Message from the President
Melanie Moreno
There was a time when ATS insiders referred to the Technion as Israel’s best-kept secret. Not so anymore. With three Nobel Laureates, scientific innovations that have changed the lives of people around the world, and achievements that regularly garner the Technion a place in academia’s most prestigious rankings, the University is fast becoming a household name. Building brand awareness works.
As President of ATS – Washington D.C., I look forward to raising the Technion’s profile even further by sharing the wonderful news about Technion breakthroughs in medicine, sustainable energy, and computer engineering. I also aim to forge partnerships with other philanthropic organizations for the good of Israel. Earlier this year, as the ATS Development Committee’s Strategic Partnerships co-chair, I launched an initiative to buy Israel Bonds in the name of the American Technion Society. It’s a win-win for the Technion and the State of Israel because you buy an Israel Bond for the Technion, and the donor benefits from a single gift and a tax receipt.
If you are new to our local ATS community — welcome! If you are a long-time donor, you’re back for good reason. Engagement with the ATS allows you to learn about cutting-edge innovations from the scientists who developed them. We are a welcoming group in which participants contribute their time and involvement however they can.
With Technion Centennial celebrations approaching, this is an exciting time to be part of the ATS. I am thrilled to lead our Washington, D.C. area group.
Photos from the American Technion Society program featuring NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal winner and Technion Alumnus Dr. Eliad Peretz
Photos from the American Technion Society program featuring NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal winner and Technion Alumnus Dr. Eliad Peretz
The American Technion Society – Washington, D.C. chapter heard an informative introduction to biomedical engineering featuring Professor Yoav Shechtman
A group of local leaders and donors heard from Technion Physics Professor (and past Goddard Fellow and U. Md. Professor) Ehud Behar
A group of local leaders and donors heard from Technion Physics Professor (and past Goddard Fellow and U. Md. Professor) Ehud Behar
On May 21, 2023, the American Technion Society (ATS) welcomed Melanie Moreno as our National Capital Region’s President. We also celebrated the dedicated donors who helped build the Technion during its first century.
On October 27, 2019 Congregation Etz Hayim in Arlington hosted a talk about the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute.
On January 10, 2023, 50 guests heard from Technion Professor Ayellet Tal. Her topic was “computer vision and archaeology,” and her slides showed how computer vision can help us see how items looked when originally produced. In light of the myriad of challenges archaeology presents, including no large data sets and no cookie cutter puzzle pieces, these endeavors will help researchers improve the quality of what computer vision can do to help society. If you would like to attend future events, please reach out to Irv Elenberg at irv@ats.org.
On Feb. 23, doctoral candidate Omer Sabary, who already holds a patent for his work in DNA storage systems that could revolutionize the way data is stored, and undergraduate student Maya Goldshlager, whose concept for a new tool to treat urinary tract infections won third place in the Technion Biomedical Hackathon, spoke to our local supporters. Please email irv@ats.org to learn about future events.
January 10, 2023 event with Technion Professor Ayellet Tal.
On September 18, 2022, the DMV Technion Society chapter and Congregation B’nai Tzedek hosted a talk, “Israel’s Security Challenges and How Technion is Helping.” Our featured speaker was Brigadier General and Technion Professor Jacob Nagel. Please contact chapter director Irv Elenberg at irv@ats.org for information on future programs.
SciTech 2019 Program students at the Technion. The group included high school students David Costa, Itamar Fiorino, Shua Halle, Brandon Hill, Austin Kaminow, Russell Lubin, Evrim Ozcan, Alex Peska, Yael Pinsky, Jonah Sachs, Nathan Slotnik, and Rebecca Weiss.
The SciTech 2019 Program group at the Technion.
Dr. Yehuda Sabiner and his wife, Rachel, joined ATS – Washington, D.C. on Dec. 8, 2020 to talk about his journey from learning next to no mainstream subjects at a young age to completing his medical degree at the Technion. He is the first person born and raised in a Haredi community in Israel to become a mainstream doctor. We learned how Dr. Sabiner benefitted from a pioneering program at the Technion to draw young ultra-Orthodox Jews from largely closed communities into mainstream education and then into the workforce. “Engaging the Haredi community is important for Israel. Having a civil society where entire segments live in their own world and with little interaction with others is a recipe for tension and animosity,” said Technion EVP, Boaz Golani.
Yehuda Sabiner MD '19 speaks to ATS – Washington, D.C. supporters at a private home during a speaker tour in 2019. He was joined by his wife, Rachel.
ATS – Washington, D.C. president, Janet Shatz Snyder, addresses a group of ATS supporters at a speaker tour event featuring Yehuda Sabiner, MD '19.
ATS – Washington, D.C. president, Janet Shatz Snyder, addresses a group of ATS supporters at a speaker tour event featuring Yehuda Sabiner, MD '19.
We thank those of you who attended our November 19 program at Adat Shalom. Professor Alon Wolf joined ATS – Washington, D.C. on Nov. 19, 2019 at Adat Shamlom. Prof. Wolf's presented about the Technion, his work in urban search and rescue robotics, medical robotics for post-surgical rehabilitation, MedRobotics (his Massachusetts-based surgical products company), and his work with FIRST Robotics Israel and the new Israeli Olympic Sports Research Center.
The Technion Fund
The Technion is contributing to Israel and the global good in unprecedented ways, and it depends on people like you to ensure its continued advancement as a world-class institution of higher education.
The Technion Fund will help ensure that our supporters have access to a broad array of opportunities for engagement at all levels. The Fund will support the entire ecosystem necessary to maintain the Technion’s distinctive strengths.
The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute
On November 17, 2020, a group of local leaders and donors participated in an exclusive interactive event spotlighting cutting-edge technologies launched at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute in New York City. The Jacobs Institute fosters radical experimentation at the intersection of research, education, and entrepreneurship. We learned about the innovative digital technologies and leaders emerging from the Jacobs Institute and its Runway Startup Postdoctoral Program.
Unlike traditional academic departments, the Jacobs Institute is centered around three multidisciplinary industry-based hubs designed to spur new technologies in Connective Media, Health Tech, and Urban Tech. These hubs are built on the notion that to really know how innovation works, you need to make things — new technologies, new companies, and even mistakes. The Runway Program provides a pathway for Ph.D.s to become CEOs. To date, it has launched 29 startups, 23 of which are currently operating, attracting more than $93 million in private investment companies.
Please reach out to Irv Elenberg to learn more about our local programs.
Donor Spotlight
After a trip to the Technion on an ATS Mission in 2006, ATS donor Al M. felt even more committed to the university. Seeing the excitement of the students on campus motivated him, and upon his return, he created a substantial bequest in his will to endow a fellowship fund.
"We’re helping people in need, helping the Technion, and providing some healing to the horrors of the Holocaust — all in one program. It is very gratifying.”
