Produced by the Department of Public Affairs

                 July  2005

N E W S L E T T E R O F B E N - G U R I O N U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E N E G E

   E T T E R O F B E N - G U R I O N U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E N E G E

NEWS@BGU – July 2005                                  

BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV

**** Government to Invest in Negev Development ****

The business at hand is that of developing the Negev, according to the distinguished panel of international businessmen and scientists who participated in the Opening Plenary Session of the 35th Annual Board of Governors Meeting. The panel, chaired by University President Prof. Avishay Braverman, included leading entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and scientists, who all agreed that the Negev’s future depends on infusing capitalism with a social purpose to bring about the development of the region.

 Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Ehud Olmert announced the Government’s decision to provide $30 million towards a $90 million fund for the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev (NIBN) as well as $10 million for water research at the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research. “While in the past, the Negev was Israel’s backyard for traditional industry, the Negev of the future will be Israel’s showcase for cutting-edge technology,” he declared.

 Vice-Chairman of Board of Governors and Chairman of Apax Ltd., Sir Ronald Cohen of the United Kingdom said that the Western economic trend towards lower taxes and less government intervention has led to a “huge divergence in wealth.” He said stressed that the marketplace is great for fostering economic growth, “but can you really expect it to address the social consequences when the role of government is shrinking?”

 Luckily, Israeli entrepreneurs and executives have come to understand this, and their understanding is rapidly changing the character of philanthropy, said Vice-Chairman of BGU’s Board of Governors and Chairman of 3Com, Eric Benhamou of the United States. “In this country, you find brilliant people who used to spend all their time growing their businesses and who are now devoting a half-day, a day, two days a week in helping their local municipalities and public schools run better,” he said. The University is setting an example of involvement that is part of this trend and making a significant difference for the residents of the region.

 Roy J. Zuckerberg, Chairman of the Board of Governors, the former Vice-Chairman of Goldman Sachs of the United States and the visionary founder of the Zuckerberg Institute for Water

Research at BGU, expressed support for unorthodox visions of the Negev, noting that pioneering in the 21^st century “doesn’t necessarily mean making the desert bloom, but rather adapting economic development to the region’s challenging climatic and hydrological conditions.”

 Prof. Raymond Dwek, Head of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Oxford and Special Advisor to the President on Biotechnology at BGU, presented an overview of the unique research being done at the University’s NIBN and reinforced his support of academic cooperation in the region by announcing the creation of joint Oxford-BGU doctorate and post-doctorates for Israeli and Palestinian students working in related fields.

 Chairman of the Mandel Supporting Foundations and honorary doctorate recipient Morton L. Mandel of the United States stressed that wise policies alone cannot transform the Negev, but must be implemented by wise leaders. “In my experience, the leadership factor invariably means the difference between achievement and disappointment.” During the session, Prof. Braverman also announced the establishment of the Mandel Center for Leadership in the Negev.

 The Negev is home to Israel’s most impoverished citizens – the Bedouin community. Prof. Alean Alkrenawi, Chairman of the Charlotte B. and Jack J. Spitzer Department of Social Work, pointed to a recent University study that found almost half of Negev Bedouin children suffer from “food insecurity,” meaning that their families cannot afford to give them dependably nutritious meals. He also noted that the Bedouin student population at BGU is increasing sharply from year to year, Alkrenawi told the audience that in his Department, “we are training a new breed of social workers who will also be social activists on behalf of the people they serve.”

 ***** Irene Kreitman, 1926 – 2005 ****

 The University deeply mourns the loss of Irene Kreitman of London, England. Longtime member of the Board of Governors and the Ben-Gurion Society, Irene — together with her late husband, Hyman — were among the founders and central pillars of the University and remained its life-long friends and supporters.

 At BGU, the Kreitman name is synonymous with excellence. Dedicated to the welfare of the students and the promotion of innovative research, the Kreitmans were the munificent benefactors of the Kreitman School of Advanced Graduate Studies, the Kreitman Foundation Fellowships, a number of scholarships and academic chairs, as well as numerous physical facilities, including the central Kreitman Plaza. The Kreitman School and the Fellowships have played a critical role in the University’s ability to recruit and nurture outstanding young scholars and scientists, creating the critical mass that has turned the University into a leading research institution. Hundreds of Kreitman Fellows are living testament to her determination and commitment to excellence.

 Prof. Avishay Braverman praised Irene’s concern for the welfare of the students. “She was a person of impeccable taste with a keen eye for the arts and culture who always went out of her way to be involved on behalf of the students, providing them with cultural and entertainment outlets, helping with their childcare needs, promoting their musical talents and so much more.

