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From the President
Inertia is defined as the resistance of a physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest, or the tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion. This is the classical understanding of inertia in physics, but if we apply that concept - the resistance to change or motion - to a research institute like the Weizmann Institute of Science, it implies a very dangerous state. One of the particularities of the Institute is that during most of its existence, its inertia has been almost negligible. I believe we can attribute Weizmann Institute President this to the right combination of factors that help overcome inertia: people who push, people who pull and people who steer.
These three factors come together in the administrative and technical staff of the Institute, the scientists and students in the laboratories, and the board members and supporters of the Institute everywhere around the world.
New initiatives
Over the past year, we have been moving forward very rapidly on several fronts. The first is the establishment of the Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine (INCPM). This is a unique project in Israel - the largest we have undertaken at the Weizmann Institute and one of the largest in Israel. Our goal is to establish, on the campus of the Weizmann Institute of Science, a national facility to provide the right intellectual and physical infrastructure for pushing the boundaries of biomedical knowledge. The facility will house several institutes that are currently in various stages of being set up. These include the Crown Institute for Genomics, the de Botton Institute for Protein Profiling and the Wohl Institute for Drug Discovery, as well as the yet-to-be-named institute of bioinformatics and an additional institute for biomedical research. (For more on the INCPM, see Personalized Medicine Up and Working.)
All of these specialized labs will be located inside the "solar tower," which was given to us many years ago by our Canadian friends. They have generously agreed to the transformation of the building into a modern facility for biomedical research. I expect this project to have atremendous impact on the whole academic, medical and industrial community in Israel. With the wheels of the INCPM in motion, the Institute is participating in the most exciting scientific adventure of this decade: translating the knowledge gained from deciphering the human genome and protein structures into practical medical applications for individual and public health.
Independent of this national initiative, we have established the new Henry Chanoch Krenter Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Genomics, which will enable Institute researchers to interpret visual data and distinguish biological components on an increasingly minuscule scale - giving them the ability to peer at cells and even inside cells, and witness them in action. The Weizmann Institute is home to a cluster of leading research groups with expertise in genomics and cancer; its multidisciplinary culture combined with the new state-of-the-art imaging equipment puts the Institute in a position to make significant progress in research on malignancies. The Henry Chanoch Krenter Institute for BiomedicalImaging and Genomics will accelerate the development of a comprehensive understanding of cancer and its many facets in experimental settings and in clinical oncology,as well as advancing diagnostics and individualized therapies.
Our work in these facilities will continue to be deeply connected to the Lorry I.Lokey Preclinical Research Facility on campus, which was established several years ago and is a vital factor in moving the basic research findings of Institute labs toward medical application. I have no doubt that with all these new moves, we are not only beating inertia but keeping our lead position in life sciences research, both in Israeland in around the world.
In an unrelated, but nonetheless exciting development, we are moving forward with the new Dangoor (D-REAMS) laboratory. This lab will enable us to provide new data and new analyses from archaeological findings; it is currently being established within the framework of the new Max Planck-Weizmann Institute of Science Center in the Field of Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology.(For more on this collaboration, see Joint Archaeology Center.)
Another highlight of the year was the dedication of the new David Lopatie Hall of Graduate Studies, housing the Feinberg Graduate School. We are also upgrading the attractiveness of our graduate school by creating a new program for graduate students, which will be called the David Lopatie Fellowship Program.The goal of this program is to attract to our campus the best of the best in Israeland abroad by offering them unique programs and opportunities. (For more on the Graduate School, see Feinberg Graduate School.)
Institute scientists have a long tradition of working hand in hand with research groups beyond the campus gates, both within Israel and around the globe. Among the many collaborations in which the Institute has participated this year, several are particularly notable. Two are with the Technion - in brain science and in alternative energy- and they are propelled by the Adelis Foundation, and the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, respectively.Weizmann scientists are also working with their counterparts at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York to advance clinical trials on photodynamic therapy for prostate cancer, backed by the Wade F. B. Thompson Foundation. This is a therapy whose main mechanism is based on insights from a plant science lab at Weizmann into how plants utilize sunlight- resounding proof that cross-fertilization between scientific disciplines brings results.(For more on the Weizmann Technion collaboration, see Synergy in Energy Research.)
On campus, the number of science programs for schoolchildren and teachers continues to expand under the auspices of the Davidson Institute for Science Education. More than 70 programs are on offer today. I am especially pleased to report that the planning of the new HEMDA Center for Science Studies in Rehovot, adjacent to the Weizmann campus and the Davidson Institute, is now under way. HEMDA is a unique model of regional science education that helps students from area high schools perform their chemistry and physics coursework. In state-of-the art labs and classrooms, the students receive guidance from the best teachers in their fields. The original HEMDA Center in Tel Aviv - the brainchild of the Institute's former President, Prof. Haim Harari - has been a huge success. The Rehovot facility will build on this success, as well as benefiting from its proximity to campus.
