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The “Nobel Prize” of Computing

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Technion Graduate Prof. Judea Pearl has won the Turing Award for a “contribution that transformed artificial intelligence”; he will receive the prestigious Technion Harvey Prize in 2012.

Prof. Judea Pearl, Harvey Prize Laureate 2011.

Technion graduate Prof. Judea Pearl, who will receive at the end of this month the prestigious Harvey Prize at the Technion, has won the Turing Award, “the Nobel Prize of Computer Scientists.” The Harvey Prize  is known to “predict” the wins of Nobel Prize Laureates (13 researches have won the Nobel Prize after receiving the Harvey Award), and it has now managed to “predict” also Prof. Pearl’s win of the Turing Award  (he was told four months ago about the Technion’s decision to grant him the Harvey Prize).

The Tecnion’s announcement said that Prof. Pearl has “laid, through courageous and far-sighted research the theoretical foundations for the presentation of knowledge and reasoning in computer science. His theories of inference under uncertainty, and in particular the Bayesian Networks approach, have influenced varied disciplines, including artificial intelligence, statistics,  philosophy, health, economics, social sciences and cerebral cognitive processes. The Harvey Prize in Science and Technology is awarded to Prof. Pearl in recognition of the breakthroughs that are  embodied in his researches and their influence on multitudes of spheres of our life.”

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, announced last weekend that Prof. Judea Pearl of UCLA has won the 2011 ACM Turing Award, for innovations that enabled breakthroughs in the partnership between humans and machines that is the foundation of artificial intelligence. He has created the computational basis for processing information under uncertainty – a core problem faced by intelligent systems. “Prof. Pearl’s influence extends beyond artificial intelligence and even computer science – to human reasoning and the philosophy of science,“ said ACM’s announcement.

First and foremost, the Harvey Prize rewards excellence by recognizing breakthroughs in science and technology. The monetary Prize is a banner of recognition for men and women who have truly contributed to the progress of humanity. No less, however, the Prize is a source of inspiration. Serving as stimulus, the award urges scientists and scholars forward to further accomplishment.

The Harvey Prize was awarded for the first time in 1972, from a fund established by Leo M. Harvey, of Blessed Memory, of Los Angeles, in recognition of great contributions to the advancement of humanity in science and technology and  human health, and to the advancement of peace in the Middle East. Every year, the fund awards $75,000 to each of the winners.

Among the recipients of the prestigious Harvey Prize are scientists from the USA, Britain, Russia, Sweden, France and Israel, such as Nobel Prize Laureate Mikhail Gorbachev, former leader of the USSR, who was awarded the Prize  for his activity towards reducing regional tensions; Prof. Bert Sakmann, Nobel Laureate in Medicine; Prof. Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Nobel Laureate in Physics; Prof. Edward  Teller, for his discoveries in solid state physics, atomic physics and nuclear physics; and Prof. William J. Kolff, for the invention of the artificial kidney.

Candidates for the Harvey Prize are recommended by leading scientists and personages in Israel and the world. The prize laureates are selected by the Harvey Prize Council in a stringent process at  the Technion.

See also: Harvey Prize Laureates, 2011

Who is Craig Gotsman?

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“The Technion is confident that its experience in building the Israeli high-tech sector will serve it well in New York City. “

TCII Director Prof. Craig Gotsman.

In February of 2012, NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced Technion Prof. Craig Gotsman will serve as founding director of the Technion-Cornell  Innovation Institute. Mayor 
Bloomberg made the announcement at the headquarters of Tumblr, one of the City’s fastest-growing technology companies, was joined by Tumblr CEO David Karp, Dean Huttenlocher, Cathy Dove, New York City Economic President Seth Pinsky, Chief Digital Officer Rachel Sterne, Office of Media & Entertainment Commissioner Katherine Oliver and representatives from Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, Bitly and YouTube.


