(l-r) Orly Froman, MK, University of Haifa President Ron Robin, and Katie Sheetrit, MK. 

Members of Knesset Orly Froman (Yesh Atid-Telem) and Katie Sheetrit (Likud) visited the University to learn about our reopening plans for the fall semester. “It is important that we in academia and the decision-makers in the Knesset are coordinated and prepared to meet the challenges for the immediate period ahead, as well as the long-term issues posed by the Coronavirus crisis,” noted President Ron Robin. “MKs Sheetrit and Froman are both very knowledgeable about the issues at stake and are motivated to assist universities during this time of uncertainty.” The University’s reopening plans strictly adhere to the Health Ministry's ‘Purple Badge’ rules and guidelines while maintaining flexibility to adapt to changing public health measures.

Newly installed hydroponic systems on the roof of a Haifa Municipality building in cooperation with The Kadas Green Roofs Ecology Research Center.

The Kadas Green Roofs Ecology Research Center recently inaugurated a hydroponic garden atop one of the Haifa Municipality buildings. Haifa Mayor, Dr. Einat Kalisch-Rotem, and President Ron Robin attended the special event that kicked off a new, year-long social initiative. As part of the project, lab members installed hydroponic systems to encourage citizens to grow fruits and vegetables on their rooftops. The Center also plans to have master's students offer workshops for community leaders to encourage the establishment of green roofs in their neighborhoods. The Kadas Green Roofs Ecology Center, headed by Prof. Dan Malkinson, was established with the generosity of longstanding University friends Peter and Dr. Gyongyver Kadas. Gyongyver and Peter are recipients of a University of Haifa Honorary Doctorate (2016), and Peter serves as Co-Chair of the University of Haifa UK.

The United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD) recently recognized Prof. Tzion Fahima of the Institute of Evolution, for outstanding scientific achievement and excellence for his pioneering wheat research with Prof. Jorge Dubcovsky from UC Davis. Their studies, which identified genes that increase grain protein content and confer resistance to the stripe rust epidemic, were selected among the top 3 most successful and impactful research projects in the social and environmental domains. READ A FULL CASE STUDY OF THEIR RESEARCH HERE

Prof. Fahima has taught and mentored an entire generation of Israeli and international wheat researchers. He heads the Laboratory for Plant Genomics and Disease Resistance and is the former Director of the Institute of Evolution. Read a recent article on groundbreaking research to improve food security led by Prof. Fahima

SeaErra Ltd., a Carmel-Haifa and Carmel Innovations Fund portfolio company, was recently selected as one of three startup companies to win The DOCK’s maritime autonomous systems challenge sponsored by one of the world’s market leaders in naval systems, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (tkMS) and ATLAS ELEKTRONIK. Over 100 startups from around the world entered the event for an opportunity to be included in a pilot project by tkMS and ATLAS in Germany. The virtual event introduced SeaErra to The DOCK’s entire ecosystem of global maritime organizations, investors, industry experts and startups.“We are proud that SeaErra was the only Israeli company to win this prestigious challenge,” noted Elka Nir, CEO of Carmel-Haifa and Carmel Innovations Fund. The company, founded by Carmel and Dr. Tali Treibitz of the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, develops innovative AI based computer vision solutions.

Credit: Eyal Toueg

President Ron Robin has been interviewed extensively by the Israeli media on his take of the normalization agreement between Israel and the UAE. He had the rare opportunity to live in the UAE capital city, where he was responsible for establishing the New York University Abu Dhabi campus. Haaretz recently wrote a piece based on his exclusive interview to TheMarker (excerpted here) where President Robin touched on the economic components of relations with the UAE, as well as mutual benefits for academic collaboration. According to President Robin, cooperation will extend to the academic world, where the University of Haifa will have an edge in the fields of marine ecology and cybersecurity. The University's large Israeli Arab student and faculty population constitutes a ‘natural bridge’ between the Arab world and Israel. READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Credit: Research Team at Tel Kabri Excavation Project

Archaeologists from the University of Haifa utilized macro- and micro-archaeology methods to prove that a massive earthquake caused the sudden abandonment of the ancient Canaanite palace and settlement at Tel-Kabri some 3,700 years ago. The unusually large and extravagant building included fancy banquet halls and storage rooms filled with more than a hundred jars of spiced wine. A multidisciplinary team from the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences that included Dr. Michael Lazar, Prof. Assaf Yasur Landau and Prof. Ruth Shahack-Gross, led the study with a team of researchers from George Washington University. The findings, collected over a multi-year period, were published in the prestigious scientific journal PLoS One and received wide media coverage. “For several years, we investigated what caused the sudden destruction and abandonment of the palace and site, after centuries of prosperity,” explained Prof. Yasur Landau. “The clues we uncovered show that the earthquake split the palace in two - causing Kabri inhabitants to lose faith in the ruling dynasty and abandon the entire complex.” READ MORE IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Pictured above a screenshot from the online book. View it on YouTube here

Linguistics experts from the Sign Language Research Lab were among the first in the world to publish a sign-language children’s book dealing with COVID-19. The book explains in an easy to follow and child-friendly way, what the Coronavirus is, how we can protect others and ourselves from it, quarantine rules and how we can overcome the pandemic together. Lab member Ora Ohanin, who suffers from hearing loss, uses sign language to present the online book which is accompanied by illustrations, subtitles, and a soundtrack in Hebrew. According to Prof. Wendy Sandler, founder of the Sign Language Research Lab, the book offers an opportunity to bring the two communities together. “In Israel, in particular, the majority of deaf children are born into hearing families who have not mastered sign language,” explains Prof. Sandler, “and this creates serious communications barriers. This book serves as a resource for children to help explain the strange behavior taking place around them, and may provide an opportunity to overcome these barriers.” READ MORE (Hebrew article)

Credit: Institute for the Research of the Kibbutz and Cooperative Idea

A team of researchers from the University’s Institute for the Research of the Kibbutz and Cooperative Idea, led by Prof. Michal Palgi and Eliette Orchan, recently released findings of a COVID-19 Community Impact Survey. The survey, which included hundreds of members from over 30 kibbutzim across Israel, found that 33% of the respondents were concerned about their personal financial situation and that 34% reported being moderately or severely financially impacted during this period. The survey data also show that close to two-thirds of the kibbutz members feel that they can rely on other members in the community in times of crisis. “Although close to 80% of the kibbutzim in Israel have undergone a transition from a strictly collective ethos to a new socio-economic model that allows for some privatization, traditional high levels of community resilience continue to endure," notes Prof. Palgi. READ MORE (Hebrew article)

Congratulations to Dr. Sarit Barzilai of the Department of Learning, Instruction and Teacher Education, for co-editing a special issue of Educational Psychologist entitled “Educational Responses to a ‘Post-Truth’ World”. The issue offers diverse educational perspectives on how to address problems related to scientific and socio-scientific issues in a “post-truth” era, including fake news and disinformation, science denialism, social media "echo chambers”, and competing epistemologies.

Students from the Ruderman Program for American Jewish Studies were treated to guest speakers from the Charney Forum for New Diplomacy in a special online session led by Dr. Asaf Shamis. Ambassador Ido Aharoni, Chairman of the Charney Forum and Noa Meir, CEO of the Charney Forum provided their insights on contemporary issues in US-Israel relations. Ambassador Aharoni discussed the Branding Israel Program and New Diplomacy. Noa’s lecture focused on relations between Israel and U.S Jewry, and implications of COVID-19 and the upcoming US elections.

READ MORE ON HOW THE RUDERMAN PROGRAM FOR AMERICAN JEWISH STUDIES IS BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE WORLD'S LARGEST JEWISH COMMUNITIES 

In a fascinating talk, marine ecologist Prof. Dror Angel of the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, shared in-depth insights about the scientific community’s current knowledge about jellyfish. From aquaculture to art, these beautiful but sometimes toxic creatures are being researched to better understand the unique and practical benefits they may offer humanity in and outside the sea. As a member of the GoJelly Project, Professor Angel explains how jellyfish blooms can be used in a positive way--as food, in agriculture, and specifically to reduce the influx of microplastics into the environment. WATCH A RECORDING OF THE WEBINAR HERE

Best wishes to you and your family
this Sukkot - Chag Sameach!

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