TAU Prizes 2012
2012 Constantiner Prize Awarded to Levinsky College of Education
The 2012 Dr. Jaime Constantiner Prize in Jewish Education was awarded to the Levinsky College of Education, and its president, Prof. Lea Kasan, commemorating 100 years since its establishment. Levinsky College was the first institution to teach in Hebrew before the State of Israel was founded, and now strives to provide new perspectives on Jewish thought and Israeli history and culture by promoting academic excellence, lifelong learning and the needs of a multicultural society. The award honors the late Dr. Jaime Constantiner for his dedication to Jewish education in the Diaspora, and was presented by his son, TAU Governor Dr. Arturo Constantiner.
(Pictured from left: Prize winner Lea Kasan of the Levinsky College of Education, Claudia Constantiner, founder of the Prize Dr. Arturo Constantiner , head of the Constantiner School of Education Prof. Rafi Nachmias, TAU Rector Aron Shai)
Maxine Fassberg Recipient of 2012 Ramniceanu Prize
The Hugo Ramniceanu Prize in Economics for 2012 was presented to Maxine Fassberg, top Intel Israel executive, for her exceptional contribution to the development of Israeli business, economy and technology, her promotion of foreign investment in Israeli industry, her inclusive management style, and her involvement in a wide range of high school and university projects. Ms. Fassberg generously donated the proceeds of the prize, which is awarded annually to a distinguished Israeli businessperson, to scholarship funds. Monique Barel, daughter of the late Hugo Ramniceanu whom the prize honors, noted that this is the second time in the last three years that the prize was awarded to a woman.
(Pictured from left: French Friends President François Heilbronn, TAU President Joseph Klafter, Prize Winner Maxine Fassberg, General Manager, Intel Israel, and Hugo Ramniceanu's daughter Monique Barel)
Professors David Charbonneau and Sara Seager Receive 2012 Sackler Prize
Professors David Charbonneau of Harvard University and Sara Seager of MIT were the recipients of this year's Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in the Physical Sciences. The prize was awarded in the field of observational or theoretical achievements in the study of extrasolar planets. Prof. Charbonneau was recognized for his breakthrough discoveries, including the first detection of transiting extrasolar planets and spectroscopic observations of their atmosphere, while Prof. Seager was presented with the award in recognition of her ground-breaking theoretical studies, including analysis of the atmospheres and internal compositions of extrasolar planets.
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.
(Pictured from left: 2012 winners Prof. David Charbonneau of Harvard University and Prof. Sara Seager of MIT)
Prof. Dan Shnit Receives 2012 Adler Prize
The Renata Adler Memorial Award for 2012 was presented to Prof. Dan Shnit, a former head of TAU's Bob Shapell School of Social Work, during the Annual Symposium of the Renata Adler Memorial Research Center for Child Welfare and Protection. Prof. Shnit was recognized for his outstanding and ongoing contribution to furthering the rights of children by intensifying the focus on child welfare in the Shapell School's curricula, initiating and lobbying for national legislation, and in his active role in the Yeladim – Fair Chance for Children NPO, where he currently holds the position of Chairman of the Executive Board.
(Pictured from left: TAU Rector Aron Shai, Award recipient Prof. Dan Shnit of the Bob Shapell School of Social Work and Prof. Tammie Ronen, Head of the Renata Adler Memorial Research Center for Child Welfare and Protection and Dean of the Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences)
2012 Perlman Prize Awarded to Benny Landa
Benny Landa, TAU Governor, founder, chairman and CEO of LandaLabs, and founder and retired head of HP-Indigo, was the recipient of the 2012 Max Perlman Award for Excellence in Global Business of the Max Perlman Center for Global Business at the Faculty of Management—Leon Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration. The Center is dedicated to advancing teaching and research in the field of multinational and international business.
2012 Sieratzki Prize Awarded to Dr. Shira Knafo and Dr. Adrian Israelson
The 2012 Sieratzki Prize for Advances in Neuroscience was awarded by TAU Governor Barbara Sieratzki and son Dr. Jechil (Harry) Sieratzki (pictured below, far right) to Dr. Shira Knafo (below, far left) of the Severo Ochoa Center for Molecular Biology (CSIC) in Madrid and Dr. Adrian Israelson (below, second from right) of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at the University of California. The recipients each gave a fascinating presentation of their research topics.
In addition, Dr. Izhak Michaelevski from TAU's George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and Dr. Ami Citri from Hebrew University's Safra Center for Brain Sciences were presented with special recognition awards.
The Sieratzki Prize is awarded annually to outstanding young Israeli scientists who have significantly impacted the field of neuroscience.
During the ceremony, Prof. Nir Giladi was welcomed as the new incumbent of the Heinrich (Yehezkel) Sieratzki Chair in Neurology, which was established in memory of the late Heinrich Sieratzki. Harry Sieratzki thanked outgoing chair Prof. Amos Korczyn for the deep ties and strong connection between the Sieratzki and the Korczyn families over the years, and saluted him "for his service to Israel." In his farewell speech, Prof. Amos Korczyn described Prof. Giladi as "the rising star in the field of neurology, not only in Israel. It is with pride that I hand over the Chair to Nir."