News Archive - 2009

Technion Researchers Develop Faster, Smarter Rocket Engine
Monday, December 21, 2009
Researchers from the Technion's Asher Space Institute have developed a new design for a rocket engine that allows small satellites for space missions to consume less fuel and operate more efficiently. The engine, called CAMILA (an acronym for co-axial Magneto Isolated Longitudinal Anode) is intended for the Israeli satellite industry.

Micro Helicopter Could Be Used by Law Enforcement Agencies
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Students at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have created a micro-robotic helicopter that navigates and maneuvers on its own. Potential uses for the 2.2 lb. Rahfan ("Flyer") helicopter include special operations, observation and tracking by law enforcement agencies. The helicopter is outfitted with an Inertial Navigation System (INS) sensor and an MPEG 4 network camera for navigation purposes.

Bone Drugs Could Reduce Breast Cancer Risk
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The use of bisphosphonates -- drugs already taken by millions of healthy women to prevent bone loss -- for more than one year has been associated with a 29 percent reduction in the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, according to results presented today by Technion-Israel Institute of Technology researchers at the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in San Antonio, Texas.

Cancer-Fighting Drugs Delivered Right to the Tumor
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
An encapsulation breakthrough by researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology may enable doctors to deliver anti-cancer drugs directly to tumors over extended periods of time, while preventing the systemic side effects of chemotherapy and other current cancer treatments.

Silicon-Air Battery: Non-stop Power for Thousands of Hours
Monday, October 26, 2009
Scientists at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed a new, environmentally friendly silicon-air battery capable of supplying non-stop power for thousands of hours without needing to be replaced. The findings are published in the October 2009 issue of Electrochemistry Communications.

Technion Scientists Create Heart Cells from Skin Cells
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Scientists at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have discovered a way to create beating heart cells using human skin cells reprogrammed to become stem cells.

Technion-developed Sleep Technology Named to List of Top Ten Medical Innovations for 2010
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The technology behind the outpatient diagnosis of sleep-related breathing disorders first developed at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology is on the Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit's "Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2010." The winners were announced in Cleveland on Wednesday, October 7.

Joel Rothman Elected National President of American Technion Society
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Chicago area resident and estate-planning attorney Joel Rothman has been named president of the American Technion Society (ATS), which raises support for the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel. Mr. Rothman, who heads his own practice, will be formally installed on October 27th during the ATS Board of Directors meeting in Detroit.

Technion President Yitzhak Apeloig to Receive Chemical Society Prize
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
The American Chemical Society (ACS) will present its Frederic Stanley Kipping Award to Professor Yitzhak Apeloig, president of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology who becomes the first Israeli chemist to receive the bi-annual prize, considered the most important of its kind in silicon chemistry. The award will be presented March 2010 in San Francisco during the ACS' semi-annual conference.

Electronic Nose Can Diagnose Lung Cancer in Breath Samples Using Gold Nanoparticles
Monday, August 31, 2009
Using an array of sensors made of gold particles measuring just 5-nanometers wide (one nanometer is 1/100,000 the width of a human hair), researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed an "electronic nose" able to distinguish the breath of lung cancer patients from those without the disease. The research results, published online yesterday on the Website of Nature Nanotechnology, could lead to a rapid and non-invasive way of diagnosing and screening for lung cancer.

Technion Opens International School of Engineering
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
In a ceremony held Wednesday, August 5, the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology officially launched the first phase of a new International School of Engineering. The program offered by the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is focused on infrastructure and environmental engineering.

Electronic Nose Can Sniff Out Kidney Diseases in Breath Samples
Friday, July 31, 2009
A carbon nanosensor "electronic nose" first developed by Technion-Israel Institute of Technology researchers to detect cancer from breath samples has been modified to identify chronic renal failure (CRF). The findings, reported in the May 26, 2009 issue of ACS Nano, could lead to a non-invasive and fairly inexpensive way to detect kidney diseases in their earliest and most treatable stages.

Mikveh Water Project Brings Together Religion, Science and Environment
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
A pilot project to recycle gray water gathered from the showers at a mikveh (ritual bath) in Jerusalem could someday lead to a nationwide program that conserves anywhere from 6.6 billion to 13.2 billion gallons of water per year in Israel alone.

Merage-Technion Institute for International Business to Open
Monday, July 13, 2009
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology President Yitzhak Apeloig has announced that the university has received a $12 million gift from the Andre and Katherine Merage Foundation of Southern California. The gift will support the new Andre and Katherine Merage-Technion Institute for International Business. Scheduled to begin operations in 2010, the Institute will be comprised of a world-class, English-only International Executive MBA focused on educating Israel's future high-tech leaders and three Centers of Excellence that will help Israel's high-tech companies penetrate markets in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Robot Can Crawl Through Human Body
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Moving reality a step closer to "Fantastic Voyage," researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed a micro robot that can crawl through the human body.

Calatrava Provides Another Reason to Visit Haifa, Israel
Monday, June 8, 2009

Already known as home to the Terraces of the Baha'i Faith, the City of Haifa, Israel now has another "must-see" piece of art, after world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava's latest work was unveiled last week at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

Technion Scientists: Explosive Favored by Terrorists has More Forms than Previously Thought
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have discovered never-before-seen polymorphic crystalline structures of triacetone-triperoxide (TATP), the easy-to-make but difficult to detect explosive increasingly used by terrorists worldwide. The findings, which were published online yesterday in ACS Crystal Growth & Design, will make it easier to detect TATP, even when it is concealed.

Building A Better Blend of Tumor-Fighting Cells
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Technion researchers have developed a technique that could produce a more effective blend of tumor-fighting immune cells used to treat cancers such as metastatic melanoma.

Pope Presented with Nano Bible
Tuesday, May 12, 2009

In a ceremony held Monday, May 11 in Jerusalem, Israeli President Shimon Peres presented Pope Benedict XVI with a "Nano-Bible" smaller than a pinhead. Created by researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, the complete punctuated and vowelized version of the Old Testament takes up just 0.5 square millimeters.

Launching Missiles with Drinking Water at the Annual Dr. Bob Shillman TechnoBrain Competition
Thursday, April 23, 2009

Propelled only by pressurized drinking water, student-built missiles soared above the Technion campus during the latest installment of the "Dr. Bob Shillman TechnoBrain" competition. Contestants were challenged to launch a 1.5-liter volume body using a pre-defined air pressure. The competition took place on April 22.

Antibiotics Could Treat Cystic Fibrosis, Other Genetic Diseases
Tuesday, April 7, 2009

By modifying the properties of the common antibiotic gentamicin, researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed what could become an effective treatment for many human genetic diseases, including cystic fibrosis (CF), Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Usher Syndrome and numerous cancers. The findings were published online March 23rd by the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

American Technion Society Mourns Loss of William Davidson
Thursday, March 19, 2009

The American Technion Society (ATS) acknowledges with great sorrow the passing of William Davidson of Bloomfield Hills, Mich. One of the most generous supporters of the ATS, an honorary life member of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology International Board of Governors and a lifetime trustee of the ATS Board of Regents. A Technion Guardian, he also received the ATS Albert Einstein Award - the organization's highest honor - in recognition of his dedication to the ATS, the Technion and Israel.

Asher Space Research Institute Building Dedicated at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology
Monday, March 9, 2009
In a February 12th ceremony, the Norman and Helen Asher Space Building was dedicated at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. Chicago resident Helen S. Asher and her late husband Norman provided the $3.5 million lead gift for the building.

Roads, Rails and Runways Turn Traffic Into Electricity
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Israeli company Innowattech, together with Technion-Israel Institute of Technology researchers, have developed a working system for producing and harvesting electric energy from traffic on roads, railroad tracks and airport runways. A fully functional prototype of the system has already been installed in a section of road on the Technion campus.

Stem Cells Could be Used for Personalized Cancer Treatment
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Using cancer cells from an ovarian cancer patient and human embryonic stem cells, Israeli researchers have created a cancerous tumor in a mouse that mimics the way the tumor would develop in the patient's body. The result is a pre-clinical experimental model for cancer research that could facilitate the development of personalized cancer therapies. The findings are published in the January 2009 online version of Clinical Cancer Research.

Researchers Can Detect Tunnel Excavation With Fiber Optic Cables
Friday, January 9, 2009
With the same type of fiber optic cables used in telecommunications systems, researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed a way to detect and pinpoint the excavation of tunnels during times of war, such as those used for smuggling weapons into Gaza. The findings will be presented at the Defense, Security and Sensing Conference of SPIE (an international society advancing light-based research) in April 2009 in Orlando, Florida.