Newsletter of Technion Canada Spring 2017

Dov Moran Technion alumni is an Israeli entrepreneur, the driving force of the Israeli economy inventor, and investor, best known as the inventor of the USB memory stick. Yael vizel is co-founder and CEO of Zeekit Ltd., a fashion start-up that removes the hit-and-miss aspect of online clothes shopping by enabling shoppers to “try on” clothing — virtually — before buying. Zeekit won ’s Smartup2 competition in 2014, and Yael has been named one of the top three entrepreneurs in Israel.

Dov Frohman , an electrical engineer and business executive is a former vice president of Corporation, the inventor of the erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) and the founder and first general manager of Intel Israel.

Yoelle Maarek is a vice president at Yahoo Andrei Zary Broder is a and the head of Yahoo Research. In 2006, she Distinguished Scientist at Google. founded the Google Engineering Center, Previously he was a Research where one of her key projects involved auto Fellow and Vice President of completion for Google and YouTube queries. Computational Advertising for She moved to Yahoo in 2009 to start their Yahoo! research initiatives in Israel.

At Innovations’ Forefront for the Benefit of the World Message from Doreen Green & Marvin ostin National Chair National President

We have penned many messages for our newsletter, all of them Oded Ben Dov lives in Israel and graduated, Summa Cum Laude, expressing our pride in being associated with this outstanding with a BSc in Computer Science, from Technion in 2010. He is the university. We have talked about the history of the university, the co-founder of Sesame Enable, a start-up, developing hands-free students and faculty, and we have recognized the impact of the smartphone technology that can also be of tremendous help for support and leadership of Technion Canada and invited you to join children and students with motor disabilities. He currently serves at us and get involved. the CEO, CTO and Chair of the Board of Directors.

This message is about another group for whom the impact of a Born in Montreal, Shawn Bramson graduated from McGill University Technion education has changed lives, gained knowledge and in 2014 with a BEng in Software Engineering. During his time at McGill revolutionized industries both in Israel and around the world – he spent a semester at Technion. In 2016 he graduated in the first Technion Alumni. graduating class of Cornell Tech with an MSc in Information Systems (Connective Media). Presently Shawn is a Senior Product Engineer at Technion alumni play a major role in the global evolution of science Verizon in New York. and technology while tackling the greatest challenges facing humanity. They comprise 70 percent of the leaders of the high- Sam Spanglet was raised and educated in Israel. In 1973 he graduated tech workforce in Israel, serve as the CEOs of two-thirds of Israeli from the Technion with a Chemical Engineering degree. After working companies listed on the NASDAQ, and have created Israel’s industrial for four years at the Petrochemicals Industries in Haifa he moved to infrastructure, reinforced its defense capabilities and pioneered its Canada. His career in Canada began with an engineering position at technology-based enterprises. As a result, Israel has the highest Monsanto and culminated as VP Shell Operations and President of concentration of high-tech start-up companies anywhere outside the Albion Sands, a Shell company. Sam retired in 2006. Silicon Valley. International giants such as Google, Yahoo!, Intel, IBM, HP and Microsoft have been attracted to set up R&D facilities in Haifa Oded, Shawn and Sam and those Alumni on the front cover, are only a in order to recruit quality Technion graduates. very small sample of what the Technion’s Alumni have accomplished. The alumni are the Technion’s brand ambassadors, dispersed around Technion graduates have devised the world’s first wireless technology the globe and contributing to the reputation of their alma mater ; first intestinal pill camera; first stand-alone, anti- every day. ballistic missile defense system; leading Internet search engines; the largest reverse osmosis desalination plant in the world, and much Wishing all the joys of the Passover holiday to you and your family. more. May you be blessed with happiness, prosperity and peace and good health on Passover and always. At our recent Annual Meeting in Toronto we had the privilege of meeting and listening to three Technion graduates who shared both their life achievements and the acknowledgment of the role that Technion played in those achievements.

