At the opening ceremony of the exhibition of the 60 Israeli discoveries and developments that influenced the world, the president of the Academy of Sciences, Prof. Neely Cohen, said: "We know in general about the achievements of science, about the winners of the Nobel Prize and the Turing Prize, about Israeli developments and about the amazing archaeological discoveries, but the feeling is that awareness should be increased. "
The first new exhibition of its kind by the Ministry of Science, which was launched today in Israel, showcases about 60 developments and discoveries from Israel that influenced the world. The exhibition, which was launched in a festive ceremony in the presence of Minister of Science Ofir Akunis and Minister of Transport and Intelligence Israel Katz, will be displayed for a year on a huge wall in the area after the passport crossing, with the potential of exposure to approximately 8 million passers-by during the year.
Science Minister Ofir Akunis said today at the launch of the exhibition: "We are leaders of innovation, a light to the Gentiles, a small and young country with major achievements in the field of science and technology that do not put world powers to shame. The developments and discoveries unfold the history of a scientific enterprise that began before the establishment of the state. The developments and discoveries presented here are cornerstones of Israeli science. They improved the quality of life in the world, brought economic prosperity, saved lives in the entire world and positioned Israel as a scientific power. This is the strongest advocacy action we can do."
The president of the National Academy of Sciences, Prof. Neely Cohen, referred in her words to the need to increase awareness of scientific activity in Israel: "This exhibition is dedicated to science, discoveries, developments for scientists and developers, and is the result of the initiative of the Young Academy - a body within the National Academy of Sciences, which is the senior scientific body in Israel, and the Young Academy operates within the body this and consists of 40 members whose age cannot exceed 45. The best young scientists are in the Young Academy. The Young Academy together with the Ministry of Science initiated this project and took part in the selection of the performances. We know in general about the achievements of science, about the winners of the Nobel Prize and the Turing Prize, about Israeli developments and the amazing archaeological discoveries, but the feeling is that awareness should be increased. This is the role of the current exhibition. Science is one of the glorious showcases of the State of Israel and it is important that everyone who comes and goes through the state's gates be aware of these achievements and those who stand behind these achievements."
The purpose of the exhibition is also to inform and make science accessible at home. A survey by the Ministry of Science paints a worrisome picture regarding the Israeli public's familiarity with the subjects of science and the personalities central to it. The survey shows that 43% of Israelis did not know how to state that former President Chaim Weizmann's original occupation was a chemist, and that about half of Israelis do not know how to state even one of the Israeli scientists who have won the Nobel Prize in science. As part of the activities of the Ministry for Access to Science, the Ministry initiated, in cooperation with the Young Academy of Sciences, the exhibition that will present science in Israel and the prominent people in it at eye level and in a visual form.
The exhibition presents about 60 discoveries and developments from Israel that were chosen by the selection committee, which was made up of representatives of the Young Academy of Sciences and the Office of the Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Science, due to their innovation, the breakthrough they made and their impact, direct or indirect, on the lives of millions of people around the world. Along with the more well-known developments of cherry tomatoes, disk-on-key, "PillCam", "Copaxon" for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, a robot for back surgery, a system to prevent accidents by "Mobilay" and Intel chips developed in Israel, developments that are less known to the general public are also presented that have made a tremendous contribution: a method to activate immune cells to treat cancer, technology for the early diagnosis of diseases through the oral cavity, drugs to treat Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, the discovery of mushroom species in the Dead Sea, the development of grape varieties without germs, the development of algae to heal heart tissue, the discovery of the form of self-organization of bacteria, the development of a muon detector that is used by The particle accelerator at CERN, the "Venus" satellite for environmental monitoring and more.
A significant part of the exhibition is dedicated to 8 Nobel Prize brides and grooms from Israel, to 3 Turing Prize winners in computer science and to the winner of the Fields Medal, the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in mathematics. At the beginning of the exhibition, well-known historical figures who contributed a lot to the field of science related to the country are presented, such as Chaim Weizman, Magala Am Hita Aharon Ahernson, Maimonides, Albert Einstein and more. The exhibition deploys developments from various fields of science: medicine, agriculture, environmental sciences, archaeology, chemistry, social sciences, exact sciences and more.
Over the years, exhibitions in the field of science have been presented in Israel that dealt with inventions, patents, general science or another specific field, but so far no such large exhibition has been presented that encompasses developments and discoveries that are the flagship of science and technology in Israel. A special challenge in working on the exhibition, which lasted more than 8 months, was locating suitable images and photographing areas that are difficult to give visual expression to and explain only in a picture. The firm, together with the curator of the exhibition Doron Pollak and the photographer Roy Greenberg, produced and photographed especially for the exhibition about 40 new photos of developments and discoveries with artistic interpretation and images that illustrate and make the development accessible to the general public.
In addition, a number of experiential displays in the field of science will be placed throughout the city, including: a light pendulum and a "droplet race" from the Bloomfield Science Museum will be placed in the playground area, and the SpaceIl spacecraft model will be displayed at the Duty Free entrance.
One response
Great wisdom. Those who have the holiday to Israel have already decided that they are coming to Israel... should do it in other places in the world!