc. degrees. 42.5% of the graduates were women.

Fellowships All FGS students receive fellowships so they can devote their time to research and study. The fellowships are supported by competitive research grants, competitive fellowship awards, the Ministry of Science and Technology in Israel, the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education in Israel, several private foundations and by more than 300 private endowment funds established by supporters of the Weizmann Institute of Science.

Tuition Fees All FGS students are exempted from paying tuition fees.

Financial Support For many years, the Feinberg Graduate School has been the recipient of financial support from the United States Government through the Agency for International Development (USAID), within the framework of the American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) program. The 2008/2009 USAID grant was $1,000,000. AID funds are used to purchase a significant portion of the scientific equipment and literature needed by students for their advanced research projects.

Applications Applications to the Ph.D. tracks are accepted throughout the year, while applications to the M.Sc. degree must be received before the end of May for the following academic year, typically beginning in late October.

The Postdoctoral Fellowship Program In addition to the degree programs, the School administrates the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at the Institute. The Head of the Program is Prof. Elior Peles. Currently, there are over 300 fellows in this program. Applications to this program are accepted throughout the year. Feinberg Graduate School 307 http://www.weizmann.ac.il/acadaff/Scientific_Activities/current/feinberg_degrees.html http://www.weizmann.ac.il/feinberg/ 308 Feinberg Graduate School

Ph.D. Degree Recipients - Graduation Ceremony 2009

Name Title of Thesis Advisor/s Depatrment

Ruthie Angelovici Characterization of Professor Gad Plant Sciences transcriptiomic and Galili metabolic networks, regulating arabidopsis seed maturation and germination

Ofer Aviv Investigation of Professor Daniel Particle cooling mechanisms Zajfman Physics and of laser excited Astrophysics clusters using an electrostatic lon beam trap

Liat Bahari The E. coli signal Professor Eitan Biological recognition particle Bibi Chemistry (SRP)-receptor, FtsY performs several distinct, separable, and essential activities during the SRP pathway

Tsevi Beatus Collective dynamics Professor Roy Materials and of microfluidic Bar-Ziv Interfaces droplets far from thermal equilibrium

Talya Belogus Conformational Professor Steven Biological transitions of Karlish Chemistry Na,K-ATPase expressed in Pichia Pastoris; Detection with fluorescence probe

Ido Ben-Ami Apoptosis-related Professor Rony Biological signaling in the Seger Regulation reproductive system Feinberg Graduate School 309

Dalia Berman-Golan Characterization of the Professor Ari Molecular role of protein tyrosine Elson Genetics phosphatase Epsilon in Neu- and Myc-induced mammary tumor cells

Liora Bialer Teacher evidences on Professor Science the instruction of Bat-Sheva Eylon Teaching learning skills for Dr. Zahava science as a basis for Scherz continuous professional development

Barak Blumenfeld Studying cortical Professor Michail Computer information Tsodyks Science and processing: Data Professor Shimon Applied analysis and recurrent Ullman Mathematics neural network modeling

Jacob Blumenthal Identification of novel Professor Irith Neurobiology translation regulation Ginzburg and RNA regulation mechanisms in neuronal cells

Oren Boiman Inference by Professor Michal Computer composition Irani Science and Applied Mathematics

Boris Brumshtein Structural studies on Professor Joel L. Structural acid-beta-glucosidase Sussman Biology Professor Israel Silman

Yossi Buganim The dichotomous role Professor Varda Molecular Cell of ATF3 in cancer and Rotter Biology its crosstalk with the wild-type and the mutant p53 proteins

Yaron Caspi Anomalous diffusion Professor Michael Materials and and transport of self Elbaum Interfaces 310 Feinberg Graduate School

interacting poly (isopropylacrylamide) setups

Ariel Cohen Dynamic proteomics Professor Uri Molecular Cell in individual cancer Alon Biology cells

Dorit Cohen HBV activates dNTP Professor Yosef Molecular synthesis in quiescent Shaul Genetics cells

Carmit Cohen Ish A design based Professor Nir Science Shalom research of Orion Teaching oceanographic module for high school earth science major students

Nili Dahan The role of the Nir2 Professor Sima Molecular Cell protein in lipid Lev Biology homeostasis at the Golgi apparatus

Bareket Dassa A multidisciplinary Professor Shmuel Molecular study of microbial Pietrokovski Genetics protein-splicing domains

Elad Dinar The role of humic like Professor Yinon Environmental substances (HULIS) in Rudich Sciences and aerosol microphysical Energy properties Research

Zeev Dvir Extractors, mergers Professor Ran Computer and the finite field Raz Science and Kakeya problem Dr. Amir Shpilka Applied Mathematics

Vardit Eckhouse Coherent addition of Professor Nir Physics of laser distributions Davidson Complex Professor Asher Systems A. Friesem

David Ehre Formation and Professor Igor Materials and properties of Lubomirsky Interfaces quasi-amorphous thin Feinberg Graduate School 311

films

Eran Elinav Functional analysis of Professor Zelig Immunology genetically-modified Eshhar regulatory T lymphocytes expressing chimeric T cell receptor

Adi Eliyahu Reconstructing Professor Steve Structural pyro-technological Weiner Biology activities at Tel Dor, Dr. Ilan Sharon Israel

Yuval Emek Probabilistic Professor David Computer embeddings of graphs Peleg Science and Applied Mathematics

Yael Gliomedin as a glial Professor Elior Molecular Cell Eshed-Eisenbach mediator of peripheral Peles Biology node of Ranvier formation

Konstantin Feinberg Principles of the Professor Elior Molecular Cell formation of the node Peles Biology of Ranvier in the peripheral nervous system

Moran Feller Phosphino pyridine Professor David Organic pincer complexes of Milstein Chemistry late transition Metals synthesis and reactivity

Darya Frolova Analysis of lighting Professor Ronen Computer and applications to Basri Science and 3-dimensional Applied reconstruction of Mathematics moving and static objects

Ariel Gabizon Deterministic Professor Ran Computer extractors for weak Raz Science and random sources Dr. Ronen Applied 312 Feinberg Graduate School

Shaltiel Mathematics

Hilah Gal Cancer stem cells in Professor Eytan Physics of leukemia and Domany Complex glioblastoma; Gene Professor David Systems expression profiling, Givol microRNA involvement and differentiation pathways

Hadas Gelbart Bringing authentic Professor Anat Science research to biology Yarden Teaching classroom: The influence of a web-based research simulation in bioinformatics on comprehension of genetics

Ilya (Ilia) Gelfand Factors controlling Professor Dan Environmental availability and Yakir Sciences and dynamics of nitrogen Energy in a semiarid forest Research ecosystem

Roman Gersner Behavioral and Dr. Abraham Neurobiology neurochemical Zangen alterations in animal models for depression

Eran Ginossar Excitation of Professor Shimon Condensed solid-state Levit Matter Physics microstructures by non-classical radiation

Lyubov (Luba) Interaction of Professor Tony Biological Ginzburg sphingolipids with Futerman Chemistry calcium pumps and channels: Relevance to lysosomal storage disorders

Micha Gladnikoff Characterization of Dr. Itay Rousso Structural individual retroviral Biology Feinberg Graduate School 313

budding kinetics and mechanisms

Eran Goldberg Novel methodologies Professor Avigdor Plant Sciences for design and Scherz discovery of integrin Professor Amiram inhibitors and Goldblum activators: Structural bioinformatics, molecular docking and computational chemistry studies

Sarah Goldberg Inducing and probing Professor Eli Condensed long-range order of Zeldov Matter Physics the vortex matter in high-Tc superconductors

Goren Gordon Quantum information Professor Gershon Chemical processing and its Kurizki Physics protection against decoherence

Lena Gorelick Object and action Professor Achi Computer recognition using Brandt Science and poisson-based shape Professor Ronen Applied representation Basri Mathematics

Olga Guliamov Elucidating the Professor Leeor Materials and interplay between Kronik Interfaces structure and properties in nano-clusters from first principles

Ori Gurel-Gurevich Random walks and Professor Itai Mathematics random structures Benjamini

Diana Gurevitch Elimination of Professor Yehiel Molecular Cell negative feedback Zick Biology control mechanisms along the insulin signaling pathway improves beta cell function under stress 314 Feinberg Graduate School

Yaron Hassid Exploring perfusion Professor Hadassa Biological and interstitial fluid Degani Regulation pressure in tumors by contrast enhanced MRI

Gil Hecht Embryonic pig Professor Yair Immunology pancreatic tissue Reisner transplantation for the treatment of diabetes

Jaime Heiss Adaptation to sensory Dr. Ilan Lampl Neurobiology stimulation in the rat barrel cortex

Ido Horresh Molecular Professor Elior Molecular Cell mechanisms Peles Biology underlying the formation of the juxtaparanode region in myelinated axons

Ariel Ismach Epitaxial approaches Professor Ernesto Materials and to carbon nanotube Joselevich Interfaces organization

David Israeli Studies on blood brain Professor Talila Molecular barrier structure and Volk Genetics function: From drosophila to humans

Lior Izhar Analysis of DNA Professor Zvi Biological damage tolerance Livneh Chemistry mechanisms in E.Coli and human cells using plasmid and chromosomal lesion-specific probes

Shimshon Jacobi Synchrony, initiation Professor Elisha Physics of and connectivity in 1D Moses Complex and 2D neuron Systems cultures

Yaacov Kacher Cell biology of Professor Tony Biological Gaucher disease: Futerman Chemistry Feinberg Graduate School 315

Pathological mechanisms and therapy

Eyal Kalie Mechanistic and Professor Gideon Biological structural studies on Schreiber Chemistry the differential activity of type I interferons

Eyal Kalo The molecular Professor Varda Molecular Cell mechanism underlying Rotter Biology mutant p53 gain of function in both TGF-beta and Nrf2 pathways

Iris Kamer The role of full-length Professor Atan Biological BID in the DNA Gross Regulation damage response

Shai Kaplan Biological systems Professor Ehud Biological analysis using Shapiro Chemistry mathematical models Professor Uri and automated Alon high-throughput experimental system

Tamar Kashti Aspects of Professor Yosef Particle astro-particle physics Nir Physics and Professor Eli Astrophysics Waxman

Sari Katz Fracture mechanisms Professor Daniel Materials and of composite materials Wagner Interfaces under hypervelocity Dr. Michael impact Murat

Alona Keren-Paz The role of antizyme Professor Chaim Molecular inhibitor in regulating Kahana Genetics normal and malignant cell proliferation

Zohar Komargodski On the relation Professor Micha Particle between quantum field Berkooz Physics and theory and string Professor Ofer Astrophysics theory Aharony 316 Feinberg Graduate School

Marina Konorty Structure - function Professor Organic correlations in the Abraham Minsky Chemistry photosynthetic process of Blastochloris viridis

Amnon Koren The regulatory Professor Naama Molecular network of DNA Barkai Genetics replication timing

Noga Dalia New methods and Professor Biological Kowalsman analyses dramatically Ephraim Chemistry enhance the Katchalski-Katzir discrimination Dr. Miriam between nearly correct Eisenstein and false docking models

Dan Kushnir Multiscale methods Professor Achi Computer for data analysis Brandt Science and Professor Edriss Applied Titi Mathematics

Sujoy Lahiri Characterization of Professor Tony Biological mammalian ceramide Futerman Chemistry synthases

Hadar Less Regulation of amino Professor Gad Plant Sciences acids metabolism in Galili plants: A bioinformatics approach

Dan Levy Decision making Professor Yosef Molecular mechanisms for Shaul Genetics DNA-damage signaling

Dino Levy Brain stimulation Dr. Abraham Neurobiology effects on addictive Zangen and aversive memories

Gil Lewitus Mechanisms Professor Michal Neurobiology underlying T-cell Schwartz brain maintenance in health and disease Feinberg Graduate School 317

Shira Lezer In-vivo studies of Professor Avihai Plant Sciences redox signaling by Danon plant Thioredoxins

Orna Liarzi The role of CheY Professor Michael Biological acetylation in bacterial Eisenbach Chemistry chemotaxis

Irina Lubarski FXYD5 a novel Professor Haim Biological regulator of the Na, Garty Chemistry K-ATPase

Nicola Maggio Cellular and network Professor Neurobiology properties underlying Menachem Segal functional differentiation along the septotemporal axis of the hippocampus

Arik Makovitzki Mode of action and Professor Yechiel Biological parameters involved in Shai Chemistry cell selective activity of new families of antimicrobial peptides and lipopeptides in vitro and in vivo

Efrat ISG12 is a novel Professor Lea Immunology Makovitzki-Avraham pro-apoptotic gene, Eisenbach that is overexpressed in breast cancer

R'ada Massarwa Execution of Professor Benny Molecular morphogenetic Shilo Genetics processes in Dr. Eyal Schejter drosophila by distinct actin-polymerization machineries

Arie Melamed-Katz Study of possible Professor Ehud Particle supersymmetric Duchovni Physics and processes and mini Astrophysics black hole production and comparison to background events with high transverse 318 Feinberg Graduate School

energy in the ATLAS experiment

Mor Mishkovsky Methodological Professor Lucio Chemical developments in Frydman Physics ultrafast multidimensional NMR

Michael Montag Activation of strong Professor David Organic carbon-hydrogen and Milstein Chemistry carbon-carbon bonds in cationic complexes of rhodium including effects of carbon monoxide

Tal Moran Cryptography for the Professor Moni Computer People, by the People Naor Science and Applied Mathematics

Dana Moshkovitz Two query Professor Ran Computer probabilistic checking Raz Science and of proofs with Applied subconstant error Mathematics

Elena Reactive species Professor David Organic Naiman-Poverenov stabilized by Milstein Chemistry complexation to Pt-group metals. Generation and reactivity

Doron Naveh Understanding and Professor Leeor Materials and predicting novel Kronik Interfaces magnetic phenomena in materials

Yuval Nir Comparing Professor Rafael Neurobiology spontaneous and Malach stimulus-evoked activities in human sensory cortex

Lior Nissim Feinberg Graduate School 319

In-vitro model for Professor Roy Materials and cancer gene-therapy Bar-Ziv Interfaces based on an autonomous transcriptional integrator

Ilit Noach Structural Professor Edward Biological characterization of A.Bayer Chemistry cellulosomal modular Professor Felix components Prolow

Asaf Nussbaum Efficient Professor Moni Computer implementations of Naor Science and huge random graphs Applied Mathematics

Yaara Ofir-Rosenfeld Mdm2, p53 and Professor Moshe Molecular Cell Ribosomal Protein Oren Biology L26: A complicated network of mutual effects

Aviv Paz Structural and Professor Joel L. Structural functional studies on Sussman Biology the cytoplasmic Professor Israel domains of Silman cholinesterase-like adhesion molecules

Emanuel Perugia Towards an Professor Organic understanding of the Matityahu Fridkin Chemistry serum amyloid A (SAA) protein amyloid formation

Naama Raz Yaseef Partitioning the Professor Dan Environmental evapotranspiration Yakir Sciences and flux of the Yatir Energy semi-arid forest Research

Eran Reem Death associated Professor Adi Molecular protein 1: A new ER Kimchi Genetics stress regulator protein

Dori Reichmann 320 Feinberg Graduate School

On anti-de-sitter black Professor Micha Particle holes and duality Berkooz Physics and Professor Ofer Astrophysics Aharony

Ariel Rinon Early and late steps in Dr. Eldad Tzahor Biological craniofacial Regulation development: A survey of neural crest, muscle progenitors and the fine-tuning between them

Assaf Rotem Neuronal devices and Professor Elisha Physics of magnetic fields Moses Complex Systems

Noa Rubin Harnessing antibodies Professor Lia Structural and chirality for a Addadi Biology better understanding of amyloid structure and formation

Avital Sadot-Michaeli On specific and Professor David Computer generic modeling of Harel Science and complex biological Professor Irun Applied systems Robert Cohen Mathematics

Netta Sela-Passwell Development and Professor Irit Sagi Structural structure function Biology analyses of novel inhibitory antibody for matrix metalloproteases

Tal Shay From DNA copy Professor Eytan Physics of number to gene Domany Complex expression: Local Systems aberrations, trisomies and monosomies

Timur Shegai Polarization and Professor Gilad Chemical chemical effects in Haran Physics surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy of individual molecules Feinberg Graduate School 321

Liat Shimon Kinetic and Professor Amnon Structural structure-function Horovitz Biology analysis of chaperonins

Guy Shinar Robustness in Professor Uri Molecular Cell biochemical reaction Alon Biology networks

Amir Shlomai PGC- 1alpha-its role Professor Yosef Molecular in hepatitis B virus life Shaul Genetics cycle and its post-translational regulation by a metabolic circuit

Anat Shmueli Reversible post Professor Orly Molecular translational Reiner Genetics modifications of proteins regulating neuronal migration

Maria Shoshan Novel approach for Professor Organic hemophore mimetics: Abraham Shanzer Chemistry HasA of serratia Professor Yitzhak marcescens as a case Mastai study

Elena Shvets Study the molecular Professor Zvulun Biological mechanism of Elazar Chemistry autophagy in mammalian cells

Michael Stern Optical spectroscopy Professor Israel Condensed of interacting electrons Bar-Joseph Matter Physics and holes in coupled quantum wells

Yuval Tabach Gene expression, Professor Varda Molecular Cell transcriptional Rotter Biology regulation, Professor Eytan chromosomal Domany aberrations: Their mutual interaction and progression in human cancer 322 Feinberg Graduate School

Adi (Arkadi) Taflia Diffusion of Dr. David Mathematics interacting particles in Holcman confined domains and applications to biology

Assaf Tal On the spatial Professor Lucio Chemical encoding of spin Frydman Physics interactions in nuclear magnetic resonance

Ilya Taraniuk Atmospheric humic Professor Yinon Environmental like substances Rudich Sciences and (HULIS): Their Dr. Ellen Graber Energy properties and Research influence on tropospheric processes

Itay Tirosh Genome-wide Professor Naama Molecular analyses of the Barkai Genetics evolution of gene expression

Libbat Tirosh-Finkel Molecular and cellular Dr. Eldad Tzahor Biological characterization of Regulation head mesoderm progenitors: The role of Bmp signaling in cardiac and skeletal muscle lineages

Chen Varol Studies on the origin Professor Steffen Immunology and tissue context Jung dependent fate of murine monocytes

Yael Wexler-Cohen Unveiling crucial Professor Yechiel Biological details on the Shai Chemistry intermediate conformations of HIV-1 gp41 during membrane fusion

Itamar Yadid Modularity and its role Professor Dan Biological in the evolution of Tawfik Chemistry single domain proteins Feinberg Graduate School 323

Liat Yakir-Tamang Elucidation of the Professor Jeffrey Molecular "Exocytic Signal": A Gerst Genetics role for phosphoinositide signaling downstream of vesicle transport and in the regulation of cell polarity

Ganit Yarden Analysis of the TFIID Professor Rivka Biological subunit TAF4 Dikstein Chemistry characterization of a strict initiator element, sINR, specific to TATA-less core promoters

Amir Yehudayoff Multilinear circuits Professor Ran Computer and formulas Raz Science and Applied Mathematics

Gal Zahavi Jet discretization of Professor Yosef Mathematics evolution PDE's via Yomdin hermite fitting

Einat Zalckvar Systems level analysis Professor Adi Molecular of the programmed Kimchi Genetics cell death network

Lior Zangi Tolerance induction Professor Yair Immunology by different ex-vivo Reisner expanded adult stem cells

Tzviya Biophysical and Professor Joel L. Structural Zeev-Ben-Mordehai structural studies on Sussman Biology neurotactin and Professor Israel amalgam, two Silman neuronal adhesion proteins involved in axonal pathfinding in drosophila

Ido Zelman Kinematics of octopus Professor Tamar Computer arm movements Flash Science and 324 Feinberg Graduate School

Applied Mathematics

Guy Ziv Thermodynamics and Professor Gilad Chemical kinetics of denatured Haran Physics proteins

Keren Ziv Functional and Professor Michal Biological molecular imaging of Neeman Regulation gene expression

Yaara Zwang Cell fate decisions Professor Yosef Biological mediated by the Yarden Regulation EGF-receptor: The transcriptional program underlying EGF-regulated cell proliferation, and an endocytic machinery underlying the response to cellular stress

M.Sc. Degree Recipients - Graduation Ceremony 2009

Name Advisor/s Field of Depatrment Study

Hila Abutbul Professor Zvi Life Sciences Biological Chemistry Livneh

Nitzan Adam Professor Life Sciences Immunology Zelig Eshhar

Gabriela Adler Professor Chemical Environmental Yinon Rudich Sciences Sciences and Energy Research

Eldad Afik Professor Physical Physics of Complex Victor Sciences Systems Steinberg

Rotem Aharon Professor Chemical Computer Science and Vered Sciences Applied Mathematics Rom-Kedar Feinberg Graduate School 325

Dr. Hezi Gildor

Ido Almog Professor Nir Physical Physics of Complex Davidson Sciences Systems

Anat Arzi Professor Life Sciences Neurobiology Noam Sobel

Reut Avni Professor Life Sciences Chemical Physics Lucio Frydman

Ariel Azia Amitai Dr. Koby Life Sciences Structural Biology Levy

Meir Azulay Professor Lea Life Sciences Immunology Eisenbach

Elad Bar Natan Professor Life Sciences Molecular Cell Varda Rotter Biology

Liron Barak Professor Physical Particle Physics and Eilam Gross Sciences Astrophysics

Jonathan Baram Dr. Boris Chemical Organic Chemistry Rybtchinski Sciences

Daniel Professor Life Sciences Molecular Cell Ben-Halevy Sima Lev Biology

Dana Bezalel Professor Life Sciences Neurobiology Yadin Dudai

Ariel Biller Professor Chemical Materials and David Cahen Sciences Interfaces

Atalia Birman Professor Chemical Materials and Leslie Sciences Interfaces Leiserowitz Professor Yehiam Prior

Dan Bracha Professor Roy Chemical Materials and Bar-Ziv Sciences Interfaces

Yanina Braginski 326 Feinberg Graduate School

Professor Chemical Materials and Israel Sciences Interfaces Rubinstein

Merav Branski Professor Physical Molecular Genetics Arieli Naama Sciences Barkai Professor Benny Shilo

Michal Breker Professor Life Sciences Immunology Steffen Jung

Asaf Carmi Professor Life Sciences Molecular Genetics Yitzhak Pilpel

Shiri Chechik Professor Mathematics Computer Science and David Peleg and Computer Applied Mathematics Science

Jonathan Citrin Professor Physical Particle Physics and Yitzhak Sciences Astrophysics Maron

Eyal Professor Physical Condensed Matter Cohen-Hoshen Israel Sciences Physics Bar-Joseph

Shlomi Dagan Professor Ziv Life Sciences Biological Chemistry Reich

Yehonatan Dallal Dr. Roee Physical Physics of Complex Ozeri Sciences Systems

Hila De Leon Dr. Nirit Physical Physics of Complex Dudovitch Sciences Systems

Eynat Dellus Professor Dan Life Sciences Biological Chemistry Tawfik

Alik Demishtein Professor Life Sciences Biological Chemistry Edward A.Bayer

Chandan Dubey Professor Mathematics Computer Science and Uriel Feige and Computer Applied Mathematics Feinberg Graduate School 327

Science

Klim Efremenko Professor Mathematics Computer Science and Omer and Computer Applied Mathematics Reingold Science

Liat Elboim Professor Life Sciences Immunology Zelig Eshhar

Tamar Farfel Professor Life Sciences Biological Chemistry Becker Tony Futerman

Ilan Feine Professor Life Sciences Plant Sciences Avigdor Scherz Professor Yoram Salomon

Arseny Professor Life Sciences Neurobiology Finkelstein Michal Schwartz

Dmitry Frumkin Professor Adi Mathematics Computer Science and Shamir and Computer Applied Mathematics Science

Dana Shani Galili Dr. Alon Life Sciences Neurobiology Chen

Amir Gelman Professor Life Sciences Molecular Cell Moshe Oren Biology

Shani Gelstein Professor Life Sciences Neurobiology Noam Sobel

Erez Geron Professor Life Sciences Immunology Ronen Alon

Liron Gibbs Bar Dr. Eli Arama Life Sciences Molecular Genetics

Tom Gilat Professor Zvi Mathematics Mathematics Artstein and Computer Science

Ben Golan Chemical Physics 328 Feinberg Graduate School

Professor Ron Chemical Naaman Sciences

Karin Golan Professor Life Sciences Immunology Tsvee Lapidot

Michal Professor Lia Chemical Structural Biology Goldschmidt Addadi Sciences

Aaron Gordon Professor Life Sciences Molecular Cell Elior Peles Biology

Einat Dr. Elad Mathematics Neurobiology Granot-Atedgi Schneidman and Computer Science

Yaron Gross Professor Physical Condensed Matter Moty Sciences Physics Heiblum

Daniel Grossman Professor Physical Particle Physics and Yosef Nir Sciences Astrophysics

Ilia Gutman Professor Eli Physical Condensed Matter Zeldov Sciences Physics

Tzachi Hagai Dr. Koby Chemical Structural Biology Levy Sciences

Ran Halprin Professor Mathematics Computer Science and Moni Naor and Computer Applied Mathematics Science

Tal Dr. Guy Life Sciences Immunology Hammer-Topaz Shakhar

Roy Har-Tsvi Professor Chemical Chemical Physics Yehiam Prior Sciences

Talia Harris Professor Chemical Biological Regulation Hadassa Sciences Degani Professor Lucio Frydman Feinberg Graduate School 329

Ori Hirschberg Professor Physical Physics of Complex David Sciences Systems Mukamel

Tamar Huberman Professor Life Sciences Particle Physics and Arieli Yosef Nir Astrophysics

Hiroyuki Inoue Professor Physical Condensed Matter Moty Sciences Physics Heiblum

Orna Issler Dr. Alon Life Sciences Neurobiology Chen

Yafit Itzhaik Professor Chemical Materials and Gary Hodes Sciences Interfaces

Margalit Izakson Professor Life Sciences Neurobiology Michal Schwartz

Omer Kadmiel Professor Adi Mathematics Computer Science and Shamir and Computer Applied Mathematics Science

Sivan Kagan Professor Life Sciences Molecular Cell Dov Zipori Biology

Yuval Kaminka Professor Mathematics Computer Science and Shimon and Computer Applied Mathematics Ullman Science Dr. Elad Schneidman

