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(continued from page 21) “ Israel needs to have the best educated and most innovative people in order to thrive. Patricia L. Glaser ” years, Arthur and his wife Rosalinde (z’l), a fashion designer, established their own business in London. When the couple emigrated to Los Angeles in 1949, Arthur became a real estate industry leader and philanthropist. The Gilbert Foundation has varied interrelated priorities such as providing educational access to minority students, fostering the recruitment of new faculty at Israeli and American institutions and funding medical research. Martin Blank and Richard Ziman, trustees of the Gilbert Foundation, are attorneys and civic leaders who share the philosophy that higher education can improve and transform lives. “In our society and in Israel, education is required to achieve success,” said Marty. We want all young people, regardless of their backgrounds and economic circumstances, to have an equal chance to attend college and graduate.” Hiring rising academic and research stars is integral to this process. As Marty explains, “Any great university is only as good as its faculty.” “The best possible investment a university can make is to invest in attracting and retaining new faculty. This is essential for every academic institution and especially for public universities,” stated Dick Ziman, Chair of AFHU’s Western Region and the recipient of many honors, including an honorary doctorate from Hebrew University. “However, maintaining excellence can be an expensive proposition. The Gilbert Foundation takes the issue of faculty, especially the retention of faculty, very seriously and supports these forward-thinking efforts.” In addition to spearheading pioneering research projects, innovative new faculty tend to attract intellectually curious and highly motivated students. Their aptitude for teaching and willingness to mentor students in the laboratory can be influential factors when promising students choose their degree program. Outstanding faculty also can attract the attention of philanthropic leaders. Dick Ziman described how a Hebrew University professor visiting Los Angeles gave him his first glimpse of the university’s excellence. “Harvey Silbert was an awe-inspiring AFHU Western Region leader. He invited me to a lecture by an HU expert on the Holocaust. The professor’s breadth of knowledge was so dazzling that it led to my long-term involvement.” Patty Glaser had a similar assessment of HU faculty. “Either you can read twenty books about Israel’s democracy or you can talk to Professor Reuven Hazan for twenty minutes,” she said. “By supporting new faculty, we can ensure that Israel continues to produce remarkable achievements and remain preeminent globally.” 22 / AFHU NEWS
n n n n OUTSTANDING NEW FACULTY Dr. Igor Schapiro Dr. Igor Schapiro is affiliated with HU’s Institute of Chemistry and its Fritz Haber Center for Molecular Dynamics. He previously conducted research at the Universite de Strasbourg in France, at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Engineering Conversion in Germany and at Ohio’s Bowling Green State University. Dr. Schapiro has received a highly competitive European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant for his work involving computer simulations of chemical reactions; his research utilizes original computer programs he has developed for this purpose. Currently, he is examining biological and biochemical processes activated by light, gaining new insights into the process of vision. In the human eye, light activates a small molecule that starts a chain reaction: this process essentially converts light to an electric signal. Dr. Schapiro is working toward designing artificial or man-made systems that can mimic the natural process of sight, helping people with visual impairments. Dr. Oren Ram Dr. Oren Ram joined the Silberman Institute of Life Sciences after fulfilling a five-year postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School and the Broad Institute in Cambridge, MA. Dr. Ram, whose Ph.D. is in Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, is investigating gene expression in states of health and disease. He also participates in I-CORE: the Israel Center of Research Excellence, as part of a team examining chromatin and RNA gene regulation. The term epigenetics refers to heritable changes in gene expression (active versus inactive genes) that do not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence. Epigenetic change is a regular, natural occurrence that allows cells with the same genetic code to develop into many different types of cells in a multi-cellular organism. Epigenetic mechanisms can be altered due to factors such as age, the environment, lifestyle and the presence of disease. Dr. Ram’s lab is developing cutting-edge technologies to probe chromatin and transcriptional output at the single cell level. These efforts will help to characterize chromatin mechanisms that affect cellular processes related to the onset of diseases such as cancer. AFHU NEWS / 23
Page 1 and 2: AFHU NEWS Volume 18 / 2016 - 17
Page 3 and 4: At the American Friends of Hebrew U
Page 5 and 6: Victor J. Cohn Honorary Fellowships
Page 7 and 8: Benefactors Wall of Life Julie Gal
Page 9 and 10: Recipients of Ph.D.s and Honorary D
Page 11 and 12: n n n n HU RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS AFHU
Page 13 and 14: Hebrew University Launches Israel
Page 15 and 16: Israel’s First 3D and Functional
Page 17 and 18: Hebrew University and University of
Page 19 and 20: Pioneering Cancer Immunotherapy Res
Page 21 and 22: Four Hebrew University Faculty Memb
Page 23: n n n n A top priority of The Hebre
Page 27 and 28: Dr. Tawfiq Da’adli Dr. Tawfiq Da
Page 29 and 30: 90th Anniversary Scopus Award Gala
Page 31 and 32: A Joint Conference on Terrorism and
Page 33 and 34: Busy Bees in Chicago April 6, 2016
Page 35 and 36: n n n n IN REMEMBRANCE Richard Abra
Page 37 and 38: Deferred CGA with American Friends
Page 39 and 40: UPCOMING EVENTS IN 2017 January 15

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