 “She was a hands-on woman who believed in doing and not preaching, a woman for whom g’milut hasidim and tzedakah were her modus operandi — always concerned for the plight of the less fortunate. She admirably continued her deep involvement in matters of social concern while focusing on the importance of aesthetics and beauty in the world surrounding us today. She believed in empowering women, in building up Israel’s might through education, in encouraging leadership amongst the next generation to take on the reins of tomorrow’s world.”

 The Ben-Gurion University community extends its heartfelt condolences to Roger and Patricia, Neil, Jill and Peter, Dame Shirley Porter and the entire family.

**** Ladislaus Laszt Ecumenical and Social Concern Award Conferred ****

 Ben-Gurion University of the Negev conferred the Ladislaus Laszt Ecumenical and Social Concern Award on Archimendrite Emile Shoufani in recognition of his exceptional work to advance a more compassionate and humane society. Archimendrite Emile Shoufani, a Greek Catholic priest, educator, and peacemaker in Nazareth, was recognized for his “tireless endeavors as a spiritual leader and educator to foster dialogue and understanding and bridge the gap between all cultures and religious faiths in the Middle East.”

 During the current intifada and for decades before, Shoufani, 57, has sought to unite the Christians, Jews, and Muslims of Israel. He conceived of and led the four-day visit to Auschwitz

by some 500 Jews and Arabs in June 2003, a time when the tensions between Israelis and Palestinians were at their peak. At Auschwitz, he recalled, “The transformation was amazing – not just among Arabs, but among Jews as well.”

 For 28 years, Shoufani has headed St. Joseph’s Seminary and High School in Nazareth, a public school whose 1,300 students include some 40 percent Moslems. “From kindergarten through 12th grade, the children grow up in an atmosphere of togetherness,” he says, noting that this is one reason why there are 10 children waiting to be accepted at the school for every opening.

Another reason is St. Joseph’s year-in, year-out record of sending 90 percent or more of its students to university, which BGU President Prof. Avishay Braverman said “might be the highest success rate [of any school] in Israel.”

 The Ladislaus Laszt Ecumenical and Social Concern Award was created by Prof. Ladislaus Laszt and his wife Nelly from Switzerland. The award is bestowed by BGU on a religious personality of international repute or on a person or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to society. The most recent recipient was His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama.

***** Zlotowski Building Dedicated *****

 The Chairman of the Ben Gurion Foundation, Harold Paisner of London, affixed a mezuzah at the newly-dedicated entrance to the third floor of the Zlotowski Student Administration Building in the presence of Suzanne Zlotowski of Switzerland and Adelene and Louis James Zlotowski of the United Kingdom.

***** Deutsche Telekom AG Signs Research Agreement *****

The German communications giant Deutsche Telekom has signed a research agreement with the University’s technology transfer company BGN Technologies Ltd. that includes a $4 million  investment in the area of computer and network security. Participating in the signing ceremony were Deutsche Telekom’s Senior Executive Vice-President for Innovation Hans Albert Aukes; Vice-President of Innovation Management Ralf Baumann; and senior BGU administration, including President Prof. Avishay Braverman; Vice-President and Dean for Research and Development, Prof. Moti Herskowitz; and BGN Technologies, CEO Netta Cohen.

 Deutsche Telekom is one of the leading integrated telecommunications companies in the world. It offers millions of private and corporate customers throughout the world the entire spectrum of modern information technology and telecommunications services — from wireless communications, Internet, and fixed-network to complex IT and telecommunications solutions.

 Dr. Yuval Elovici, Head of the Software Engineering program and a member of the Department of Information Systems Engineering, is an international expert in computer and network security. He will be leading the research group that will develop innovative security solutions for Deutsche Telekom to enable it to cope with current and future challenges in the world of telecommunications.

 Elovici explains: “As more and more cases of commercial espionage emerge, it is clear that protecting information is the most important security issue of the future. Our team is working on anticipating problems so that we will be ready with the right solutions.”

***** Honorary Doctorates Awarded – Playwright Ali Salem Prevented from Arriving *****

Seven Honorary Doctoral Degrees were awarded as part of the University’s 35^th Annual Board of Governors Meeting. The festive event was marred by the absence of recipient Ali Salem, who was unable to leave Egypt to participate in the event.

 The recipients, all internationally recognized leaders in their fields, included former U.S. Assistant Surgeon General and Senior Medical and E-Health Advisor in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Rear Admiral (ret.) Susan J. Blumenthal, M.D., USA; prolific industrialist, inventor and Chairman and CEO of Ormat  Industries Ltd, Lucien Y. Bronicki, Israel; internationally-recognized scientist and President of the Institute for Systems Biology, Dr. Leroy E. Hood, USA; renowned scientific leader at the University of California at Berkeley and former Editor-in-Chief of Science magazine, Prof. Daniel E. Koshland, Jr., USA; major businessman, philanthropist and leader in the American Jewish community and Chairman of Parkwood Corporation and the Mandel Foundation, Morton L. Mandel, USA; and foremost industrialist and entrepreneur and Chairman of VISY Industries and The Pratt Foundation, Richard J. Pratt AC of Australia.