Ilia Kaminker Professor Chemical Chemical Physics Daniella Sciences Goldfarb

Revital Kaminker Professor Chemical Organic Chemistry Milko Erik Sciences Van Der Boom

Amir Kantor Professor Mathematics Computer Science and David Harel and Computer Applied Mathematics Science 330 Feinberg Graduate School

Lia Kantorovich Professor Life Sciences Biological Chemistry Michael Walker

Eyal Karzbrun Professor Chemical Particle Physics and Ofer Aharony Sciences Astrophysics

Haggai Kaspi Dr. Yoav Life Sciences Biological Chemistry Soen

Guy E. Katz Professor Chemical Environmental Brian Sciences Sciences and Energy Berkowitz Research

Amir Kedan Professor Life Sciences Molecular Cell Sima Lev Biology

Shai Kinast Professor Nir Physical Physics of Complex Davidson Sciences Systems

Yael Klionsky Professor Life Sciences Immunology Yair Reisner

Roman Korobko Professor Chemical Materials and David Cahen Sciences Interfaces

Libby Kosolapov Professor Life Sciences Biological Chemistry Yechiel Shai

Elisha Krieg Dr. Boris Chemical Organic Chemistry Rybtchinski Sciences

Adi Lakritz Dr. Elad Mathematics Neurobiology Schneidman and Computer Science

Etay Lavert-Ofir Professor Igor Chemical Materials and Lubomirsky Sciences Interfaces

Hila Lernau Professor Nir Science Science Teaching Orion Teaching

Doron Levin Dr. Eran Life Sciences Molecular Genetics Hornstein

Sarit Levin Professor Life Sciences Molecular Cell Dov Zipori Biology Feinberg Graduate School 331

Ilan Lewitus Professor Life Sciences Physics of Complex Elisha Moses Systems

Atar Liran Professor Life Sciences Molecular Cell Varda Rotter Biology

Shai Lubliner Dr. Eran Mathematics Computer Science and Segal and Computer Applied Mathematics Science

Daniel Madar Professor Uri Life Sciences Molecular Cell Alon Biology

Sergey Malev Dr. Dmitry Mathematics Mathematics Novikov and Computer Science

Ohad Manor Dr. Eran Mathematics Computer Science and Segal and Computer Applied Mathematics Science

Amir Marcovitz Dr. Koby Chemical Structural Biology Levy Sciences

Shirley Mark Professor Nir Life Sciences Chemical Physics Gov

Galit Marueli Dr. Michael Chemical Organic Chemistry Bendikov Sciences

Maria Professor Life Sciences Biological Regulation Maryanovich Atan Gross

Idan Milo Dr. Guy Life Sciences Immunology Shakhar

Adi Minis Dr. Avraham Life Sciences Biological Chemistry Yaron

Matan Mussel Professor Life Sciences Particle Physics and Ofer Aharony Astrophysics

Michal Professor Life Sciences Structural Biology Nadler-Holly Amnon Horovitz 332 Feinberg Graduate School

Boaz Professor Physical Condensed Matter Nissan-Cohen Yuval Gefen Sciences Physics

Micha Nixon Professor Nir Physical Physics of Complex Davidson Sciences Systems Professor Asher A. Friesem

Elad Noor Professor Uri Life Sciences Molecular Cell Alon Biology

Roni Oren Dr. Eran Life Sciences Molecular Genetics Hornstein

Leon Isaac Peters Professor Dan Chemical Environmental Yakir Sciences Sciences and Energy Research

Dana Rabinovich Professor Life Sciences Molecular Genetics Yosef Shaul

Ronen Rabinovici Professor Nir Physical Physics of Complex Davidson Sciences Systems Professor Asher A. Friesem

Meital Rachamim Professor Chemical Organic Chemistry Milko Erik Sciences Van Der Boom

Diana Rashkovan Dr. Alon Life Sciences Neurobiology Chen

Eliran-Moshe Professor Lea Life Sciences Immunology Reuven Eisenbach

Inna Ricardo-Lax Professor Life Sciences Biological Chemistry Rivka Dikstein

Ayal Ronen Professor Life Sciences Neurobiology Michal Schwartz Feinberg Graduate School 333

Eitan Ronen Professor Nir Physical Physics of Complex Davidson Sciences Systems Professor Asher A. Friesem

Menachem Dr. Boaz Mathematics Computer Science and Rosenfeld Nadler and Computer Applied Mathematics Science

Tal Rousso Professor Life Sciences Molecular Genetics Benny Shilo Dr. Eyal Schejter

Nir Rubin Dr. Dan Oron Physical Physics of Complex Ben-Haim Sciences Systems

Maya Sadovnik Professor Zvi Life Sciences Biological Chemistry Livneh

Aldema Sas-Chen Professor Life Sciences Biological Regulation Yosef Yarden

Osip Schwartz Dr. Dan Oron Physical Physics of Complex Sciences Systems

Lee Sela Professor Life Sciences Neurobiology Noam Sobel

Uri Shabi Dr. Eran Life Sciences Computer Science and Segal Applied Mathematics Professor Ehud Shapiro

Irit Shachrai Professor Uri Life Sciences Molecular Cell Alon Biology

Doron Shafrir Professor Mathematics Mathematics Anthony and Computer Joseph Science

Ephraim Professor Physical Condensed Matter Shahmoon Shimon Levit Sciences Physics

Yael Shellef Professor Life Sciences Organic Chemistry Abraham 334 Feinberg Graduate School

Minsky

Adi Shiloah Dr. Elazar Life Sciences Molecular Genetics Zelzer

Ilit Shlezak Dr. Hezi Chemical Environmental Gildor Sciences Sciences and Energy Research

Nathan Professor Igor Chemical Materials and Suleymanov Lubomirsky Sciences Interfaces

Asaf Tal Professor Joel Physical Physics of Complex Stavans Sciences Systems

Zvi Tamari Professor Life Sciences Molecular Genetics Naama Barkai

Gilad Tauber Professor Physical Physics of Complex Yaron Sciences Systems Silberberg

Sheila Tiomny Dr. Avraham Life Sciences Biological Chemistry Yaron

Shani Trattner Dr. Gil Life Sciences Molecular Cell Levkowitz Biology

Onie Tsabari Professor Ziv Life Sciences Biological Chemistry Reich

Yael Udi Professor Irit Chemical Structural Biology Sagi Sciences

Dina Volodarsky Professor Life Sciences Plant Sciences Robert Fluhr

Ronen Vosk Dr. Ehud Physical Condensed Matter Altman Sciences Physics

Calanit Walzer Professor Chemical Structural Biology Deborah Fass Sciences

Tami Professor Life Sciences Plant Sciences Winitz-Yehezkel Robert Fluhr Feinberg Graduate School 335

Ran Yacoby Professor Physical Particle Physics and Ofer Aharony Sciences Astrophysics

Avihu Yona Professor Life Sciences Molecular Genetics Yitzhak Pilpel

Ido Zak Professor Life Sciences Neurobiology Dov Sagi

Maria Zeldin Professor Mathematics Computer Science and Shimon and Computer Applied Mathematics Ullman Science

Tamar Zil-Bar Professor Life Sciences Molecular Cell Moshe Oren Biology

Prizes for Ph.D. and M.Sc. Students 2009

The John F. Kennedy Prize

Recipients Advisors Department

Haim Beidenkopf Professor Eli Zeldov Condensed Matter Physics

Yael Professor Elior Peles Molecular Cell Biology Eshed-Eisenbach

Sharly Fleischer Professor Yehiam Chemical Physics Prior

R'ada Massarwa Professor Benny Molecular Genetics Shilo Dr. Eyal Schejter

The Elchanan E. Bondi Memorial Prize

Recipients Advisor/s Department

Dmitry Gourevitch Professor Stephen Mathematics Gelbart Professor Joseph Bernstein 336 Feinberg Graduate School

The Dov Elad Memorial Prize

Recipients Advisor/s Department

Amir Karton Professor Gershom Organic Chemistry Martin

The Gad Resheff Memorial Prize

Recipients Advisor/s Department

Ariel Cohen Professor Uri Alon Molecular Cell Biology

The Giora Yoel Yashinski Memorial Prize

Recipients Advisor/s Department

Yael Politi Professor Lia Addadi Structural Biology Professor Steve Weiner

The Daniel Brenner Memorial Prize

Recipients Advisor/s Department

Ronen Gradwohl Professor Omer Computer Science and Reingold Applied Mathematics

The Lady Anne Chain Memorial Prize

Recipients Advisor/s Department

Dana Chuderland Professor Rony Biological Regulation Seger

The Esther Hellinger Memorial Prize

Recipients Advisor/s Department

Dana Moshkovitz Professor Ran Raz Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Feinberg Graduate School 337

The Haim Holtzman Memorial Prize

Recipients Advisor/s Department

Oren Boiman Professor Michal Computer Science and Irani Applied Mathematics

The Menashe Milo Memorial Prize

Recipients Advisor/s Department

Ariel Amir Professor Yuval Condensed Matter Physics Oreg Professor Yoseph Imry

The Dean's Prize for Ph.D. Students

Recipients Advisors Department

Nir Bar-Gill Professor Gershon Physics of Complex Systems Kurizki Professor Nir Davidson

Vasiliy Kantsler Professor Victor Physics of Complex Systems Steinberg

Shulamit Kapon Professor Bat-Sheva Science Teaching Eylon Professor Uri Ganiel

Nicola Maggio Professor Menachem Neurobiology Segal

Vicki Plaks Professor Nava Biological Regulation Dekel Professor Michal Neeman

Guy Ziv Professor Gilad Chemical Physics Haran

The Dean's Prize for M.Sc. Students 338 Feinberg Graduate School

Recipients Advisors Department

Gabriela Adler Professor Yinon Environmental Sciences and Rudich Energy Research

Anat Arzi Professor Noam Neurobiology Sobel

Jonathan Citrin Professor Yitzhak Particle Physics and Maron Astrophysics

Tamar Farfel Becker Professor Tony Biological Chemistry Futerman

Dana Shani Galili Dr. Alon Chen Neurobiology

Talia Harris Professor Hadassa Biological Regulation Degani Professor Lucio Frydman

Ohad Manor Dr. Eran Segal Computer Science and Applied Mathematics

Elad Noor Professor Uri Alon Molecular Cell Biology

Ayal Ronen Professor Michal Neurobiology Schwartz

Eitan Ronen Professor Nir Physics of Complex Systems Davidson Professor Asher A. Friesem

Osip Schwartz Dr. Dan Oron Physics of Complex Systems The Aharon Katzir-Katchalsky Center 339

The Aharon Katzir-Katchalsky Center

Lia Addadi, Director The Dorothy and Patrick Gorman Professor

The Aharon Katzir-Katchalski Center of the Weizmann Institute of Science was established in 1972, following the tragic death of Aharon Katzir-Katchalski at the hands of terrorists. The Center, set up as a living memorial to him, is administered through a Board of Trustees supported by an International Advisory Committee.

The Center promotes activities in physical biology and macromolecular science and in such other areas of science that fall within the wide-ranging interests of Aharon Katzir-Katchalski. The Center furthers international scientific cooperation through the organization of scientific meetings and the exchange of scientists. Of particular concern to the Center is the impact of scientific and technological advances on human society.

The Board of Trustee is presently composed of: L. Addadi, Director (Dean of the Feinberg Graduate School, ex officio); and additional officers of the Weizmann Institute of Science (ex officio): Prof. Daniel Zajfman, President; G. Kober Vice-President for Administration & Finance; B. Geiger, Dean of the Faculty of Biology; and B. Shilo, Dean of the Faculty of Biochemistry. Additional members are: R. Arnon, M. Eisenbach, U.Z. Littauer, Z. Livneh, M. Sela, J.L. Sussman, and I.Z. Steinberg.

The International Advisory Committee is composed of: M. Eigen, Chairperson; A. Engstrom, J, Gross, F. Jacob, E. Kellenberger, J.C. Kendrew, A. Kornberg, D. Koshland, M. Kotani, J. Lederberg, S. Lederberg, F. Oosawa, I. Prigogine, A. Rich, W. Rosenblith, F.O. Schmitt, A.K. Solomon, J. Wyman.

The Director of the Center is the Dean of the Feinberg Graduate School, ex officio. The Dean can appoint an advisory committee which is currently headed by Prof. R. Seger, The administrative coordinator is D. Greenberg

The Aharon Katzir-Katchalski Center has for many years been the recipient of financial support from various Foundations including the B. de Rothschild Fund for the Advancement of Science in Israel. 340 The Aharon Katzir-Katchalsky Center

Activities

The Annual Katzir-Katchalski Conference

These conferences are held annually, alternately in Israel and abroad. To date 25 conferences have been held. The latest were:

2009: 34th Protein Misfolding in the test tube and in disease G. Lederkremer

2009: 33rd From physics to life: an interdisciplinary workshop S. Safran,Israel

2009: 32nd The MIF/CD74 pathway in health and disease I. Shachar,Israel

2007: 31th The Unbearable Complexity of Life A. Azem, N. Nelson

2006: 30th Optical of Biomolecular Dynamics II G. Haran,Israel

2005: 29th Molecular Perspective on Protein-Protein Interactions G. Schreiber,Israel

2004: 28th The COP signalosome, the proteasome and e-IF3 at the interface between signaling and proteolysis M. Glickman, Technion

1999: 27th Cellular Implications or Redox Signaling Chairpersons: C. Gitler, A. Danon

1998: 26th annual meeting "Polymer Based Technology (POC 98) Chairpersons: A. Warshavsky, M. Fridkin The Aharon Katzir-Katchalsky Center 341 1997: 25th annual meeting "From the Dawn of Life to the End of Days" 25th Annual Convention im Memory of Aharon Katzir.

1996: 24th, Bioinformatics-Structure. Chairperson: J. Sussman

1996: 23rd, International Conference on Environmental Impact of Polymeric Material. Chairperson: D. Vofsi

1994: 22nd, Plant Molecular Biology-Biotechnology and Environment, Max-Planck-Institute, Koln, Germany Chairpersons: R. Fluhr, I. Chet (Israel), J. Schell (Germany)

1993: 21st, Applications of Membranes in Industry, Rehovot, Israel Chairperson: O. Kedem, Israel

1992: 20th, In the Crucible of the Scientific Revolution-A Special Symposium Dedicated to Aharon Katzir-Katchalski Twenty Years After His Death Chairpersons: O. Kedem and J. Jortner, Israel

1991: 19th, Plant Bioenergetics and Ion Translocation, Rehovot, Israel Chairperson: Z. Gromet-Elhanan, Israel

1990: 18th, From Receptor to Cell Response-Physiology and Pharmacology, Mario Negri Sud, Italy Chairpersons: D. Corda (Italy) and M. Shinitzky (Israel)

1990: 17th, Molecular Control of Development-Growth Differentiation and Malignancy, Ein Gedi, Israel Chairperson: L. Sachs, Israel

The Annual Katzir-Katchalski Lecture on Biological Foundations and Human Behavior 342 The Aharon Katzir-Katchalsky Center

These lectures, endowed by Mr. S. Stulman of New York, have been held in Rehovot since 1975. To date 19 lectures have been delivered. The latest were:

2008: 27th , Prof. David Baker, (University of Washington, Seattle, Wa.): From prediction of structure to design

2005: 26th, Prof. Roald Hoffmann, (Cornell University, Ithaca, NY): Honesty to the singular object: Some reflections on ethics, narrative, and science.

2004: 25th, Prof. David Baltimore, (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California): The Many Faces of NF-kB

2003: 24rd, Prof. Daniel Kahneman (Princeton University and The Hebrew Univesity of Jerusalem): Intuition and Rationality.

2000: 23rd, Prof. Miroslav Radman (Universite Paris-V, France) Molecular and Population Genetics of Evolution. Fidelity of Biosynthetic Processes: Mechanistic and Medical Aspects.

1998: 22nd, Prof. Judah Folkman (Harvard Medical School) New Directions in Angiogenesis Research. Do Vascular Endothelial Cells Control Organ and Tissue Size?

1997: 21st, Charles Weissmann (University of Zurich) Prion Protein in Health and Disease

1996: 20th, Aaron Klug, F.R.S. (President Royal Society, London) Protein Designs for the Regulaiton of Gene Expression

1994: 19th, Joshua Jortner (President, The Isrel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Te Challenge of the Structure-Function Relation in Photosynthesis.

1993: 18th, Amos Tversky (Stanford University) Rationality of Cognitive Illusion; A New Approach to Subjective Probability

1992: 17th, Daniel E. Koshland (University of California, Berkeley), Transformation of Information Across Membranes in Biological Systems

1992: 16th , Nicole Le Douarin (Coll?ge de France, Paris),The Development of the Nervous System Analyzed in the Avian Model; Alternative Methods for Inducing Immunological Tolerance

1990: 15th, Jean-Pierre Changeux (Institut Pasteur, Paris), Communications in The Aharon Katzir-Katchalsky Center 343 the Nervous System: From Molecules to Cognitive Functions; Molecular Biology of Synapse Development

1989: 14th, George Klein (Karolinska Institute, Stockholm), I:The Neoplastic Microevolution a; II:The Neoplastic Microevolution b; III: The Role of Viral Transformation and Oncogene Activation by Chromosomal Translocation in the Genesis of B-Cell Derived Tumors

1988:13th, Arthur Kornberg (Stanford University, Stanford), Understanding Life as Chemistry; Initiation of DNA Replication at the Origin of the Chromosome

Katzir-Katchalski Travel Grants

Travel grants are provided to graduate students working within the areas of the Center's interests, to facilitate their participation in courses, schools, and workshops abroad. Students from all Israeli institutions of higher learning are eligible.

The program has been in operation since 1976. 45 such grants were awarded in 2009.

Special Activities

The Center assists with the organization of scientific meetings that fall within its scope. The latest were:

2007: 32nd The Unbearable Complexity of Life Chairperson: N. Nelson

2006: 31st Optical Spectroscopy of Biomolecular Dynamics Chairperson: G. Haran, Israel

2006: 30th Life and Death in the Nervous System. Chairperson: M. Fainzilber, Israel

2005: 29th Molecular Perspectives on Protein-Protein Interactions Chairperson: G. Schreiber, Israel 344 The Aharon Katzir-Katchalsky Center 1995: Israeli-Hungarian Conference: Plants and the Environment Chairperson: A. Zamir, Israel

1991: The 13th Edmond de Rothschild School in Molecular Biophysics: Chemotaxis of Cells and Unicellular Organisms Chairperson: M. Eisenbach, Israel

1988: 2nd International Congress of Plant Molecular Biology Chairperson: M. Edelman, Israel

1987: 9th International Biophysics Congress Chaiperson: H. Eisenberg, Israel

http://www.weizmann.ac.il/feinberg/katzir/contentE/index.html The Aharon Katzir-Katchalsky Center 345 346 The Aharon Katzir-Katchalsky Center Dean for Educational Activities

Dean: Israel Bar-Joseph

The Jane and Otto Morningstar Professor of Physics 348 Science Teaching

Science Teaching

Bat Sheva Eylon, Head The Chief Justice Bora Laskin Professor of Science Teaching

The Department is composed of groups working in mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science, earth and environmental sciences, life sciences, and science and technology for junior-high school. In all these areas there are extensive research and development projects, aimed at (1) studying science and mathematics learning and teaching and their development, (2) producing and implementing improved and up-to-date learning and teaching materials that integrate the use of modern technologies, and (3) providing professional development for teachers, all over Israel. Work is based on an underlying philosophy that considers curriculum development and implementation, teacher professional development, research and evaluation as an interrelated and continuous long-term activity. Research studies focus on cognitive, socio-cultural and affective aspects of learning, teaching and learning to teach science and mathematics. The studies use various research methodologies: quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods.

The department operates several programs to promote the life-long learning and professional development of teachers: (1) Three national centers for science teachers (chemistry, physics, and science and technology in junior high school) are specializing in the development of leadership among science teachers and in continuous professional development for science teachers using effective models. (2) A program for students and graduates of the Feinberg Graduate School that grants teaching certificates. (3) A program for training mentor teachers to become guides of beginning teachers in schools.

In the academic year 2008-2009 the department, in collaboration with the scientific departments of the Institute, started the Rothschild-Weizmann Program for Excellence in Science Teaching. The program includes a special MSc program without thesis in science and mathematics teaching of the Feinberg Graduate School for excellent science teachers. The program aims to empower teachers by providing them with unique opportunities to expand their knowledge of science and science teaching and be involved in innovative professional activities. Sixty seven high school teachers are currently enrolled in the program in four disciplines: Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics. The program also operates a track for leading teachers with graduate Science Teaching 349 degrees for development and implementation of innovative field initiatives.

Mathematics Group Ruhama Even, Head

Integrated Mathematics Program (Matematica meshulevet R. Even, A. Friedlander): In response to the introduction of a new junior-high school mathematics curriculum by the Ministry of Education, the group is developing a new comprehensive junior-high school mathematics curriculum program. The program emphasizes problem solving, thinking, and reasoning for all students. It approaches the teaching of mathematics in junior-high schools in a spiral way, making connections among mathematical concepts, topics and domains. The experimental edition of the 7th grade curriculum materials is currently trialed in more than 120 schools (about 13,700 students).

Rehovot Excellence Program (Metzuyanut Rehovot A. Friedlander & R. Even): To address the needs of the most advanced and talented students, the group develops also materials for excellent junior-high school students. The materials include mathematical investigation activities, aiming at deepening and broadening student knowledge of mathematics. The experimental edition of the 7th grade materials is currently trialed in 12 schools.

Professional Development for Teachers (R. Even):

♦ The group works closely with hundreds of teachers all over the country, who experiment the new Integrated Mathematics curriculum program. ♦ To address the challenge of initial education of mathematics and science teachers, the group initiated in 2005 a yearlong program for preparing mentors for first-year math and science teachers. The operation of the program in 2009 was in collaboration with the physics and the chemistry groups. ♦ The group operates the Rothschild-Weizmanns part related to math teachers. ♦ The group continues to provide summer courses for interested teachers at all grade levels. Some courses focus mainly on curriculum enactment; others emphasize teacher professionalism with no specific focus on curriculum enactment. ♦ The group initiates, supports and provides academic counseling to professional development programs and activities conducted by the Davidson Institute for mathematics teachers at all levels.

Question Bank (ma'agar shelot lebagrut A. Arcavi): On the basis of the experience with the Shay Project (devoted to research and development of 350 Science Teaching curriculum materials for students who are not inclined to mathematics at the high school level), the Ministry of Education commissioned the development of a bank of 250 questions/problems aimed for the lowest three levels of the national matriculation exam. These questions have an average of 5 sub-questions each; all of them open ended items. This project also includes writing a rationale for each question, possible alternative student responses (both formal and non-formal), and rubrics to help grading students' solutions.

The learning of mathematics in special populations (T. Mulat & A. Arcavi): This research focuses on students of Ethiopian origin in Israel. Rather than focusing and studying failures in mathematics and its causes, this research investigated many factors that affect and promote success within students of Ethiopian origin who study mathematics at the highest level in high school or at the university. The results are presented in a recently approved Ph.D. Thesis and offer both theoretical contributions to the study of mathematics learning within underprivileged minorities as well as practical implications for teachers and designers of special intervention programs.

The School for Nature and Environment Studies in Tel-Aviv Project (A. Friedlander): This selective "magnet" school was established in 1986. In view of the school's special focus and character, we cater for its needs by developing and experimenting with innovative learning materials and teaching frameworks for the general student population and for the mathematically talented students in particular. At a later stage, the developed materials and models are implemented in other schools and teacher activities as well.

Same Teacher Different Classes: the Interactions among teachers, curricula and classrooms (R. Even): The overarching aim of this research program is to gain insights about the complex interactions among teachers, curriculum and classrooms. To achieve that we compare teaching and learning mathematics in different classes of the same teacher and of different teachers, examining the enacted curricula, the teaching practices, the classroom culture, the mathematics offered to students, etc. The findings provide useful information for the curriculum and teaching development projects of the group.

Physics Group Bat-Sheva Eylon, Head

The group carries out research, development and implementation activities to advance the teaching of physics in grades 7-12. The activities aim to enhance the learning of the basic syllabus by all the students and to provide special programs and activities for excellent and underachieving students. A central objective of the group is the long term professional development of the community of physics teachers in Israel. The Group operates an internet site Science Teaching 351 for students (ALEPH.) http://62.90.118.184//. The Teachers use the site to run activities offered through the teacher site (see below). A group of 16 physics teachers are enrolled in the Rothschild Weizmann MSc program. Another group of 6 teachers participate in the initiative of the PELE project (see below).

The PELE project (B. Eylon & E. Bagno): The goal of this project is the research- based development of a new track towards the physics matriculation that would enable teachers to extend the learning experiences that are available to their students (e.g. a variety of inquiry activities, project-based learning, learning from articles, enriching the learning environments and topics of study). Instead of the standard laboratory exam, these students will be assessed on the basis of a portfolio documenting their activities and the development of inquiry skills. A pilot study of the approach has started this year with a group of about 15 teachers. The study focuses on the teachers' learning and professional development in the process of introducing the new methods into their classrooms.

'Physics and Industry' (B. Eylon): This program is carried out in collaboration with the Electro-Optics industries and the Davidson Institute of Science. It targets excellent and interested physics students in grades 11-12 and is implemented in regional classes directed by R. Arieli and D. Langley. Presently it is implemented also with high-potential students from low socio-economic backgrounds. The program aims to develop theses students' self-efficacy, learning skills and autonomy in learning, and their scientific and technological knowledge and problem-solving skills. A PhD study investigates the learning processes of these students and the attainment of the above mentioned learning goals.

Public scientific lectures in teaching contemporary physics (B. Eylon & U. Ganiel). S. Kapon has completed a PhD researching how practicing physicists, who are acknowledged as excellent public lecturers, explain contemporary topics to the public. She carried out a comparative study of seven exemplary lectures to characterize the explanatory means, and explored ways how to enhance learning of students and teachers from the lectures.

The National Center for Physics Teachers (E. Bagno & B. Eylon). The overarching goal of the Center is to promote the professional development of physics teachers (about 1200 teachers) and to raise the quality of physics learning and teaching in Israeli high schools. Accordingly, the central activities of the Center focus on enhancing physics teachers' knowledge, establishing teacher leadership, maintaining professional interaction among teachers and supporting teachers practice. The Center runs an interactive didactic website for teachers http://62.90.118.237/. The website is used extensively by the teachers, responding continuously to their needs and 352 Science Teaching providing them with on-going support and user-friendly materials for instruction, ready for downloading and editing. The website enables teachers to interact with their colleagues. The Center conducts leadership workshops, publishes a journal for physics teachers, runs an annual conference and a variety of teacher seminars, designs and collects resource materials for the teaching of physics and runs a variety of projects. The Center works closely with the Ministry of Education. It coordinates many of the operations related to physics education in Israel and supports the implementation of national initiatives.

