University of Haifa alum Moshe Karadi, speaks at HighFA Alumni Forum.

The Israeli Friends Association recently hosted the University of Haifa's HighFA Alumni Forum which was attended by dozens of distinguished former students, including Moshe Karadi, former Israel Police Commissioner, and Samira Azzam, Deputy Head of the Isfiya Local Council. In his keynote address, Karadi emphasized that to protect law and order, "police officers must act in accordance with prevailing law, the legal system, and the instructions of the government's legal advisors." Azzam, the first Druze woman member of city council, presented a University initiative to make higher education more accessible for Druze women, which was launched in partnership with the Dean of Students. The festive event was opened by Israeli Friends President, Joel Feldschuh.

HighFA was established by the Israeli Friends of the University of Haifa, with the aim of forging opportunities and partnerships that will better prepare Israel's future leaders.

Introducing the 2023 class of Delta Galil scholars.

Congratulations to graduates of the tenth cohort of the Delta Galil Program for the Academic Advancement of Undergraduate Students of Ethiopian descent. The festive ceremony was attended by friends and family, Prof. Batya Engel-Yeger (Dean of Students), senior administration from Delta Galil Industries, Hila Efrati-Halper (Head of Corporate Communications) and Nir Levy (Commercial Manager), and the Israeli Friends Association.

The Delta Scholarship Program, launched with the support of Isaac Dabah (2021 Honorary Doctorate Recipient), provides financial assistance and a series of leadership and empowerment workshops and classes.

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A groundbreaking study led by Dr. Shani Stern (Sagol Department of Neurobiology) has discovered that genetic mutations in nerve cells of children with autism cause rapid growth followed by rapid deterioration during fetal development. “The results of our study show that children with autism that are usually characterized with a late development actually begin with accelerated development," explains Dr. Stern. "Neurons that develop at a normal rate acquire appropriate protections for the very complex activity they perform, including defenses against the penetration of ions and neurotransmitters, which are liable to be toxic." The discovery, which sheds light on the possible origins of autism, may lead to new treatments. Dr. Stern and her team are now searching for compounds that can slow this rapid development in order to create protection for these neurons. The study was recently published in Nature.  READ MORE

Teachers train at the University's state-of-the-art “Future Learning Spaces” facility.  

Prof. Yael Kali (Department of Learning and Instructional Sciences) is the founding Director of the Learning In a Networked Society (LINKS) Israeli Center of Research Excellence. She was awarded an ISF Breakthrough Research Grant (BRG) in the amount of NIS 4 million for her groundbreaking study Engaging Schools in Societal Advancement Endeavors (ESCALATE): an new paradigm of for scaling-up educational initiatives in the information society. 

The prestigious NSF-BSF grant is jointly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF).

Prof. Sharona Levy (Faculty of Education) was awarded NIS 825 thousand for developing a deeper understanding of dynamic equilibrium with SystEms Augmented Mechanistic Representations, associated with 'restructurations' in learning concept.  

A joint study by Prof. Anat Prior (The Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities) and Dr. Tamar Degani (Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders) received NIS 1.2 million for their study exploring how mixed-language production differs from mixed-language comprehension.

Dr. Daniel Sher (Department of Marine Biology) received NIS 1.2 million to study cell death, metabolism and the emergence of long-term survival in globally abundant marine bacteria. 

Prof. Laura Steindler (Department of Marine Biology) was awarded NIS 825 thousand for her research on how organic nutrients contribute to methane production in the North Pacific Ocean. 

Meet Professors Sarit Larisch and Michal Biron, members of the first cohort of the University of Haifa Partnership in Fundraising Program. The program was launched with the aim of improving faculty members' communication skills in their fundraising efforts through seminars, and hands-on workshops. 

Prof. Sarit Larisch's (Head of the Cell Death and Cancer Research Laboratory) joint research with Dr. Dalit Barkan aims to transform pre-cancer breast cells into healthy ones.

Prof. Michal Biron (School of Business Administration) is working with colleagues from Africa and the Middle East on how to scale up green management training programs in the region.

At a Glance Archive