 Ali Salem, one of the leading playwrights and satirist writers in the Middle East, is an outspoken advocate for peace in the region. Author of the book My Journey to Israel, which chronicles his 23-day trip to Israel shortly after the signing of the Oslo Accords, Salem was prevented from leaving Egypt by the authorities. Salem has visited the country more than ten times, including his participation in a BGU conference in December 2004.

 He had been expected to teach classes that week to BGU students and give public lectures during his visit. One of the lectures was to be at the Board’s Closing Plenary Session, with the presentation of scholarships by the Chaim Herzog Center for Middle East Studies and Diplomacy, where he was to present “The Sun On My Right” — an excerpt from his book. Renowned Israeli author David Grossman spoke in his place.

 At the honorary degree ceremony, excerpts from the remarks Salem had originally prepared for the event were read aloud, while his chair remained empty: “Between us and Israel,” he wrote, “there are no minefields, only the paved roads that I traveled.” He continued, “Peace between us the Arabs and the Israelis is not only a necessity or a must, it is a destiny. No one can escape his destiny, so let us yield to it and let us make it beautiful and productive.”

 The University has maintained has a long tradition of close relations with the Egyptian government since the peace agreement with Egypt. In May 1979, President Anwar Sadat, accompanied by now-President Hosni Mubarak, received the Star of Peace from then-President of BGU Yosef Tekoah, together with then-Prime Minister Menahem Begin on his visit to campus. In 1995, the Egyptian Ambassador to Israel, Mohammed Bassiouny, received an honorary doctoral degree from the University.

 The Honorary Doctoral   recipients played an active role throughout the Board Meeting. Rear Admiral (ret.) Susan J. Blumenthal, M.D. elaborated on “Critical Women’s Health Issues in the 21st Century: Implications for Improving Mental Health” during the Zlotowski Annual Lecture; Lucien Y. Bronicki served as the keynote lecturer during Projects Day at the Faculty of Engineering Sciences — which included a viewing of the final projects by the graduating class; Prof. Daniel E. Koshland, Jr. gave this year’s Hyman Kreitman Memorial Lecture on “The Seven Pillars of Life”; Morton L. Mandel focused on leadership, particularly in Israel and in the Negev, as a panelist at the Opening Plenary’s discussion on a “New Israel in the Negev”; and Richard J. Pratt gave a special address on “Leadership and Entrepreneurship” in honor of the University’s Honors MBA program.

***** New Ma’agan Facilities Dedicated *****

The newly-expanded Ma’agan Community Cancer Care Center, established through the generosity of the Benjamin and Seema Pulier Foundation, was dedicated in the presence of its benefactors, Edith and Solomon Freedman of New York. Also taking part in the ceremony, which took place during the University’s 35th Annual Board of Governors Meeting, were Mayor of Beer-Sheva, Yaakov Terner, and the Director-General of the Israel Cancer Society, Miri Ziv.

 Committed to the motto, “No one should have to face cancer alone,” Ma’agan provides emotional and social support to people with cancer and their families. Speaking at the ceremony, Edy Freedman — herself a cancer survivor of 33 years — expressed her thanks to all those who had played a part in making this dream a reality. A former social worker, Freedman believes that with the help of Ma’agan, people can discover, “the knowledge of their own strength to overcome cancer.”

 The new building, located in the Ramot neighborhood of Beer-Sheva, was built on property provided by the Municipality with the support of the Israel Cancer Society. In addition to the extensive public spaces specifically built for its different activities, the 800 square meter building includes an elevator, library, and expanded office space. The new Ma’agan Center is located at the edge of a large park with playground facilities and an expansive view of the city below.

**** Sofer to Head Faculty of Health Sciences *****

Prof. Shaul Sofer has been elected Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, replacing Prof. Rivka Carmi, who will complete her five-year term on July 31, 2005.

 Sofer began working at the Soroka University Medical Center as a young intern in 1976 and the Faculty of Health Sciences in 1978. He then rose through the ranks, including a stint as Deputy Dean of the Faculty. In 1983, he founded the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Soroka, which he has headed since then. From 1991 to 1998, he also headed the Division of Pediatrics at Soroka and the Medical School.

 Sofer has also been active in the community, working with organizations in support of children and youth-at-risk as well as severely ill children. His research focuses on environmental dangers to children’s health, with an emphasis on issues that involve the Negev. Sofer is a known world expert on dealing with scorpion stings and envenomation.