Soft and Messy Matter (E. Yerushalmi, & S. Safran, Dep. of Materials and Interfaces): This project is carried out in collaboration with the Chemistry Group (S. Livne and A. Hofstein). The project involves research-based development of an interdisciplinary two-year program for a mixed group of students, chemistry and physics majors. The program is implemented in the Davidson Institute for Science Education in regional classes. Students participating in the program study basic concepts in statistical thermodynamics that allow them later on to study advanced, interdisciplinary topics such as colloid and interface science, complex fluids, and polymer science and cell mechanics. The project is accompanied by research on students performance in, and perception of, the teaching of a current and interdisciplinary field of research. In addition, we study the learning and understanding of the fundamentals of statistical mechanics by high school students.

Web-based diagnostic modules (E. Yerushalmi, E. Bagno): Research-based development of web-administered activities in electromagnetism. The activities present students with common mistakes representing widespread alternative conceptions. The activities are intended to refine students' conceptual understanding through guiding them in analyzing the mistakes. The research focuses on the effect of resources provided along the activity on students' reconstruction of conceptual understanding.

Promoting reflective habits of mind in the Physics classroom (E. Yerushalmi)

♦ Professional Development of Teachers in the Arab sector: This project is carried out in collaboration with R. Safadi from the Arabic College for Education and involves development and implementation of professional development programs intended to advance students' learning and problem solving skills in high school physics. In the yearlong, practice based, programs participants experience as students, try out in their classrooms and reflect on activities intended to develop the above skills. Accompanying research focus on teachers understanding of and attitudes towards the activities they try out in their classrooms. The results of this research inform the design of follow-up in-service and pre-service programs. Science Teaching 353 ♦ Students' self diagnosis practices: This project is carried out in collaboration with R. Safadi, and the physics department in the University of Pittsburgh. The goal of this project is to study the learning outcomes and processes associated with several alternative self-diagnosis tasks that vary in the scaffolding students receive. "Self-diagnosis tasks" are tasks in which students are required to present a diagnosis (namely, identifying where they went wrong, and explaining the nature of the mistakes) as part of the activity of reviewing their problem solutions. We study how well do students' self-diagnose and correct their solutions in the different tasks, and what is the effect of students' self-diagnosis in the different tasks on subsequent problem solving. ♦ Instructors' perceptions of learning and teaching problem solving. This project is carried out with collaborators at Michigan State, University of Minnesota and University of Pittsburgh. The goal of the project is to study instructors' considerations in grading problem solutions', and in designing problems and solutions for their students. We focus on three groups of instructors - university physics faculty members, teaching assistants and high school Physics teachers. The results will inform dissemination efforts of research based instructional strategies and materials focused on problem solving.

Chemistry Group Avi Hofstein, Head

Chemistry Curriculum Development, implementation, and research (Rachel Mamlok-Naaman & Avi Hofstein) The Group is engaged in all facets of chemistry curriculum development, implementation and evaluation. In recent years, few textbooks and other learning materials were developed, in order to address the goals of the new chemistry curriculum in Israel. In order to disseminate innovative ideas in chemistry education, the group emphasizes the professional development of chemistry teachers in general and professional development of leading teachers in particular. The group is involved in several research studies focusing on chemical literacy, student understanding of concepts, and learning in the laboratory (development, implementation and assessment of inquiry-based chemistry experiments). In the 2009 academic year we finished a three years long collaborative project with several European nations (titled PARSEL) aiming at popularization of science and in making science more relevant to the student.

The chemistry group developed a unit for 12th grade students titled "Environmental Chemistry", and continued the process of professional development for its implementation. The practical work related to 354 Science Teaching this module is conducted in collaboration with the NECHMAD project at the Davidson Center for Science Education.

Throughout the academic year the chemistry group initiated several programs for chemistry teachers with the goal in mind to enhance their content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge.

The Chemistry Group undertook conducted several Action Research workshops with teachers, in order to gain greater insight regarding the implementation of the chemistry curriculum and to learn more about the practice of chemistry teachers in their classrooms. In addition, the Chemistry Group has developed and implemented methods for assessing student achievements and progress in about 100 schools.

Longitudinal study regarding the teaching and learning of the concept of energy (Yael Shwartz) A longitudinal research study started during the 2009 academic year with the goal in mind to investigate students' understanding of the multi-disciplinary facets of energy, and the development of coherent view regarding key ideas.

Questionning behaviour of high school chemistry students (Ron Blonder & Avi Hofstein) The main goal of this research is to determine how the Inquiry Chemistry Laboratories program affects the questioning behavior of different populations. The research is conducted simultaneously at different sectors in Israel: Arabic, Hebrew (religious), and Hebrew (secular) in order to identify the scientific thinking characteristics in the classes and the students' questioning behavior.

The Chemistry Teachers National Center (Rachel Mamlok-Naaman & Avi Hofstein) Since September 2009, the Chemistry Group resumed coordinating the National Center for Chemistry Teachers. The main goals of this center are: (1) Enhancing the content knowledge, (2) enhancing the pedagogical content knowledge creating leadership among chemistry teachers, and (3) establishing a core of chemistry teachers regarding the enhancement of new and more advanced chemistry topics. The main activities focus on: (1) Conducting leadership workshops for chemistry teachers, (2) maintaining a journal for chemistry teachers, (organizing meetings and conferences, and (3) running an interactive website.

Link Center with the chemical industry in Israel (Miri Kener & Avi Hofstein) The main goal of this Center is to provide instructional materials related to the applications of chemistry to industries. These materials include films and booklets that help in the planning and conducting of educational field trips to Science Teaching 355 industrial sites in Israel. The Center operates a website containing a collection of pedagogical ideas and teaching materials relating the chemistry taught in school to industrial and everyday life applications in order to make chemistry more relevant to students.

In 2008-9 the center in collaboration with ICL industries initiated a project called "Chemistry, Industry and Environment in the Eyes of the Society and Individuals" This project include several competitions amongst high school students, including: research projects, posters, articles, short video films, and also quiz questions on the web. All these, aiming at motivating students to learn chemistry and demonstrating the relevance of high school chemistry to daily life. Altogether about three hundreds students from 25 schools from all regions of the country participated this year in the project. The final event was a conference in the Davidson Center in which 110 students participated (the finalists).

Weizmann-Rothschild Chemistry project (Rachel Mamlok Naaman, Ron Blonder, Yael Schwartz, and Avi Hofstein) In addition to the general description regarding the Weizmann-Rothschild project we choose to highlight two unique initiatives based on collaborative efforts between members of the faculty of chemistry and the department of Science Teaching. The first is a three stage model to enhance the chemistry teachers' advanced chemistry content knowledge and its related pedagogical content knowledge (e.g. organic chemistry and protein chemistry). The second initiative is the active involvement of the teachers in the topic nano-chemistry and surface chemistry.

Life Sciences Group Anat Yarden, Head

The group's major objective is to establish means to bridge between the dynamics of biological discoveries and the biology that is taught in junior- and senior-high schools in Israel. Towards this objective the group developed a concept, which was adopted nation wide, to learn biology using scientific research articles that were adapted to the knowledge level of high-school biology students. During this year we were able to show that learning biology using primary literature enabled the emergence of authentic scientific practices among the high school students. We found that despite claims of comprehension difficulty students were able to coordinate between elements belonging to different epistemic status or context, i.e. theory, data, experimental stages, biotechnological applications and text.

Another approach we took towards our major objective involves the use of bioinformatics tools, which are extensively employed by molecular biologists, for teaching and learning genetics within the high school biology majors 356 Science Teaching program in Israel. During the last year we were able to show that while students participate in the simulation of an authentic genetics research and use the bioinformatics tools provided within a learning environment, they expand their understanding of the relationships between molecular mechanisms and traits, and refine their understanding of certain genetic concepts. We recently initiated the development of a new learning environment that makes use of bioinformatics tools for high-school biotechnology majors.

In addition, we recently developed and implemented laboratory experiments in molecular biology which enable the introduction of contemporary biology to high school students and teachers. Those laboratory experiments are carried out in a unique setting in which the high school biology teachers themselves teach their own students at the Davidson Institute laboratories, following appropriate professional training. This setting, which we termed Teacher-Led Outreach Laboratories (TLOL), enables both teachers and students to carry out modern molecular biology experiments, which cannot be implemented within the senior high-school laboratories (in collaboration with the Davidson Institute). This effort was expanded recently to allow high-school biotechnology majors to perform inquiry projects, entitled Biotech, that are part of their matriculation evaluation. We collaborated with scientists from the institute, as well as from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in establishing a co-teaching framework together with the Biotechnology teachers to support students inquiry learning (in collaboration with the Davidson Institute). In addition, we examined the unique contribution of animations of biotechnological methods, i.e. the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in promoting conceptual learning among 12th-grade biology majors.

In order to understand the declining interest young people have in pursuing scientific careers, we attempt to probe students scientific interests in general, and their biological interests in particular. Towards this end, we developed a novel methodology to identify students interests - using children's self-generated questions as an indication of their scientific interests. During last year we rigorously analyzed nearly 6,000 science questions collected from five different web-based, TV-based and school-based sources in order to identify profiles of K-12 students interest in science, and how these profiles change with age. A developmental shift in interest from non-classical to classical school science subjects was noted. We also observed an increase in thinking level and a decrease in organization level with age. In addition, we analyzed nearly 79,000 questions sent to an Internet-based Ask-A-Scientist site during the last decade according to the surfers age, gender, country of origin, and the year the question was sent. The sample demonstrated a surprising dominance of female contributions among K-12 students, where offline situations are commonly characterized by males greater interest in science. This female enthusiasm was observed in different countries, and had no correlation to the level of gender equity in those countries. Science Teaching 357

Finally, we recently collaborated with researchers from Rutgers University and jointly designed a sequence for the teaching and learning of modern genetics for grades 5-10. We designed the learning progression in terms of three key aspects of teaching and learning modern genetics: (1) the big ideas in modern genetics, and the knowledge and abilities that students should master by the end of compulsory education; and (2) the progression of learning that students are expected to make over several grades; and (3) the identification of learning performances and development of assessments for the proposed progression.

Earth and Environmental Sciences Group Nir Orion, Head

The Group is involved in curriculum development, implementation and evaluation involving students from kindergarten to high school. The curriculum materials are developed for a variety of learning environments: the laboratory, the outdoors, the computer and the classroom.

Ongoing projects include:

♦ Development of new curriculum materials for the senior high school; ♦ Development of new curriculum materials for junior high school; ♦ Development of new curriculum materials for elementary school; ♦ The introduction of the outdoors as a an integral and central learning environment of the science curricula; ♦ Intervention projects in elementary and junior high schools in order to introduce new strategies, methods and emphasis of teaching the science curricula; ♦ Studying how to develop environmental insights among K-12 students; ♦ Development of practical and effective ways and techniques for using science education as a tool to close social gaps and cultural differences; ♦ Development of practical and effective ways to use the computer as a distance learning tool; ♦ Development of practical and effective ways and techniques to lead changes among teachers;

Computer Science Group Mordechai Ben-Ari, Head

Computer science for middle school students

The main topic of our work this year is on teaching computer science (CS) to young students (middle schools). We are evaluating two programs: Computer Science Unplugged and Scratch. 358 Science Teaching

Computer Science Unplugged is a set of activities for learning about CS. The activities do not require the use of a computer; rather, central concepts of CS are introduced using dramatizations, paper-and-pencil worksheets, and other simple learning aids. The activities are aimed at young students and are intended to show them that CS is much more than installing and running programs on a computer. It is hoped that this exposure will encourage more young people to choose to learn CS at the high school and college level. While there is no question that the CS Unplugged activities are a lot of fun, our research is investigating whether participation in the activities will actually change view and attitudes towards CS. The research is being carried out both within middle schools and in extracurricular activities.

Scratch is a programming environment that enables students to construct programs that generate and interact with animated figures. The programming is done visually ("drag and drop" of commands) so that students need not deal with the complex textual syntax of ordinary programming languages. Scratch was developed by the Media Lab at MIT and there is an online community of tens of thousands of developers, many of them young students. Many students use Scratch to develop games and stories, but we are investigating whether it can be used to successfully teach concepts of computer science. We are developing learning materials for this purpose and carrying out research design to test the effectiveness of this approach. The research is being carried out in both Hebrew-language and Arabic-language schools (in East Jerusalem).

Program animation

This year we completed the development of the Jeliot program animation system in collaboration with the University of Joensuu in Finland. Several doctoral theses on Jeliot (at both universities) have also been completed. We are looking into integrating Jeliot (and other similar visualization systems for teaching CS) into larger frameworks such as course management systems.

Teaching advanced topics

We are investigating difficulties in learning the advanced CS concept of nondeterminism, where programs do not specify the order of execution of commands or allow the commands to be executed in parallel. We believe that showing students how nondeterminism arises in many different contexts in CS will facilitate learning the concept.

We have developed software tools for learning concurrent and distributed computation. Our most recent work is focused on model checking, an advanced method for verifying the correctness of programs that we believe can Science Teaching 359 be adapted for teaching high school and undergraduate students.

Science and Technology in Junior-High School Group Bat-Sheva Eylon, Head

The National Teacher Center for Science and Technology in JHS. (Z. Scherz & B. Eylon): This center addresses all the relevant teachers (~4500) in the country, supports the regional teacher frameworks, and educates teacher leaders. It is an interdisciplinary center and relates to the main science education disciplines. The Center runs a web site, publishes a teacher journal, runs an annual conference for about 500 teachers, publishes various guides for leader teachers and teachers, and coordinates activities for supporting national initiatives and reforms for the teachers. In 2009 the leadership courses as well as our design projects focused on initiatives to develop interface units which integrate learning and inquiry skills with scientific content.

The following are some additional activities that were carried out in 2009:

The Fifth annual Ilan Ramon Olympiad: This annual science competition for JHS classes is carried out through the Center's website and culminates with a conference in which the winning students present their projects. The competition is carried out in collaboration with the Davidson Institute of Science Education. In 2009, 1500 students from 160 Hebrew and Arabic schools participated in the Olympiad.

Promoters of Excellence in JH S (B. Eylon & Z. Scherz) : This initiative is run in collaboration with the Society for Excellence through Education (SEE), and the Davidson Institute of Science Education. It is concerned with the development of a new function in schools - "an excellence promoter" responsible for leading the activities concerned with advancing excellent students and school excellence. In 2008-9, a 3rd course for Science promoters started as well as a 1st course for Mathematics promoters.

LSS - Learning Skills for Science Program (Z. Scherz & B. Eylon): The program for grades 14-16 has been adopted and farther developed for the British educational system as part of their "Science for the Scientists" and "Science for the Citizens" curriculum. It is published as collaboration between Weizmann Institute, SEP (Science Educational Program) and Nuffield Curriculum and has been implemented in about 3000 schools in Britain, as well as Northern Ireland and Singapore with our involvement in training the leading teachers and in the evaluation of the program. A new advanced LSS program was developed for the Post 16 level. This program aims at four scientific disciplines: Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Applied sciences and initiated a new wave of teacher development and 360 Science Teaching dissemination.

Interdisciplinary Science Group David Fortus, Head

The interdisciplinary science education group, which brings together faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and consultants with a range of scientific and pedagogical backgrounds, studies: A) the environmental factors that influence adolescents' motivation to engage in science learning in and outside of schools, B) novel ways of representing individuals science knowledge on a given topic and its development across time, facilitating the development of learning progressions, C) the development of scientific practices and core scientific ideas that are fundamental across all scientific disciplines, D) coordination of curriculum across the scientific disciplines, and E) the costs and benefits of introducing abstract scientific ideas to young students. Most of the groups research is focuses on middle school students, but there are also some projects involving elementary and high school students.

CMLeS Continuing Motivation to Learn Science - Multiple studies have documented that student motivation and goal orientation towards mastering science learning declines as they grow older, especially during the transition from elementary to middle school. Possible reasons for this decline have been suggested, but they have not been tested nor compared to evaluate their relative influence. The CMLeS project (Continuing Motivation to Learn Science) investigates the relation between various environmental factors and the development of students motivation and goal orientation as they progress from 5th to 8th grade. It focuses in particular on differences between traditional and democratic schools, teaching styles, peer and parent influence, and differences between in-school and after-school engagement in science learning.

ReKoTa Representing Knowledge Trajectories Using a knowledge-in-pieces perspective, we have developed a computer-based graphical method for representing the development of students knowledge of concepts on a given scientific topic. This representation facilitates quick diagnosis of weaknesses and strengths in students understanding, identification of concepts that are not taught and assessed properly, and comparison of different pedagogical approaches. It is being tested with high school chemistry majors on chemical bonding.

MoDeLS - Modeling Designs for Learning Science is an NSF-funded project which aims to develop a learning progression for scientific modeling, explore its implementation in elementary and middle school, examine students developing knowledge and practices, and investigate how to support Science Teaching 361 teacher learning about modeling, so they can be more effective in teaching this practice. The project brings together researchers from Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, Weizmann Institute of Science, Michigan State University, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and Project 2061 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

IQWST - Investigating and Questioning the World through Science and Technology - is an NSF-funded project which aims to develop the next generation of inquiry-based science curricula for middle schools. The curriculum will include 12 units, 4 in each year, 3 in each of the following disciplines: physics, chemistry, life science, and earth science. The project brings together educators, scientists, psychologists, and literacy experts from Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, Northwestern University, University of Illinois at Campaign-Urbana, Teachers College at Columbia University, and Project 2061 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

National Teacher Centers

The Department runs National Teacher Centers in mathematics, physics, chemistry, science and technology in junior high school (in collaboration with Tel Aviv University), and computer science (in collaboration with the Technion).

The aim of the Centers is to provide a framework to support teacher development. The main activities include:

♦ Education and advancement of professional leadership of teachers. ♦ Support and counseling to regional professional development programs. ♦ Development of a professional teacher community. ♦ Providing of resource databases. ♦ Research and evaluation. http://stwww.weizmann.ac.il/menu/ 362 Science Teaching Research Staff, Visitors and Students

Professors

Bat Sheva Eylon, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, United States The Chief Justice Bora Laskin Professor of Science Teaching Avi Hofstein, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (on extension of service)

Professors Emeriti

Maxim Bruckheimer, Ph.D., Southampton University Uri Ganiel, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Associate Professors

Abraham Arcavi, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel The Lester B. Pearson Professor Mordechai Ben-Ari, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Ruhama Even, Ph.D., Michigan State University, East Lansing, United States The Rudy Bruner Professor of Science Teaching Nir Orion, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Anat Yarden, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Incumbent of the Helena Rubinstein Career Development Chair (until September 2009)

Senior Scientists

Michal Armoni, Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel David Fortus, Ph.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States Yael Shwartz, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Edit Yerushalmi, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Senior Staff Scientists

Esther Bagno, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Alex Friedlander, Ph.D., Michigan State University, East Lansing, United States Rachel Mamlok-Naaman, Ph.D., Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel Zahava Scherz, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Assistant Staff Scientist

Ron Blonder, Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Science Teaching 363 Senior Intern

Tami Levy Nahum, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Science Education Staff

Ilana Hopfeld, PhD., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Shelly Livne, PhD., Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot, Israel Naomi Robinson, MA., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel Adi Rosen, MA., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Yetty Varon, MA., Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot, Israel

Consultants

Rachel Cohen, Ministry of Education Rina Hershkovitz Ornit Spektor-Levi, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel (left August 2009) Naomi Taizi Nurit Zehavi

Visiting Scientists

Uri Hershberg Eilks Ingo, University of Bremen, Germany Roth Jesse, Yeshiva University Medical School, NY, U.S.A. Michael Savin Rafa Sfadi, The Academic Arab College, Haifa, Israel

Postdoctoral Fellows

Michal Armoni, Ph.D., Tel-Aviv University, Israel Ronit Ben-Bassat Levy, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Adi Ben-David, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Elisheva Cohen, Ph.D., Bar-Ilan University, Israel Yael Furman Shaharabani, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel Eilat Hasson, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Guy Hed, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Yossy Machluf, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Orni Meerbaum-Salant, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel Yael Shwartz, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Research Students

Rahela Alfasi Michal Ayalon Ronit Ben-Bassat Levy Liora Bialer 364 Science Teaching Rachel Cohen Carmit Cohen Ish Shalom Iyad Dkeidek Osnat Eldar Hedda Falk Orna Fallik Hadas Gelbart Zehorit Kapach Shulamit Kapon Dvora Katchevich Elon Langbeheim Daphna Mandler Tiruwork Mulat Menashe Puterkovski Ronit Rozenszajn Awwad Sharaf Michal Stolarsky-Ben Nun Dorit Taitelbaum Dana Vedder-Weiss Hagit Yarden Malka Yayon Administrator

Mali Karni Davidson Institute for Science Education 365

Davidson Institute for Science Education

Prof. Haim Harari, Chairman of the Board

Dr. Ariel Heimann, Director General

The Davidson Institute strives to advance science, mathematics, and technology education in Israel. Its mission expands upon a range of activities conducted over more than 40 years by the Weizmann Institute including Young@Science enrichment programs for youth, the Clore Garden of Science, and the "Perach" mentoring project. Today, all of the Weizmann Institute's science education activities aimed at the general public and Israels school system are administered under the umbrella of the Davidson Institute of Science Education.

The Institute draws heavily on the cooperation of the Weizmann Institute's scientific community. The involvement of scientists and research students in all its programs provides our target audiences with the unique and indispensable experience of interacting with active scientists and their work. In addition, the influence of several Davidson Institute's programs (on the students' and teachers performance in school) is being investigated by Ph.D. students from the Weizmann Institute's Department of Science Teaching.

Over the past year, the Davidson Institute has both expanded its activities and also launched an extensive process of re-organization, merging the once separate educational activities of the Weizmann Institute into one consolidated entity. In the process of the merger, activities shifted from their "parent" unit to a different unit, according to the new rationale described below. Davidson Institute's staff and activities are now divided between two mini-campuses at the Weizmann Institute: the southern campus, the original Davidson Institute, houses most of the Students Activities Unit's and Teachers Professional Development Unit's staff and activities, as well as the Perach national headquarters, while the northern complex houses most of the 'Science for All' Unit's activities, including the Clore Garden of Science.

The Davidson Institute aspires to include a wide spectrum of target groups and activities. Activities are offered to populations ranging from young children to adults, from Israel and from abroad, from the north to the south of the country, from the nearby center and from the periphery, from various religious 366 Davidson Institute for Science Education communities and nationalities (Jews, Christians, Arabs, and Druze), and from those who can pay to those in need of scholarships. Activities range from one-time or short-term activities to multi-year intensive programs; the content ranges from very advanced level to popular science for a non-scientific audience, and is offered in a variety of languages (Hebrew, English, Arabic, and Spanish). Over 100,000 individuals students, teachers and the general public participate in a wide range of activities annually.

The Davidson Institute has considerably broadened its activities during the academic year of 2008-9. A completely new unit, the 'Technology in Education' Unit was established in order to meet the constantly increasing technology challenges on the organizational level. Existing projects have been expanded and some were re-organized according to different target audiences. Programs such as Mapatz, Katom, Astronomy for all, Math-by-Mail, etc. extended the scope of their activities to new audiences and broadened their areas of influence.

'Science for All' Unit "Shoam" 1 Dr. Zvi Paltiel, Head

The newly established "Science for All" Unit builds upon the vast experience in science-education activities for youth and adults accumulated over 30 years by Young@Science which has been offering extracurricular science activities for youth at the Weizmann Institute of Science since the early 1960's. These activities are aimed at promoting the enthusiasm and interest of school students and interested adults in science and scientific thinking. Following reorganization processes, these activities were expanded to include all Davidson Institute's enrichment activities for students and adult audiences interested in science.

Most of the Unit's programs take place at the Davidson Institute's Youth Science Center (named after late Prof. Amos de-Shalit) which includes the Laub International Science Youth Village and laboratories, while others take place at the laboratories and classrooms of the southern mini-campus. The Laub International Science Youth Village, which includes a dormitory facility with 20 units that accommodates up to 80 people, a clubhouse, office, and the village square, offers participants in the summer programs modern accommodations, but also allows multi-day programs for students from all over Israel and abroad. Some of the Unit's programs receive support from the Ministry of Education and from the Ministry of Culture

2009 (September 2008-August 2009) programs offered by the Unit and the number of their participants were as follows: Davidson Institute for Science Education 367 Weekly Science Clubs: After-school courses in chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, computer science, astronomy, aerodynamics and space research (479 students).

Math-by-Mail: A nation-wide project via mail, email and the web aimed at math enthusiasts in 3rd to 10th grade evolved recently into an international correspondence program currently available to 2620 students in Israel, Canada, Mexico and the USA, offered in Hebrew, English, Spanish and Arabic languages.

Science-by-Mail: Math by Mail's "sister program," initiated in 2007, offered in Israel in Hebrew and Arabic to over 225 students.

"Arrow" program for young researchers: A project aimed at nurturing young scientists. Top 10th grade students from all over Israel are accepted to a three year project, starting with an overview of modern science (10th grade) followed by involvement in individual research projects (11th grade) under the supervision of a WIS scientist/graduate student. 181 students in total participated in the program this year.

Sparks of Science: A unique science enrichment program, focusing on reinforcement of curricular math and English, and on individual tutorship for 9th to 12th grade students of Ethiopian origin. The program's main goal is to bring these students to a level which will allow them to be admitted to academic science and engineering education (106 students).