“New York City is quickly becoming the center of the digital universe, and today’s announcements will help us get there,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “With this fantastic leadership team in place, the tech campus will help us attract and develop more talent to energize our growing tech sector. And our social media platforms will give New Yorkers the information they need on the channels they want to use.”

“The addition of Prof. Craig Gotsman as Director of the campus’s Technion-Cornell  Innovation Institute brings added luster to this impressive team. Cornell, Technion and the city are very lucky to have such talented people leading our exciting new campus.”

The TCII will confer dual Cornell/Technion Masters of Applied Sciences degrees, based on a curriculum with a unique emphasis on the application of sciences, entrepreneurship and management.

“Cornell and the Technion have outlined ambitious plans for a world-class applied sciences campus in the heart of New York City, and executing on those plans will require outstanding academic leaders like Daniel Huttenlocher, Cathy Dove and Craig Gotsman,” Deputy Mayor Steel said. “Congratulations to Presidents Skorton and Lavie and the entire Cornell and Technion communities on the selection of the NYC Tech leadership team.”

“With the selection of Cornell and the Technion, we were fortunate to find the perfect partners – two world-class institutions which together shared our vision of how to change the City’s economy forever,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation President Pinsky. “To fulfill this bold vision will require strong leadership, and there are no leaders better equipped for this challenge than Dan Huttenlocher, Cathy Dove and Craig Gotsman. With this team at the helm, the NYCTech campus will soon begin creating the new technologies and businesses that will ensure our place as the undisputed world capital of innovation.”

“We welcome the appointments of Professor Dan Huttenlocher and Cathy Dove, to which we add that of Technion Professor Craig Gotsman as Founding Director of the Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute,” said Peretz Lavie, President of the Technion. “We have complete faith that this team can and will efficiently and professionally promote the ambitious program we have planned for New York City.”


“The Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute will be dedicated to fulfilling Mayor Bloomberg’s far-reaching vision for the future of New York City as the high-tech capital of the world. The TCII will become a fertile breeding ground for engineers, innovators and entrepreneurs who will contribute to the city’s tech ecosystem, even before they graduate. The Technion is confident that its experience in building the Israeli high-tech sector will serve it well in New York City. Having a local partner as distinguished as Cornell University, can only guarantee a runaway success,” said Prof. Gotsman.

Prof. Gotsman joined the Technion in 1992. As Associate Dean for External Relations, he founded and led the Computer Science faculty’s Industrial Affiliates Program, a successful platform for promoting academic-industrial cooperation. In this capacity he conceived and developed an “Industrial Project” course, which allows students to perform software projects offered and supervised by industrial experts; and the “Lapidim” study program, which identifies and nurtures the next generation of high-tech leaders. He has founded and ran two start-up companies, one based on technology he developed at the Technion, and has consulted for numerous Fortune 100 companies. Prof. Gotsman holds a PhD in Computer Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was a visiting professor at Harvard University and ETH Zurich, and a research scientist at MIT. He has published more than 150 papers in the professional literature and has been awarded five U.S. patents.

  



Who is Craig Gotsman?

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“The Technion is confident that its experience in building the Israeli high-tech sector will serve it well in New York City. “

TCII Director Prof. Craig Gotsman.

In February of 2012, NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced Technion Prof. Craig Gotsman will serve as founding director of the Technion-Cornell  Innovation Institute. Mayor 
Bloomberg made the announcement at the headquarters of Tumblr, one of the City’s fastest-growing technology companies, was joined by Tumblr CEO David Karp, Dean Huttenlocher, Cathy Dove, New York City Economic President Seth Pinsky, Chief Digital Officer Rachel Sterne, Office of Media & Entertainment Commissioner Katherine Oliver and representatives from Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, Bitly and YouTube.


“New York City is quickly becoming the center of the digital universe, and today’s announcements will help us get there,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “With this fantastic leadership team in place, the tech campus will help us attract and develop more talent to energize our growing tech sector. And our social media platforms will give New Yorkers the information they need on the channels they want to use.”

