Ad Astra: How Technion Rocket Scientists are Taking Israel to the Next Frontier

Live From Technion Webinar

With Dean Tal Shima, Professor Daniella Raveh, and Professor Pini Gurfil

Often referred to as a mini-NASA, the Technion Faculty of Aerospace Engineering is the only department of its kind in Israel and has trained most of the nation’s rocket scientists. Its researchers are involved in Israel’s priority space projects and have played an outsized role in building Israel’s aerospace industry.

In this webinar, Aerospace Engineering Dean Professor Tal Shima will talk about the faculty’s unique inception in 1954 in response to Israel’s defense needs. He will also discuss its influence today, and its diverse laboratories, specializing in everything from wind tunnels to rocket and ramjet propulsion. Professor Pini Gurfil will share news of the exciting projects with which he is involved, such as the Adelis-SAMSON mission to launch geo-locating nanosatellites into space. You’ll also hear from Professor Daniella Raveh, who led her students in building an award-winning, 3D-printed aircraft for design and experimental purposes.

Technion Guardian Stephen Klein, president and CEO of the real estate development firm, The Klein Company, will serve as moderator. Mr. Klein is a past president of the ATS Philadelphia Chapter and a recipient of a Technion Honorary Fellowship.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Professor Tal Shima, ’92 B.Sc., ’98 M.Sc., ’01 Ph.D, is Dean of the Technion Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and head of the Cooperative Autonomous Systems Laboratory. He focuses on the guidance of vehicles, particularly missiles and unmanned aircraft, operating individually or as a team. Prof. Shima earned all his aerospace engineering degrees at the Technion, and an MBA from Tel Aviv University. He started his career at the defense technology company RAFAEL, then was a research associate at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory on the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio before joining the Technion faculty in 2006.

Professor Daniella Raveh, ’92 B.Sc., ’99 Ph.D., earned her Technion degrees in aeronautical and aerospace engineering, and was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory at Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on computational aeroelasticity, principles used in developing the A3TB (Active Aeroelastic Aircraft Testbed). The unmanned, 3D printed aircraft, which made its maiden test flight in May 2020, is an experimental platform that will be used to study wing flexibility and green aviation.

Professor Pini Gurfil, ’94 B.Sc., ’98 M.Sc., ’00 Ph.D, heads the Norman and Helen Asher Space Research Institute and the Distributed Space Systems Lab, and is the principal investigator of the Adelis-SAMSON satellite project. His research focuses on astrodynamics, distributed space systems, trajectory optimization, vision-aided navigation, and satellite dynamics and control. He earned all three degrees in aerospace at the Technion and conducted postdoctoral research in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University. He worked with the Israeli Armament Development Authority at RAFAEL before joining the Technion in 2003.