Summer Science Residential Programs in which the participants work in actual research laboratories, two or three in a laboratory with a mentor:

♦ The Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute: A four week summer science program for top pre-college high-school graduates conduct their own research at the Weizmann labs and research groups under the individual supervision of scientists and Feinberg School graduate students (78 students from 18 countries). ♦ Math Camp for youth of Druze minority: A 3 day program for outstanding Druze high-school students from all over Israel, carried out for the first time in 2009 (25 students) ♦ The Amos De-Shalit Summer Science Workshop: Two week research program for top Israeli 11th and 12th grade graduates (17 students). ♦ Science Camp for Underprivileged Pupils - "University Within Reach:" a two week middle school program (28 students). ♦ Zutta Camp: One week mini-project camp for 10th graders of the Young Researcher program (36 students). 368 Davidson Institute for Science Education ♦ Raya Cowan Science Camp: Held in cooperation with the World Ort organization for Jewish high school students from Israel and abroad. During the camp they conduct an individual research project mentored by graduate students (18 students). Competitions in Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics: ♦ Prof. Joseph Gillis Mathematics Olympiad for high school students (44 students). ♦ Junior High School Mathematics Olympiad for middle school in two stages (449 students). ♦ Codeguru: a software and computer science competition in two stage (first at home and then on-campus). It is arranged in conjunction with several organizations including the companies Aladdin and IBM (87 students). ♦ Codeguru Extreme: a computer science team tournament for high school students (17 students). ♦ The Shalhevet Freier Physics Tournament: team competition for 11th and 12th graders, including 48 teams from Australia, Canada, England, Italy, Slovenia, Thailand, USA and Israel (240 students). ♦ Chemistry Tournament: A four month competition, beginning with the early stages in which teams of high school students work at school and at home, and culminating in a two day on-campus event. The first day is devoted to learning modern chemical separation and compound identification instrumentation, followed by the tournament day itself (60 students). Lectures and activities in popular science: ♦ The fifth annual Katzir lecture: A lecture attended in 2009 by 580 high school students from across the country on-campus and broadcasted by remote live web to three different sites in Israel. ♦ The Amos De-Shalit Popular Science Lectures: A series of three lectures by prominent Weizmann Institute scientists open to the public (520 students). ♦ "Science Cafe": An informal framework for discussion that involves a face-to-face conversation with a scientist about current science topics, open to everyone, which take place in casual settings, over a cup of coffee. There were 14 such meetings this year, attended by 970 participants, mostly adults. ♦ Astronomy Club: Six on-campus and two off-campus Astronomy Club meetings and lectures about astronomy and astrophysics, followed by naked eye and telescope star gazing (320 adults and school students). ♦ Researchers Night: A single scientific evening event for general public held simultaneously by universities, science museums and research institutes all across Israel in late September. The event is initiated, funded and coordinated by the European Union and takes place all across Europe. At the Weizmann Institute it comprises of Davidson Institute for Science Education 369 open lab tours, guided visits to the Foucault Pendulum, and the 3D Molecular Theater, and simultaneous on- and off-campus lectures in Rehovot and nearby towns (3500 participants, including attendance at the Clore Garden activities). ♦ "Meetings at the Frontiers of Science" - a series of lectures in popular science, aimed at "science literacy for all" as a life-long learning experience, by introducing the general public to cutting-edge scientific research in a popular manner. The series of 8 lectures each semester (twice a year) are given in several locations: the Davidson Institute campus, the Hemda Science Education center in Tel-Aviv, and two Hi-Tech industry companies: El Op, the electro optic industry and the Israel Aerospace Industry. The 2009 spring semester attracted more than 200 participants for a series of four courses, and a similar number of people are currently participating in the 2009/10 fall semester. ♦ Debates on Issues in Bioethics (in memory of Hanan Bar-On): In 2009 three topic evenings dealing with different issues of bioethics were carried out, drawing an audience of around 600 participants. These discussions brought together two or three leading experts who presented different perspectives on bioethics, followed by a panel discussion with audience comments and active participation Foreign programs and delegations: ♦ London International Youth Science Forum: A delegation of four high school students attended this annual science camp in London along with more than 250 from over 50 countries. ♦ Space Camp Turkey: Twenty eight middle school students from schools all over Israel attended in one of our three delegations to the one week program at the SCT near Izmir, Turkey. Four of them won the Ilan Ramon Space Competition organized by the National Middle School Science Teachers Center. ♦ Stockholm International Youth Science Forum is a one week symposium of selected high school graduates, held in conjunction with the Nobel Prize ceremonies. One student participated in this forum in December 2009. Other science camps abroad

attended by Israeli high-school students, delegated by the Institute:

◊ PI camp at Petnica Science Center, Serbia (2 students) ◊ NYEX at XLAB Güttingen in Germany (1 student) ◊ RSI at MIT, Cambridge Massachusetts (1 student) ◊ Asia Science Camp in Japan (5 students) The Clore Garden of Science

Established in 1998, the Clore Garden is an open-air science museum, unique among science museums as its entire collection of exhibits is displayed 370 Davidson Institute for Science Education outdoors. Ever since its establishment, the garden has been a center for innovation and inspiration to science museums all over the world. Clore Garden aspires to familiarize its visitors, students, families and the general public by its one-of-a-kind exhibits, which demonstrate various principles in physics.

In the course of 2008-2009 school years, a total of 35,800 visitors toured the Clore Garden of Science. Of them, around 31,000 were students (most of them visiting with their classes), and around 4,750 were adults (visiting in group or individual frameworks). Here are the various programs and activities they attended in their visits to the Garden:

♦ Educational programs: The Garden offers many different educational programs: "Sensing our Senses," "Waves," "Solar Energy and Optics", "Balancing Act", "Discovering the Garden," "Water, Water Everywhere," "Something Electric," "Why the Sun," "Come for a Spin," "Connections in Math," "A Taste of Science," etc. ♦ Special summer program in astronomy and star-gazing: During the summer vacation of 2009, the Clore Garden of Science's special evening activities focused on stars and astronomy. Activities included, "Making a Sundial" and learning how it works, guided moon and star gazing, demonstrations and exhibitions. 4500 participants took part in these activities during August 2009. ♦ Ecology program in the EcoSphere: A series of four meetings over the year, in which the students explore, design and build their own experimental systems. Each group of students focuses on a different Ecological topic such as - compost, light and growth, biodiversity and more. The experimental systems are composed of a few ongoing experiments utilizing the resources and unique conditions of the EcoSphere and the changes in the environment. ♦ Sukkoth 2009: during Sukkoth vacation (October 2009), Clore Garden performed festive activities focused on copper and other metals. The activities included a unique copper-art exhibition, demonstrations on chemical and physical characteristics of copper and other metals, as well as related activity in Ecosphere. Around 1760 visitors participated in these activities. Teachers' Professional Development Unit - Hatmada2 Dr. Zahava Scherz, Head

The Unit promotes and nurtures professional development of teachers throughout the various phases of their career in fields of science, technology and mathematics teaching (k-12) by advancing their continuous professional development, new pedagogical strategies and by creating an active and welcoming "home" for teachers (professional training, enrichment, counseling and guidance). The Unit's activities are coordinated and recognized by the Davidson Institute for Science Education 371 Israeli Ministry of Education.

The Teachers' Professional Development Unit plans and conducts following programs:

♦ Continuous professional development programs for teachers (long and short term courses and workshops) A variety of in-service training courses for teachers are conducted in order to encourage successful implementation of curricular materials, integration of innovative teaching methods and learning strategies, and enrichment of the learning environments. In addition to workshops, conferences, and one-day meetings, we also offer a wide range of annual and summer teacher courses. During the school year 2008-9 around 52 in-service training courses were offered, in which more than 2000 teachers participated. Towards the school year 2009-10 the Davidson Institute created a special effort to support a national reform in Science and Technology in Junior High Schools (JHS) in Israel. As part of this effort the teacher unit supports 17-30 hours teacher courses in 3 main districts in Israel (for about 550 teachers). The teacher-courses take place at the Davidson Institute of Science Education campus as well as in regional science centers around of the country. ♦ Professional development for leading Mathematics teachers As part of a new reform in Math education for the JHS level, we were asked to design and to implement a program for leading Math teachers in the central district of Israel. The program offers (a) a 30-hours course for leading Math teachers (b) a 30-hours support program for the leading teachers, scaffolding them in their in-school math guidance duties and (c) a 30-hours course for development of new leading Math teachers. Altogether we support about 30 leading Math teachers who aim to work with about 400-500 Math teachers in the central district. ♦ In-school programs for advanced science classes Our unit specializes in tailoring unique programs for schools who want to offer special science classes for excellent or science oriented students. The programs support the teachers in the design and the implementation of special programs, through workshops and individual meetings with relevant teachers in the school. In the years 2008-09 we designed special programs for 4 schools: 3 science oriented primary schools and one environmental school. ♦ A program for developing promoters for excellence in science and mathematics (for JHS level) Over the past 5 years we designed and implemented 5 2-years long teacher courses, aimed at developing "promoters of excellence" in science and mathematics for JHS level. This program is carried out in collaboration with the The Israel Center for Excellence through 372 Davidson Institute for Science Education Education. Program graduates have a central role in their school, conducting special programs for excellent students and teaching science and/or Math to outstanding students. ♦ Teachers as developers of state-of-the- art computerized programs for science and technology teaching on JHS level Technology should have a central role in designing new teaching and learning environments. We initiated a pioneering program that aims to develop prototypes of special uses of computerized applications to support science teaching/learning. All applications are developed by a team of 3 JHS science teachers with computing background, and several Davidson Institute's staff members. The program benefits from the Davidson/Weizmann pedagogical and professional experience in curriculum development and integrates cutting-edge educational technologies (e.g. electronic smart-boards, computerized environments, animations and video clips). The educational applications are experimentally implemented in the developers' classes, and will later be disseminated through teacher workshops to other schools. ♦ International leading science teacher program The program utilizes the experience and expertise of the Davidson Institute in the area of professional development of teachers in order to promote science education towards excellence on an international level. In this framework, international seminars for leading science teachers from Israel and abroad are conducted annually, sponsored by the Schwartz family from Phoenix, Arizona. The 2009 international program for leading teachers included two main components: a. An 8-day international summer seminar for leading science teachers (in Rehovot, Israel). The 2009 summer seminar hosted 19 participants, and for the first time, teachers from Brazil and Australia joined teachers from North America, Europe, and Israel. Planned participation of several teachers was cancelled in last moment due to H1N1 virus international alert. b. A two-day advanced workshop for Schwartz seminar graduates (in NY and Rehovot). The graduate meeting was implemented as a part of the program's sprouting, following participants' request for advanced activities and growing need for interaction between our graduates. The meeting was conducted in two parallel locations simultaneously, in order to allow for the participation of Israeli teachers who were unable to travel overseas. 20 teachers (from within USA, Canada and Germany) participated in the 2 day meeting in NY, while 8 teachers came to the Davidson Institute for a one-day meeting. Future plans include a fifth International Seminar in the summer of 2010, but also a possible expansion of the program to other fields of science (mathematics and computer science), additional school levels (junior high school), and additional countries. Davidson Institute for Science Education 373 Students Activities' Unit - Telem3 Dr. Yehuda Ben-Hur, Head

The Unit nurtures and advances the scientific and technological education in the formal education system as well as in chosen informal frameworks, focusing on the student as the main part of the educational cycle. The unit plans, organizes and performs various programs for classes and individual students, for each grade and on every level. Our programs address at the same time excellent, outstanding students interested in science and technology, as well as students with unaccomplished potential or with low achievements, and those who already dropped out of the formal education system. The unit includes the following programs:

♦ SHLAV The improvement of Mathematic studies for 10th-12th graders ♦ Science programs for classes Scientific activities (including laboratory research activities) for K-12 students in class framework ♦ Katom Integrating laptop computers into educational activities ♦ Mapaz Science Education activities for youth at risk and for underachieving students ♦ The School of Contemporary Science multi disciplinary, unique programs in science for gifted and excellent students "SHLAV"4 : A program for the Advancement of Low Achievers in Mathematics The SHLAV program for advancing low achievers in mathematics at the secondary school level aims at increasing the number of at-risk students who pass the Matriculation exam in mathematics. The program seeks to promote equity in the mathematical education offered to Israeli students by improving the quality of mathematics teaching in low-track mathematics classes, especially in the peripheral and low-income areas of Israel. The program, started in 2004, shifted in 2007-8 from its pilot phase to an extended mode of implementation. In the 2008-9 academic year the program was active in 16 schools spread all over Israel, including schools from the Arab and Druze sectors.

Science Programs for Classes Following reorganization processes, Science Days for students carried by the 'Science for All' Unit, which in previous years included programs such as Adventures in Science, Morning One-day Courses for junior high-school classes and scientific activities for elementary and JHS students carried out by Science Mobile, and the Nechmad5 activities (Advanced Inquiry Laboratories) were all united under a new program named "Science Programs for classes". The "Science Mobile" is a large van, equipped with scientific exhibits and educational aids. It carries instructors and their programs to outlying schools, in order to convey the excitement of scientific discovery to the students and 374 Davidson Institute for Science Education teachers in 4th -9th grades. In 2009, the Science Mobile reached around 6600 students in 200 classes all over the country.

The "Science Programs for Classes" program introduces topics from the frontiers of science to classes (grades k-12) within single or multi-day frameworks. It was established to stimulate students curiosity and challenge their scientific thinking through advanced inquiry experiments conducted by teachers and students, using state-of-the art laboratory equipment. The program encompasses activities in chemistry, physics, biology, biotechnology and environmental science. The framework includes:

♦ Advanced inquiry lab experiments lead by students school science teachers ♦ Scientific lectures given by Davidson Institutes staff, or by Weizmann Institutes scientists ♦ Visits to scientists labs ♦ Visit to the Clore Garden of Science ♦ Visit to the Weizmann House In the 2008/9 school year the program was attended by 750 classes, bringing 19,500 students from all over Israel to the Davidson Institutes laboratories.

"KATOM"6 - Preparing the teachers and students for education in the digital era by integrating laptop computers into class educational activities KATOM is an educational program whose goal is to promote and pave the road to more advanced and updated learning and teaching methods by integrating laptop computers (or any other future technical appliance) into class activities. The program is focused on the concept of providing school students and their teachers with laptops as tools that enhance and enrich their learning experience.

Based on the experience of recent years, establishing the 'KATOM community' with main focus in supporting teachers along the process is essential. Special emphasis is placed on a teachers' development program, focusing on the new educational process and the changes it requires from all parties involved - teachers, students, parents and the local authorities. In addition, the program supports a special purpose website to facilitate the KATOM community to promote collaboration.

In order to study the effects of this intervention, an evaluation process is being applied as an essential part of the experiment, thus enabling appropriate adjustments based on on-line data collection analysis. In 2009 school-year, KATOM program has significantly expanded its activities, by adding more than 500 students, 100 teachers and 18 new classes to the laptop learning and teaching community. It is currently being implemented in 15 schools in 10 Davidson Institute for Science Education 375 municipalities, with new participants from Kfar Vradim, Kiriat Ata (two schools) and Yoqneam, expansion of the program in Rosh HaAyin and with the first entry into an Arab school in the city of Taibe. The Katom community currently includes 1100 school students and 180 teachers.

The School of Contemporary Science

The School, operating within the formal educational system, attempts to assist outstanding students interested in expanding their knowledge beyond the level taught at school, by discovering the latest advancements and developments in science and technology. Meeting the highest standards, the school offers interdisciplinary courses not addressed within the regular school system, taught by a highly professional staff of the Davidson Institute, in strong collaboration with the WIS Department of Science Teaching, and, in some cases, in collaboration with outside organizations such as Hemda Science Center in Tel Aviv and El-Op Industries.

The courses are carried out in the framework of regional classes. Depending on the particular course, students are usually eligible for academic credit towards the matriculation exams. In 2009, the School offered seven courses: (1)"MOACH"7 (Computational Science); (2) Physics and Industry; (3) Computer Science, Academia and Industry; (4) Energy and Environment; (5) Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology; (6) Soft Matter Science. In addition, "Avodot Gemer" research projects program, run previously by the 'Science for All' Unit became a part of the school's programs, offering the students the possibility to conduct an individual student research project under the supervision of a WIS scientist or research student. The final project report is submitted to the Ministry of Education as an optional part of the students' matriculation exams. Best research projects are presented in a one-day conference, in eight parallel sessions.

More than 500 students took part in the various courses of the School in the past academic year. Plans for 2009-10 include continuation and expansion of School's spectrum of activities both by offering new courses and by accommodating more students in existing programs.

Science Education Activities for Youth at Risk

Mapatz Hebrew acronym for Young Active Science Groups - program was developed by the Davidson Institute of Science Education in belief that science can be used as a means to promote and develop students. The program operates as a tool to empower students with unfulfilled- potential, to enhance their motivation and help them reach their true abilities. The program is based 376 Davidson Institute for Science Education upon the 'Active Science' approach, using Hands-on Activities" as a tool to empower the students involved, give them a sense of self-efficacy and increase their confidence by developing their social and didactic skills of team work, communication, logical and critical thinking, and investigative skills. Members of the Davidson Institute staff carefully train, support, and guide the instructors, and provide supervision throughout the program season. The program consists of two modules: (1) CAMP8 active science groups- for youth at risk (age 15-17), and; (2) KAMATZ9 young science groups for JHS underachieving students.

♦ "CAMP" module creates science activities for high-school students who have dropped out of the formal educational system. In this framework, 15-18-year-old boys and girls participate in a four-hour science course with their social leader once a week for three years. The courses focus on scientific topics intended to attract, challenge and interest the participants, such as "Science and Music," "Science of Toys," "The Environment and Me," "The Art of Measurement," "Astronomy and Space Exploration," and "Light, Color, Shadows and Photography." In the 2008-9 academic year, around 150 boys and girls from the towns of Lod, Rehovot, Rishon-LeZion, Nes-Ziona, Yehud, Ramle , Tamra, Ashdod , Kiryat-Gat take part in the program, carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the National Insurance Institute and the local authorities. ♦ "KAMATZ" module provides science activities for underachieving JHS students (12-14 years old) to prevent them from dropping out in the future. The program is geared at children at the bottom third of their classes, who are underachieving but are not necessarily less talented than their peers. Each group is led by a team of two instructors. KAMATZ program runs currently in the following towns: Kiryat Malachi, Nes Ziona, Sderot, Rishon-LeZion, Hadera and Yerucham. In the course of the past academic year 21 groups (~ 300 students) took part in the program. At the conclusion of the year, the students in both frameworks present their individual and group projects in a "Science Fair" for parents, teachers, and peers. Technology in Education Unit Yitav"10 Dr. Yossi Elran, Head

The TIEU unit was established in June 2009 in order to deal with all technology related projects at the Davidson Institute. The main goal of the unit is to develop, implement and promote the use of novice technologies (in particular web and computer based technologies) in science education. The unit addresses the issue of technology in education in a coherent, coordinated manner, by sending experts in technology implementation into the different educational projects of the Institute. These experts analyze the projects, and suggest and actively implement technological supplements to existing Davidson Institute for Science Education 377 programs. Novice technological programs are also developed in the unit.

♦ In 2009/10 two new major programs were developed by the unit: Adding technology based elements to the new junior-high curricular math school program in Israel. Each unit of the math curriculum is appended with interactive mathematical content. ♦ Developing a science education distant learning course for grade 7 science teachers that include a wide variety of web and computer based components A digital library has been created to accommodate the virtual simulations and learning materials.

The unit also continually developed the existing websites of the Davidson Institute's units, while simultaneously promoting the construction of the new website of the Institute. Maintenance and upgrade of the popular "Davidson Online" web-based interactive science education activity site for students, currently in the stage of assessing and developing novice CMS and LMS applications, was another focus of the unit's activity in this period. This website exposes surfers from all over the country to state-of-the-art science literature, multimedia and interactive activities.

The unit sports a state-of-art applet programming team for adding special purpose multimedia objects to projects. The unit is also in charge of all the organizational ICT.

1"Shoam" is the Hebrew acronym for "Science and Education Oriented" 2"Hatmada" is the Hebrew acronym for "Professional Development for Science Teachers" 3"Telem" is the Hebrew acronym for "Students Learn Science" 4"SHLAV" is an acronym (in Hebrew) for Improvement of Mathematics Learning. "Shlav" also means 'level' in Hebrew. 5"NECHMAD" is an acronym (in Hebrew) for the Inquiry Labs at the Davidson Institute. "NECHMAD" also means 'lovely' in Hebrew 6"KATOM" is an acronym (in Hebrew) for the Computer for Every Class, Student and Teacher. 7"Moach" is an acronym (in Hebrew) for "Computational Science". "Moach" also means 'brain' in Hebrew. 8"CAMP" is an acronym (in Hebrew) for Active Science Community. 9"KAMATZ" is an acronym (in Hebrew) for "Young Science Groups". 10"Yitav" is the Hebrew acronym for Technology in Education". http://davidson.weizmann.ac.il 378 Davidson Institute for Science Education Institute-Wide Centers 380 The Clore Center for Biological Physics

The Clore Center for Biological Physics

Benjamin Geiger, Director (until September 2009) The Professor Erwin Neter Chair of Cell and Tumor Biology

Michal Neeman, Director (from October 2009) The Helen and Morris Mauerberger Chair

The Clore Center for Biological Physics was founded in 2001, with the primary objective of initiating and supporting research activities in the field of biological physics. Under its auspices, biologists, chemists, computer scientists, and physicists work together to explore a variety of fundamental issues in biology, and develop new approaches to address them.

The activities of the Clore Center during the past year were largely driven by our "call for proposals" in 2007, coupled with implementation of the recommendations of the Scientific Academic Advisory Committee, which evaluated the achievements of Weizmann Institute research in the field of "biological physics" (or, more specifically, in the field known as "soft matter physics"). A two-year program, initiated in 2007, provided funds for 14 exciting projects, as well as special support for new Faculty members. In addition, the Clore Center supported scientific meetings and research visits, as well as the "Clore Seminar Series," which has turned out to be a great success. Noteworthy are the strong ties that have developed with the Curie Institute in Paris, with which we recently organized a joint conference. The meeting was outstanding, and stimulated the initiation of several scientific collaborations.

This past year, the Clore Center also continued its traditional support of equipment purchases. We focused on the purchase of essential imaging software. As part of our research support, we elected to support two outstanding new projects. The first involves the proteomic work of Dr. Michal Sharon, a new recruit to the Institute's Department of Biological Chemistry, who is developing new technologies for the analysis of large protein complexes, and implementing these innovations in her work. The second is a joint project of Prof. Itamar Procaccia, a theoretician from the Institute's Department of Chemical Physics, and Dr. Talma Hendler from the Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. Together, they focus on complex network imaging approaches for assessing perturbations to cortical activity in the brain. The Dolfi and Lola Ebner Center for Biomedical Research 381

The Dolfi and Lola Ebner Center for Biomedical Research

Haim Garty, Vice President The Hella and Derrick Kleeman Chair of Biochemistry

The Dolfi and Lola Ebner Center for Biomedical Research promotes forefront research of human diseases at the molecular level. Studies addressing biochemical mechanisms that underlie the major threats to human health, such as cardiovascular defects, cancer and infectious diseases will be supported by the Center. In addition to investment in major instrumentation, individual grants are awarded in two categories:

1. Start-up support - during the first three years after joining the Institute, selected investigators receive support for start-up and seed money, allowing for later applications to external granting agencies. 2. A significant portion of the Center's resources supports research into the development of experimental models of human diseases, such as cancer and autoimmune disorders. Grants are generally based on applications to external grant foundations that have received ratings of very good or better but received insufficient funding to carry out the project. 382 The J & R Center for Scientific Research

The J & R Center for Scientific Research

Haim Garty, Vice President The Hella and Derrick Kleeman Chair of Biochemistry

This Center funds a broad spectrum of research activities as well as the purchase of new instruments. On the order of ten internal grants per year are allocated; in many cases, the grants are leveraged by other funding provided by the individual scientist, Department or Dean. The Kahn Family Research Center for Systems Biology of the Human Cell 383

The Kahn Family Research Center for Systems Biology of the Human Cell

Eytan Domany, Director The Henry J. Leir Professorial Chair

The Center for Systems Biology was launched in 2003. The main emphasis of the Center is to foster high-level research in Systems Biology, a new and exciting area of highly interdisciplinary scientific investigation, based on intensive collaboration between medical researchers, biologists, chemists, physicists, engineers, mathematicians and computer scientists. To understand life at the system level, it is necessary to study biology on all scales, ranging from the molecular , via the cellular all the way to that of the multicellular organism. The research goals supported by the Center are

♦ To elucidate the design principles of biological networks ♦ To create new experimental and computational technologies ♦ To apply these techniques to the study of cancer and other diseases ♦ To devise new methods for modeling network-based biological activity

To help reach these goals, the Center will support purchase of scientific equipment, award research grants, research fellowships, organize and sponsor symposia and meetings, support student participation in conferences abroad and maintain a visitor program aimed at attracting high level researchers to visit the Weizmann Institute for short as well as long durations.

Research Fellowships: Two fellowships, of 10,000$ each, are awarded for Ph D students and post-doctoral Fellows.

Symposia: All Weizmann Faculty are invited to submit proposals for one or two day Symposia on subjects that are relevant to Systems Biology, by email to [email protected]

Seminars: Monthly seminars are held under joint sponsorship of the Center and BigRoc, usually on the last Monday of each month.

Student travel grants: The Center for Systems Biology is awarding travel fellowships for Weizmann students who present papers/posters at conferences abroad. Awards will match funds provided by the student's advisor but will not exceed $500. Advisors who wish to apply for this award should send a letter (hard copy) and email to [email protected] listing the students 384 The Kahn Family Research Center for Systems Biology of the Human Cell name, degree of studies, the subject of his/her research, title of talk, name and date of the conference, an estimate of the travel costs and the source of the travel allocation (which is supplemented by the contribution of the Center).

http://www.weizmann.ac.il/centers/system_biology.html The Health and Sciences Center 385

The Health and Sciences Center

Haim Garty, Vice President The Hella and Derrick Kleeman Chair of Biochemistry

The Health Sciences Center promotes forefront research addressing causes, mechanisms and treatment methods of human diseases and other threats to human health. 386 The Center for New Scientists

The Center for New Scientists

Haim Garty, Vice President The Hella and Derrick Kleeman Chair of Biochemistry

This Center provides startup funding for new scientists. The allocation is provided in conjunction with startup monies granted by the Department and the Dean. Each year, approximately seven new scientists join the Institute and their startup funds cover the costs of laboratory supplies and instruments, postdocs, graduate students and other personnel during their first three years at the Institute. During that period, the new scientists are encouraged to apply to external grant agencies for their future research support. The Jeanne and Joseph Nissim Foundation for Life Sciences Research 387

The Jeanne and Joseph Nissim Foundation for Life Sciences Research

Haim Garty, Vice President The Hella and Derrick Kleeman Chair of Biochemistry

The Nissim Foundation for Life Sciences Research was established in 2006. Its purpose is to support innovative initiatives that are deemed by the Institute's management to be at the cutting edge of biomedical science, and where philanthropic support can make an essential contribution. Funds will be directed toward recruitment of new scientists, purchase of scientific equipment, refurbishment or upgrade of laboratories, research grants, graduate student scholarships, or any other relevant investment in the support and advancement of science at the Institute. 388 The Center for Scientific Excellence

The Center for Scientific Excellence

Haim Garty, Vice President The Hella and Derrick Kleeman Chair of Biochemistry

This Center supports activities at the Institute in all areas of research, on the basis of scientific excellence and needs. Scientists can apply for interim support by the Center for bridging funds or support of special programs. In addition, the Center supports research equipment and startup funds for new scientists. The Mary and Tom Beck Canadian Center for Alternative Energy Research 389

The Mary and Tom Beck Canadian Center for Alternative Energy Research

David Cahen, Director The Rowland and Sylvia Schaefer Chair in Energy Research

The Center started operation in 2008, with as purpose support for research by Weizmann scientists in Alternative Energy. It constitutes a major pillar of the institutes Alternative, sustainable energy research Initiative (AERI). Information on the mode of activities can be found on AERIs homepage, http://www.weizmann.ac.il/AERI and are given also below.