Technion Canada 2016-2017 Board of Directors EXECUTIVE CHAIR PRESIDENT VICE-PRESIDENTS TREASURER SECRETARY OFFICERS AT LARGE Doreen Green Marvin Ostin Harry Bloomfield Harold Garfinkle Neil Closner Steve Merling, Irwin Tauben, Edward Nagel Ben Wygodny DIRECTORS Jack Bensimon Ronnie Kaplan Arnold Recht Leesa Steinberg Howard Berish Eliot Phillipson Harry Sheres Bill Wiener Steve Bramson Paul Raducanu Melissa Singer

HONOURARY LIFE PRESIDENTS HONOURARY DIRECTORS HONOURARY VICE CHAIR David Azrieli z”l Sydney Cooper, Pearl Sperber Gameroff, Sheva Honig, Morley Blankstein z”l Sydney Cooper Alex Magil , Eugene Riesman, Barrie Rose

National Office Montreal Office 970 Lawrence Avenue West, Suite 206 Toronto, ON M6A 3B6To 6900 Decarie Boulevard, Suite 3435 Cote St. Luc, QC H3X 2T8 GOVERNOR GENERAL David Johnston AWARDED an Honorary Doctorate BY Technion

Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie and Governor Governor General David Johnston Mrs. Sharon Johnston, Governor General David General David Johnston Johnston and Prof. Peretz Lavie

Governor General, David Johnston is the first between Canada and Israel. It was a privilege with lots of encouragement from my rabbi, Governor General of Canada to lead a State to have been part of this relationship during I began to attend the ultra-Orthodox pre- visit to Israel. Johnston came to Technion my time at the University of Waterloo and academic preparatory program at Technion, heading a large delegation which included, earlier at McGill University, and I have great graduated with a grade of 99, and began among others, members of parliament, memories of our collaboration.” my medical studies.”; and Yazan Safadi, an academics and business people, as well as the undergraduate student at the Faculty of Civil Israeli ambassador to Canada, Rafi Barak, and Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie praised and Environmental Engineering who intends the incoming Canadian ambassador to Israel, Johnston for his motto, “To envisage a better to continue studying there for his master’s Deborah Lyons. world” and said that the Governor General degree. Safadi, an Arab from Nazareth who is indeed advancing the world by fostering attended the prestigious Hebrew Reali School The degree was awarded to Johnston “in higher education. in Haifa, said that “many of the Arab students recognition of your contribution to the come from small villages and from poor advancement of academic research and Prior to the degree ceremony, Governor families, some of them never spoke Hebrew, education in Canada; and in tribute to your Johnston and his delegation took part in and most of them come with a low level of longstanding public activities including a special panel discussion on the broad high school education. Technion does a lot the realm of the economy, society and the diversity in the Technion student community to advance these students and has already environment in Canada. With gratitude for your and the ways in which Technion helps the managed to significantly reduce the dropout promotion of academic relations between various student populations. The four student rate among them.” Canadian universities and universities around panelists were Dorin Gez from Tiberias, a the world and especially for your steadfast student in the Atidim program at the Faculty of “I believe the future belongs to those who support towards establishing academic Industrial Engineering and Management; Halo embrace diversity and build cultures of cooperation between Israel and Canada; and Salem, who immigrated from Ethiopia at age innovation with global reach. ” said Governor with gratitude for your warm and supportive 6 and began studying last year at the Faculty Johnston. “Of course, diversity is viewed as a relationship with the Jewish community in of Industrial Engineering and Management; strength at Technion. This is a microcosm of Canada and with the State of Israel.” Yehuda Saviner, an ultra-Orthodox Jew and diversity, and it’s also the epicenter of Israel’s father of three from Bnei Brak, who was to ‘start-up nation’ mentality. There is a strong “I thank you for this distinguished degree become a rabbinical judge but from an early intersection of diversity and innovation here, and accept it not only on my behalf but on age dreamed of becoming a doctor and is now which no doubt helps to explain your global behalf of all Canadians,” said Johnston. “I’m a fourth-year medical student at Technion. success.” very proud of the innovation links that exist “Since I knew only basic level arithmetic, and

L-R Harry Bloomfield, Governor General David Johnston, Prof. Panel Discussion on Student Diversity Peretz Lavie and Irwin Tauben Technion canada and Together, we’re building the future of collaborative innovation