 Speaking after the election, Sofer said that he hopes to reinforce the traditionally high standard of teaching and “to strengthen the program in coming years by recruiting new young faculty in the basic sciences and in medicine in the clinical departments.”

 He stressed that he is a real believer in the “The Beer-Sheva Experiment” that trains medical personnel to treat the patient and not just the disease and hopes to expand the Faculty’s involvement with the community.

****** A Window on Israeli Culture *****

BGU Review, a new online journal dedicated to the study of Israeli culture, has been launched. The journal, which appears in English, is published by Heksherim: The Research Center for Jewish and Israeli Literature and Culture at BGU, with the support of the Axel Springer Foundation of Germany. It hopes to provide readers with a wider access to Israeli society in all of its diversity, including the work of sociologists, historians, literary scholars, specialists in education and public health.

 “The journal addresses a specific need,” said Prof. Yigal Schwartz, the Chairman of Heksherim. “In academic and intellectual circles worldwide there is very limited information about Israel. A well-informed reader who is interested in Israel may find extensive factual, journalistic reports in newspapers, but these types of stories don’t begin to address the complexity of Israeli culture.”

 Edited by four researchers — Profs. Nissim Calderon and Yigal Schwartz from the Department of   Hebrew Literature; Dr. Yoram Meital from the Department of Middle East Studies; and Prof. Arnold Band from the Department of Comparative Literature at the University of California at Los  Angeles — the journal offers translations of seminal essays and research regarding various areas of Israeli culture.

 The first issue includes articles on a full range of subjects including, “Oriental Polemics”; “Coming of Age: The Decline of Archaeology in Israeli Identity”; “We, Israeli-Arabs in Israel, will live as Israelis” and the “Struggle of Orthodoxy Against the Hebrew Language.”

 The journal can be read online at www.bgu.ac.il/bgureview

******* In the Land of Oz *******

At a gathering honoring renowned author Amos Oz on the occasion of his retirement from the Department of Hebrew Literature, University President Prof. Avishay Braverman made it clear that the event was a mere formality.

 On a practical level, Prof. Oz, incumbent of the S.Y. Agnon Chair in Contemporary Hebrew Literature established by the German Associates, will continue to teach seminars, while on a spiritual level, Braverman stressed that “Amos and this University have a connection that will never be broken.”

 Oz’s numerous contributions to BGU and to world literature were analyzed and praised over the course of the evening by colleagues from close to home and far away.

 Prof. Robert Alter from the University of California at Berkeley discussed the affinity of Oz’s work with that of the Nobel Prize for Literature Laureate S.Y. Agnon. Prof. Yigal Schwartz, Chairman of Heksherim: The Research Center for Jewish and Israeli Literature and Culture, analyzed some of the 400 letters that were sent to Oz by readers who were touched by his recently published memoir, A Tale of Love and Darkness, and discussed how the reading of the book had taken on the significance of a religious act.

Prof. Iris Porush reviewed Oz’s contribution to the Department and offered personal insights into the complex relationship between writers and academia. Prof. Uri Bernstein, head of the Creative Writing program, discussed writing as a demanding way of life and Oz’s abilities as a teacher. Two of Oz’s former students — now published authors — described how Oz influenced their growth as writers.

 In the end, Prof. Amos Oz thanked the speakers and spoke emotionally of his connection to BGU. “I love this University,” he said. He particularly praised the University for its warm atmosphere that welcomed him after he left his kibbutz and settled in the South.

 Discussing life as a writer in Israel, Oz made the analogy of living in a small village on the rim of a simmering volcano, in which people are busy with their day-today business and petty worries, loves, and jealousies. “An author who writes only about the volcano is a slogan writer,” he explained. “An author who writes as if there is no volcano is an escapist. I belong to the breed who writes about what happens on the precipice, without exempting myself from dealing with the responsibility of the volcano.”

 Recently, it was announced that Oz will be awarded the city of Frankfurt’s Goethe Prize, a prestigious award given every three years for excellence in literature. He has already won significant recognition for A Tale of Love and Darkness, including the France Culture Prize for best novel in 2004; the Viajes con mi Cuaderno Prize 2004 (Spain); the Bruno Kreiski Prize for a political novel 2005 (Austria), and the Koret Prize 2005 (USA).

***** Goldberg IIE Prize for Peace Awarded ****

The first annual Victor J. Goldberg IIE Prize for Peace in the Middle East was awarded to the Chairman of the Department of Behavioral Sciences, Prof. Dan Bar-On, and his Palestinian partner, Prof. Sami Adwan of Bethlehem University, for their educational curriculum development project entitled “Learning Each Other’s Narrative.”