In terms of direct support for research, AERI issues calls for proposals once a year via the Research Grants and Projects office, http://www.weizmann.ac.il/RGP, where details can be found.

The Need for Alternatives to Present Energy Resources:

Life in modern society is fueled by relatively cheap, high density and readily available energy sources. Without such sources, the industrialized world would be unable to provide the power to maintain its standard of living. To be able to leave the next generations a safer and healthier world, this generation needs to assure them of the needed energy resources, both instantaneously available (electricity) and stored ones (fuel).

The main questions that arise are:

♦ Reduced carbon (fossil fuel) is one of scarcest natural resources that we have, if viewed as a "mineral" resource. Does the earth have enough fossil fuels to fulfill the growing energy demand, both with respect to total energy and in terms of the rate at which the energy is generated, at least to carry us over to the period where we will be able to manage without fossil fuels? ♦ The most abundant fossil fuel resource is coal. Therefore, if the answer to the first questions is yes, we should look at coal as one of the intermediate paths to carry us to the stage where we will be fossil fuel independent. There are also a variety of other reasons, including geopolitics, the value of oil as raw material for plastics, that lead to the need to become oil-(and gas-) independent as soon as possible. All this leads to the question if we can find ways to base a near future energy supply on coal, a fuel that with todays practical technologies, 390 The Mary and Tom Beck Canadian Center for Alternative Energy Research produces some pollutants as well as CO2, a greenhouse gas, and does so even more than oil and gas fossil fuels? ♦ If the answer to the first question is negative, then this leads to the question of how we can limit and ultimately eliminate the effects of the fossil fuel burning rate for life on earth? Clearly this suggest to become independent of fossil fuels, which then begs the question of how we can best prepare viable alternative, sustainable energy resources? The challenge, posed by these questions is of such proportions that it demands a coordinated response from the worlds scientific, technological, government and industrial/financial communities. It is a global challenge that should be met by an integrated approach.

In the long term the solution is the development of energy sources that are Carbon-free or Carbon-neutral (taking from the atmosphere, land and oceans what you put into it, at comparable rates) i.e., renewable and nuclear energy.

Although the amount of non-fossil fuel-based energy that will keep the current balance of nature is a matter of discussion, it appears likely that by 2050 the world will need at least another 20 Terawatts of power (a terawatt, TW, is 1000 gigawatts, GW; the Hadera power station complex has a capacity of 1.4 GW). 20 TW is more than the energy consumption of the whole world today. To produce 20 new TW in a sustainable manner by 2050, the basic science on which the solutions will be based must become available by about 2020 to allow manufacturing and installation by 2050, after the normal applied scientific and then technological development stages.

The first challenge is to bridge the period till 2050, something that will require mostly building on the basic scientific knowledge that is available today (evolutions in science).

The second challenge, and one particularly well-suited for the Weizmann Institute's main mission, fundamental scientific research, is to explore ways to introduce clean energy sources. The obvious ones are solar (which also includes biomass, wind, hydroelectric), nuclear and geothermal. Any solution is very likely to involve all these and other options. However, as things stand now it would appear that only solar and nuclear have the potential to reach 20 TW within the next 30-40 years.

For example, the practically realizable potential of solar energy has been estimated at 600 TW with no inherent or clearly manageable environmental concerns. However, without new ideas to effectively utilize this source, we will not be able to get even close to this.

To arrive at such new ideas suggests, in addition to the above-mentioned evolutions, the need for revolutions. AERI and its sources try to help pave the The Mary and Tom Beck Canadian Center for Alternative Energy Research 391 way, to facilitate such (r)evolutions to occur, by educating, stimulating and funding Weizmann scientists to work towards the above-stated long-range goals. http://www.weizmann.ac.il/acadaff/centers/Back_Canadian_Center.pdf 392 The Yeda-Sela (YeS) Center for Basic Research

The Yeda-Sela (YeS) Center for Basic Research

Haim Garty, Vice President The Hella and Derrick Kleeman Chair of Biochemistry

The YeS Center for basic research was established by a generous gift of Prof. Michael Sela and royalty income received from Yeda R&D Ltd. The YeS Center aims to support basic research projects in all areas of the exact and natural sciences which are less appealing to many of the problem oriented funding sources available to Weizmann scientists. This is in recognition of the fundamental importance of basic, curiosity driven research and the lack of adequate support to research projects with no practical goals. The Yeda-Sela (YeS) Center for Basic Research 393 394 The Yeda-Sela (YeS) Center for Basic Research Directorate for Research and Academic Affairs

Head: Boaz Avron

Academic Secretary 396 Directorate for Research and Academic Affairs

Directorate for Research and Academic Affairs

Boaz Avron Academic Secretary and Head, Directorate for Research and Academic Affairs

The Directorate for Research and Academic Affairs includes:

♦ The Academic Affairs Office ♦ The Research Grants and Projects Office The head of the Directorate is directly subordinated to the President and carries the overall responsibility for the proper functioning and administration of the Offices included in the Directorate. Academic Affairs Office 397 Academic Affairs Office

Esti Krieger, Head

The Academic Affairs Office assists the Academic Secretary in the performance of his duties.

The Offices principle responsibilities include the administration and follow-up of the:

1. Appointments and Promotions Committees of (i) the Life Sciences Faculties (ii) the Scientific Council (dealing with both non-tenured scientific personnel as well as Staff Scientists) , and (iii) the Council of Professors (dealing with scientific personnel tenured appointments and promotions to the ranks of Associate Professor and Professor as well as appointments and promotions to the rank of Senior Research Fellows). 2. Administration of appointments of Deans, Department heads, Institute heads and Center heads and internal academic administrative committees. 3. Appointments of external academic consultants, interns and senior interns. 4. Annual Scientific Academic Advisory Committees (SAAC) reviews. 5. All regulations pertaining to the academic life at the Institute. 6. Scientific Council meetings and meetings of its various Committees. 7. Presidents Advisory Committee meetings. 8. Non tenured academic staff (i.e., scientific personnel as well as staff scientists) appointments and their extensions as relevant, as well as the Staff Scientists Tenure Committee. 9. Academic Grants allocations. 10. Clore (Sir Charles) Prize, Kimmel (Helen and Martin) Prize, Lombroso (Sergio) Award in Cancer Research and the Wolgin Prize for Scientific Excellence. 11. Goldschleger Conference Foundation. 12. Extension of Service Committee. 13. New Immigrants Funding Support. 14. Visiting Professors Programs and Feinberg Foundation Visiting Faculty Program. 15. Summer Students Program. 16. Weizmann Lectures Series. 17. Annual disclosures of Academic Staff. The Academic Affairs Office publishes annually: ♦ Scientific Activities ♦ Current Research Activities 398 Academic Affairs Office Appointments and Promotions

Appointments

To the Rank of Associate Professor Omri Sarig Mathematics

To the Rank of Senior Scientist Michal Armoni Science Teaching Eran Bouchbinder Chemical Physics Anat Levin Computer Science and Applied Mathematics David Margulies Organic Chemistry Yael Shwartz Science Teaching Oren Tal Chemical Physics Karina Yaniv Biological Regulation

To the Rank of Scientist Rafal Klajn Organic Chemistry

To the Rank of Senior Staff Scientist Ruth Maron Immunology

To the Rank of Associate Staff Scientist Evgeny Stambulchik Particle Physics and Astrophysics

To the Rank of Assistant Staff Scientist Ester Feldmesser Biological Services Nancy Gavert Molecular Cell Biology Rahamim Guliamov Chemical Physics Tal Ilani Structural Biology Promotions Academic Affairs Office 399

To the Rank of Professor Ronen Alon Immunology Naama Barkai Molecular Genetics Ed Bayer Biological Chemistry Micha Berkooz Particle Physics and Astrophysics Jeffrey Gerst Molecular Genetics Elior Peles Molecular Cell Biology

To the Rank of Associate Professor Roy Bar-Ziv Materials and Interfaces Nir Gov Chemical Physcis Steffen Jung Immunology Anat Yarden Science Teaching

To the Rank of Senior Research Fellow Amos Arieli Neurobiology Sidney Cohen Chemical Research Support Vladimir Y. Umansky Condensed Matter Physics

To the Rank of Senior Staff Scientist Vladimir Bernshtam Particle Physics and Astrophysics

To the Rank of Associate Staff Scientist Cathy Bessudo Plant Science Anat Bren Molecular Cell Biology Ishai Dror Environmental Sciences and Energy Research Vyacheslav Kalchenko Veterinary Resources Haim Rozenberg Structural Biology Enrico Segre Physics Services 400 Academic Affairs Office

To the Rank of Assistant Staff Scientist Yael Aylon Molecular Cell Biology Orna Dahan Molecular genetics Gabor Kupi Particle Physics and Astrophysics Avi Mayo Molecular Cell Biology Awards and Honors

Awards

Allon Fellowships

The Allon Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis to outstanding young researchers by the Council for Higher Education. In 2009 the incumbents were:

Eli Arama Molecular Genetics Alon Chen Neurobiology Barak Dayan Chemical Physics Nirit Dudovich Physics of Complex Systems Eran Hornstein Molecular Genetics Shahal Ilani Condensed Matter Physics Robert Krauthgamer Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Anat Levin Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Ron Milo Plant Sciences Dan Oron Physics of Complex Systems Rony Paz Neurobiology Eran Segal Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Rotem Sorek Molecular Genetics Amos Tanay Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Center for Complexity Science Fellowships

The Center for Complexity Sciences was established in 2001. It is aimed at promoting the Science of Complexity which integrates disciplines of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Psychology. In 2009 the incumbents were:

Koby Levy Structural Biology Elad Schneidman Neurobiology Tsvi Tlusty Physics of Complex Systems Minerva Junior Research Group

Minerva Junior Research Group are run at Israeli universities and research institutions and are headed by young junior researchers who have Academic Affairs Office 401 demonstrated that they are capable of qualifying themselves for key positions in research. In general, the groups run for five years and are devoted to innovative and promising areas of mutual interest to research in Germany and Israel. In 2009 the incumbents were: on Molecular Materials and Interface Design Milko Van Der Boom Organic Chemistry Ministry for Immigrant Absorption Fellowships

The Ministry of Immigrant Absorption maintains several programs to aid in the absorption of new immigrants holding a Ph.D. in the Higher Education Institutions of Israel. During the calendar year of 2009, the following number of fellowships were in effect in the Weizmann Institute of Science: 14 Fellowships for initial absorption of new immigrant researcher, 1 Gileadi Fellowship and 31 Kamea Fellowships.

Institutional Awards

The Sir Charles Clore Prize for Outstanding Appointment as Senior Scientist in the Experimental Sciences was established in 1981 by Mrs. Vivien Clore Duffield, Geneva. The 2009 prize was awarded to Dr. Eran Bouchbinder, Chemical Physics.

The Gruber Award fo a newly appointed researcher. The 2009 prize was awarded to Dr. Gilad Perez, Particle Physics.

The Helen and Martin Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation was extablished in 2007. The Kimmel Award is a distinction bestowed annually on one Weizmann Institute researcher. The award consists of a substantial research grant ($1 million allocated as $200,000 annually over a five year period) and is intended for a researcher who is in the forefront of leadership in his/her area of research. The recipient of the award in addition to significant past achievements is judged to be in a position to reach new heights of scientific achievement in his/her broad area of research within the coming five year period as well as to provide scientific leadership to a group of younger investigators. The 2009 prize was awarded to Prof. Lucio Frydman, Chemical Physics.

The Sergio Lombroso Award in Cancer Research was established in 1998. The award is given once in two years to an internationally distinguished scientist, medical researcher, or physician, who has made highly significant contributions to the understanding of the causes and mechanisms of cancer, or to its diagnostics and therapy. The candidate should be affiliated with a research or medical institution, and should be engaged full-time in scientific or clinical activity at the time of this award. In alternate years the award is given 402 Academic Affairs Office to a Weizmann Institute researchers, who has made highly significant contributions to the understanding of the causes and mechanisms of cancer. The 2008-2009 prize was awarded to Prof. Dr. Axel Ullrich, Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry.

The Rosa and Emilio Segre Research Award was established in 1999. The 2008-2009 prize was awarded to Prof. Ehud Duchovni, Prof. Eilam Gross and Prof. Giora Mikenberg from Particle Physics.

The Wolgin Prize for Scientific Excellence was established in 2005. The prize is awarded to a scientist who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in research, who has been reviewed by an international committee. The 2009 prize was awarded to Prof. Naama Barkai, Molecular Genetics.

Scientific Council Awards

The Morris L. Levinson Prizes were established in 1982 by Mr. Morris L. Levinson, New York. The Physics Prize for 2009 was awarded to Dr. Ehud Altman, Department of Condensed Matter Physics, for his studies of the physics of cold atoms in interferometers and in optical lattices, and for his study of the physics of high Tc super-conductivity. The Mathematics Prize in 2009 was awarded to Dr. Dmitry Novikov, Department of Mathematics, for his pioneering work on the Infinitesimal Hilbert Problem. The Biology Prize in 2009 was awarded to Dr. Eran Segal, Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, for his work on deciphering the codes of gene regulation.

The Scientific Council Prize in Chemical Research. In 2009, the Prize was awarded to Dr. Itay Rousso, Department of Structural Biology, for his researches of the interrelation between structure and function of the tectorial membrane and its role in mammalian hearing .

The Maxine Singer Prize to Outstanding Staff Scientists was established in 1991. In 2009, the Prize was awarded to Dr. Linda J.w. Shimon, Department of Chemical Research Support, for her outstanding service to the X-ray Crystallography Unit and Important contributions to solving and analyzing an enormous array of significant crystal structures and to Dr. Eyal Schejter, Department of Molecular Genetics, for his outstanding contributions in understanding the involvement of cytoskeletal elements in execution of morphogenetic processes during organismal development, and for his involvement in implementing state-of-the-art microscopic analysis to study cellular and developmental events. Academic Affairs Office 403 Honors

Awarded to Weizmann Institute Academic Staff

Honorary degrees and Awards bestowed by the Institute

• Ph.D. Honoris Causa • Weizmann Awards and Honorary Fellows 404 Academic Affairs Office Summer Science Program for Students

Emma and Oscar Getz Summer Science Program for Israeli Students

The Emma and Oscar Getz Summer Science Program for Israeli Students was established in 2001 and is supported by patrons of the Chicago Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science. Throughout their lifetimes, Chicago industrialist Oscar Getz and his wife Emma, were well-known for their dedication to the arts at home, in Washington, D.C. and in London. Although Oscar Getz died in 1983 and Emma in 1966, they are linked in perpetuity to research and education at the Weizmann Institute of Science through a Professorial Chair, a summer scholarship program, as well as through support of other projects endowed in their names by the Getz Foundation.

Participants designate the research preferences of their choice from a list of current projects. These choices are then matched, by a scientific coordinator, with ongoing research teams at the Institute. The students work under the supervision of a scientific personnel member and spend between 10 weeks to 4 months, during their summer holidays, working on the research project to which they have been assigned.

In 2009 the Participants were:

Guy Adini, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem Brit Hana Ben Mordechai, The Open University of israel, Ra'anana Ayelet Benet, The Open University of israel, Ra'anana Roee Enbar, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva Idan Frumkin, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv Iris Grossman, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem Hila Harris, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem Ido Kaminsky, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan Avner Kiro, The Open University of israel, Ra'anana Michael Pitt, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan Leslie Yael Pomeraniec, The Open University of israel, Ra'anana Ayala Rosel, University of Haifa, Haifa Eitan Schechtman, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem

Karyn Kupcinet International Science School

The Karyn Kupcinet International Science School was established in 1971 in memory of Karyn Kupcinet by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Irving Kupcinet of Chicago, Illinois, USA. The Academic Secretary's office organizes and runs the program. Academic Affairs Office 405 Participants designate the research preferences of their choice from a list of current projects. These choices are then matched, by a scientific coordinator, with ongoing research teams at the Institute. The students work under the guidance of a scientific personnel member and spend between 10 weeks to 4 months, during their summer holidays, working on the research project to which they have been assigned. A few students from the Southern Hemisphere attend during the winter months, coinciding with these students' university holidays.

The overseas participants are given opportunities to tour Israel, to participate in various social activities and, of course, to interact with the other summer students and graduate students and staff from the Institute.

In 2009 the Participants were:

Stav Atir, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA Avigile Baehr, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA Ezra Baraban, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA Tomer Barnea, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule ETH, Zürich, Switzerland Anat Chemerinski, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA Vladimir Cherepanov, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia Yitzchak Dachman, Yeshiva University, New York, NY, USA Julie Dinerman, Yeshiva University, New York, NY, USA Eric Edwards, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA Benjamin Epstein, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA Edison Rivera Figueroa, University del Cauca, Popayán, Columbia Avital Fischer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA Andrey Gubichev, University of Saint-petersburg, Saint-Petersburg, Russia Vivian Hecht, University of California, Los Angeles, USA Tamar Hollander, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA Leah Hurwich, Williams College, Williamstown, MA, USA Nathanael Hoze, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France Thang Huynh, St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY, USA Irene Kaplow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA Kyu Seob Kim, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA Sophie Morgani, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK Aryeh Reinstein, Yeshiva University, New York, NY, USA Randy Rovinski, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada Lin Rozenszajn, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada Bradley Sarak, McGill University, Montreal, Canada Tessa Dawn Satherley, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia Adam Sawicki, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland Joseph M. Steinberger, Yeshiva University, New York, NY, USA 406 Academic Affairs Office Ariel Stock, The City University of New York, New York, NY, USA Jonathan Tamir, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA Michael Weiner, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA Jong Min Yoon, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

Visiting Professors Programs

The Visiting Professorships are made available to suitable candidates from all countries. They are intended for outstanding scientists from institutions of higher learning and research institutions, who have achieved appropriate recognition in their fields of activity and who hold the rank of Full Professor (or an equivalent rank) in their home institutions.

Visiting Professors in 2009 were as follows:

The Morris Belkin Visiting Professorship

Prof. Stephen Leone, University of California at Berkeley

The Joseph Meyerhoff Visiting Professorship

Prof. Moshe Yaniv, Institute Pasteur, Paris, France

The Erna and Jakob Michael Visiting Professorship

Prof. David Ginley, NIH, NIE, Bethesda, MD, USA Prof. Rafael Zidovetzki, University of California at Riverside Prof. Ofer Lahav, University of London, UK Prof. Eli Tziperman, University of Harvard, MA, USA

The Rosi and Max Varon Visiting Professorships

Prof. Richard Kaner, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, USA Prof. Antoine Ducros, University of Rennes, Beaulieu, France Prof. Boris Khesin, University of Toronto, Canada

The Weston Visiting Professorships

Prof. Laurence Kedes, University of Southern California, LA, USA Prof. David Kutasov, University of Chicago, IL, USA Prof. Benjamin Chain, University College London, UK Prof. Daniel Altmann, Imperial College, London, UK Prof. Tamar Seideman, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA Prof. Oded Maler, CNRS, Grenoble, France Academic Affairs Office 407 Prof. Asaf Naor, New York University, NY, USA Prof. Louis Lyons, Imperial College, London, UK

Feinberg Foundation Visiting Faculty Program

Feinberg Foundation Visiting in 2009 were as follows:

Prof. Vicenzo Vitelli, University of Pennsylvania, USA Prof. Stefano Curtarolo, Duke University, NC, USA Prof. Donna Martin, University of Michigan, USA Prof. Dmitri Perepichka, McGill University, USA

Weizmann Memorial Lectures

The "Weizmann Annual Lectures" program is the most prestigious lectureship program at the Weizmann Institute of Science and commemorates the name of the founder of the Institute, Dr. Chaim Weizmann.

The Weizmann Lecturers are selected by an internal committee from among the proposals for potential lecturers which are made by the members of the Institute's Scientific Council, the body representing all professors at the Institute.

The lectures are intended to review the state of the art and the newest developments of the particular field chosen. The series usually consists of two lectures, which are open to the Institute's faculty and staff and to the community at large. The first talk is usually aimed for anyone interested in science while the second lecture is mainly aimed for scientists at the Weizmann Institute as well as from other Higher Education Institutions in Israel.

In 2009, the Weizmann Memorial lecturer was Prof. Harry B. Gray, California Institute of Technology, USA.

Weizmann Presidential Development Chairs, Professorial Chairs and Career Development Chairs http://www.weizmann.ac.il/acadaff/Scientific_Activities/current/Chairs.html http://www.weizmann.ac.il/acadaff/Scientific_Activities/current/Chairs_open.html 408 Academic Affairs Office

