Professors Dan Shechtman and David Harel were elected to the American Academy

Dan Shechtman and David Harel join the National Academy of Arts and Sciences

Two senior Israeli scientists were accepted into the ranks of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences - an institution whose membership is one of the most prestigious badges of honor in the United States. Professor Dan Schechtman from the Technion is honored for his famous research - the discovery of quasi-periodic crystals, which of course earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry three years ago. Professor David Harel from the Weizmann Institute of Science is an award-winning researcher in the field of computer science, who is involved, among other things, in the development of languages ​​and tools for describing dynamic behavior - useful tools both in the field of computers and in biological research. "I am very excited, because this is one of the largest and most important academies in the world," says Harel. "This is a feather in the cap, but behind such a feather is the recognition of the international community. Admission to the American Academy testifies to the power of Israeli science in the international arena."
Harel received the announcement of his acceptance into the prestigious academy right at the opening of a special gathering in his honor at the Weizmann Institute, on the thirty-year anniversary of the publication of one of his ground-breaking articles, which has since been cited more than eight thousand times.

The mediator and godfather

Shechtman and Harel are two of 204 new members admitted to the Academy of Arts and Sciences this year, including the former US ambassador to Israel, Martin Indick, who currently serves as a mediator in talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the writer John Irving and the actor and director Al Pacino. The official acceptance ceremony will be in six months.