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· “Interdisciplinary Workshop on Data Privacy,” moderated by Prof. Kobi Nissim (Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva), Prof. Benny Pinkas (Haifa University), and Prof. Rebecca Wright (Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey). This Workshop will be held at Rutgers University, New Jersey in February 2008. · A workshop on “Adding Life to Age -- Successful Adaptation Among the Oldest Old,” moderated by Prof. Leonard W. Poon (University of Georgia) and Prof. Jiska Cohen-Mansfield (Tel Aviv University) will be taking place in Tel-Aviv in February 2008. This year, the Board approved a $50,000 budget to support several BSF Workshops to foster joint research partnerships between United States and Israeli co-PIs focusing on areas of special importance to the Middle East, such as environmental issues, ecology, water, alternative sustainable energy, genetic diseases and infectious disease. Special emphasis given to proposals addressing topics aimed at broadening cooperation among Israeli and Palestinian researchers of all national, linguistic and religious backgrounds. Application forms for BSF Workshops can be downloaded from the BSF website
The submission deadline is December 20, 2007 (decisions will be made by March 7, 2008) by mail or e-mail
BLUE RIBBON COMMITTEE (BRC) FOR EXTERNAL EVALUATION
The BRC Members are: from the United States, Prof. Daniel Simberloff (Environmental Science, University of Tennessee (Co-Chair)), Prof. Rita Colwell (Distinguished Professor, University of Maryland, and John Hopkins University), and Prof. Judith Klinman (Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkley); and from Israel, Prof. Zehev Tadmor (Distinguished Professor and Chairman of the Ne'eman Institute for Advanced Studies, Technion (Co-Chair)), Prof. Daniella Goldfarb (Chemical Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science), and Prof. Asher Koriat, (Psychology, and Head of the Center for Cognitive Processes and Human Performance, University of Haifa). The BRC held its first meeting and is expected to present a report before the next Board Meeting, scheduled for February 2008. THE ANNUAL BSF DINNER The Annual BSF Dinner took place on the first evening of the Board Meeting, Tuesday, July 10, at the Inbal Hotel in Jerusalem. Dr. Yair Rotstein, Executive Director of the BSF, opened the official part of the evening by welcoming the guests from Israel and the United States. Commenting on the acceptance rate of submitted proposals of over 30%, he said, “This seems like a lot, and indeed… in terms of the success ratio, it is quite respectable. However, there are quite a few applications that are as good as the ones that were approved, which we were not able to support. More importantly,… the amount of support we end up giving is so low, that it makes you wonder sometimes why people bother to apply, and how much science can be accomplished with our grants… of only a little over $30,000 a year.”
Prof. Rahamimoff, outgoing Chair of the Board of Governors, spoke first. He described his BSF ties going back to the 1970s, when he received his first grant from the Foundation, and how most of his connections with the United States came about through the BSF. “A BSF grant is considered a sign of excellence. When I was awarded my first BSF grant, it was sufficient to support the work in the laboratory, but now… it is no longer enough. The BSF needs strengthening ,” he remarked.
Dr. Richard Jones, United States Ambassador to Israel, who as Dr. Rotstein pointed out, also has a science background, which includes a Ph.D. in Statistics/Business from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, was the next speaker. “I was trained in the “hard” sciences and have a graduate degree in Statistics, although after finishing my doctorate I turned to the arts – or at least, the art of diplomacy.” He then went on to his main topic, “… the challenges and opportunities of alternative and renewable energy research. I know that the BSF, along with its sister foundations in agricultural research and industrial innovation, the BARD and the BIRD, focuses on technologies that are both innovative and sustainable… President Bush has recently increased America’s focus on renewable energy as a means of responding to the challenges of sustainable economic growth and climate change. Next March, the U.S. Department of State will host the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference, WIREC 2008…” He pointed out that this will be the third such event since the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development, and the meetings in Bonn in 2004 and Beijing in 2005. “There has been a big increase in interest in renewable energy since,” he stressed. “We’re looking forward to strong Israeli participation, given the leading role that Israeli scientists play in many of these fields… I am optimistic about the power of science to find new and significant breakthroughs for critical challenges facing the human race. I believe that scientific cooperation must and will become an even more important part of the special relationship between the United States and Israel.”
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Prof. Rahamimoff and Board Member Prof. Tom Crisman at this year’s BSF Dinner |
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From left to right: Dr. Teich (United States Board Member), Dr. Jones (United States Ambassador), Mr. Harris (United States Commercial Attaché), and Dr. Rotstein (BSF Executive Director) at this year’s BSF Dinner |
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Dr. Jones speaking at this year’s BSF Dinner |