Weizmann Professorial Chairs, Career Development Chairs and Fellowships

Professorial Chairs

The Lee and William Abramowitz Chair of Macromolecular Biophysics Established in 1978 through the bequest of Mr. Abramowitz, Leominster, MA Incumbent Professor Mark Safro, Department of Structural Biology The Annenberg Chair of High Energy Physics Established in 1967 by Mrs. Enid A. Haupt, New York, in memory of her mother, Mrs. Moses L. Annenberg Incumbent Professor Haim Harari, Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics The Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Chair Established in 1995 by Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Applebaum, Troy, Michigan Incumbent Professor Avi Ben-Nun, Department of Immunology The Norman and Helen Asher Chair of Cancer Research Established in 1986 by Mr. and Mrs. Norman Asher, Chicago Incumbent Professor Varda Rotter, Department of Molecular Cell Biology The Helen Norman Asher Chair in Brain Research Established in 1993 by Mr. and Mrs. Norman Asher, Chicago Incumbent Professor Amiram Grinvald, Department of Neurobiology The Carl and Dorothy Bennett Chair of Biochemistry Established in 1982 by the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Foundation, Stamford, CT Incumbent Professor Amnon Horovitz, Department of Structural Biology The Henry and Bertha Benson Chair Established in 1970 by Mr. and Mrs. Benson, Montreal Incumbent Professor Avihai Danon, Department of Plant Sciences The Bernstein-Mason Chair of Neurochemistry Established in 1985 by Stuart A. Bernstein and John J. Mason, Washington, DC Incumbent Professor Orly Reiner, Department of Molecular Genetics The Dr. Barnet Berris Chair of Cancer Research Established in 1981 by the Physicians' Committee, Toronto Chapter of the Canadian Society for the Weizmann Institute of Science Incumbent Professor Yoram Groner, Department of Molecular Genetics The Besen-Brender Chair of Microbiology and Parasitology Established in 1981 by Marc Besen, Melbourne, and Joseph Brender, Sydney Incumbent Professor David Mirelman, Department of Biological Chemistry (until October 2009) The Patricia Elman Bildner Chair of Solid State Chemistry Established in 1973 by Albert C. Bildner, New York Academic Affairs Office 409 Incumbent Professor Ilya Averbukh, Department of Chemical Physics The Paul and Marlene Borman Chair of Applied Mathematics Established in 1984 by Mr. and Mrs. Borman, Detroit, and their friends and associates Incumbent Professor Adi Shamir, Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics The Gilbert de Botton Chair of Plant Sciences Established in 1981 by Mr. de Botton and friends, Zurich and New York Incumbent Professor Avraham Levy, Department of Plant Sciences The Isaac and Elsa Bourla Chair of Cancer Research Established in 1979 by bequest of Mr. and Mrs. Bourla, Paris Incumbent Professor Gideon Berke, Department of Immunology The Harold S. and Harriet B. Brady Chair of Cancer Rrsearch Established in 1982 by Mrs. Brady and the late Mr. Brady, Chicago Incumbent Professor Yechiel Shai, Department of Biological Chemistry The Dr. Walter and Dr. Trude Borchardt Chair of Structural Biology Established in 2001 by the estate of Dr. Trude Borchardt, New York, NY Incumbent Professor Stephen Weiner, Department of Structural Biology The Bronfman Chair of Plant Science Established in 1979 by Joseph E. Seagram and Sons, Inc., New York Incumbent Professor Gad Galili, Department of Plant Sciences The Rudy Bruner Chair of Science Teaching Established in 1970 by Mrs. Martha Bruner, New York, and Zelon Ltd., Israel Incumbent Professor Ruhama Even, Department of Science Teaching The Professor Sir Ernst B. Chain Professorial Chair Established in 1980 by his friends, London Incumbent Professor Talila Volk, Department of Molecular Genetics The Chaya Chair in Molecular Neuroscience Established in 2006 by an anonymous donor, Switzerland Incumbent Professor Michael Fainzilber, Department of Biological Chemistry The Norman D. Cohen Chair of Computer Sciences Established in 1971 by Mr. Cohen, New York Incumbent Professor David Peleg, Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics The Ruth and Samy Cohn Chair of Computer Sciences Established in 1984 by close Israeli friends of Mr. and Mrs. Cohn, Rio de Janeiro Incumbent Professor Shimon Ullman, Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics The Marvin Myer and Jenny Cyker Chair of Diabetes Research Established in 1971 by Mr. Cyker, Boston Incumbent Professor Michael Walker, Department of Biological Chemistry The Lady Davis Chair of Experimental Physics Established in 1972 by the Eldee Foundation, Montreal, through Bernard M. Bloomfield and Major Louis M. Bloomfield, Q.C. Incumbent Professor Giora Mikenberg, Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics The Harry de Jur Chair of Applied Physics 410 Academic Affairs Office Established in 1982 by the Harry de Jur Foundation, New York Incumbent Professor Victor Steinberg, Department of Physics of Complex Systems (until July 2009) The Amos de Shalit Chair of Theoretical Physics Established in 1976 Incumbent Professor Yosef Nir, Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics The Helen and Sanford Diller Family Chair of Neurobiology Established in 2001 by Helen and Sanford Diller, San Francisco, CA Incumbent Professor Ehud Ahissar, Department of Neurobiology The Jack and Simon Djanogly Chair of Biochemistry Established in 1980 by Sir Harry Djanogly, CBE, London Incumbent Professor Michael Eisenbach, Department of Biological Chemistry The Henry H. Drake Chair of Immunology Established in 1998 by Mrs. Erica Drake, New York Incumbent Professor Yair Reisner, Department of Immunology The Drake Family Chair of Nanotechnology Established in 2005 by Mrs. Erica Drake of New York and Mr. Robert J. Drake, the Netherlands Incumbent Professor Reshef Tenne, Department of Materials and Interfaces The Georg F. Duckwitz Chair of Cancer Research Established in 1975 by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany Incumbent Professor Lea Eisenbach, Department of Immunology The George W. Dunne Chair of Chemical Physics Established in 1971 by his friends and associates, Chicago Incumbent Professor Gershon Kurizki, Department of Chemical Physics The Joyce and Ben B. Eisenberg Chair of Molecular Endocrinology and Cancer Research Established in 1984 by the Ben B. Eisenberg Charitable Fund, Los Angeles Incumbent Professor Sima Lev, Department of Molecular Cell Biology The Maxwell Ellis Chair of Biomedical Research Established in 1997 through the bequest of Mr. Ellis, London Incumbent Professor Zvi Livneh, Department of Biological Chemistry The Estrin Family Chair of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Established in 2000 by Judith Estrin and William Carrico, Profs. Thelma and Gerald Estrin, California Incumbent Professor Vered Rom-Kedar, Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics The Marshall and Renette Ezralow Chair of Chemical and Cellular Immunology Established in 1984 by Mr. and Mrs. Ezralow, Beverly Hills Incumbent Professor Zelig Eshhar, Department of Immunology The Fred and Andrea Fallek Chair of Breast Cancer Research Established in 2000 by Mrs. Andrea Klepetar Fallek, New York Incumbent Professor Hadassa Degani, Department of Biological Regulation The Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Chair Established in 1992 by the Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation, Chicago Incumbent Professor David Wallach, Department of Biological Chemistry Academic Affairs Office 411 The Donald Frey Chair Established in 1988 by his friends and associates, Chicago Incumbent Professor Anthony Joseph, Department of Mathematics The Isabelle and Samuel Friedman Chair of Theoretical Physics Established in 1979 by the bequests of Mr. and Mrs. Friedman, San Francisco Incumbent Professor Yuval Gefen, Department of Condensed Matter Physics The Charles and Louise Gartner Chair Established in 1993 by Mrs. Louise Gartner, Dallas Incumbent Professor Uri Pick, Department of Biological Chemistry The Wolfgang Gentner Chair of Nuclear Physics Established in 1982 by the European Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science in honor of the late Professor Gentner, Heidelberg Incumbent Professor Uzy Smilansky, Department of Physics of Complex Systems The Oscar and Emma Getz Chair Established in 1993 by Mrs. Emma Getz, Chicago Incumbent Professor Yosef Shaul, Department of Molecular Genetics The Harold and Zelda Goldenberg Chair of Molecular Cell Biology Established in 2001 by the Jacob E. Goldenberg Foundation, Minneapolis, MN Incumbent Professor Yosef Yarden, Department of Biological Regulation The Elaine and Bram Goldsmith Chair of Applied Mathematics Established in 1982 by Mr. amd Mrs. Goldsmith, Los Angeles Incumbent Professor Ronen Basri, Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics The Marte R. Gomez Chair of Photosynthesis Established in 1985 by the Mexican Committee of the Weizmann Institute of Science Incumbent Professor Yehiel Zick, Department of Molecular Cell Biology The Dorothy and Patrick Gorman Chair Established in 1966 by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, Washington, DC Incumbent Professor Lia Addadi, Department of Structural Biology The Harold J. and Marion F. Green Chair Established in 1991 by Mr. and Mrs. Harold Green, Chicago Incumbent Professor David Mukamel, Department of Physics of Complex Systems The Nicki and J. Ira Harris Chair Established in 1988 by Mr. Harris and his friends and associates, Chicago Incumbent Professor Stephen Gelbart, Department of Mathematics The Hettie H. Heineman Chair of Mathematics Established in 1989 by James Heineman, Heineman Foundation, New York Incumbent Professor Zvi Artstein, Department of Mathematics The Hanna Hertz Chair for Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroscience Established in 2008 by the late Hanna Hertz and her daughters Deborah Hertz, Elise Hertz and Sherryl Dobson, Canada Incumbent Professor Elior Peles, Department of Molecular Cell Biology The Charles H. Hollenberg Chair of Diabetes and Metabolic Research Established in 1985 by his friends and associates, Toronto 412 Academic Affairs Office Incumbent Professor Yoram Shechter, Department of Biological Chemistry The Lawrence G. Horowitz Chair Established in 1985 by Mr. Horowitz and his family, Philadelphia Incumbent Professor Uriel Feige, Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics The Linda Jacobs Chair in Immune and Stem Cell Research Established in 2006 by Mr. Michael Jacobs, London, UK Incumbent Professor Ronen Alon, Department of Immunology The Erica and Ludwig Jesselson Chair of Theoretical Mathematics Established in 1985 by Erica and Ludwig Jesselson, New York Incumbent Professor Yakar Kannai, Department of Mathematics The Maurice and Ilse Katz Chair of Neuroimmunology Established in 1990 by Mrs. Ilse Katz, Geneva Incumbent Professor Michal Schwartz, Department of Neurobiology The Louis and Florence Katz-Cohen Chair of Neuropharmacology Established in 1984 Incumbent Professor Vivian I. Teichberg, Department of Neurobiology The Aryeh and Mintzi Katzman Chair Established in 1992 by The Carylon Foundation, Chicago Incumbent Professor Ron Naaman, Department of Chemical Physics The Harry Kay Chair of Cancer Research Established in 1985 by the Harry Kay Foundation, Minneapolis Incumbent Professor Eli Canaani, Department of Molecular Cell Biology The Gershon Kekst Chair Established in 2002 by The Weizmann Institute of Science Incumbent Professor Sergei Yakovenko, Department of Mathematics The Martin S. and Helen Kimmel Chair Established in 1987 by Mr. Kimmel, New York Incumbent Professor Ada Yonath, Department of Structural Biology The Peter and Carola Kleeman Chair of Optical Sciences Established in 1980 by Mr. Derrick Kleeman, London Incumbent Professor Nir Davidson, Department of Physics of Complex Systems The Hella and Derrick Kleeman Chair of Biochemistry Established in 1979 by Mr. Derrick Kleeman, London Incumbent Professor Haim Garty, Department of Biological Chemistry The Judith Kleeman Chair Established in 1981 by Mr. Derrick Kleeman, London Incumbent Professor Moni Naor, Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics The Dr. Morton and Anne Kleiman Chair Established in 1993 by Dr. and Mrs. Morton Kleiman, Chicago Incumbent Professor Idit Shachar, Department of Immunology The Erich Klieger Chair of Chemical Physics Established in 2006 by Mrs. Ingeborg Klieger, Berlin Incumbent Professor Daniella Goldfarb, Department of Chemical Physics Academic Affairs Office 413 The Philip M. Klutznick Chair of Developmental Biology Established in 1967 by their friends and associates, Chicago Incumbent Professor Nava Dekel, Department of Biological Regulation The Murray B. Koffler Chair Established in 1993 in honor of Mr. Murray Koffler by The Weizmann Institute of Science Incumbent Professor Michael Hass, Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics The Harold L. Korda Chair of Biology Established in 1974 by the Harold L. Korda Foundation, Inc., New York Incumbent Professor Zvulun Elazar, Department of Biological Chemistry The Samuel Lunenfeld-Reuben Kunin Chair of Genetics Established in 1973 by Mr. Lunenfeld, Lausanne, and Mr. Kunin, Blonay, Switzerland Incumbent Professor Avri Ben-Ze'ev, Department of Molecular Cell Biology The Harry Kweller and Kathleen Kweller Chair of Condensed Matter Physics Established in 1984 by the estate of the late Mr. Kweller, London Incumbent Professor Shimon Levit, Department of Condensed Matter Physics The Chief Justice Bora Laskin Chair of Science Teaching Established in 1984 in honor of the late Canadian Chief Justice by his friends and associates in Canada Incumbent Professor Bat Sheva Eylon, Department of Science Teaching The Henry J. Leir Professorial Chair Established in 1999 by the estate of Henry J. Leir of New York Incumbent Professor Eytan Domany, Department of Physics of Complex Systems The Harry and Leona Levine Chair of Neurosciences Established in 1986 by Mrs. Harry Levine, Cambridge, MA Incumbent Professor Menahem Segal, Department of Neurobiology The Barbara and Morris Levinson Chair of Brain Research Established in 2005 by the Morris L. Levinson Foundation, Palm Beach, Florida Incumbent Professor Rafi Malach, Department of Neurobiology The Barbara and Morris L. Levinson Chair of Chemical Physics Established in 1982 by Mr. and Mrs. Levinson, New York Incumbent Professor Itamar Procaccia, Department of Chemical Physics The Yale S. Lewine and Ella Miller Lewine Chair for Cancer Research Established in 2006 Established in 2006 through the estate of Yale S. Lewine and Ella Miller Lewine, Vintura, California Incumbent Professor Rony Seger, Department of Biological Regulation The Hilda and Cecil Lewis Chair of Molecular Genetics Established in 2001 by Cecil Lewis, England and Switzerland Incumbent Professor Ben-Zion Shilo, Department of Molecular Genetics The Charles W. and Tillie K. Lubin Chair of Hormone Research Established in 1982 by Mr. Lubin, Chicago Incumbent Professor Yoram Salomon, Department of Biological Regulation The Andre Lwoff Chair in Molecular Biology Established in 1984 by his friends through the French Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science 414 Academic Affairs Office Incumbent Professor Moshe Oren, Department of Molecular Cell Biology The Ephraim Katzir-Rao Makineni Chair of Chemistry Established in 2001 by Rao Makineni, Los Angeles, CA Incumbent Professor Mordechai Sheves, Department of Organic Chemistry The Jules J. Mallon Chair of Biochemistry Established in 1972 by the Malakoff Foundation, Minneapolis Incumbent Professor Chaim Kahana, Department of Molecular Genetics The Hermann Mark Chair of Polymer Physics Established in 1986 by the American, Austrian, European and German Committees for the Weizmann Institute of Science, in honor of Prof. Mark Incumbent Professor Jacob Klein, Department of Materials and Interfaces The Israel Matz Chair of Organic Chemistry Established in 1966 by the Alice Matz Goodman Endowment Fund, New York Incumbent Professor David Milstein, Department of Organic Chemistry The Helen and Morris Mauerberger Chair Established in 1982 by the Mauerberger Foundation Fund, Capetown Incumbent Professor Michal Neeman, Department of Biological Regulation The Hermann Mayer Chair Established in 1980 by Mr. Mayer, Paris Incumbent Professor David Tannor, Department of Chemical Physics The Stephen and Mary Meadow Chair of Laser Photochemistry Established in 1982 by Mr. and Mrs. Meadow, Los Angeles Incumbent Professor Yitzhak Maron, Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics The Otto Meyerhof Chair of Molecular Biology Established in 1968 by the Stiftung Volkswagenwerk, Hannover, Federal Republic of Germany, in memory of the founder of molecular biology in born Hannover Incumbent Professor Leo Sachs, Department of Molecular Genetics The Joseph Meyerhoff Chair of Biochemistry Established in 1971 by Mr. Meyerhoff, Baltimore Incumbent Professor Anthony H. Futerman, Department of Biological Chemistry The Jacques Mimran Chair Established in 1980 by Jean-Claude Mimran, Paris Incumbent Professor Yuval Eshed, Department of Plant Sciences The Jane and Otto Morningstar Chair of Physics Established in 2000 by Mrs. Jane Morningstar, Boca Raton Incumbent Professor Israel Bar-Joseph, Department of Condensed Matter Physics The Dr. Hymie Moross Chair Established in 1981 by Manfred D. Moross, London, in memory of his father Incumbent Professor Tamar Flash, Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics The Joseph Moss Chair of Biomedical Research Established in 1981 in memory of his parents, Jacob and Molly Moskowitz, Chicago Incumbent Professor Alexander D. Bershadsky, Department of Molecular Cell Biology The David and Inez Myers Chair Established in 2000 by Mrs. Inez P. Myers, Cleveland Academic Affairs Office 415 Incumbent Professor Eli Zeldov, Department of Condensed Matter Physics The Professor Erwin Neter Chair of Cell and Tumor Biology Established in 1986 by Robert and Idi Neter Incumbent Professor Benjamin Geiger, Department of Molecular Cell Biology The Livio Norzi Chair Established in 2000 by the late Livio Norzi of Italy Incumbent Professor Daniel Hanoch Wagner, Department of Materials and Interfaces The Gerald and Hedy Oliven Chair in Brain Research Established in 2003 by the estate of Gerald Oliven, Los Angeles, CA Incumbent Professor Michail Tsodyks, Department of Neurobiology The Joseph and Ruth Owades Chair of Chemistry Established in 1999 by Joseph Owades of Sonoma, California Incumbent Professor Jacob Anglister, Department of Structural Biology The Lester B. Pearson Chair Established in 1968 by the Canadian Society for the Weizmann Institute of Science Incumbent Professor Abraham Arcavi, Department of Science Teaching The William Petschek Chair of Mathematics Established in 1985 by his family, Scarsdale, NY Incumbent Professor Gideon Schechtman, Department of Mathematics The Morton and Gladys Pickman Chair in Structural Biology Established in 2002 Morton and Gladys Pickman of Boca Raton, FL Incumbent Professor Joel Sussman, Department of Structural Biology The Max Planck Chair of Quantum Physics Established in 1988 by the Weizmann Institute of Science Incumbent Professor Eli Waxman, Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics The Israel Pollak Chair of Biophysics Established in 1981 by the Edit and Israel Pollak Foundation, Israel Incumbent Professor Zvi Kam, Department of Molecular Cell Biology The Maurizio Pontecorvo Chair Established in 2005 by Dr. Clotilde Pontecorvo Incumbent Professor Irit Sagi, Department of Structural Biology The Moshe Porath Chair of Mathematics Established in 1990 by The Weizmann Institute of Science in honor of Moshe Porath, Tel-Aviv Incumbent Professor Yosef Yomdin, Department of Mathematics The Isidor I. Rabi Chair of Physics Established in 1988 by an anonymous donor Incumbent Professor Mordehai Milgrom, Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics The Theodore R. Racoosin Chair of Biophysics Established in 1962 by Mr. Racoosin, New York Incumbent Professor Ephraim Katchalski-Katzir, Department of Biological Chemistry (until May 2009) The Professor T. Reichstein Chair Established in 1989 by the Swiss Friends of the Weizmann Institute of Science 416 Academic Affairs Office Incumbent Professor Abraham Minsky, Department of Organic Chemistry The Walter P. Reuther Chair of Research in the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy Established in 1968 by the United Automobile Workers of America Incumbent Professor Amos Breskin, Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics The Joseph and Marian Robbins Chair Established in 1980 by Mr. Robbins, the Robbins family and friends, Chicago Incumbent Professor Shimon Vega, Department of Chemical Physics The Matthew B. Rosenhaus Chair Established in 1984 by the Sarah and Matthew Rosenhaus Peace Foundation, Inc., Morristown, NJ Incumbent Professor Vladimir Berkovich, Department of Mathematics The Helena Rubinstein Chair in Cancer Research Established in 1994 by the Helena Rubinstein Foundation, New York Incumbent Professor Adi Kimchi, Department of Molecular Genetics The Helena Rubinstein Chair of Structural Biology Established in 1985 by the Helena Rubinstein Foundation, New York Incumbent Professor Zippora Shakked, Department of Structural Biology The Barry Rymer Family Chair Established in 1987 by the Barry Rymer Charitable Trust, Chicago Incumbent Professor Aldo Shemesh, Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research The Rowland and Sylvia Schaefer Chair in Energy Research Established in 2002 by Mr. Rowland Schaefer of Pembroke Pines, Florida Incumbent Professor David Cahen, Department of Materials and Interfaces The Hermann and Lilly Schilling Foundation Chair Established in 1993 by the Herman and Lily Schilling Foundation for Medicine, Germany Incumbent Professor Shmuel Pietrokovski, Department of Molecular Genetics The Samuel Sebba Chair of Pure and Applied Physics Established in 1972 by Mr. Sebba, London Incumbent Professor Itzhak Tserruya, Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics The Sara and Michael Sela Chair of Neurobiology Established in 1982 by their friends in Belgium, Canada, France, Israel, The United Kingdom and the United States Incumbent Professor Yadin Dudai, Department of Neurobiology The Sherman Chair of Physical Chemistry Established in 1966 by the trustees of the Sherman Charitable Foundation in memory of Harry and Abe Sherman of South Wales Incumbent Professor Yehiam Prior, Department of Chemical Physics The Ruth and Sylvia Shogam Chair Established in 1998 in memory of Benjamin, Sarah and Dr. Isador Shogam Incumbent Professor Victor Katsnelson, Department of Mathematics The Rebecca and Israel Sieff Chair of Organic Chemistry Established in 1960 in honor of the founders of the Daniel Sieff Institute Incumbent Professor Ronny Neumann, Department of Organic Chemistry Academic Affairs Office 417 The Ruth and Jerome A. Siegel and Freda and Edward M. Siegel Chair Established in 1979 by the Titan Industrial Corp., New York Incumbent Professor Eitan Bibi, Department of Biological Chemistry The Ralph D. and Lois R. Silver Chair of Human Genomics Established in 1998 by Ralph and Lois Silver, Chicago, Illinois Incumbent Professor Doron Lancet, Department of Molecular Genetics The Ruth and Leonard Simon Chair of Cancer Research Established in 1983 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon, Chicago Incumbent Professor Zvi Vogel, Department of Neurobiology The Robert and Yadelle Sklare Chair in Biochemistry Established in 2002 Robert and Yadelle Sklare of Chicago, IL Incumbent Professor Avigdor Scherz, Department of Plant Sciences The William D. Smithburg Chair of Biochemistry Established in 1986 by his friends and associates, Chicago Incumbent Professor Steven J.D Karlish, Department of Biological Chemistry The Agnes Spencer Chair of Physical Chemistry Established in 1965 by the Agnes Spencer Trust, London Incumbent Professor Israel Dostrovsky, Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research The Edith Arnoff Stein Chair in Stem Cell Research Established in 2006 by Edith and Martin Stein, Roca Raton, FL Incumbent Professor Tsvee Lapidot, Department of Immunology The Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Chair Established in 1992 by Mr. Manfred Steinfeld, Chicago Incumbent Professor Samuel Safran, Department of Materials and Interfaces The William Sussman Chair of Mathematics Established in 1992 by S. Donald Sussman, New York Incumbent Professor David Harel, Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics The Alex and Ida Sussman Chair of Submicron Electronics Established in 2000 by S. Donald Sussman, New York Incumbent Professor Moty Heiblum, Department of Condensed Matter Physics The Herman P. Taubman Chair of Mathematics Established in 1961 in memory of the late Mr. Taubman, Tulsa, by his family Incumbent Professor Amitai Regev, Department of Mathematics The Margaret Thatcher Chair of Chemistry Established in 1985 by the Weizmann Institute Foundation of the United Kingdom Incumbent Professor Gershom (Jan) Martin, Department of Organic Chemistry The Siegfried and Irma Ullmann Chair Established in 1991 by Mrs. Irma Ullmann, New York Incumbent Professor Abraham Shanzer, Department of Organic Chemistry The Sir Siegmund Warburg Chair of Agricultural Molecular Biology Established in 1983 by a special fund of the Stifterverband fuer die Deutsche Wissenschaft Incumbent Professor Robert Fluhr, Department of Plant Sciences 418 Academic Affairs Office The Harry Weinrebe Chair of Computer Science and Biology Established in 2005 by the Dorset Foundation, UK Incumbent Professor Ehud Shapiro, Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics The Harry Weinrebe Chair of Laser Physics Established in 2003 by the Dorset Foundation, UK Incumbent Professor Yaron Silberberg, Department of Physics of Complex Systems The Joe and Celia Weinstein Chair Established in 1993 by Major and Mrs. Max Shulman, New York Incumbent Professor Dov Zipori, Department of Molecular Cell Biology The Simon Weinstock Chair of Astrophysics Established in 2000 by Lord Weinstock, London Incumbent Professor Daniel Zajfman, Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics The Meyer W. Weisgal Chair Established in 1979 by Arthur B. Krim, William S. Paley, Raphael Recanati, George Sagan, and Robert I. Wishnick, New York Incumbent Professor Oded Goldreich, Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics The Renee and Jay Weiss Chair Established in 1987 by Mr. Weiss, Miami Incumbent Professor Itai Benjamini, Department of Mathematics The Edna and Mickey Weiss Chair of Cytokines Research Established in 1983 by Mr. and Mrs. Weiss, Los Angeles Incumbent Professor Menachem Rubinstein, Department of Molecular Genetics The W. Garfield Weston Chair of Immunology Established in 1966 by the Garfield Weston Foundation Israeli Trust, London Incumbent Professor Michael Sela, Department of Immunology The Maynard I. and Elaine Wishner Chair of Bio-Organic Chemistry Established in 1985 by his friends and associates, Chicago Incumbent Professor Ed Bayer, Department of Biological Chemistry The Charles and David Wolfson Chair of Theoretical Physics Established in 1965 by the Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, London Incumbent Professor Alexander Finkelstein, Department of Condensed Matter Physics The Sam and Ayala Zacks Chair Established in 1970 by Mr. and Mrs. Zacks, Toronto Incumbent Professor Eli Pollak, Department of Chemical Physics The George Zlotowski Chair Established in 2001 by Gertrude Zlotowski Incumbent Professor Dov Sagi, Department of Neurobiology The Sam Zuckerberg Chair Established in 2002 by Roy J. Zuckerberg Family Foundation, New York Incumbent Professor Brian Berkowitz, Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research

Career Development Chairs Academic Affairs Office 419 The Beracha Foundation Career Development Chair Established in 1978 by the Beracha Foundation, Geneva Incumbent Professor Roy Bar-Ziv, Department of Materials and Interfaces (until September 2009) The Elaine Blond Career Development Chair Established in 1981 by Mrs. Blond, London Incumbent Dr. Michal Sharon, Department of Biological Chemistry The Adolfo and Evelyn Blum Career Development Chair of Cancer Research Established in 1979 by bequest of Mr. Blum, New York Incumbent Dr. Asaph Aharoni, Department of Plant Sciences The Anna and Maurice Boukstein Career Development Chair Established in 1981 by family and friends of the late Mr. Boukstein, New York Incumbent Dr. Ron Milo, Department of Plant Sciences The Abraham and Jennie Fialkow Career Development Chair Established in 1990 by Lawrence Fialkow, New York Incumbent Dr. Boris Rybtchinski, Department of Organic Chemistry The Judith and Martin Freedman Career Development Chair Established in 1988 by Mrs. Judy and Gary Freedman, Beverly Hills, California Incumbent Dr. David Margulies, Department of Organic Chemistry The Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Career Development Chair Established in 1984 by Mr. and Mrs. Kimmelman, New York Incumbent Dr. Eran Hornstein, Department of Molecular Genetics The Carl and Frances Korn Career Development Chair in the Life Sciences Established in 1983 by Mr. and Mrs. Korn, Chicago Incumbent Dr. Ilan Lampl, Department of Neurobiology The Corinne S. Koshland Career Development Chair Established in 1978 by Dr. Dan E. Koshland, Jr. and Mr. Dan E. Koshland, Sr., Berkeley, California Incumbent Dr. Eli Arama, Department of Molecular Genetics The Daniel E. Koshland Sr. Career Development Chair Established in 1996 by Professor Daniel E. Koshland Jr. of, Berkeley, California Incumbent Dr. Yoav Soen, Department of Biological Chemistry The Alvin and Gertrude Levine Career Development Chair Established in 1994 by Alvin and Gertrude Levine, Los Angeles, California Incumbent Dr. Oren Tal, Department of Chemical Physics The Lilian and George Lyttle Career Development Chair Established in 1985 by Mrs. Helen Kimmelman, New York Incumbent Dr. Koby Levy, Department of Structural Biology The Robert Edward and Roselyn Rich Manson Career Development Chair Established in 1982 in their memory, by Norman and Sandra Rich, West Liberty, IA, and Martin and Barbara Rich, Davenport, Iowa Incumbent Dr. Itay Rousso, Department of Structural Biology The Gertrude and Philip Nollman Career Development Chair Established in 1992 by Debra Gallagher, Irvine, California Incumbent Dr. Eldad Tzahor, Department of Biological Regulation 420 Academic Affairs Office The William Z. and Eda Bess Novick Career Development Chair Established in 1993 by the American Committee in honor of Eda Bess and William Z. Novick, Chicago Incumbent Dr. Shahal Ilani, Department of Condensed Matter Physics The Recanati Career Development Chair of Energy Research Established in 1978 by the Recanati Family, Israel Incumbent Dr. Michael Bendikov, Department of Organic Chemistry The Pauline Recanati Career Development Chair Established in 1980 by the Ralli Foundation, Geneva Incumbent Dr. Nir Friedman, Department of Immunology The Recanati Career Development Chair of Cancer Research Established in 1978 by the Recanati Family, Israel Incumbent Dr. Ami Navon, Department of Biological Regulation The Joseph and Celia Reskin Career Development Chair Established in 1989 by Charles Reskin, Chicago Incumbent Dr. Abraham Zangen, Department of Neurobiology The Louis and Ida Rich Career Development Chair Established in 1982 by Norman Rich, Martin Rich and Roselyn Rich Manson, West Liberty and Davenport, Iowa Incumbent Dr. Ehud Altman, Department of Condensed Matter Physics The Philip Harris and Gerald Ronson Career Development Chair Established in 1986 by Mr. Harris and Mr. Ronson, London Incumbent Dr. Alon Chen, Department of Neurobiology The Aser Rothstein Career Development Chair Established in 1987 by the Canadian Society for the Weizmann Institute of Science, Toronto and the Dysautonomia Fund of Canada Incumbent Dr. Oren Schuldiner, Department of Molecular Cell Biology The Helena Rubinstein Career Development Chair Established in 1981 by the Helena Rubinstein Foundation, New York Incumbent Dr. Anat Levin, Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics The Madeleine Haas Russell Career Development Chair Established in 1989 by Mrs. Madeleine Haas Russell, San Francisco Incumbent Dr. David Holcman, Department of Mathematics (until February 2009) The Martha S. Sagon Career Development Chair Established in 1992 by Martha Sagon, Washington DC Incumbent Dr. Elazar Zelzer, Department of Molecular Genetics The Rowland and Sylvia Schaefer Career Development Chair Established in 1989 by Rowland Schaefer, Miami, Florida Incumbent Dr. Hezi Gildor, Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research The Soretta and Henry Shapiro Career Development Chair Established in 1992 by Mr. Henry Shapiro, Chicago Incumbent Dr. Eran Segal, Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics (until October 2009) The Tauro Career Development Chair in Biomedical Research Established in 1986 by the Tauro Stiftung, Switzerland Academic Affairs Office 421 Incumbent Dr. Gil Levkowitz, Department of Molecular Cell Biology The Benjamin H. Swig and Jack D. Weiler Career Development Chair Established in 1988 by Mr. Melvin M. Swig, San Francisco, and Mr. Jack D. Weiler, New-York Incumbent Dr. Ilan Koren, Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research