“The addition of Prof. Craig Gotsman as Director of the campus’s Technion-Cornell  Innovation Institute brings added luster to this impressive team. Cornell, Technion and the city are very lucky to have such talented people leading our exciting new campus.”

The TCII will confer dual Cornell/Technion Masters of Applied Sciences degrees, based on a curriculum with a unique emphasis on the application of sciences, entrepreneurship and management.

“Cornell and the Technion have outlined ambitious plans for a world-class applied sciences campus in the heart of New York City, and executing on those plans will require outstanding academic leaders like Daniel Huttenlocher, Cathy Dove and Craig Gotsman,” Deputy Mayor Steel said. “Congratulations to Presidents Skorton and Lavie and the entire Cornell and Technion communities on the selection of the NYC Tech leadership team.”

“With the selection of Cornell and the Technion, we were fortunate to find the perfect partners – two world-class institutions which together shared our vision of how to change the City’s economy forever,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation President Pinsky. “To fulfill this bold vision will require strong leadership, and there are no leaders better equipped for this challenge than Dan Huttenlocher, Cathy Dove and Craig Gotsman. With this team at the helm, the NYCTech campus will soon begin creating the new technologies and businesses that will ensure our place as the undisputed world capital of innovation.”

“We welcome the appointments of Professor Dan Huttenlocher and Cathy Dove, to which we add that of Technion Professor Craig Gotsman as Founding Director of the Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute,” said Peretz Lavie, President of the Technion. “We have complete faith that this team can and will efficiently and professionally promote the ambitious program we have planned for New York City.”


“The Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute will be dedicated to fulfilling Mayor Bloomberg’s far-reaching vision for the future of New York City as the high-tech capital of the world. The TCII will become a fertile breeding ground for engineers, innovators and entrepreneurs who will contribute to the city’s tech ecosystem, even before they graduate. The Technion is confident that its experience in building the Israeli high-tech sector will serve it well in New York City. Having a local partner as distinguished as Cornell University, can only guarantee a runaway success,” said Prof. Gotsman.

Prof. Gotsman joined the Technion in 1992. As Associate Dean for External Relations, he founded and led the Computer Science faculty’s Industrial Affiliates Program, a successful platform for promoting academic-industrial cooperation. In this capacity he conceived and developed an “Industrial Project” course, which allows students to perform software projects offered and supervised by industrial experts; and the “Lapidim” study program, which identifies and nurtures the next generation of high-tech leaders. He has founded and ran two start-up companies, one based on technology he developed at the Technion, and has consulted for numerous Fortune 100 companies. Prof. Gotsman holds a PhD in Computer Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was a visiting professor at Harvard University and ETH Zurich, and a research scientist at MIT. He has published more than 150 papers in the professional literature and has been awarded five U.S. patents.

  



From Jaffa to Java

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Dr. Yossi Vardi is one of Israel’s first high-tech entrepreneurs. For over 40 years he has founded and helped to build over 60 high-tech companies in a variety of fields, among them software, energy, Internet, mobile, electro-optics and water technology. He studied at the Technion in Haifa, graduating with a B. Sc. in industrial management engineering. He went on to earn an M. Sc in Operations Research and a D. Sc. (his thesis received the Kennedy-Leigh Award). Vardi began his entrepreneurial career in 1969, at the age of 26, as co-founder and first CEO of ATL-Advanced Technology Ltd.), one of the first software houses in Israel (later sold to Tadiran and then absorbed into Ness Technologies).[2] In 1970, he was appointed Director General of the Ministry of Development . He served as chairman of Israel Chemicals of Mifaley Tovala, of Harsit and Hol Zach, and a member of the board of Israel Electric Corporation, Dead Sea Works, Dead Sea Bromine, Dead Sea Periclase, Haifa Chemicals, Chemicals and Phosphates, and others. He also chaired the Oil Explorations Concessions Council and Fertilizers Development Council. He was sent to the U.S. to serve as the Director of the Investment Authority in North America, and Consul For Economic Affairs of the State of Israel in New York. In that capacity he took part in the creation of the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD-F). He acted as an advisor to the Israeli mission to the U.N.