Announced in the presence of U.S. Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer, prize donor Victor J. Goldberg and representatives from the Institute of International Education (IIE), the Prize commended the two researchers for their “commitment to overcoming the barriers that divide the Middle East” and noted that their project “has  demonstrated success in bringing people together across religious, cultural, ethnic, and political divides.”

 The award-winning project is not geared towards how people gain insight into themselves, but rather into their bitterest enemies. “The idea is not that you have to agree with the other’s narrative, but you have to listen to it, respect it, and try to understand it,” explains Bar-On. “You can’t de-legitimize it if you want to live with the other side, you have to learn to live with their narrative.”

 The four-year long Israeli-Palestinian project, launched in 2001, targets teachers and schools as a critical force over the long-term for changing the entrenched and polarized attitudes on both sides of the Middle East conflict. As a faculty member at BGU, Bar-On had already experimented with using personal storytelling as a route to expanding understanding between Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews. His Jewish and Arab students were told to interview people from their parents’ and grandparents’ generations. Then, as a class, they listened to the stories.

 “Learning Each Other’s Historical Narrative” takes the work a step further, bringing this approach to the high school classroom and formalizing it into a curriculum.

 The program operates under the umbrella of an organization entitled Peace Research Institute in the Middle East (PRIME). Bar-On and Adwan, PRIME’s co-founders and co-directors, put together a team of twelve Palestinian and Israeli teachers from Israel and the Palestinian Authority and added two history professors, Prof. Adnan Massallam of Bethlehem University and Prof. Eyal Nave of Tel Aviv University, to the team.

 When the project nears its completion, a professional evaluation of curriculum materials and teaching methods will take place, comparing classes taught with PRIME’s shared history booklet to classes taught by the same teachers using traditional texts. Evaluators will also study the efficiency of methods and materials developed during the project to train new teachers.

***** Commencement 2005 ******

There was reason to celebrate this year as 5,233 graduates received their degrees during the University’s commencement ceremonies in June. This is an 18.5 percent increase over the number of graduates last year. Some 3,144 students received Bachelors degrees while

1,840 received Masters degrees and another 164 received teaching certificates. Eighty-five doctors received their M.D. degrees at a separate ceremony two weeks earlier.

***** Surfing into Desert Research *****

The Newman Information Center for Desert Research and Development, an exciting new joint project of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (BIDR) and Keren Kayemeth L’Israel-Jewish National Fund (KKLJNF), has opened its virtual doors and unveiled a state-of-the-art website available to people interested in learning about desert areas, the process of desertification, and how low precipitation regions can be preserved and restored through sustainable development.

 The online Information Center, generously donated by Dr. Raquel H. Newman of San Francisco and the JNF, is designed to provide research data using clear, crisp, easy-to-understand language, pictures, movies, and interactive animations. “Despite the extensive research effort devoted to drylands, the public-at-large has little knowledge of their fragile nature and of the ecological damage that can result from improper development of drylands,” said Prof. Ehud Meron, Director of the online Center.

 Increasing this knowledge and strengthening the public’s awareness of proper land management has become an urgent need as accelerated development and settlement of drylands has led to the spread of desertification around the world.

 The information available on the website, organized by research topic, ranges from professional scientific documents to materials for the general public, as well as educators,  tour guides, KKL-JNF workers, and other groups dealing in dryland restoration, preservation, and sustainable development. The Center will serve as a tool for the transfer and exchange of up-to-date scientific data among researchers, research students, and other professionals dealing with drylands and their interface with man. At the same time, the website will inform the public of the wealth of development activities of the JNF in forestry, river restoration, urban parks, and other areas, stressing proper usage of the services these terrains provide.

 “The Newman Information Center is a project in progress, updating itself as new materials become available,” says Meron.

 Instructions and information about the Center’s organization, the services it provides, and surfing its contents are given by the Site Map and Help pages on the Internet site. To see for yourself, click to http://desert.bgu.ac.il

******* Taking Care of Business *****

This year, a record-breaking number of students participated in the Young Entrepreneurs Israel (YEI) program. About five hundred high school students grouped into twenty-four “mini-companies” — double the number that were involved last year — brought their enthusiasm to the Marcus Family Campus at a fair to show off their inventive new wares. These included stickers that can be attached to eyeglasses, instantly turning them into sunglasses; a phonetic guide in the form of a card for Hebrew speakers trying to learn how to pronounce words in English; and a personal computer electronic locking device, which received high marks from Intel Corporation.

 The schools participating in the event came from Beer-Sheva and the Negev region, including Sderot, Kiryat Gat, Ofakim, Netivot, Arad, Dimona, Ashdod, Kibbutz Yad Mordechai and Ashkelon.