On Thursday December 15th, in investments of $10,000 per deal. The initial conjunction with OurCrowd, Technion focus of OurCrowd will be the dynamic Canada, hosted an exciting breakfast early stage funding market in Israel and program and demo at the MaRS Discovery only companies that have passed a Building in Toronto. rigorous due diligence process will be added to the platform. Rami Parham, CEO of MUV Interactive, a successful innovator and Technion MUV has developed a pioneering state-of- Institute of Technology graduate gave a the-art solution for interacting with multiple very informative presentation. screens and media sources through touch, remote, and voice interaction. MUV’s Led by Jonathan Medved, OurCrowd is a device instantly changes any projected world-leading equity-based crowdfunding item into an interactive screen with precise platform, built for accredited investors to touch and remote capabilities. Current provide venture capital funding for Israeli potential venues for MUV’s solution (and later global) venture capital start- include large presentation environments, ups. Membership in the community is educational institutions, and command vetted and offered only to people who & control centers. Rami demonstrated to meet the stringent accreditation criteria. both donors and investors his wearable Accredited investors who are accepted device enabling any surface to become an into the community can make minimum interactive display. leaving a legacy gift A gift with lasting meaning. Steven and Katherine Sebestyen were both survivors of the horrors Unfortunately, it did not last long, in 1967 at the age of 20, in his third of Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, Theresienstadt and forced labour camps year at McGill, he collapsed while playing football on campus and in Russia. They were married in 1945 and their only child, Peter, was passed away. born in September of 1946. At that time, the Sebestyen’s lived in Hungary. In Mrs. Sebestyen’s words, “He was born amidst our mixture Since that time, Steven and Katherine established various scholarships, of emotions: mourning, despair, anger, sadness, but at the same time including at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology to memorialize he was a product of LOVE and HOPE, without which a human life is their son. The Technion Scholarship is the Peter Sebestyen Memorial not worthwhile living. After the war, we started a new life in Hungary. Fund in Bio-Medical Engineering. When our son was born, we found a purpose in life.” In February, 2009, Steven Sebestyen passed away. For over eight In 1956 the revolution against the communist regime broke out years, Mrs. Sebestyen continued her efforts to keep her son’s short in Hungary. Prior to this, they had applied for a visa to Israel, but life memorialized. In January of this year, Katherine Sebestyen passed they could no longer wait. Peter was 10 years old and they left the away. country illegally with no possessions including papers. Eventually, the Sebestyen’s did receive a permit to immigrate to Canada as political The greatest legacy that the Sebestyens left was that their son’s name refugees. They were delighted to be able to raise Peter in a ‘free will be forever memorialized and rememebred by the Technion country, where decency and tolerance, not dictatorship prevails…’. students who will be the supported by the Peter Sebestyen Memorial Fund. Later in life, Peter enrolled at McGill University in the Faculty of Engineering as his dream was to become a biomedical engineer.

Thank You spotlight on technion alumni

Technion Alumni, Dr. Andrew and Aviva Goldenberg have recently pledged US$5,000,000 to Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. They will be honoured at a special ceremony at the Board of Governors in June, recognizing the commencement of the construction of the Dr. Andrew and Aviva Goldenberg Architecture Student Pavilion. As well, a portion of the gift will go to the creation of Fellowships in Advanced Robotics Engineering.