The best people, the best science
And then, of course, there is the ultimate force that can overcome any institutional inertia: This year we hired a record number of new scientists. A dozen such scientists have been offered positions, and every one of them comes to us with bright, fresh ideas, and talents and enthusiasm that will enrich a variety of fields. Even more important than the number is the quality of these new additions: Two are women, and three of them enter at the associate professor level or higher. They include four life sciences researchers, two chemists, three physicists and three mathematicians/ computer scientists. The senior scientists come to us from postdoctoral research in top universities in the US, UK and Canada. In their new positions at Weizmann, they will have the freedom to explore their research avenues and the necessary budget to build state-of-the art labs.
In the past decade, around 100 new scientists have joined the Institute ranks. Here, they are welcomed by a home-grown multidisciplinary culture, unhindered by artificial walls between scientific disciplines, and free of a good many of the typical administrative duties required by many other institutions. These young scientists come with the knowledge that the serene campus in which 2,700 scientists, students and staff work- and where many scientists live-fosters a family-like environment. It's an environment in which ideas emerge in intimate discussions in the lab or around a picnic table on the weekends. It's just the kind of breeding ground that makes for great science.
And then, of course, there is the ultimate force that can overcome any institutional inertia: This year we hired a record number of new scientists. A dozen such scientists have been offered positions, and every one of them comes to us with bright, fresh ideas, and talents and enthusiasm that will enrich a variety of fields. Even more important than the number is the quality of these new additions: Two are women, and three of them enter at the associate professor level or higher. They include four life sciences researchers, two chemists, three physicists and three mathematicians/ computer scientists. The senior scientists come to us from postdoctoral research in top universities in the US, UK and Canada. In their new positions at Weizmann, they will have the freedom to explore their research avenues and the necessary budget to build state-of-the art labs.
In the past decade, around 100 new scientists have joined the Institute ranks. Here, they are welcomed by a home-grown multidisciplinary culture, unhindered by artificial walls between scientific disciplines, and free of a good many of the typical administrative duties required by many other institutions. These young scientists come with the knowledge that the serene campus in which 2,700 scientists, students and staff work - and where many scientists live-fosters a family-like environment. It's an environment in which ideas emerge in intimate discussions in the lab or around a picnic table on the weekends. It's just the kind of breeding ground that makes for great science.
These advantages enable the Weizmann Institute to contend with the stiff competition we face from the world's top universities in recruiting the best researchers. This competition is especially heated in light of the retirement of the "baby boom" generation of scientists, which makes our own commitment to hiring new scientists even stronger. New research blood is the backbone of the Israeli research and technology enterprise that fuels the country and keeps it economically strong and intellectually vibrant. (For more on this year's new scientists, see Welcome Aboard.)
New construction
With all the fast and furious work in Weizmann labs and the ever-changing requirements for performing cutting-edge research, the campus has no choice but to expand physically. While keeping the integrity of the lush, beautiful campus intact, building appropriate new facilities and upgrading the existing infrastructure is critical to the advancement of science.
The construction of the Raoul and Graziella de Picciotto Building for Scientific and Technical Support is advancing apace. This one building will enable the efficient use of all the Institutes buildings and labs for research purposes. The eight-story building will have five floors above ground and three below, including 563 underground parking spaces. In total, it will add some 30,000 sq m of work space to the Institute.
The renovation of the Charles Clore International House is projected to be ready in the summer of 2013. Improvements include preserving the facade, reinforcing the structure and bringing it up to earthquake and air raid standards. The construction of the Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Biological Chemistry has recently started. This building will encompass about 30,000 sq m, around 18,000 sq m of that lab and office space, and the rest underground parking and service structures.
Making it all possible
We have been lucky to have many generous donors worldwide. Friends on all five continents contribute to the advance of scientific investigation - in areas ranging from stem cells to scientific archaeology, and from computer encryption to astronomy. By joining us on this extraordinary journey of discovery for the benefit of all mankind, donors play an intrinsic role in the future of the Weizmann Institute. Their invaluable support helps us launch new and unexplored areas of research, sustain and nurture existing avenues, recruit top scientific talent, educate the next generation of scientists and advance the general public's scientific knowledge, so that society can best benefit from new insights and discoveries.
Of course, every one of these undertakings, not to mention the day-to-day running of this institute, requires constant attention and the ability to make and implement numerous decisions on a daily basis. This where Prof, Haim Garty, Prof. Mudi Sheves, Prof. Israel Bar Joseph and Ms. Shuli Geri come in: They make all of this wonderful machinery hum as if inertia never existed.
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