 Sponsored by the Ira Center for Business, Technology and Society, which is affiliated with the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, the program is actively engaged in providing academic and professional leadership to Young Entrepreneurs Israel. According to Prof. Ehud Menipaz — a member of the executive committee of YEI and Chairman of its Public Board in the Southern region — the students “go beyond the required ‘Learning by Doing.’ They become completely involved in creating mini-companies and truly experience the entrepreneurial spirit. The program is an effective breeding ground for cooperation between the University, the business community and the Ministry of Education for the benefit of the junior high and high  school student population.”

***** Understanding David Ben-Gurion – In Arabic *****

The Arab world now has the opportunity to gain insight into the mind and mission of Israel’s founding father. A book by historian Prof. Zaki Shalom of the Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism, entitled David Ben-Gurion and the Arab World 1949-1956, was recently translated and published in Arabic by the Dayan Research Center at Tel Aviv University and BGU’s Ben-Gurion Research Institute.

According to Shalom, “The translation into Arabic has special significance because it will allow the Arab citizens living in the State of Israel, as our neighbors, to understand the way that this central figure in Israeli history operated and how he influenced and shaped Israeli society and the way it sees Arabs.” Shalom’s book deals with the leadership and policies of David Ben-Gurion towards the Arab world during the period following the war of independence.

 Ben-Gurion’s positions regarding the Arab world were particularly influential because the country’s first leader served for so many years in the dual role of Prime Minister and Defense Minister. Few would question that Ben-Gurion’s views on the Arab world and his impressions formed the basis for the national defense policy that he initiated and implemented and lives on long after his death.

 Shalom is optimistic that his book will be read in the Arab world and hopes that it will encourage debate and dialogue between Israelis and Arabs: “We can only hope that the more the peoples of the Middle East are given the opportunity to understand the character and the thought processes of the other side, the greater will be the potential for living in harmony as neighbors.”

****** Harvesting Vegetables from the Negev Sea ******

The Negev desert sits on vast quantities of ancient fossil saline water trapped deep below its surface. For years, agricultural researchers have focused on finding economically viable ways whereby this saline water can be used to successfully cultivate a number of crops, including tomatoes, melons and olives.

 Dr. Moshe Sagi of the Albert Katz Department of Dryland Biotechnologies at the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research has been looking at salt-loving plants — halophytes — to see if  there is any with potential on the open market. The winning “sea vegetable,” as Sagi called them, is salicornia, a plant native to seashores. The tender and slightly salty salicornia greens have found their way into the European diet and are now being marketed across the continent. Other “sea vegetables” that are nearing commercial production include Aster tripolium and Atriplex.

 Because estimates of the demand for similar “sea vegetables” is so great, Sagi has no qualms sharing the cultivation techniques with others. He is now working with Jordanian scientists to find funding to develop a similar project in that country.

 According to Sagi, “If I don’t see ‘Negev Sea Vegetables’ on the menus of the sushi bars in Europe or the United States, I will be very disappointed.”

****** Targeting Cancer Cells ******

In the war against cancer, Dr. Angel Porgador of the Department of Microbiology and mmunology at the Faculty of Health Sciences is on the front lines of weapon development. Along with research collaborator Dr. Ofer Mandelboim of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Porgador is generating cancer-killing molecules that will recognize cancerous cells and target them aggressively while not affecting normal ones.

 These cutting-edge warheads will bypass the problematic side-effects of current chemotherapy drugs, which, though effective in killing cancer cells, often also destroy normal tissues.

 In speaking of his “micro-missiles,” Porgador says, “The cancer-killing molecules work only where they are supposed to.” A leading researcher in the fields of tumor vaccines, antigen presentation and natural killer cells, he explains, “They are ‘natural,’ derived from the receptors expressed by killer cells that recognize and eliminate tumor and virus-infected cells.” The therapeutic drug that emerges from his research will hopefully recognize tumor cells and bind to the diseased call and destroy it. The drug also, by itself or combined with other compounds, will improve the efficacy and safety of chemotherapy agents.

 Because of the recognition component’s broad-spectrum nature, the therapy can be effective against a variety of cancers. More physiological research is currently being conducted to demonstrate the technique’s therapeutic potential in humans.

 In parallel research, Porgador’s team is seeking the specific mechanism at the level of the cellular chemical process that allows the innate immune system to recognize transformed cells. Identifying chemical signals recognized by the body’s natural receptors as a tumor cell would elucidate directions for further development of even more potent cancer-killing drugs.

***** Voice-Activated Internet Launched *******

A team led by Dr. Meirav Taieb-Maimon of the Department of Information Systems has developed a voice-activated system for searching the Internet while driving. Whether integrated into the car itself or with the ability to plug laptop computers into the car system, full access to the internet while at the wheel is simply a matter of time.

 “It’s inevitable,” says Taieb-Maimon. “With more and more people now working out of the office and trying to be productive as they travel, these kinds of systems are being developed and used. People want to use their driving time to work.”