Aviva Goldenberg obtained a Bachelor of Architecture and involved in the development of robotics-based automation. In May Town Planning, from Technion Israel Institute of Technology in 1971. 2015 ESI was acquired by a Chinese consortium located in Shenzhen, P.R. China. From 1976-2002 she was in private practice as an Architect in Toronto. From 1977-1999 she was a Professor and Program Coordinator of As Professor Emeritus, Mechanical Engineering at the University of Architectural Technology at Centennial College AAT in Toronto. Toronto, Dr. Goldenberg is the founder of the field of Robotics at University of Toronto. Dr. Andrew Goldenberg obtained his MSc and BSc degrees from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, in 1969 and 1972, respectively and his PhD in 1976 from the University of Toronto. Dr. Goldenberg is the founder and President of Engineering Services Inc. (ESI) established in 1982. ESI is a high-technology company Q & A 1.What was your most memorable experience(s) at 3. How can industry and/or academia nurture Technion? innovators to ensure the ecosystem stays curious, pioneering, creative and motivated? Aviva: During the summer vacation at the end of the third year, our History Aviva: of Architecture lecturer, Prof. Kashtan, organized a 6 weeks tour to Curious minds should be encouraged to think and create beyond Greece and Italy to see firsthand what we studied in class. The a rigid curriculum. Practical application should be integrated in experience got me hooked on visiting Architectural sites all over the course material and students should be encouraged to interact with world. Another very unique experience was meeting my husband on practitioners. the bus that took students from the campuses in Haifa to . That was 50 years ago, and we have been married for 47... Andrew: Allow unstructured exploration and use of human’s cerebral capacity Andrew: in research and development, while being only guided by national First, it was realization that I made it into the Technion, the Mecca of interests, without constraints of trends and methodologies, as well Israeli education (at least at that time). Second, it was finding the love as by combining practicality with theory from the early stages of of my life…..on the bus on the way home from Haifa to Tel Aviv. education.

2. How was your target discipline refined while 4. What about being a Technion alumni gives you at Technion, and/or were there surprises in your pride, inspires you, or motivates you to set a good career path following graduation? example for others? Aviva: Aviva: Architectural study always seems more exciting that Architectural What surprised me extremely was the ease of integration into practice. In my case, the 5 years of school prepared me extensively to practicing in Canada immediately after graduating at the Technion. succeed and find enjoyment in all aspects of design and construction. The study material provided me with a solid academic base to practice in a different country, with different construction techniques, Andrew: and modes of communication. Understanding that engineering science as taught at the Technion has a significant impact on everyday life, and I want to remain Andrew: connected with this professional domain forever. I am proud to be a Technion alumnus, who has succeeded very well The surprise is now, when I look back, and realize how far I have got professionally. Inspiration comes from the years spent at the Technion professionally and personally with my Technion education. where hard work and dedication to the studies prevailed. Motivation is to always give back when and if possible. HONOURING Lillyann & Bill Wiener Paul Wynn Leslie Wynn Jeff Weinzweig

Sunday, June 4, 2017 at 6:00 pm Evergreen Brick Works 550 Bayview Avenue, Toronto

416-789-4545 [email protected] www.technioncanada.org

for more information call 416-789-4545 or email [email protected] western region technion professor on sabbatical Technion Professor Menashe Zaaroor, M.D., D.Sc. Electromagnetic Navigation System for has begun his sabbatical in Calgary, Alberta neurosurgery, Biosence Company which is at the University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain currently used in many neurosurgical centres. He Institute. is the former medical director of “Medic Vision” and currently the medical director and Member He holds an M.D. - (Magna Cum Laude), and of Scientific Advisory Board of Microbot Medical a D.Sc., both from the Faculty of Medicine at Inc. This company is developing a robotic self- the Technion. He is also the Director of the cleaning shunt. Department of Neurosurgery at the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Israel and an A partnership between the Technion and Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at the at Hotchkiss Brain Institute was first developed the Faculty of Medicine at the Technion-Israel in June of 2015 to find new and innovative Institute of Technology. therapies in this field. Professor Zaaroor will be the guest of Dr. Sam Weiss, Director of the Professor Zaaroor is a Skull Base neurosurgeon University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute. and pioneer in MR guided focused ultrasound Their research continues along the path towards (MRgFUS) treatment for essential tremor and new and innovative therapies in Neuroscience Technion Professor Menashe Zaaroor Parkinson disease. His current research fields and will include the developing of MRgFUS in are robotic in neurosurgery, and he is the Calgary (along with Professor Zelma Kiss) as Director of the Evoked Potential Lab as well. He well as Robotics in Neurosurgery with Professor was a Visiting Professor at the Department of Sutherland from Hotchkiss. Neurology and Neurosurgery at Irvine California and was trained in the United States and in Professor Zaaroor is the author of 100 peer Europe in Neurosurgery for Skull Base Surgery, reviewed papers in Neurosurgery and Endoscopic Pituitary Surgery, and DBS Surgery. Neuroscience. He developed the first Intraoperative

TECHNION of things BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETINGS 2017 june 9 to 14, 2017 The Annual Meeting of the Technion Board of Governors includes inaugurations of major new projects, conferral of honorary degrees, prize ceremonies, symposia and seminars, special events, Board of Governors committee meetings, and festive social events. Highlights this year include the Modai Lecture with Maj. Gen. (Res) Amos Yadlin; an opportunity to meeting Technion’s luminary graduate students -the Promise of the Future; a VIP Tour of Naharayim on the Jordan River - witness the courage and vision of Israel’s first entrepreneurs.

For more information contact Anne Kalles at 514-735-5541 or [email protected]

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To send a card go to http://weblink.donorperfect.com/cdntech_donate or call 1-866-935-8864 The future of Israel is in high-technology and the future of high-technology in Israel is at Technion. TECHNION TRIUMPHS Technion Students Develop Unique Parachute required the implantation of an artificial electronic pacemaker to correct the dysfunction of the natural pacemaker mechanism using Disaster Relief System electrodes inserted into various areas of the heart. Students in the Technion-Israel Institute But such electrical pacemakers have a myriad of limitations, including of Technology Faculty of an invasive surgical procedure, danger of infection, a lack of hormonal Aerospace Engineering sensitivity and a limited duration of activity (due to limited battery life). have developed a unique And when it comes to treating children, whose hearts are still growing, way to help disaster an electrical pacemaker does not adapt itself to the gradual increase victims: from extremely in cardiac volume. high altitudes they drop a PANDA on them. PANDA One of the most promising future alternatives to electrical pacemakers stands for “Parachuted is the biological pacemaker strategy, based on the use of cells that Assistance for Natural are functionally similar to natural pacemaker cells. The team from the Disaster Areas.” Technion, Rambam, and the University Health Network’s McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine used knowledge learned in the field In a test late last year, the students successfully dropped supplies from of developmental biology to develop a differentiation protocol for the a cargo plane flying at altitudes of up to four plus miles high – and creation of pacemaker cells from human embryonic stem cells. were able to place a 2,000 pound load in a target area pinpointed to within 100 meters of their mark. The parachute’s hi-tech guidance system the students developed could greatly improve the delivery Groundbreaking Partnership Between New York of aid to disaster victims where land-based efforts are not possible Genome Center & Technion-Israel Institute of and without the risk of traditional parachute supply drops from cargo planes greatly missing their mark. Technology to Accelerate Advancements in Life Sciences “In disaster areas, vital infrastructure such as roads and railroads leading to the affected area are often destroyed or severely damaged, making it impossible for ground-based vehicles to deliver aid,” explained project supervisor Associate Prof. Benjamin Landkof, of the Faculty of Aeronautical Engineering. “Alternative methods for supplying food and first aid are needed.” Canadian-Israeli Development: A New Biological Pacemaker Using a type of cardiac cells known as sinotrial (SA) node pacemaker cells, a team of scientists from Israel and Canada have developed a biological pacemaker that overcomes many Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a groundbreaking new of the limitations of partnership between the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology electrical pacemakers. and the New York Genome Center. Harnessing the entrepreneurial The breakthrough experience of Technion and the world-class research capacity of the findings could pave the Genome Center, this collaboration will bring together global leaders way for an “assembly to accelerate biomedical research, advanced genomics, treatments line” for an unlimited and clinical applications, and foster the commercialization and job reservoir of pacemaker creation capacities of the life sciences industry. cells to treat patients with heart rhythm Both the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and the New York problems. Genome Center have significant expertise in bioinformatics and computational biology. The New York Genome Center uses this The sinotrial (SA) node is the natural pacemaker of the heart, and is expertise to advance discovery in genomics. Through collaboration comprised of a group of dedicated heart cells – SA node pacemaker with leading scientists at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, cells – responsible for initiation of the electrical signal leading to the genomics research will be accelerated in novel ways, which will benefit contraction of the heart. A dysfunction in their activity results in slow the broader community and provide economic benefits for New York beating rate that could disrupt cardiac function and lead to weakness, and Israel. dizziness, fainting, heart failure, and even death. Such dysfunction Dream it. Do it. Technion