By Janis Siegel, JTNews Correspondent
Excitement about the impending collaboration with Microsoft Corporation highlighted the American Technion Society’s biannual national board meeting in September. The board, meeting for the first time in Seattle since 1940, showcased its commitment to building the Northwest chapter of the ATS.
The four-day event took place at the Four Seasons Hotel, and hosted Technion graduates from around the world.
Northwest companies like Microsoft are home to many Technion graduates including attendees Moshe Dunie, president of the Northwest chapter of the ATS and former Microsoft vice president, and Yoram Yaacovi, Solutions CEO of the Information Workers Solution Group at Microsoft.
Leaders from both organizations met to discuss working together on, as yet, undisclosed projects.
“I had a meeting at Microsoft to establish connections with Dr. Rashid who is the head of the research unit,” said Yitzak Apeloig, president of the Technion-Israel Institute for the last year. “We are going to suggest specific projects. Both sides decided they wanted to push it forward. In a few months we will have a program.”
Apeloig admitted that the violence that has rocked Israel, particularly in the last year, has taken a financial toll on the institute and an academic toll on the students who are currently working at the world-class institute. He said their studies have been seriously interrupted.
“The Technion traditionally has a large amount of students who serve in the reserves,” said Apeloig. “Roughly 1200 were called and they served for three to four weeks. When they lose one month of studies out of 14 weeks, this is catastrophic. They needed special tutoring, three free courses during the summer, an upgrade of a special library, special examination dates and more security on campus.”
But whether it’s research for a new drug to treat Parkinson’s disease or the invention of a lifesaving procedure to save crush victims of natural disasters and war, the Technion continues to dominate the engineering and technology landscape in Israel. Its graduates manage 90 out of 100 of the largest companies in Israel.
“The Technion has one of the largest departments of computer sciences worldwide,” Yaacovi said. “It’s certainly one of the best of the top 10 in the world. Eighty percent of the high-tech companies in Israel are led by Technion graduates.”
In addition to local Technion graduates, other noteworthy guests joined the Seattle meeting including Maj. General Amos Horev, a longtime supporter of the Technion and Avi Nathan, Technion graduate and general manager, Microsoft Research and Development Center, Haifa, Israel.
The Technion has collaborated with other educational institutions like Johns Hopkins University and MIT as well as the United States government in projects with NASA and the U.S. Air Force. Some of the largest technology companies in the U.S. such as Motorola, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Qualcomm have either located sites next to the Technion campus in Israel or have opened research facilities right on its campus. Partnering with Microsoft will combine two powerful technology giants.
“I think it was a stroke of genius,” said Hal Marcus, Technion Seattle Chapter Chairman, about future projects between Microsoft and the Technion. “”Most people haven’t heard of the Technion and the impact of the institute around the world. We need to let the Jewish community here know who we are and what we stand for. There’s a big education process that we have here and we’re trying to get really good attendance at our meetings. The Seattle chapter is the youngest and the newest chapter but I think this chapter is eventually going to do well.”
In the last six years, the ATS has raised $413 million towards its 10-year goal of raising $750 million. The ATS director of communications and public relations, Martha Mulnar, hopes that Seattle will increase its chapter’s membership and leadership.
“We’re looking for people in this area for both local and national leadership,” Molnar said. “We have a two-year national leadership program that includes a free mission trip to Israel. But they have to come recommended by their local chapters. We are looking at how to grow Seattle and develop young leadership.”
For more information about the American Technion Society go to www.ats.org or contact [email protected].