 Taieb-Maimon is certain that advanced voice recognition capabilities — the ability to speak to the Internet and hear results vocally — will out of necessity be the wave of the future for those who want to develop auto internet capabilities while minimizing the potential dangers with drivers so distracted.

 The Maestro project is the first application developed that can completely search and browse the Internet via voice interface — using only a microphone and speakers so that one can “ask” the  computer questions and “hear” the answers. Taieb-Maimon displayed the Maestro system publicly for the first time during the Engineering Projects Day as part of the 35th Annual Board of Governors Meeting.

 The project combines various components to provide the abilities of voice recognition and text to speech features. Besides the voice recognition ability, the system allows selection of the different properties from search engine type, number of results returned, search methods and styles to voice pitch and volume settings.

 “All of the components were available and are being used in other ways, but we were the first one to put everything together,” said Lior Limonad, a graduate student in the Department who took the lead in designing Maestro, together with students Moshe Adler and Ilan Bar, under the advisory of Taieb-Maimon’s colleague, Dr. Bracha Shapira.

**** Latin American Economists Trade Experiences, Learn Lessons ****

Scholars from Israel and Latin America came together to compare notes and learn from one another at a conference entitled, “Economic Development: Lessons from Israel and Latin America,” organized by the Department of Economics.

 The bilingual conference — conducted entirely in Spanish and English with simultaneous translation — brought together economists who are actively involved in forming fiscal policy in their respective countries so that they could compare successful and unsuccessful economic policies. The participants were greeted by the President Prof. Avishay Braverman and the Rector Prof. Jimmy Weinblatt — both economists by training — and the President of the Association of Argentinean Friends of BGU, Lic. Osvaldo Schvartzer of Buenos Aires.

 According to Prof. Weinblatt, “In spite of the great differences between Israel and Argentina in size, social and economic structure, we face similar problems in coping with globalization and in this way, we can learn from one another.”

 A session on Financial Stability and Development included the Director of the Center for Central Banking Studies at the Bank of England, Prof. Mario Blejer, and the former President of the Central Bank of the Republic of Argentina, Dr. Aldo Pignanelli, who discussed the recent financial crisis in Argentina.

 They were followed by the Deputy-Governor of the Bank of Israel and member of the BGU Department of Economics, Prof. Avia Spivak, who offered the Israeli perspective on globalization and financial stability.

 Another session focused on Agriculture and Regional Development, in which Prof. Raphael Bar-El from the School of Management’s Department of Public Policy spoke on the efforts to reduce socio-economic gaps through regional development in Brazil. He was followed by the President of “El Yuto S.A.”, Lic. Gianfranco Macri, who reviewed agro-industrial models of development, and by Eng. Ernesto Schvartzer, who described a joint agricultural project with El Yuto S.A. in North Argentina.

 The Dean of the Faculty of Agronomy at the University of Buenos Aires, Eng. Fernando Vilella, spoke about the role of the university in the development process. He was joined by Prof. Moshe Justman of BGU’s Department of Economics, who focused on the link between education and economic development.

***** A Relative Saving ******

Dr. Ofer Azar doesn’t look like the sort of guy who can save you a lot of money, but if you listen to what he says, you’ll be surprised at how much he can.

 Azar, a behavioral economist at the School of Management, made some interesting discoveries while working on his doctorate at Northwestern University. One of these is a phenomenon he calls “relative thinking.”

 For example, if someone offers you a $4 discount on a $10 pen and someone else offers you a $4 discount on a $1,000 computer, most of us would agree that the discount on the pen is much more significant than the computer discount. Azar illustrated this point in an experiment he conducted where people were asked what the minimal savings were for which they would be willing to travel 20 minutes to a less expensive store.

 On average, people were willing to travel 20 minutes if they saved at least $4 when purchasing a $10 pen, but required saving at least $47 to make the same journey when purchasing a $1,000 computer. “But they are making a costly mistake,” explains Azar, “because a dollar saved on a pen is worth exactly the same as a dollar saved on a computer.”

“It’s an interesting phenomenon in consumer behavior,” explains Azar, “that people tend to relate to relative price differences instead of looking only at the absolute price differences, which are what should matter. The price they attach to their time differs according to whether they’re buying an expensive item or something cheaper — despite the fact that the value of their time is the same regardless of what they are buying at this particular moment.”

 Azar conducted research about this phenomenon with different population groups, including professors participating in an economics conference. “In all cases, the findings were the same,” he says, “Even economists reacted the same way!”