Israel’s PM Netanyahu Tours Technion.

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On March 20, 2012 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a visit to Technion. He met with Technion researchers, Alon Wolf, Havatzelet Bianco-Peled and Moshe Shoham to learn about new start-ups inspired by Technion bio-medical research. He had a look down the Titan transmission electron microscope in the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute and visited the clean rooms in the Sara and Moshe Zisapel Nanoelectronics Center. Deeply impressed by his visit Netanyahu suggested that people “invest money in the Technion”. Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie presented Netanyahu with a framed Israel Post Souvenir Leaf and special stamp created for Technion’s Cornerstone Centennial year.


Israel’s PM Netanyahu Tours Technion.

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On March 20, 2012 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a visit to Technion. He met with Technion researchers, Alon Wolf, Havatzelet Bianco-Peled and Moshe Shoham to learn about new start-ups inspired by Technion bio-medical research. He had a look down the Titan transmission electron microscope in the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute and visited the clean rooms in the Sara and Moshe Zisapel Nanoelectronics Center. Deeply impressed by his visit Netanyahu suggested that people “invest money in the Technion”. Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie presented Netanyahu with a framed Israel Post Souvenir Leaf and special stamp created for Technion’s Cornerstone Centennial year.


Let’s get CRYPTIC: RSA Cryptography Award

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Dean of the Technion Computer Science Department Wins Prestigious Award in the Largest Cryptography Conference in the World
Dean of the Technion Computer Science Department, Prof. Eli Biham, has won the 2012 RSA Conference Award.
The RSA conference is the largest cryptography conference in the world, and Prof. Biham has won the prestigious Award for Excellence in the Field of Mathematics: “Prof. Biham’s work on the cryptanalysis of symmetric-key ciphers is a scientific breakthrough. He developed the technique of differential cryptanalysis together with Adi Shamir in the late 1980s”, said the judges’ decision.
A senior researcher at Mitsubishi, Dr. Mitsuru Matsui, received the award together with Prof. Biham.

German Lorenz cipher machine, used in World War II to encrypt very-high-levelgeneral staff messages

Let’s get CRYPTIC: RSA Cryptography Award

Leave a comment

Dean of the Technion Computer Science Department Wins Prestigious Award in the Largest Cryptography Conference in the World
Dean of the Technion Computer Science Department, Prof. Eli Biham, has won the 2012 RSA Conference Award.
The RSA conference is the largest cryptography conference in the world, and Prof. Biham has won the prestigious Award for Excellence in the Field of Mathematics: “Prof. Biham’s work on the cryptanalysis of symmetric-key ciphers is a scientific breakthrough. He developed the technique of differential cryptanalysis together with Adi Shamir in the late 1980s”, said the judges’ decision.
A senior researcher at Mitsubishi, Dr. Mitsuru Matsui, received the award together with Prof. Biham.

German Lorenz cipher machine, used in World War II to encrypt very-high-levelgeneral staff messages

Every Breath you Take… life saving innovation for babies.

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Picture: Pneumedicare website.

Technion Researchers and Carmel Develop the Only Device of its Kind to Monitor Respiratory Problems in Premature Babies. The novel device monitors the breathing of a premature baby. It can immediately detect and identify problems before the onset of distress that could damage vital body organs

Technion researchers have developed the only device of its kind to monitor respiratory problems in premature babies. The device is miniature, noninvasive, easy to operate and can detect the a respiratory problem before the onset of distress. The leading professional journal in this field, Intensive Care Medicine, selected the Technion researchers’ paper as “Paper of the Month”.

The researchers, Dr. Danny Waisman of the Technion’s Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Carmel Medical Center and Prof. Amir Landesberg of the Technion’s Department of Biomedical Engineering say that the device, called “Pneumonitor”, continuously and systematically monitors the dynamics of premature babies’ breathing.

