Congratulations to Prof. (Emerita) Ariela Lowenstein (Department of Gerontology) on being selected for the 2021 Israel Prize for Social Work and Criminology. She will be receiving the award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the study of social work and the study of aging, for deepening our understanding of the aging processes, and for nurturing the next generation of gerontologists, physicians, healthcare professionals and social workers. Prof. Lowenstein is among the founders of the Department of Gerontology and the Center for Research and Study of Aging at the University of Haifa, and is the former President of the Max Stern Yezreel Valley College (2012-2016). She has published extensively, with over 200 publications during the course of her inspiring career, and has received numerous national and international awards including an Honorary Fellowship from the Gerontological Society of America and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Gerontological Society of Israel (2005). READ MORE in the Jerusalem Post

Congratulations to Prof. (Emerita) Nitza Ben-Dov (Department of Hebrew and Comparative Literature) on being selected for the 2021 Israel Prize in the Study of Hebrew Literature. She is being recognized for her pioneering research comparing new and ancient Hebrew literature (Biblical), while exploring universal and comparative aspects of corresponding great works of Western literature. Many of her works also touched on the social aspects and issues which have been central to Israeli society for generations. Thanks to her innovative research, Hebrew literature has become accessible to Hebrew readers and readers around the world. Prof. Ben-Dov has published dozens of articles and eight books over the course of her career. Since joining the Department in 1989, she established two graduate programs on  women and gender studies and culture studies, and served as the editor-in-chief of the University’s publishing house. She also recently founded “Bedarkan" (Hebrew for 'Words Their Way'), a lecture series focusing on women throughout history and culture.

At a recent award ceremony for outstanding projects in memory of Pini Mattia, The Israeli Chamber of Information Technology granted the University of Haifa a special award for its management of COVID-19. The University was recognized for its efficient management of the limitations imposed during the pandemic under the ”Purple Badge” guidelines and its swift, large scale ‘digital transformation’ that made thousands of courses available online through a hybrid system combining MOODLE and Zoom systems. The Israeli Chamber of Information Technology is a public organization that develops and represents all the information and communication technology and hi-tech professionals in Israel. FURTHER READING (Hebrew)

Energean, a company specializing in developing, locating and producing natural gas in the Mediterranean, has partnered with the University of Haifa and the Technion-Institute of Technology to encourage clean energy research. The company will provide generous scholarships to master’s students at the University in the field of energy and the maritime domain. Following the announcement, Prof. Shaul Chorev, Head of The Maritime Policy & Strategy Research Center and The Ezri Center for Iran & Persian Gulf Studies noted, “I assign great importance to the generous contribution of Energean's scholarships for the Master's program in National Security and Maritime Strategy, and look forward to further collaboration with Energean.” READ PRESS RELEASE

Congratulations to Prof. Tawfiq Mansour of the Department of Mathematics on launching a new international scientific journal: Enumerative Combinatorics and Applications (ECA). The peer-reviewed scientific journal is devoted to the publication of research articles of the highest quality in the field of enumerative combinatorics, as well as research resulting from the rich interplay between enumerations, applications, and other branches of mathematics and science.

A non-biting midge, a type of chironomid. | Credit: John Tann

An international study led by scientists from the Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology (University of Haifa at Oranim), Prof. Ido Izhaki (VP and Dean of Research) and Prof. Malka Halpern found that mosquito-like aquatic insects called chironomids are natural reservoirs of epidemic and pandemic-causing strains of cholera bacterium. According to the study's findings, monitoring and controlling the hardy chironomid populations in endemic areas could be an effective tool for predicting and controlling devastating cholera outbreaks. The study was published in PLOS.

A handful of 6,600-year old olive pits discovered off Haifa’s shore. | Credit: Dr. Ehud Galili

The discovery was found submerged at the chalcolithic site Hishulei Carmel, and predates the oldest evidence of olive production for consumption by some 4,000 years. The research team was led by the University of Haifa and included researchers from the Technion, Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University, and the Volcani Center. Dr. Ehud Galili (Zinman Institute of Archeology) who led the study noted that this latest discovery sheds light on the evolution of the use of olives by inhabitants of the region. The study was  published in Scientific Reports and received wide media coverage in Israel. READ MORE in the Jerusalem Post and the Jewish PressJerusalem Post

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The bone featuring the world's oldest symbols by a right-handed craftsperson. | Credit: Marion Prévost

Researchers from the University of Haifa, the Hebrew University and the French National Center for Scientific Research identified six subparallel incisions on a bone fragment found at a Middle Paleolithic site near the city of Ramle. Dating back 120,000 years ago, the fragment represents one of the oldest pieces of evidence of the use of symbols. Dr Iris Groman-Yaroslavski (Zinman Institute of Archaeology) explained, “Based on our laboratory analysis and discovery of microscopic elements, we were able to surmise that people in prehistoric times used a sharp tool fashioned from flint rock to make the engravings.” READ MORE in Smithsonian, i24news, the Jerusalem Post and the Daily Mail

According to a recent study published by research student Naama Lev, nearly every other person in Israel litters in nature, including national parks and beaches. The study further revealed that litterbugs are found across all ages and sectors of society, and that residents of the Jerusalem area self-reported a higher frequency of littering compared to others. The researchers recommend that the government use a combination of stricter enforcement, education and improving waste infrastructure to combat the problem. Prof. Ofira Ayalon (Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management) and Dr. Maya Negev (School of Public Health) supervised the study. MORE on this story in the Jewish Press and the Jerusalem Post

According to a recent study by Prof. (Emeritus) Gabriel Weimann (Department of Communications), online extremists are adopting a new form of hate-slang to refer to Jews, Muslims, Mexicans, and other minority groups. The danger of using coded language to express hateful or violent ideas makes it increasingly difficult for human moderators or AI to identify and remove it. “Alarmed by police and security forces attempts to find them online and by the social platforms attempts to remove their content, terrorists and online extremists are applying a new language of codes and doublespeak,” explains Prof. Weimann. “A study conducted in 2019 revealed how white supremacists use coded language on social media networks to promote violence, terror, and radicalism.” READ MORE in CTech by Calcalist (English)