 “A simple example of this behavior is the way we relate to the buying and selling of a house,” says Azar. “Most of us work hard to make a few thousand shekels, yet when we’re buying or selling a house costing hundreds of thousands of shekels, we’ll attach less significance to a few thousand here or there. But the value of these shekels is the same, whether it’s a house or something much cheaper; we just perceive it differently. We may have to work for weeks to replace the few thousand shekels we just gave up in a few minutes of negotiation on the house price.”

 Azar’s research also has important implications for management. “By fully understanding how consumers behave, we can help businesses maximize their profits. Knowing that a consumer perceives things relatively and not only in absolute terms may enable them to make better pricing decisions. Business location and product choices are additional examples of things that can be affected by relative thinking,” he says.

******Engineering Alumni Meet, Greet and Reminisce*****

Classmates who hadn’t been in contact for decades embraced one another at the reunion of Department of Mechanical Engineering held this Spring. The reunion was organized by the BGU Alumni Association in conjunction with the 30th Annual Israeli Conference on Mechanical   Engineering in Tel Aviv.

 Welcoming the alumni was Chairman of the Department and himself an alumni, Prof. Reuven Segev and the Deputy Chairperson of the Alumni Association, Dr. Etti Luzzatto, from Luzzatto & Luzzatto — one of the sponsors of the event.

 The reunion included graduates from all of the classes since the Department’s inception. Veteren faculty members greeted their former students and everyone enjoyed exchanged reminisces and learning about one another’s accomplishments.

 “We have some very senior people in a wide range of industries,” noted Segev. “What was also good to hear at the conference was that leaders in industry specifically seek out BGU graduates when they are recruiting new employees. They prefer our students.” He added, “As a member of one of the first classes to graduate from the Department, I saw some of my classmates that I hadn’t seen in 20 or 30 years and it was a very emotional and exciting encounter.”

 For more information about joining the Alumni Association or participating in upcoming events, write alumni@bgumail.bgu.ac.il or visit the Association’s wbsite at http://www.bgu.ac.il/alumni

***** On the Front Lines of the War Against AIDS ******

When Prof. Michael Alkan received an invitation to join the front lines of the war on AIDS in Africa by setting up clinics in a remote village nestled in the desert plains of Botswana, the response of the professor from the Faculty of Health Sciences was immediate.

 “When does the next plane leave?” he asked.

 Alkan, a world-renowned expert on AIDS, incumbent of the Werner J. and Charlotte A. Gunzburger Chair for the Study of Infectious Diseases and founder of the Institute for Infectious Diseases at the Soroka University Medical Center, doesn’t let long stretches of time pass without work in the “field.” In the past, he has helped set up a medical school in rural Kenya as well as in Ecuador, worked under the most difficult conditions in India, Nepal, and Papua, New Guinea, Thailand and Cambodia and, most recently, was on the ground, providing relief to the tsunami victims in Southeast Asia. At the Medical School for International Health — a collaboration between the University and the Columbia University Medical Center — he is coordinator of International Health and Medicine Modules for the first- and second-year students.

But of all of his projects spanning a lifetime of transferring Israeli medical care to citizens of the developing world, he regards his recent mission in Botswana as the most important medical mission of his career. Millions of lives are in the balance.

 Alkan was handpicked by the Israeli branch of the pharmaceutical giant Merck, Sharpe and Dohme to join an international team that is working to save Botswana and create a model of treatment that can be replicated across Africa — a continent that is literally dying every moment.

 More than one-third of the1.6 million citizens of Botswana have HIV — the highest prevalence in the world, due to a tradition of promiscuity that has made attempts at AIDS education almost futile.

 A myriad of international bodies have joined the battle. The most significant contribution came from Merck and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, each of which gave $50 million to help health care personnel in Botswana treat HIV AIDS using the latest drug cocktail. It is the first African country that is providing AIDS treatment free of charge to its citizens — a revolutionary move.

 But Merck realized that merely providing pharmaceuticals — even free of charge — would not be enough. The drugs themselves wouldn’t do any good if clinics weren’t set up to make sure they were administered properly. So they recruited an international team of doctors — like Alkan — who would be willing to go into the remote parts of Botswana, set up clinics and teach local medical professionals how combat the spread of AIDS.

 For two months, Alkan was based in the town of Ghanzi in the middle of the Kalahari Desert while he set up a clinic and trained its staff. He later returned for another month to the town of Gumare, which is even more remote.

 “My job was to do more than just teach the local staff the technicalities of AIDS treatment,” he said, “I had to inspire them to convince their countrymen to be tested and to fight the disease.”

 Progress has been slow, but definite. According to Alkan, two years ago, only 3,500 Botswanians who were being treated with the AIDS cocktail, now 19 clinics are up and running and treating 33,000 patients. The most important patients are pregnant women, who, by getting treatment, can avoid passing the virus to their unborn children.

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Vol.1 No.17

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