The conference, organized by the Association of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in Israel, took place at the Lev Academic Center
This week (Tuesday) the Optical Engineering Conference 2016 was held at the Lev Academic Center in Jerusalem, which is organized every two years by the Association of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in Israel. The prestigious conference, which is considered the main meeting of the optical engineering community in Israel, was attended by over 350 participants, including dozens of senior managers, researchers from academia and industry, project managers and engineers from a variety of industries and high-tech companies in the field of electro-optics, representatives of various units of the IDF, and more . Also, more than 25 companies and start-ups presented at the conference.
Among the participants in the conference were the president of the Lev Academic Center, Prof. Chaim Soknik, the rector of the center, Prof. Kenneth Hochberg, the chairman of the conference and the head of the electro-optics engineering department at the Rabbi Center, Dr. Avi Karsanti, the chairman of the steering committee of the conference and a representative of the Association of Electrical and Electronics Engineers In Israel, Dr. Rami Finkler, VP of Technology of the Tara Venture Capital Fund Yaron Magal, President of the Jerusalem Chamber of Industry and Commerce Dror Atari, Joe Van Zwaaren from JNBF and more.
During the conference, there was also a BOLEO pitch presentation competition in which 10 electro-optic start-up companies participated. First place was won by the "Belkin Laser" company, which develops a unique and non-invasive treatment for glaucoma, which is the second leading cause of blindness in the world and affects 60 million patients. The award was presented by Yaron Magal, VP of Technology of the venture capital fund Terra, to the CEO of "Belkin Laser" Daria Lehmann Blumenthal, the only entrepreneur among the ten candidates in the competition and one of the few women heading companies in the field.
The second place was won by the SolAround company, which began its journey at the Lev Academic Center and is currently developing two-way solar panels that are expected to revolutionize the solar market thanks to the high levels of power and efficiency they offer. The conference concluded with a fascinating lecture by Dr. Zvi Marom from Batem on the processes of establishing successful technology companies.
"The Sage has a wonderful phrase to describe a situation in which there is progress and exit from a state of darkness: 'A little light repels much darkness.' The field of electro-optics, which began in small laboratories in Tel Aviv in Israel in the 30s by Jewish scientists who fled the inferno of Germany, has turned over the years into huge industries that operate throughout the country and light up the world, literally," said at the opening of the day The conference and the head of the Department of Electro-Optics Engineering at the Lev Academic Center, Rabbi Dr. Avi Karsanti. "The city of Jerusalem has always been connected to spreading the light through prayer and action. The Department of Applied Physics and Electro-Optics Engineering at the Lev Academic Center is today at the peak of a renewal process, and spiritual and electro-optical light are being spread together through the graduates of the Mossad in Israeli society in general and in industry and the military in particular," said Crescenti.
At the end of the opening session, a medal was awarded to Hiel Ben Shalom, from the Torah and Meda high school, who won the Olympiad competition held by the Lev Academic Center among high school students in Israel. Afterwards, several sessions were held on various topics, including optics in advanced manufacturing processes, medical optics, space optics and remote sensing, optical communication, lasers, and more. There was also an exhibition where standards and technologies in the field were presented, while a designated area was dedicated to Jerusalem companies.
Prof. Haim Suknik, president of the Lev Academic Center: "According to the Gemara, there is a difference between halacha and practical practice, and it seems that this is also the difference between science and engineering. It is possible to teach a theoretical basis and determine truth as is done by science which deals with the study of the basics, and it is also possible to observe a phenomenon and derive lessons from it as is done by engineering which deals with the act. It must be said that both ways are required and there is no one without the other. Here at the institution, we take care to produce graduates who integrate well into the industry, but who do not give up studying science in a serious and in-depth manner."
The chairman of the steering committee of the conference, Dr. Rami Finkler from the Association of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in Israel, said that "the first optical engineering conference I held was in 1980 - without smartphones and personal computers, in an auditorium at the Weizmann Institute. The second conference in 1983 was held here at the Lev Academic Center, and today is already the third time that the conference has been hosted at this institution and looking back we can certainly say that we have grown and developed. Lev Academic Center is one of only two institutions in Israel that teach the field as early as the bachelor's degree, in contrast to academic institutions in the world that only teach the field in the master's degree. This conference is the result of our desire to keep the optical engineers updated even after their academic studies."
Prof. Kenneth Hochberg, Rector of the Lev Academic Center: "Our job is to educate the next generation of scientists and especially engineers. The conference creates mutual fertilization and enables joint study and brings together all the engineers who during the year are in many and scattered niches into one diverse and blessed event of collaborations."
Dror Atari, president of the Jerusalem Chamber of Industry and Commerce: "This is an important, foundational and worthy event. The Chamber of Commerce is essentially the messenger of the business sector, which is the locomotive and engine of Israel's economy. All the people sitting here are pioneers and we at the Chamber of Commerce serve as an address for all your inquiries, but I'm sorry that I don't see more female entrepreneurs and senior managers here. I ask you not to stop initiating and dreaming."
