Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Rising Women in STEM
Presented by the
Ilene & Steve Berger Technion Visiting Fellows Program
Co-hosted by ATS National Board members Linda Kovan and Janey Sweet
For this event open to all, we invite you to bring the important women in your life — including your nieces, daughters, and granddaughters — to our inspiring discussion with three Berger Visiting Fellows who are stellar female students poised to become the influential scientists and entrepreneurs of tomorrow. One has already made advances combating antimicrobial resistance and is now researching treatments for Alzheimer’s. Another has worked in the aerospace industry, and her research involves building a rocket. You’ll get an inside peek into military life for Israeli women and hear about how their impressive scientific accomplishments are paving the way for more women in STEM.
This event is co-hosted by Linda Kovan, ATS – Detroit Board of Directors member, and Janey Sweet, ATS – Southern California Board of Directors president, both of whom also serve on the ATS National Board of Directors and the Technion Board of Governors.
Featured Speakers
About the Speakers
Ayelet Hershkovits ’15, M.S. ’18 is a natural leader who was supervising and training emergency medical volunteers at the Magen David Adom when she was only in 9th grade. Serving in the Israeli Defense Forces for six years, she headed several projects at the core of her unit’s mission and was selected to command their training programs. Hershkovits received an army scholarship to the Technion and is now working towards her Ph.D. in the Interdisciplinary Program for Biotechnology under Prof. Fishman, seeking methods to stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Born in Israel soon after her parents immigrated from the U.S., she lives in Haifa with her husband, a Technion alumnus, and two young children.
Anne Kitzmiller M.S. ’21 is currently studying in the Technion Aerospace Faculty for her second master’s degree, writing software and flight algorithms for a rocket project and mentoring undergraduate students. In addition to her rigorous academic program, Kitzmiller plays soccer for both the Technion and the Israeli Semi-Professional Women’s League and fosters a guide dog puppy-in-training. Kitzmiller grew up in Oregon and earned a master’s degree at Washington University in St. Louis while working full-time as an engineer in the aerospace industry. She made Aliyah with her husband three years ago and hopes to work in Israel’s aerospace industry.
Hila Rubinstein ’16, M.S. ’19 focused on three entirely different subjects in high school. Her Arabic studies led her to the Intelligence Elite Unit 8200 in the Israeli Defense Forces, and filmmaking was fun, but she chose the most challenging course — chemistry. Spending evenings and weekends “trying to figure out these molecules and weird shapes,” she eventually entered the Technion, where she is receiving generous ATS fellowships to continue her Ph.D. in the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry. She is developing air-quality testing technologies, among other projects.
Professor Ayelet Fishman ’89, M.S. ’92, Ph.D. ’02 is Dean of Students at the Technion and head of the Laboratory of Molecular and Applied Biocatalysis in the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering. Her research focuses on protein engineering techniques and the structure-function relationship of enzymes to address consumer interest in healthy foods and vegetarian protein alternatives. Prof. Fishman earned all three degrees at the Technion, conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Connecticut, and worked in industry before joining the Technion faculty in 2005.
About the Program
One of the American Technion Society’s most popular speaker series, the Ilene & Steve Berger Technion Visiting Fellows Program features the university’s greatest assets: its students. Known as the Berger Visiting Fellows, these select scholars represent the very soul of the Technion. Their visit provides an inspiring glimpse into the lives and minds of those who will help shape the future of Israel and the world.