Staff Fellowships

The Ludo Altenhaus Memorial Fellowship Established in 1976 by bequest of Dr. George Altenhaus, Worcester, Massachusetts The Joseph C. and Esther Foster Research Fellowship Established by the Joseph C. and Esther Foster Foundation, Inc., Boston The Peter R. Friedman Research Fellowship for Physicians Eestablished in memory of Dr. Leon A. Friedman, New York The Meir and Jeanette Friedman Research Fellowship Established by bequest of Mr. Friedman, Forest City, Iowa The Samuel A. Goldsmith Research Fellowship Established in 1968 by the Chicago Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science The Hettie Heineman Research Fellowships Established in 1975 by the Heineman Foundation, New York The Fanny and Samuel Kay Research Fellowship Established in 1972 by James F. Kay and Irving, Jack and Wilfred Posluns, Toronto The Abraham and Sarah Krumbein Fellowship Established in 1971 by Mr. Krumbein, New York The Ann Landers Research Fellowship Established in 1981 by the Chicago Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science The Michael and Audrey Sacher Research Fellowship Established in 1961 by Mr and Mrs. Sacher, London The Dr. Leopold J. Schwarz and Margarete Schwarz Memorial Cancer Research Fellowship Established in 1961 by bequest of Dr. Schwarz, San Francisco The C.P. Scott Research Fellowship Established in 1959 by Mr. and Mrs. Harry Sacher, London, in memory of C.P. Scott, editor of the Manchester Guardian The Herbert Sidebotham Research Fellowship Established by the late Harry Sacher, London, in memory of Herbert Sidebotham

Visiting Fellowships

The Joseph Brainin Fellowship Established in 1967 by the Meier Segals Foundation, Montreal The Morris Belkin Visiting Professorship Established in 1995 by Mrs. Helen Belkin, Canada The Charpak/Vered Visiting Fellowship Established in 1996 in honor of Dr. Georges Charpak by Sara and Zeev Vered and their friends, Ottawa, for the exchange of Israeli and Canadian Scientists 422 Academic Affairs Office The Federal Republic of Germany Through the Minerva Gesellschaft für die Forschung m.b.H., awards annually a number of fellowships for the exchange of Israeli and German scientists The Heineman Exchange Fellowship Established in 1972 by the Minna James Heineman Stiftung, Hannover, Federal Republic of Germany, in memory of Dr. Konrad Adenauer The Institute of Biochemical Research-Fundacion Campomar (Buenos Aires, Argentina) Exchange Fellowships Established in 1985 The Joseph Meyerhoff Visiting Professorship Established in 1979 by the Joseph Meyerhoff Fund, Baltimore The Erna and Jakob Michael Visiting Professorship at the Weizmann Institute of Science Established by Mr. and Mrs. Michael, New York The Michael Sela Exchange Program in Immunology Established by the Mount Sinai Hospital in association with the Canadian Society for the Weizmann Institute of Science, Toronto The Dr. Gordon M. Shrum Fund Exchange Fellowship Established in 1981 by the Vancouver Chapter of the Canadian Society for the Weizmann Institute of Science The Sieff Research Fellowships Program for Physicians Established in 1986 in honor of Lord Sieff of Brimpton by the American Committee of the Weizmann Institute of Science The Rosie and Max Varon Visiting Professorships Established in 1986 by an anonymous U.S. donor and the estate of Dorothy Greif-Valsecchi, Paris The Garfield Weston Visiting Scholar Program Established in 1999 by Mr. Garry H. Weston , London The Weizmann Institute-Evanston Hospital Exchange Fellowships Established in 1980 by Harold L. Perlman, Chicago, and the Ambrose and Gladys Bowyer Foundation, Chicago The Weizmann Institute-Imperial College of Science and Technology Exchange Fellowship Established in 1981 by Marks and Spencer, London The Weizmann Institute-Johns Hopkins University Exchange Fellowships Established in 1982 The Sir Siegmund Warburg Visiting Professorship Established by the Sir Siegmund Warburg-Weizmann Trust, London The Weizmann Institute-University of Wisconsin Exchange Fellowships Established in 1979 by Harold L. Perlman, Chicago. Various Committees for the Weizmann Institute abroad also provide fellowships from time to time. Research Grants and Projects Office 423

Research Grants and Projects Office

Igal Nevo, Head

The principal aims of the Research Grants and Projects Office (RGP) are:

♦ Collecting and distributing information on sources of funds, both in Israel and abroad. ♦ Providing guidance, advice, and administrative services to academic staff members in all that concerns the submission of requests for research grants to (external and internal) funding sources. ♦ Negotiating and authorizing the contractual relationship with funding sources. ♦ Monitoring the follow-up and assuring adherence to the timetables of the different sponsored research projects. During the Academic Year 08/09 Institute researchers were active in nearly 1,000 research projects, totaling a gross external research income of over $65 million.

Sources of approved funding for research grants were geographically distributed between: Israel (over $25 million), Europe (over $25 million), the USA (nearly $10 million) and Bi-national and International sources (nearly $4 million).

The top sources providing external research grant support for research were the European Union Framework Programme, the Israel Science Foundation, research programs originating with the German government, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as research support programs of the Israel Ministry for Science and Technology. 424 Research Grants and Projects Office Division of Information Systems

Ronit Segal

Head of Division of Information Systems

The Division of Information Systems, located in the Dr. Karl and Leila Ribstein Center for Information Technology, provides networking, communications, computer system services and support, applications developing and implementation, and internet and library services to Institute scientists, students and administrators. It oversees the smooth implementation of an integrated computing environment, as well as maintaining the infrastructure upon which these information technology services are delivered. The role of fast communication (data, voice and picture) facilities is constantly expanding, with ever-increasing demand for easy multi-platform access, to facilitate the retrieval and free flow of continually updated information.

The Division consists of three Branches:

♦ the IT Infrastructure Branch ♦ the Applications Branch ♦ the Libraries Branch The homepage of the Division of Information Systems is: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/homepage/pages/infsys_home.html

Gershom Martin Senior Academic Advisor to the Head of Information Systems Division

Prof. Martin acts as the academic advisor to the head of the Division, and also as advisor for IT affairs to the WIS President. The main focus of his activities is to articulate the special requirements of the academic sector to the division and to improve the quality of service for IT services that are essential to the scientists (email, internet access, end-user support, etc.).

Another focus is investigating future-proof next-generation technologies for the division in general, and the Computing Center in particular.

A third area of attention is nurturing practical expertise in research computing (particularly HPC).

Fourth, he acts as an integrator for problems where the solution requires bringing together expertise from different subspecialties of IT, and bridging 426 Division of Information Systems the gaps between them.

In addition, Prof. Martin serves as the academic overseer of the WIS Library System.

IT Infrastructure Branch Ofer Aaronson, Head

The IT Infrastructure (ITI) Branch (previously known as the Computing Center) strives to provide an advanced and efficient communications and computing environment for the Institute's faculty, students and staff. The Institute is a member of the Inter University Computing Center (IUCC), popularly known by its Hebrew Acronym MACHBA http://www.iucc.ac.il. The eight member universities share technology and services, to the benefit of all. From the smallest personal computer to powerful multi-processor servers, ITI supports and facilitates the campus computing and communications infrastructure, together with providing the network-intensive applications necessary for the pursuit and advancement of science at the Weizmann Institute.

♦ Fully backed-up Open Enterprise Server, Linux, UNIX and Macintosh file and print systems are now available for the thousands of personal computers at the Institute. ♦ The Tivoli Storage Management backup system has been upgraded and now runs on Linux servers. Both the TSM and the Express backup systems have been enhanced to allow faster processing, by storing backed-up data on both disks and on faster and higher-capacity LTO4 tapes. ♦ Support is provided for approximately 4000 personal computers running Windows, Linux and Mac OS X operating systems. Currently, about 60 new personal computers are installed on campus each month. ♦ The old IBM mainframe, which served administrative data processing, has been phased out. ♦ The Institute communications infrastructure has been upgraded with a fully redundant 10 Gb network in the core and in the main buildings, and with dedicated 1Gb bandwidth to every workstation on campus. The network is based on state-of-the-art networking technologies, and enables complete integration of the security policies on the campus. The entire Weizmann network, starting with our connection to the IUCC network and including almost the entire remaining network, is fully redundant. The network grows at a rate of 15% every year. ♦ The connection to the Internet via the IUCC network has been upgraded, and our main connection is now 1GB with a backup line of 300Mb. Division of Information Systems 427 ♦ We have deployed a centrally-managed Institute-wide wireless network. We have deployed new Wireless Technology, 802.1n, that allows greater coverage and mobility. This allows all users to access the same wireless environment, regardless of where they are located in the Institute, and allows roaming between wireless access points without disconnecting from the network. Wireless service is available for general Internet Web access and Secure Internal connection for those scientists who need such a service. We are working on introducing a new Secured authentication system which seamlessly connects a Wireless mobile device (i.e. Laptop computer) to the Institutes internal network, while still maintaining maximum security to our network. This new Wireless service is in the final Beta testing phase. We also provide Wireless Guest Network service to visitors who need external access isolated from our Network, thus allowing extended applications (e.g. Client VPN and others) that cannot traverse the Weizmann firewall. ♦ The IT Infrastructure branch has built a new Data Center with a high density water cooling system to host HPC (high-performance clusters) systems per the scientific departments needs. We support 30kW cooling per compute nodes cabinets that typically hosts hundreds of compute cores, Infini-band inter-connect switches and Terabytes of storage. The ITI Data Center is a state-of-the-art hosting facility with raised floor, water cooling fabric for both HPC systems and room environmental, designed for optimal airflow rack layout. It supports power distribution for 3-phase outlets on an upper ladder rack and runs with 24x7 monitoring by Weizmann facility for all critical systems. ♦ The IT Infrastructure Branch oversees the implementation, integration and administration of HPC in various scientific departments. We have integrated Lustre file systems to be used in Linux clusters. Lustre file systems can support several thousand servers (Petabytes of storage) and can have hundreds of Gigabytes per second throughput. We are taking an active part in planning large HPC clusters in various scientific departments: in the Faculty of Mathematics two main clusters have been added, the Physics cluster has been rebuilt, and the compute cluster of Bioinformatics has been redesigned. The Servers Section is also taking an active part in managing the cluster of Molecular Genetics, assisting scientists in choosing the optimal compute cluster for their needs. ♦ The Server Section has created a dedicated High Performance Cluster based on Linux servers at ITI. Scientists are invited to add their own servers to that cluster so that all the computing resources of the High Performance Cluster can be shared. In this way we can achieve optimal performance from the computing resources. Job management of the cluster is based on SGE (Sun Grid Engine) job management technology. 428 Division of Information Systems ♦ The Oracle Collaboration Suite (OCS) mail server platform has been enhanced: as of December 2009 there are about 2000 registered users of the Oracle Collaboration Suite. Much effort has been involved in creating a redundant and reliable mail system. OCS hosts 4 Terabytes of users mail data. ♦ The GroupWise mail system has been upgraded to the latest version, GroupWise 8. The new version features an improved interface for Linux and Mac OS X users, better handling of international character sets, improved Calendar features, Web Publishing of Calendars and better option management, as well as a number of other improvements. GW hosts more than 4 Terabytes of users mail data. ♦ The IT Infrastructure Branch supports mobility on both GroupWise and OCS mail servers, using a NotifyLink mobile server to provide wireless access and management of Email, Calendar, Contacts and Tasks. We also maintain Intellisync software to support mobile connection for the GroupWise users, but the aim for the future is to concentrate on a single support for mobile connections. ♦ The security system for the Institute network continues to be upgraded with the latest available technologies. We have improved and expanded our Firewall and Intrusion Detection and Prevention systems. We have enhanced our state-of-the-art anti-virus/anti-spam system, which monitors and filters all incoming mail, and have added several new levels of anti-spam protection. We continue to improve our security systems, balanced by scientific needs, and to add new technologies to protect our network and resources. We also have completed the implementation of full high availability for all the security systems. This will ensure continuous operation of all the systems and will minimize, if not totally eliminate, maintenance downtimes. ♦ We continue to support the recent releases of the Macintosh OS X operating system, including OSX 10.6, as well as the new Intel Macintosh platform. All new machines come with our supported software installed. We support several solutions for Windows operating systems on the Macintosh and are developing a more rigorous backup system for the Macintosh. At this point, the Macintosh OSX system is widely used and supported in the Institute, although we continue to support the older system as needed. ♦ The EMC CX3-40 Storage Array has been extended. The Storage Area Network Infrastructure is being upgraded to two Cisco 9509 Storage Directors, which will offer more bandwidth, higher capacity and load balancing. The Network Appliance file server has been replaced, and we now have a clustered FAS3070 filer which provides NFS and CIFS services to servers and workstations on the campus and can be part of our SAN Infrastructure as well. ♦ The Meta-Directory has been expanded to manage and synchronize the identities of our users on a wide range of systems, including the Division of Information Systems 429 e-Tafnit ERP system, the Oracle Collaboration Suite email system, the Aleph Libraries System, the Human Resource System and others. ♦ Another directory connected to the meta-directory contains the contact information for all staff and faculty members. This is used by the Internet Services Unit for publishing in the intranet. This contact information can also be accessed by a convenient application at http://uinfo.weizmann.ac.il. ♦ Athens is a joint Institute project of the Library and the IT Infrastructure Branch. Using Novell Access Manager, Weizmann users can now gain access to information resources throughout the world, regardless of where they are located. Many information service providers in Europe and other parts of the world use a special authentication infrastructure, called "Athens", through which a users identity is verified before granting access to any given resource. The project at Weizmann integrates "Athens" and Weizmann's Identity Management infrastructure, so that when our users need access to external information resources, the user identity and access rights are verified against Weizmann's local Identity Management infrastructure, without exposing the user's passwords and other sensitive information to any external resource provider. ♦ We have centralized a Helpdesk function (Moked) that answers all end-users calls, in an attempt to provide immediate first call support. Support calls details are entered into our Helpdesk ticketing system for tracking, dispatch and resolution. The IT Support Section monitors the Helpdesk ticketing system and resolves tickets in the order they are entered into the system. Our Support group consists of three discrete sub-groups with related expertise: PC, Mac and Linux. This diversity allows us serve the Weizmann heterogeneous computing environment efficiently and effectively. ♦ We organize computing training programs for Office applications, Windows and other topics, as requested by specific departments in our computer classroom in the Division of Information Systems building. These programs are taught by certified trainers from key training partners. ♦ On an ongoing basis, we are working toward guaranteeing the fastest way to supply a fully-installed new PC. We continue to update the CD ROMs (containing our supported software) which we prepare and distribute to our authorized PC dealers. The dealers use these CD ROMs to install our computing environment on PCs they sell to the Institute. These PCs are then delivered directly to the end user, ready to be connected to our network. Our supported software can also be installed from a menu on PCs which are already connected to our campus network. This is enabled by a product called Zen Works for Desktops. Today we keep images of most of the standard PCs supported by the IT Infrastructure Branch, and instead of installing or 430 Division of Information Systems re-installing Windows on users PCs from Microsoft distribution CDs, we re-image them via the network. In most cases we can have a new copy of Windows up and running in 15-20 minutes. ♦ Administrative PCs: For 2009, the Weizmann Institute again selected a single PC and a single dealer for administrative PCs for a period of one year. Standardizing on a single PC allows us not only to negotiate a fair price with the vendor, but has also led to increased satisfaction from the user standpoint, and labor savings from the standpoint of the IT Infrastructure Branch. Standardizing on a single administrative PC allows us to utilize a standard "image" for the PC. If at any time there is a problem with the current copy of the system on the computer, we can ask the user to restart the computer and a fresh copy of the system will be downloaded over the network. ♦ Scientific PCs: we are constantly reviewing the scientific computer hardware configuration for PCs which should satisfy the needs of most scientific departments. We have elected and certified Intel motherboards in various configurations and manage our selection for price performance in tandem with Intel announcements. We have also established an Authorized Supplier program that requires our supplier to provide 3-years on-site support for all PC hardware we purchase from them. This ensures best price and service level for the Scientific PC hardware. ♦ We have upgraded our range of supported Windows software to improve service and security, in order to support Windows 7 in the coming year. ♦ The Telecommunications Services unit provides and maintains all telephone communications on the Institute campus. The hub of its activity is the central switchboard installation, managed by four operators and one supervisor. The switchboard is a "Coral" product of Tadiran, supporting over 3,000 extensions throughout the campus. It has been recently upgraded to version 15, allowing for IP-telephony and Soft phones. ♦ The Telephone Communications Services unit is responsible for the smooth functioning, maintenance, and (the constant) transfer of these lines, as well as the addition of new extensions as needed. The unit works closely with Bezeq, and is also responsible for implementing the infrastructure necessary for remote (off-campus) connections to the Institute's computer network, such as fast Internet ADSL lines. This includes international connections as well, in conjunction with the various Israeli international telephone service providers. ♦ The Telecommunication team has joined forces with international telephone service partners to provide international phone service. Weizmann scientists can subscribe to regional Cellular phones from the Telecommunication section office for reduced roaming Cellular service while traveling abroad. Similar service is available with an Division of Information Systems 431 international calling card. ♦ The unit oversees and maintains all cellular telephone activity on campus, together with the local cellular service providers. To date, there are over 300 cellular phones under the management of the Telecommunications Services unit. The unit now supplies cellular modems to the scientists, either by purchasing or by borrowing, to enable wideband connection from laptops to the internet. ♦ We have completed a comprehensive ,b>mapping of all the telephone cables

on campus, radiating from the central switchboard to every single structure with a telephone. This information is an invaluable tool in maintaining the smooth running of the Institute's extensive telephone system, and enables the most efficient use of this cable network when installing new phones. ♦ The unit works tirelessly to provide and maintain the most efficient service possible in all areas of communication on the Institute campus that pertain to telephones. ♦ The home page of the Telecommunications Services section is: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/telecomm/ The home page of the IT Infrastructure Branch is: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/CC/ 432 Division of Information Systems Research Staff

Senior Staff Scientist

Morton F. Taragin, Ph.D., George Washington University, Washington, United States

Engineers

Aviva Greenman, M.Sc., The Weizmann Institute of Science Shlomit Afgin, M.Sc., Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Camille Botaz, M.Sc., University of Bucharest, Romania Yehezkel Bialik, B.Sc., Yeshiva University Issak Kopp, M.Sc., Novocherkassk Polytechnic Institute Boris Lourie, Ph.D., The Weizmann Institute of Science Iris Mersel, M.Sc., Tomsk University, Tomsk, and M.Sc., Moscow University, Moscow Jerry Mersel, B.Sc., Hunter College, NY

Applications Branch Mirit Katz-Shilo, Head

The Applications Branch is responsible for the activities previously carried out by the Data Processing Department and the Internet Services Unit. It is responsible for the development and maintenance of data systems used by Institute scientists and administrators. An additional focus is the creation of departmental web sites, as well as individually customized applications. All systems have been, and are currently being, developed in accordance with Internet/Intranet technology, in which a client-user is connected to an Internet web server via multi-platform-compatible web browser software. In such an environment, the client is not bound by any specific desktop platform, and can communicate freely with any international Internet or local Intranet site.

The Internet Services Section:

Since its inception in 1999, the Internet Services Section has played an integral role in the Divisions principal goal of improved communications and the dissemination of information. While the Internet Services Section maintains the Institutes central web servers, its primary function is the creation of departmental web sites, as well as a wide variety of individually customized applications.

As the focus of web sites has shifted from static web pages to dynamic interactive ones, the unit has made great progress in this area. Internet Services Division of Information Systems 433 is concentrating on integrating the Human Resources database with the dynamic resources of the web, making even the smallest change in the data immediately visible and retrievable via the Internet.

In the past year the section has been engaged in the following projects:

♦ A CMS (Content Management System) tool was developed, using the FCK editor. This tool enables the website owner to independently manage the content of the website. ♦ MediaWiki, the Wiki software that Wikipedia is based on, has been installed. Wikipedia is the overwhelmingly successful web-based, free content encyclopedia that can be edited by any web surfer. The implementation of MediaWiki that we have installed supports Hebrew, as well as simple WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editing. Wiki sites offer solutions for the following needs: Sharing information in communities or companies and creating web sites with large amounts of content. ♦ The M2G (Mail to group) system has been upgraded with many features sending mails to research groups, designing the mail body using the FCK editor, adding attachments online, adding mail categories, etc. ♦ The Internet Services section continues to rewrite applications so they retrieve data from the HR system, which has been designated as the sole source of all Human Resources data at Weizmann. This ensures that all Human Resources data at Weizmann originates from the same source and is therefore totally uniform. ♦ The section continues to create web sites for any scientist or research group interested in this service. These sites are created in a way that allows the scientists themselves (or their students) to easily update their data, and to take real advantage of the webs capabilities. We have built automatic systems for a picture gallery, for a group calendar and for group announcements. In addition, there is now a user-friendly process for uploading files and displaying information about presentations which are given by group members at group meetings or scientific conferences. ♦ In addition, the section maintains important systems whose development is ongoing. These include: ◊ The highly successful online Directory, which includes phone numbers, room numbers, email addresses and home pages of Weizmann personnel. ◊ The integrated online calendar, which is updated by many authorized personnel and displays information about all Weizmann events. ◊ The Email Distribution System M2G, which enables authorized personnel to send email to selected groups on 434 Division of Information Systems campus. ◊ The Interactive Campus Map, which enables visitors and staff alike to easily navigate the campus. ◊ We have brought the online updating of the annual Scientific Activities report to the point where it is now automatically produced. This provides both for creating the online file, as well as for a simpler, significantly cost-saving, method of printing the annual report. ◊ The Current Research Activities is also produced on line and is updated weekly. This is an essential document, referred to by many (e.g. FGS students) as a primary and concise source of information about the scientific activities of research group leaders at the Institute. ◊ At the request of the Directorate for Research and Academic Affairs, the Internet Services section has created an online system to manage the Minerva-Weizmann Projects program. Information about the projects is displayed on line, enabling young German researchers who are interested in coming to Weizmann to learn more about working with the scientists involved in the project. ◊ Managing a continually evolving Weizmann web site, ensuring the rapid flow of up-to-date information via a professional and efficient interface, the section ensures that the Weizmann web site remains a dynamic reflection of a particularly multi-faceted campus. The ERP Section:

The extremely successful ERP system, based on e-Tafnit software, has been functioning smoothly since 2007, and is constantly being upgraded and expanded.

The system includes the following main modules: Finance, Budgets, Travel, Research Grants, Purchasing & Logistics, Construction and Salary Accounting, as well as an interface with the existing HR Oracle Applications module. The reporting and management of Grants and Financing has been upgraded to one integrated system, providing information transparency and automatic data control, according to accepted procedures and financial protocols. Data regarding where, when and by whom different operations were performed is stored and readily accessible. The whole process of a transaction, beginning with the request from the scientist and ending with the payment process and its connection to the research, is accomplished within one system.

The ERP enables data retrieval and integration of data and processes from all information systems in the Institute, thus providing the complete and transparent information necessary for informed managerial decisions. This Division of Information Systems 435 web-enabled system has had a campus-wide impact on documents workflow, control and reminders, where needed.

Further improvements that have been completed during 2009 include:

♦ All the Davidson Institute's activities have been integrated into the e-Tafnit system. Until this time, the Davidson Institute operated as a department within the Weizmann Institute. Today it functions as an independent financial entity, including budgetary regulation and inspection, as well as administration and tracking of projects, with the ability to supervise its own budget. ♦ Enhancements in the Queries for Scientists now enable scientists to submit budgetary queries which supply information as to budgetary balances, as well as updates about personnel in the scientist's group. ♦ Improvement of travel requests and travel reporting in the e-Tafnit system Involve new screens for travel requests.The screens were developed with respect to the working habits and needs of the user, intending to create a pleasant user experience with an emphasis on an intuitive, friendly interface-- simple to learn and use. As opposed to the previous screens, the new working environment is similar to an internet form. The form is structured according to topics, with helpful explanations that appear throughout. The Human Resources System, based on the Oracle Applications Human Resources software package, has been in production for nine years. This system has been instrumental in centralizing all of the human resources information and activities of the Institute, as well as providing, at long last, a single updated source of tabular information to be accessed by the entire campus. The Oracle Human Resources module serves as the single source of information for most of the Institute's online services, including LDAP, Internal Services, Feinberg Graduate School, and future portal-designed web sites.

The integration of the Academic Affairs Office into the larger Oracle data base has been completed. This new, comprehensive system monitors all administrative aspects of the scientific community, including sabbaticals, appointments, and organizational structure. Department administrators are now able to access the application to produce reports on their own, which include all relevant information about their department members. In addition, the Safety & Environmental Compliance Unit can also access relevant information in order to maintain the highest standards of safety on campus.

Additional modules and reports, which help systematize the Institute's organizational structure, are added regularly according to requests by the Division of Human Resources. The HR data base serves as a basis for campus-wide salary computations, the creation of individual employee 436 Division of Information Systems information files, individually authorized entrance to campus buildings, and many other procedures. The system also enables total internet web-based interfacing with MS Office, Adobe Acrobat and other widely-used applications.

