The event was shared with the Israel Chemical Society, and prizes were awarded to Eli Horowitz, Prof. Meir Wilchek and the Ashdod Refinery Paz Company
In an extraordinary event in its scope and quality, today the Science and Technology Committee, headed by MK Meir Shatrit (Kadima), together with the Israel Chemical Society, opened the International Year of Chemistry. This is the first event held worldwide to mark the International Year of Chemistry, and the Science and Technology Committee is the only parliamentary committee in the world to mark this year. The event was attended by the Speaker of the Knesset - Reuven Rivlin, the Minister of Science and Technology - Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz and the President of the Israel National Academy of Sciences - Prof. Ruth Arnon.
The International Year of Chemistry is a joint initiative of UNESCO and IUPAC (the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) which aims to increase public awareness of the achievements of the science of chemistry and the good future expected from the creative use of science in chemistry. It is intended to interest mainly young people interested in the field and to offer them the science of chemistry as a science that can improve humanity's life.
The Speaker of the Knesset, Reuven Rivlin, who congratulated those attending the conference, said that "if we wish for more Nobel Prize brides and grooms even in five, ten and twenty years, we must sow the seeds today, in order to reap the fruits of tomorrow, in a generation or two." MK Meir Shtrit, chairman of the committee, said that in his youth he was a chemistry teacher and surprised those present with his knowledge of the periodic table and even the exact value of Avogadro's number (a value expressing the number of molecules in a given mole of a substance, and more precisely, the number of carbon atoms 12 in 12 grams – 6.022 x 1023). He lamented that in recent years, science studies in Israel, in high schools, have decreased in scope and quality. MK Shatrit called on the Minister of Education to restore the obligation of science studies at a level of at least 6 hours per week.
Prof. Nicole Moreau, president of IUPAC, guest of honor of the conference, stated that the International Year of Chemistry will officially open only on January 27.1.11, XNUMX, but said that the event in Israel is a very worthy "promo" for the official opening that will take place at UNESCO institutions. Prof. Ulrich Schubert, President of the Federation of European Chemical Societies (EuCheMS), also an honored guest, emphasized that this is the first and perhaps even the only parliamentary event to mark the International Year of Chemistry.
At the event, two stamps were revealed that the stamp service created especially for the event; 1. "Ubiquitin - the destroyer of proteins" - in reference to the molecule discovered by the Israeli Nobel laureates Prof. Tsachanover and Prof. Hershko. 2. "Ribosome - the builder of proteins" - in honor of Prof. Ada Yonat, winner of the Nobel Prize for her work in ribosome research.
Prof. Ehud Keenan, president of the Israeli Society of Chemistry, who moderated the conference, pointed out at the end of his lecture that today only 20% of students graduate in science and therefore there is a paramount importance to preserve the Jewish intellect by strengthening science studies.
At the end of the conference, the Israel Chemical Society medal was awarded to Eli Horvitz, mainly due to his activities in turning Teva into the world's leading company for the production of generic drugs. Also, this medal was awarded to Prof. Meir Wilchek from the Weizmann Institute, due to the development of the affinity chromatographic method for protein separation and purification, a method that led to the establishment of 75 knowledge-rich companies around the world, operating with a sales volume of over 70 billion dollars worldwide. The Israel Chemical Society also awarded the Green Chemical Industry Award to Paz Beit Zicok Ashdod for its investment in environmental protection in recent years and its action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The President of the Israel Chemical Society, Professor Ehud Keinan from the Shulich Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion, explained that the award is given to Paz Beit Zikkok Ashdod for excellence in protecting the environment and maintaining its quality, for contributing to the reduction of industrial waste and energy consumption, and for a significant reduction in the emission of toxic gases or gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect. In the last three years, the company has invested unprecedented resources, approximately NIS 400 million, in innovative facilities, which have resulted in substantial improvements in maintaining air quality, product quality, effluent quality and improvements in energy efficiency.
According to Prof. Keenan, the oil refining industry is one of the cornerstones of the economy and modern life in Israel and around the world, the fuels produced in the refineries are what drive the wheels of transportation and industrial machinery. Without the products of distillation, the modern world we live in has no existence. At the same time, due to the very nature of the refining industry for the oil processing and fuel production processes, there are risks to the environment. A balance is required between the energy needs of the economy and the need to protect the environment.
Paz Beit Zicok Ashdod Company has achieved extraordinary achievements in preserving the quality of the environment, through the installation of modern equipment, which has led to a significant reduction in the emission of toxic gases and greenhouse gases and to the reduction of wastewater and industrial waste. The company operates from the understanding of the heavy social and environmental responsibility imposed on it by virtue of being an essential and central factor in the Israeli economy, and for that it deserves a commendable mention.