“We simulated common conditions in premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, including asthma and respiratory tract disorders, and compared the operation of our device to that of  other devices”, say researchers. “We also tried the device in 63 cases in the Carmel, Bnai Zion and Rambam Medical Centers. The device is now ready for FDA review”.

45% of all complications in premature babies go undetected by devices in place in the intensive care units, and are detected only by staff. Even when the devices do detect a problem – it is usually already in the late stages, after blood oxygen declines and the event becomes dramatic, and it still remains for the doctor to identify the cause of the event.

The device has three sensors that are attached to the premature baby on both sides of the chest and epigastric area. When respiratory deterioration is detected the device beeps, alerting a significant amount of time before the onset of distress, and provides information that assists in diagnosing the problem and selecting the correct treatment. The motion sensors quantify the breathing effort and the symmetry of lung ventilation. The device displays data on the respiratory condition, locates the problem and indicates changes in the ventilation level.

10% of all births worldwide are preterm, and an additional 10% are full term babies who suffer complications. 15% of all premature babies born under 1.5 kg die and 15% more suffer from mental retardation, motor paralysis or blindness. That is why the early identification of respiratory distress in premature babies is so important.

400 thousand premature babies are born in the United States every year, and 30 thousand of these devices are needed in the premature babies’ wards alone.

The Technion has registered a patent for the device and has set up a company called “Pneumedicare“, that is located in Yokne’am and is managed by Dr. Carmit Levy, who has a Ph.D. from the Technion’s Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Every Breath you Take… life saving innovation for babies.

Leave a comment
Picture: Pneumedicare website.

Technion Researchers and Carmel Develop the Only Device of its Kind to Monitor Respiratory Problems in Premature Babies. The novel device monitors the breathing of a premature baby. It can immediately detect and identify problems before the onset of distress that could damage vital body organs

Technion researchers have developed the only device of its kind to monitor respiratory problems in premature babies. The device is miniature, noninvasive, easy to operate and can detect the a respiratory problem before the onset of distress. The leading professional journal in this field, Intensive Care Medicine, selected the Technion researchers’ paper as “Paper of the Month”.

The researchers, Dr. Danny Waisman of the Technion’s Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Carmel Medical Center and Prof. Amir Landesberg of the Technion’s Department of Biomedical Engineering say that the device, called “Pneumonitor”, continuously and systematically monitors the dynamics of premature babies’ breathing.

“We simulated common conditions in premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, including asthma and respiratory tract disorders, and compared the operation of our device to that of  other devices”, say researchers. “We also tried the device in 63 cases in the Carmel, Bnai Zion and Rambam Medical Centers. The device is now ready for FDA review”.

45% of all complications in premature babies go undetected by devices in place in the intensive care units, and are detected only by staff. Even when the devices do detect a problem – it is usually already in the late stages, after blood oxygen declines and the event becomes dramatic, and it still remains for the doctor to identify the cause of the event.

The device has three sensors that are attached to the premature baby on both sides of the chest and epigastric area. When respiratory deterioration is detected the device beeps, alerting a significant amount of time before the onset of distress, and provides information that assists in diagnosing the problem and selecting the correct treatment. The motion sensors quantify the breathing effort and the symmetry of lung ventilation. The device displays data on the respiratory condition, locates the problem and indicates changes in the ventilation level.

10% of all births worldwide are preterm, and an additional 10% are full term babies who suffer complications. 15% of all premature babies born under 1.5 kg die and 15% more suffer from mental retardation, motor paralysis or blindness. That is why the early identification of respiratory distress in premature babies is so important.

400 thousand premature babies are born in the United States every year, and 30 thousand of these devices are needed in the premature babies’ wards alone.

The Technion has registered a patent for the device and has set up a company called “Pneumedicare“, that is located in Yokne’am and is managed by Dr. Carmit Levy, who has a Ph.D. from the Technion’s Department of Biomedical Engineering.