During the last year the following modules were implemented:

♦ Use of a workflow tool of Oracle Application to support the process of reporting time effort by the scientists ♦ An ,b>employee recognition system

: Phase 1, which has been completed, manages the administrative part of the process. Phase 2, which will be implemented in the future, is planned to oversee the whole workflow process, from the initial request for employee recognition, through all the approval levels until its final entry. ♦ Letters Production System: the old ADE system, which had no support, was replaced by a module in the HR system, which enables creating letters combined with information from the HR database. ♦ An interface to the Entrance control system. The Applications Developing Section:

During the past year we have initiated the following projects:

♦ The successful Internal Services project, which has been running smoothly in production for over ten years, is constantly being upgraded and expanded. This web-enabled system, which monitors all in-house transfer of goods and services, has had a campus-wide impact on internal campus communication. Its current roster of approximately one hundred services provides an on-line catalogue of items available from various Institute departments (providers), and a user-friendly interface for placing, processing, and tracking internal orders. Most importantly, the system automatically debits and credits the department budgets or projects for these transactions.

New internal services that were added in 2009 include:

◊ Calorimetry ◊ Green House Services ◊ High Throughput Sequencing- HTS ◊ MRI ◊ Microarray Data Analysis ◊ Solexa/IlluminaDataAnalysis ◊ StemCells ◊ Tissue Culture Cell Repository Division of Information Systems 437 ◊ Warehouses Items (key duplication etc.) ◊ Telephone Order

♦ The Feinberg Graduate School (FGS) system, which has successfully been in production for almost nine years, enables students to register for laboratory time according to availability, to view their grade scores on line via the web, to register on line for equipment and rooms, online registration for rotations and post-docs, course evaluation and scheduling, and an improved archive of graduate students. In order for students to view their grades, they must first award a grade to the lecturer of the course, and to the course itself.

A complete menu of online interaction among students, lecturers, and the administration includes the automatic production of student cards, online questionnaires, a dynamic exchange and updating of grant reports, and the tracking of student and alumni awards.

Another service in the system, PAC (Ph.D. Approval Committee), assists the committee which awards Ph.D. degrees. It includes information on the committee members, dates, scheduling and candidate status, and oversees the smooth passage of all relevant forms and evaluations.

The system also includes improved logistical options and flexibility for the FGS staff, computerized systems for student and lecturers' salaries and student attendance, complete computerization of admissions procedures, early registration for exams, a grant system for outstanding women scientists, a follow-up system for Feinberg graduates (coordinated with the Ministry of the Interior), an improved travel system for students, registration of visiting students, automatic production of reports, and a greatly improved group email system which allows sending announcements/instructions/reports to specific population groups as needed.

Other recent enhancements include a user-friendly interactive reporting system, based on the interactive report Apex tool. a friendlier user interface developed in Oracle new tools (html/apex), which has improved the student-lecturer interface in the FGS system. Lecturers can now view the students' course evaluation for their courses. Application forms to FGS for different degrees/fellowships (M.Sc.,Ph.D.,Post-Doc) have been rewritten, and acceptance/rejection letters can now be printed on line. Currently in development are the forms and letters for the evaluation committee of the Women Scientists Fellowships, as well as Student Absentee reports via an html/web interface. 438 Division of Information Systems ♦ The Lab Manager system: (an html product, using Oracle APEX), for management of materials and orders for labs at Weizmann. The use of this product has been expanded to include 22 different laboratories. ♦ Many changes have been made in the administrative system for the Davidson Institute of Science Education and Tsemed systems, to support the union of those units. ♦ Scientist housing: this system, which handles the housing provided to the scientists at Weizmann, was upgraded from Forms 6i to Apex: ♦ New HelpDesk Reports system: gives Business intelligence on the Helpdesk system at IT Support Section in Weizmann. The reports analyse received tickets by departments, supporters, requests topics, etc. ♦ Kesher: an internal management system for the Research Services Division, which allows this unit to maintain time schedules and regulate the work of each member of the group. ♦ Alumni: a web form to get in touch with former students of the Institute. ♦ DNA Manufacturing Process System, for Prof. Shapirss lab. This system manages the tasks and projects during the manufacturing stage, encoroprates Matlab's results of the process, and creates a file for production use by the robot. ♦ In addition to the new projects described above, the Applications Branch maintains and upgrades important systems whose initial development is completed. These include:

◊ LIMS: Laboratory Information Management System, requested by the new Israel Structural Proteomics Center housed on the Weizmann campus and run by Weizmann scientists. Researchers submit targets (DNA or purified protein) for cloning and expression of the target genes and purification, crystallization and 3D structure determination of the target proteins. The new system tracks all of the scientific stages along the way: from primers, PCR experimentation, cloning, mini-prep, expression, production and purification, to crystallization and 3D structure. We are now upgrading the system to a new html format. ◊ Total computerization of the Mathematics Library: loans and returns, inventory control, overdue fines and reports. ◊ An Administrative Assemblies Management System for the Department of Resource Development: enables group visit tracking, flight information, tours and events scheduling, nametags, place cards, and all other aspects of important group assemblies at the Institute. ◊ A touch-screen system for the Levinson Visitors' Center that funnels information automatically to the Department of Division of Information Systems 439 Resource Development. ◊ The Telephones Billing Management system. ◊ The young@science system, which monitors after-school science activities offered by the Institute to Rehovot children. A new addition to this system manages a multifaceted program of organized school outings to the Clore Science Park. The same system also manages all activities in the Garden of Science. ◊ The IACUC (International Animal Care and Use Committee) system, which enables scientists to submit applications for veterinary resources via the Internet, replacing the previous email/telephone system. This is one of the department's most successful smaller systems, and since it went into production in November of 2002, a wide array of new features has been added every year. ◊ The system to monitor the working hours of the private Security Service personnel the Institute employs. ◊ A Safety Services system, which monitors reports submitted by Heads of Research Groups about the levels of their biological, chemical and radiations hazards/data, student exposure, and vaccinations. ◊ The transportation system, which enables the ordering of transportation services and movement of goods via the campus Intranet. ◊ A management system for controlling the schedule of the Wix and Ebner auditoriums. ◊ A scholarships system which interfaces between the Feinberg Graduate School and the Donors system. Every FGS student receives a donated Scholarship every year, and the new system maintains these relationships. ◊ CAMP and KAMATZ projects of the Davidson Institute of Science Education. This system includes a data base of students and counselors who participate in these projects, as well as follow-up data on project management, programs, and student attendance. The system also includes many report options, as well as mailing list management. BI Section (Business Information and reports): BI is a methodology that creates a better view of the data in an organization. The platform usually includes tools that enable easy access to many sources of information, from several databases and formats, in different operational systems. BI also has the ability to display the combined data from different systems in a clear, graphical view, and to analyze the data by various categories and parameters. Due to BIs manifold abilities, issuing reports or presenting important data in a clear and precise way has become easier for any type of user, with any type of data. 440 Division of Information Systems Today, the BI section is in the process of mapping the systems and data that exist in our organization. We are also mapping potential users and their needs. When this process is completed, we will decide which BI system and tools will be best suitable for the Weizmann Institute.

Electronic billboards: during the last year we've been running a pilot system of electronic billboards. At the end of the year a supplier for the project was chosen, and about 30 billboards were installed around the campus. The electronic billboards display events from the Institute calendar, in order to enhance awareness and multi-disciplinary cooperation between the scientists.

The Applications Branch is moving steadily toward its goal of a completely web-enabled environment, using a variety of cutting-edge tools to build the most integrated applications possible.

The website of the Applications Branch still includes two websites (of Data Processing and the Internet Services unit), which we plan to merge into one combined website: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/DP/ and http://www.weizmann.ac.il/IU/

Libraries Branch Ilana Pollack, Chief Librarian

The Libraries are responsible for acquiring, collecting, processing, distributing, and storing all printed material (books, journals, patents, articles, etc.) needed by the Institute faculty and staff, as well as for purchasing, licensing, implementing, maintaining, managing and ensuring online access to digital resources such as e- journals/series, e-books, databases, etc. The Library staff provides users with up-to-date techniques for locating and using library material and for searching the Library's online catalog, supports the Institute's personnel with sophisticated use of online resources, and performs intermediated scientific literature searches upon request.

The Libraries are comprised of books and bound volumes of periodicals, of current periodical and book series subscriptions in hardcopy or in combined printed and electronic form, many electronic databases, and access to aggregated electronic collections. We maintain a constantly growing collection of thousands of electronic journals/series and e-books. A considerable portion of the electronic resources collection is a result of MALMAD consortium agreements.

The Institute's Archives document the history of the Weizmann Institute and its scientific, educational, and cultural contributions to the world of scientific endeavor, from its beginning to the present day. Division of Information Systems 441 The Libraries' home page is: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/library

Innovations during the past year include:

♦ The transfer of the Wix Library collections

This year we completed the lengthy process of transferring the Wix Library hardcopy journal collections to the Faculty Libraries and to the new Central Library. This entailed logistical planning and reorganization in all Libraries. All decisions were taken in accordance with scientists' advice--asking them to check hardcopy titles lists, or by inviting them to check the Library's print collections.

The lengthy, professional weeding process of the Wix Library's book collections also continued during this year, and over 4,000 additional books have been weeded from the collection. Many books were transferred to the various Faculty Libraries. This process continues.

The Library's catalogs have been regularly updated with all the relevant changes. ♦ New Central Library location

The Weizmann Central Library (formerly known as the Wix Library) headquarters and collections, including the special collections, has moved to the renovated Leon and Gina Fromer Building. ♦ Proquest project

Approximately 1300 PhD dissertations were retrieved from our collection, organized and shipped to Proquest, to be scanned and included in their online dissertations database. This will enhance the exposure of the Weizmann Institute's dissertations harvest to the scientific world. ♦ New computers for public use in Faculty Libraries

The Library has acquired an array of new computers for public use in the Faculty Libraries, targeted at providing advanced updated information and library services to all Weizmann users. This acquisition was made possible by designated generous funding on the part of the Institute's management. ♦ Computerized books circulation

As of the summer of 2009, the Institutes' Libraries Book Loan system has been computerized, using the circulation module of the Library management system-ALEPH. 442 Division of Information Systems Although there is no change in the circulation procedure executed by the reader, the user's details are connected to the loaned book details in the online Library Catalog. As a result, the Library Catalog reflects the availability status of each book, namely, "on shelf" or "on loan". This new feature allows Library users to place a request for a loaned book directly from the Catalog's website, or to independently renew the books they have already borrowed. ♦ "Changing Worlds": WIS Library in the Digital Age

A review describing the Library's challenges and activities in the digitally transforming world of scientific information was prepared, and has been added to the Library's website. The full review is available in English and in Hebrew.

A shorter version called "Meida Achshav" (Information now) was published in Hebrew in the December issue of the Institute's internal publication "Shelanu." ♦ Athens -off-campus access to Library electronic resources

This year the Library strove to improve Athens , the service which allows Library users to access the Library's subscribed or purchased online resources from off-campus locations. Efforts were focused on solving different implementation difficulties and expanding the service to include almost all available online Library resources. ♦ The Library's website

The Library's website has undergone a massive update since it was launched last year. Additional material is constantly being added, including the Site Index. ♦ Library Users Forum

During the summer, the Library Users Forum was launched. The Forum provides a virtual platform for library and scientific information sharing, where one can ask questions, post comments, and share one's knowledge with the WIS community. ♦ New Web2 techniques adopted

The Library has also adopted Web2.0 techniques, and can now offer the Weizmann population updating services via Twitter and RSS channels on its website. ♦ Arranging free trials for new databases

In the last quarter of this year we have arranged free trials electronic access to the following information databases and products, some with hands-on tutorials: Division of Information Systems 443 BMJ's Best Practice Medical database. SpringerImages. Scopus database. BrainNavigator ♦ Annual Library's information literacy workshop for new students

During November the Library organized its annual information literacy workshop for new students, with the cooperation of the Feinberg Graduate School. The workshop focused mainly on the orientation of the Library's resources and services, and introduced students to effective usage of online information databases, tools for on-campus and off-campus information retrieval, and personal references' management systems. Special attention was given to digital information copyright laws. ♦ Online tutorials

Online tutorials for using library resources and services have been prepared and uploaded to the Library's website. Some tutorials are based on the presentation created for the information literacy workshop for students. ♦ The WIS Archives

Move of Archives to temporary new premises: The Institute's Archives has moved this year to a temporary location at the Weiz building(no.64), and has reorganized the Archives material on its new premises.

Archives share in Institute's 60 anniversary: Archival and historical documents and photos from the WIS Archives' preserved holdings were presented on a special web site dedicated to the Institute's 60th anniversary.

Scanning of essential Archives material: The WIS Archives has continued the scanning process of historical material into a digital format for the purpose of preservation and backup of essential material. 444 Division of Information Systems Division of Logistics and Research Services

Asher Bar-on, Head

The division consists of highly skilled technicians and engineers, grouped into professional working units.

The division provides support to the Weizmann Institute's research program, based on an inter-departmental charging system. The division is also in charge of the Security and Fire Department of the Institute.

This year the division made a number of significant changes in its organizational structure. Firstly, the Warehouses Unit left our division and is now part of the Procurement Division. Two units - Vacuum and Scientific Instruments Maintenance - were merged into one larger unit. The Vacuum unit moved from the Bamo"t Division with three of their technicians to our division. This unit is now headed by Mr. Chaim Yadin, previously head of the Vacuum unit. Two small units - raw materials warehouse and the welding shop - are now officially part of the Scientific Instrumentation Production - Rothberg workshop.

The major change in the division's organizational structure was the formation of two branches - each headed by a branch head. The branch of Engineering & Instrumentation, headed by Eng. Arik Velner. This branch includes both machine shops, the Instrument Design Unit, the Glassblowing Unit and the Scientific Instruments Maintenance Unit. The second branch - Design, Photography and Printing - combines these three units and is headed by Mr. Vadim Becker. Both branch heads work directly under the division head. This change has transformed the division's organizational structure into a pyramidal structure thereby allowing for much better managerial and control capabilities.

Scientific Instrumentation Production - Rothberg Avi Einhorn, Head

The workshop consists of a group of highly skilled technicians able to construct laboratory equipment from a wide range of materials. The workshop's machinery is designed to accommodate the demands of modern research laboratories, lathes, milling machines, sanders, drills and all other necessary equipment. 446 Division of Logistics and Research Services This year we replaced our old CNC milling machine with an up-to-date one. This new machine (Haas) enhances our capabilities to produce more complicated and intricate devices.

The workshop includes the following disciplines as well: raw material warehouse, CNC milling machine, welding shop, sheet metal shop and a small tinker shop allowing scientists and students to do some of their own work under the supervision of an experienced technician, sign production facility and production of unique laboratory apparatus made from plastic and PVC.

The design of the instruments is drawn up either by the scientist/student working in conjunction with the technicians or through the Instruments Design Unit using advanced CAD technologies.

The workshop produces and stocks a large range of Perspex appliances mainly for the use of the Biology faculties.

Instrument Design Unit Benny Pasmantirer, Head

The Instrument Design Unit, a team of skilled engineers, designs prototypes of versatile laboratory instruments according to specific research needs. Innovative solutions to technical problems that arose during the design process are worked out by the team in conjunction with the requesting scientist.

The design process is implemented using parametric software, which simulates the assembly as a solid on the screen, allowing quick changes until the final product is realized.

The team accompanies the manufacturing process of the prototype from the workshops of the Weizmann Institute (Precision Instrument and Engineering Workshop and Instrumentation Workshop, Physics) through its installation and finally to its successful operation in the laboratory.

Scientific Instrumentation Production - Physics Shlomo Asayag, Head

This unit's vast capabilities and experience enable it to produce custom made instruments for all the research laboratories in the Institute.

Available to the skilled technicians are lathes and milling machines that allow high precision metalwork in the range of 1mm-2000mm. The workshop is fully equipped with drills, sanders, guillotines and all other necessary equipment needed to produce instruments of such high precision and quality. Division of Logistics and Research Services 447 Here too we revamped old machines with new more accurate and easier to use ones.

Our technicians are able to produce equipment from plans drawn up after meetings and discussions with scientists or students. The Instruments Design Unit using CAD programs works in conjunction with the machine shop creating technical plans for scientific instruments to be produced in the workshop.

Scientific Glassblowing Unit Yossi Novema, Head

Provides services for scientific research in the campus including advice and design of special glassware.

Creation and modification of pyrex and quartz glass laboratory instruments.

Scientific Instruments Maintenance Chaim Yadin, Head

This unit specializes in the repair and maintenance of laboratory equipment. The unit is divided into the following sections: centrifuges, vacuum pumps and lab equipment. The centrifuge team repairs and maintains all types of centrifuges in the Institute: floor, tabletop, cooled, ultra etc.

Lab equipment ranges from small equipment such as Pipetman/ Pipetaid, stirrers, mechanical balances, hot plates to larger equipment such as shakers, electrophoresis cells, lyophilizes and ice machines.

With the merging of the Vacuum unit over 1,000 laboratory vacuum pumps are now being maintained by the unit's technicians. The unit has recently begun daily maintenance of a number of X-Ray film developing units.

Moving Services Ehud Idan, Head

This service is responsible for all handling and moving all goods within the campus, from the campus and to the campus. Besides regular distribution of items/requests from the different warehouses to the Institute departments, this team has vast experience in moving delicate/heavy/bulky equipment, (e.g. centrifuges, hoods, freezers, optical tables) from place to place.

The unit is also responsible for cleaning out basements, labs and offices and often makes use of special cranes and handling equipment. 448 Division of Logistics and Research Services At the disposal of the unit are three medium sized trucks with loading ramps, a forklift and numerous carts of different types and sizes.

A limited amount of storage space is available, which can be used by special request.

Photography Laboratories Shalom Nidam, Head

Documentation of experiments, often live, at Institute laboratories, professional photography, developing and processing of photographs.

Video - shooting and editing. Digital photography, screening of photos, computerized photo processing and producing CD ROM discs. We recently purchased a digital video camera and digital editing equipment, which increased our support capabilities for the scientific staff.

Recently an advanced archiving program was purchased allowing us to digitally archive the tens of thousands of historic and important photos we have collected over the years. We also purchased an advanced scanner enabling us to rapidly scan documents like those in the Weizmann archives in preparation for their transfer to the new archive program.

Duplication and Printing Unit Natan Kronenberg, Head

Printing, duplication and publishing all scientific work produced at the Institute, assisting in the preparation of materials for various forms as well as large format posters of scientific publications and presentations using new advanced digital duplicating machines for color prints.

Educational booklets and flyers of various types are also produced for many departments especially The Davidson Institute of Science Education and young@science.

This year we began the process of replacing some of the older printing machines with modern ones - thereby enhancing our printing capabilities both in quantity and especially in quality. We expect to complete this program during the coming year.

Graphics Department Haya Yoskovitch, Head

From the initial idea to the final product Division of Logistics and Research Services 449 The Graphics Department at the Weizmann Institute of Science, housed in the Goldsmith-Maltz Building, was established in 1975 to supply the graphic requirements of all the scientists, technical workers and administrative staff.

From a nucleus of two, using pencils, rulers, letter-sets, rapidographs and similar old-fashioned equipment, we have now grown to a very respectable staff of ten.

Sharing our knowledge is important; whether it be through volunteering our educational services to the Institute retirees, or one-on-ones and small group instruction for specific programs. Special workshops, (such as Adobe Acrobat) offering basic information needed by the majority of our scientists, students and staff, are also organized.

Using updated multimedia technology, powerful computers, scanners, high-quality printers, digital recorders, video cameras, and the latest computer programs available on the market; we provide state of the art designs according to the specifications and requirements of our clientele. This year we continued investing in more powerful computers for graphics allowing us to keep up with the continual advance of graphics programs.

Security Department Moshe Gat, Head

The Security Department is in charge of all internal security, including fire alarm systems, fire-extinguishing equipment and security alarm systems. They are also involved in assisting social events at the Institute. http://www.weizmann.ac.il/RSD/

Engineers and Laboratories Staff

Asher Bar-on, MSM, Boston University and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva Arik Velner, B.Sc., Mechanical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva Vadim Becker, B.A., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv Tali Wiesel, B. Business, Management College, Tel-Aviv Lilia Goffer, M.Sc., Polytechnic Institute, Chelabinsk Benjamin Pasmantirer, B.Sc., Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv Gedalia Perlman, M.Sc., Polytechnical University, Leningrad 450 Division of Logistics and Research Services The Amos de-Shalit Foundation

Haim Harari, Chairman The Annenberg Professor of High Energy Physics

The Foundation bearing the name of Amos de-Shalit was formally established in 1974 on the fifth anniversary of his death. A living memorial to the founder and first head of the Weizmann Institute's Department of Nuclear Physics, and later of its Department of Science Teaching, the Foundation's main goal is to foster an increased awareness of the role of science among young Israelis.

This year's activities included:

The Amos de-Shalit Science Workshop Two-week research program for top Israeli 11th and 12th grade graduates, organized by the Science for All Unit Shoam1. Out of the seventeen students who participated four were granted scholarships. The Foundation partly sponsored this activity and will grant the scholarships.

The Amos de-Shalit Popular Science Lectures A series of three lectures by prominent Weizmann Institute scientists open to the public was organized by the Science for All Unit Shoam. 520 people participated, mostly high school students.

The Amos de-Shalit Prize for Excellence in the Teaching of Physics In 2009 two prizes were awarded to: Rachel Knoll from the Ort Sapir High School in Yeruham and the Yeshivat Hesder in Yeruham and to Alina Kolton from the Muncipality High School in Ramat-Gan and the Aviv High School in Ra'anana.

The Annual Amos de-Shalit Summer School in Physics, Chemistry and Life Sciences The Amos de-Shalit Foundation offers annual summer schools in physics, chemistry and life sciences for outstanding undergraduate students studying at Israeli universities who have at least two years of undergraduate studies. This year a one-week program was held for students in the life sciences and a two-week program for students in physics and chemistry. Forty seven students participated.

During the Summer School an evening marking 40 years since the passing away of Amos de-Shalit and 35 years since the launching of the Amos de-Shalit Summer School programs was held at the Clore Garden of Science. Invited to the event were generations of graduates of the Amos de-Shalit 452 The Amos de-Shalit Foundation Summer School and the Science Workshop programs, who are now research students and scientists at the Institute.

Meetings at the Frontiers of Science, a series of lectures in popular science The Amos de-Shalit Foundation partly sponsored this series of lectures, organized by the Davidson Institute for Science Education.

Tehuda2 To mark the 40th Anniversary of the passing away of Amos de-Shalit, the Foundation sponsored the issuing of a special issue in memory of Professor Amos de-Shalit.

1 Shoam is the Hebrew acronym for "Science and Education Oriented" 2 Hebrew for resonance The Amos de-Shalit Foundation 453 454 The Amos de-Shalit Foundation Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd.

Prof. Mudi Sheves, Chairman

Mr. Amir Naiberg, CEO

Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd. is the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS). Yeda initiates and promotes the transfer to the global marketplace of research findings and innovative technologies developed by WIS scientists. Yeda holds an exclusive agreement with the Weizmann Institute to market and commercialize its intellectual property and generate income to support further research and education.

Yeda performs the following activities

♦ Identifies, assesses, and promotes research projects with commercial potential. ♦ Protects the intellectual property of the Institute and its scientists. ♦ Licenses WIS inventions and technologies to industry. ♦ Channels funding from industry to research projects. ♦ Follows-up on development and commercialization of licensed technologies. Yeda Statistics for 2007-2008 ♦ Over 2500 introductions & presentations of WIS Technologies to companies. ♦ Over 250 presentations of confidential information to interested companies (under signed secrecy agreements). ♦ Over 45 new license and option agreements signed. ♦ Over 80 research projects at WIS were funded through Yeda by companies, by the chief scientist of the ministry of industry and trade and by Yeda itself, including through joint funds with companies such as Johnson & Johnson. ♦ Over 200 patent disclosures submitted by WIS scientists. Spanning the Natural Sciences

WIS research and technologies cover a broad spectrum of the natural sciences, including:

♦ Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics ♦ Bioinformatics, Proteomics, Biomatics & Systems Biology ♦ Medical Devices ♦ Cleantech, Renewable Energy, Bio-fuels and Environmental Sciences 456 Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd. ♦ Agriculture and Plant Genetics ♦ Chemistry and Nanotechnology ♦ Physics and Electro-Optics ♦ Mathematics and Computer Science Weizmann Scientists

Yeda controls an internal Yeda CEO Fund. This fund aims to support projects that are close to commercialization and due to their practical nature can not be funded by regular scientific research grants. More information is available on our website.

Contact us! We are interested in receiving your patent disclosures, requests, feedback & comments.

Seeking Additional Partners

Yeda partnered with many multinational entities such as Merck- Serono, Novartis, Baxter, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, Johnson & Johnson, Teva, Invitrogen & others. We are actively seeking additional commercial partners and entrepreneurs that can bring WIS technologies to the marketplace.

Additional information on the business opportunities offered by Yeda, can be found at:

http://www.YedaRnD.com Tel: 972 (0) 8 947 0617 Fax: 972 (0) 8 947 0739 SMS: 972 (0) 8 9366874 e-mail: [email protected] Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd. 457 458 Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd. Weizmann Institute Activities on the Internet

Current Research Activities on the Internet

The full text of the above mentioned publication may be found on the Internet (the World Wide Web) at the following URL: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/acadaff/Current_Research

You may search for any word or phrase, by using the online SEARCH option.

Keyword Search for Institute Researchers of the Internet

A specialty search engine has been designed which will return further to a Keyword(s) of your choice, a table of contact details for Weizmann Institute researchers' whose activities are relevant to provided search keyword(s). The contact details table returned is complied further to an automatic search that scans the following available online sources:

♦ Current research activities entry ♦ Publications ♦ Research grants and projects information ♦ Weizmann institute researchers homepages The search engine may be found at the following URL: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/acadaff/scisearch/scisearch.html

Scientific Activities on the Internet

The full text of this publication may be found on the Internet (the World Wide Web) at the following URL: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/acadaff/Scientific_Activities

You may search for any word or phrase, by using the online SEARCH option.

Study, Training and Research Opportunities

Interested in Study, Training or Research Opportunities at the Weizmann Institute of Science? Visit our Researchers Mobility Portal at the following URL: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/acadaff/RMP/ 460 Weizmann Institute Activities on the Internet