Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences
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| Type | Research Institute |
|---|---|
| Established | 1925 |
| Chairperson | Prof. Guy Bloch |
| Students | 900 |
| Undergraduates | 600 |
| Location | Jerusalem , Israel |
| Language | Hebrew & English |
| Website | https://www.bio.huji.ac.il/en |
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The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences is the oldest Life Sciences research institute in Israel. It is part of the Faculty of Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and resides in the Edmond J. Safra Campus (Givat Ram) in Jerusalem.
As per 2022, the institute comprises 75 research groups, conducting basic research as well as applied science in the fields of biomedicine, biotechnology and agriculture. Research in the institute covers many disciplines at multiple levels of organization, from molecular mechanism in cells, through processes within the whole organism, and to studies at the population level.
Each year, the institute enrolls about 900 students. Of them, roughly 600 study in undergraduate programs, and the rest are graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Prof. Guy Bloch is currently the 19th chairman of the institute.
History
The origins of the institute date back to 1925, the year that the Hebrew University was founded, when the department of Botany was formed as part of a research unit called "the institute for studying the natural history of the land of Israel". Among the founding researchers were Profs. Otto Warburg, Alexander Eig, Michael Zohary and Naomi Feinbrun-Dothan. During the first years of the department, several large-scale projects that continue to this day have been started off, including the establishment of the weeds collection, today part of Israel's Natural History Collections.[1], and the establishment of the Jerusalem Botanical Garden at Mount Scopus, which was the first of its kind in the Middle East.
In 1928, Prof. Simon Bodenheimer joined the nascent institute and established the department of Zoology, leading the institute to probe into new scientific fields.
Research activities at both departments (and at the Hebrew University in general) were diminished during the War of Independence, and were brought to a complete stop following the Hadassah medical convoy massacre. Several members of the department of Botany were supposed to participate in this convoy, but were saved because they postponed their return to Jerusalem due to a wedding of their colleague Avraham Fahn, which took place at exactly the same day. Activity in both departments was renewed after the war, on April 1949
The 1950s saw the establishment of new departments, including the department of Genetics, the department of Neurobiology, and the department of Evolution, Systematics and Ecology (today the department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior).
After years that the different departments were scattered throughout the city of Jerusalem, the 1960s saw a structural reorganization, with the different departments grouped together to form the Institute of Life Sciences, which in itself was grouped with other (non-Life Sciences) departments to form the Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences. In 1968, constructions of a dedicated building for the Institute have begun in the Edmond J. Safra (Givat Ram) Campus in Jerusalem. In 1976, the Institute was named after Alexander Silberman, founder of the Penn Corporation in Philadelphia. Two years later, in 1978, the building was populated by the various research groups.
The first chairman of the Institute was Prof. Alexander Keynan, which started his office at 1967. He was followed by Profs. Avraham Mayer, Gideon Orshen, Dan Cohen, Daniel Zohary, Heftziba Eyal Giladi, Abraham Loyter, Alexander Levitzki, Etana Padan, Hermona Soreq, Shimon Schuldiner, Yosef Yarom, Joseph Hirschberg, Ioav Cabantchik, Shy Arkin, Ran Nathan, Yosef Gruenbaum, Oded Livnah and as of 2022 the 19th chairman is Prof. Guy Bloch.
Research
The institute comprises six departments, that together study a wide variety of topics in Life Sciences[2].
Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
Research in this department focuses on studying evolutionary processes and ecological systems, from the molecular level, thorough populations and to entire ecosystems. Department of Cell and Developmental Biology
Department of Bioengineering
Research in this department focuses on studying how cellular and molecular mechanisms serve higher functions, such as development, tissue physiology, and sensing. Department of Genetics
Department of Genetics
Research in this department focuses on DNA, and the ways by which modifications and variations affect cellular environments, biological functions, and organismal traits.
Department of Biological Chemistry
Research in this department focuses on studying the mechanisms involved in cellular information processing during normal conditions and stress, while examining function and structure of proteins.
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Research in this department focuses on studying the interactions between plants and microbes and their environment, from the molecular level to the organism level.
Department of Neurobiology
Research in this department focuses on studying functions of the nervous system under different conditions, from the single cell to the entire brain.
Awards And Honors
Researchers in the institute have won numerous accolades, including two Nobel prizes, Nine Israel prizes, and seven EMET prizes.
Nobel Prize
- Prof. Roger Kornberg, today at the department of Biological Chemistry, won the 2006 Chemistry Nobel prize.
- Prof. Michael Levitt, today a visiting professor at the Institute, won the 2013 Chemistry Nobel prize.
Israel Prize
- Prof. Michael Zohary won the 1954 Israel prize in Life Sciences.
- Prof. Simon Bodenheimer won the 1954 Israel prize in agriculture. Prof. Bodenheimer founded the department of zoology during the early days of the institute, and then moved to the Faculty of Agriculture.
- Profs. Gad Avigad and Shlomo Hestrin won the 1957 Israel prize in Sciences.
- Prof. Avraham Fahn won the 1963 Israel prize in Life Sciences.
- Prof. Michael Evenari won the 1986 Israel prize for life achievements in desert studies.
- Prof. Alexander Levitzki won the 1990 Israel prize in Life Sciences.
- Prof. Naomi Feinbrun-Dothan won the 1991 Israel prize for Eretz Israel studies.
- Prof. Zvi Selinger won the 2007 Israel prize in Biology.
EMET Prize
- Prof. Zvi Selinger – 2005.
- Prof. Batsheva Kerem – 2008.
- Prof. Marshal Devor – 2012.
- Prof. Giora Simchen – 2013.
- Prof. Moshe Soller – 2015.
- Prof. Alexander Levitzki – 2017.
- Prof. Hermona Soreq – 2022[3].
Researchers
As of 2022, the institute comprises 75 research groups. A partial list includes[10] Prof. Shy Arkin, Liran Carmel, Guy Bloch ,Roger Kornberg, Michael Levitt, Alexander Levitzki, Eran Meshorer, and Hermona Soreq.
Past generations
Renowned researchers have been part of the institute since its foundation. A partial list includes Alexander Eig, Elisabeth Goldschmidt, Ariel Darvasi, Georg Haas, Michael Zohary, Clara Heyn, Avraham Fahn, and Naomi Feinbrun-Dothan.
Study Programs
Undergraduate programs[4]
The undergraduate programs equip the students with the tools required to investigate biological questions at any level of organization. The studies cover many disciplines, including structural and molecular biochemistry, genetics, genomics, cell biology, developmental biology, microbiology, plant biology, evolution, ecology, animal behavior, neurobiology and more.
The institute offers a number of programs, including a single major program, joint dual major programs, supplementary units, and a number of excellence programs.
Graduate programs[5]
Graduate studies are performed in a research track, which requires – in addition to taking courses – finding a supervisor among the Institute's researchers[6] and submitting a thesis. The institute hosts hundreds of graduate students that are spread among the different research groups.
External links
The official website of the Institute.
The Israeli National Natural History Collections
References
- ^ "The Israeli National Natural History Collections".
- ^ "Research in the Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences".
- ^ "Prof. Hermona Soreq, EMET Prize".
- ^ "Undergraduate study Programs, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences".
- ^ "Graduate Programs, The Alexander Silberman Institute of life Sciences".
- ^ "Dissertation topics for graduate students, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences".