TAU Prizes 2013

Sieratzki Prize Awarded to Ten Outstanding Neurocientists

TAU Governor Barbara Sieratzki and her son, Dr. Jechil (Harry) Sieratzki, awarded the 2013 Sieratzki Prize for Advances in Neuroscience to Dr. Yuval Nir of TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Ilan Dinstein of Ben Gurion University and Dr. Inbal Goshen of the Hebrew University. Dr. Nir and Dr. Dinstein each gave a fascinating presentation of their research topics.

The Sieratzki Prize is awarded annually to outstanding young Israeli scientists who have significantly impacted the field of neuroscience. This year, the Sieratzki family generously enlarged the prize to acknowledge and encourage young researchers and students who invest so much time and effort into their research. Prof. Yair Ben-Haim, Prof. Yoav Gothilf and Dr. Pablo Blinder, all of TAU's George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, were presented with the Sieratzki Prize for best publication by TAU senior scientists. The recipients of the Sieratzki Prize for best publication by TAU doctoral students were Iftach Dolev and Hila Fogel of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, and Sagi Yaniv of the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences. Dr. Ziv Gan-Or of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine received the Sieratzki Prize for the best junior researcher in movement disorders.

Barbara and Jechil Sieratzki also awarded project funds to the lab of Prof. Nir Giladi, incumbent of the Heinrich (Yehezkel) Sieratzki Chair in Neurology, which the family established in 1995 in memory of Heinrich Sieratzki.

TAU Honorary Doctor Prof. Carla J. Shatz gave the keynote lecture at the award ceremony, which was attended by TAU benefactor Sami Sagol, Head of the Sagol School of Neuroscience Prof. Uri Ashery, Director of the Adams Super-Center for Brain Studies Prof. Illana Gozes, incumbent of the Heinrich (Yehezkel) Sieratzki Chair in Neurology Prof. Nir Giladi, and first incumbent of the Chair Prof. emeritus Amos Korczyn.

Constantiner Prize Lauds Jewish Camping Initiative

The 2013 Dr. Jaime Constantiner Prize in Jewish Education was awarded to the Summer Shlichim Program for Jewish Camping – Jewish Agency for Israel, and its director of the Shlichim & Israel Fellows unit, Offer Isseroff. The Prize recognized the summer program's pivotal role in reinforcing Jewish identity among Diaspora youth for over 50 years by training and sending emissaries to provide high quality Jewish-Zionist education to Jewish communities around the world. The prize is awarded each year to an organization that works to bring Jewish traditions and texts into the 21^st century. The award perpetuates the late Dr. Jaime Constantiner's dedication to Jewish education in the Diaspora, and was presented by his son, TAU Governor Dr. Arturo Constantiner.

Ramniceanu Prize Goes to Medical Technology Entrepreneurs

The Hugo Ramniceanu Prize in Economics for 2013 was presented to Drs. Judith and Jacob (Kobi) Richter, co-founders of Medinol, which has revolutionized cardiac stents and become a world leader in the field. The pair were recognized for their exceptional contribution to alleviating suffering, saving lives and advancing medical progress worldwide.

The Ramniceanu prize, presented by Monique Barel, daughter of the late Hugo Ramniceanu, is awarded annually to a distinguished Israeli businessperson. The prize ceremony includes awarding the Hugo and Valerie Ramniceanu Scholarship in Economics. TAU Honorary Doctor Maurice Levy attended the ceremony and spoke warmly of his close friend, Hugo, who "in his extremely discreet, gentle and humoristic way, developed a culture of giving in France."

Kikoïne Prize to Local Artist

The Michel Kikoïne Prize for 2013 was awarded to Masha Zusman in honor of her exhibition at the Michel Kikoïne Foundation on the TAU campus. The prize, which funds an exhibition at the facility to encourage and reward Israeli artists, was endowed by the artist's late daughter, TAU benefactor Mrs. Claire Maratier-Kikoïne, who passed away earlier this year. This year's prize was presented in her memory by Dr. Catherine Supe Kikoïne, a member of the family.

Michel Kikoïne (1892 - 1968) was one of the best-known artists affiliated with the School of Paris. A rich collection of his works, donated by his daughter, is on permanent display in the Michel Kikoïne Foundation gallery – an integral part of the Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery.

Sackler Prize Singles Out Promising Young Scientists

The 2013 Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in the Physical Sciences in the field of Chemistry was presented to Prof. Melanie S. Sanford, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Chemistry at the University of Michigan, and Prof. Jin-Quan Yu, Frank and Bertha Hupp Professor of Chemistry at Scripps Research Institute. The prize was awarded in the field of functionalization of carbon-hydrogen bonds in organic synthesis. Prof. Sanford and Prof. Yu were recognized for their development of practical methodologies for application in the synthesis of complex organic molecules and mechanistic understanding of metal-based organic transformations.

The Sackler Prize was established by TAU Governors Dr. Raymond Sackler and his wife, Beverly, benefactors of TAU's Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences and other major university initiatives, to recognize young researchers for their originality, excellence and dedication to science.