About Us
Founded in 1944, the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science develops philanthropic support for the Weizmann Institute in Israel, and advances its mission of science for the benefit of humanity.
Feb 13, 2017... Water is made of oxygen and hydrogen, and splitting water molecules to produce hydrogen for fuel is a promising path for alternative energy. One of the main obstacles to making hydrogen production a reality is that current methods of water splitting result in hydrogen peroxide also being formed, which affects both the efficiency of the reaction and the stability of the production process. Israeli and Dutch researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science and Eindhoven University of Technology, respectively, have succeeded in almost fully suppressing the production of hydrogen peroxide by controlling the spin of electrons in the reaction. The group recently published their findings in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The efficient production of hydrogen paves the way toward the use of solar energy to split water.
Dec 01, 2008...
The technologists and engineers of today are being asked to do something that is “close to mission impossible,” says Prof. David Cahen of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Materials and Interfaces. “We’re asking them to come up with better solutions to our energy problems based on fundamental science that essentially stopped in the mid-1980s.”
Prof. Cahen explains that after the global crash in oil prices during the early- to mid-1980s, support for research in alternative energy decreased drastically as well, resulting in what is now an extremely poor base on which to build new technologies. Meanwhile, the demand for energy is increasing worldwide, oil prices are unpredictable, and the burning of fossil fuels is causing pollution and releasing greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. “We cannot afford another period of not-so-benign neglect,” he states.
Apr 12, 2019...
On April 2, Patricia Gruber presented the 13th annual Gruber Award for Scientific Excellence to the Weizmann Institute’s Dr. Sivan Refaely-Abramson. Established by Patricia and her late husband, Peter, through their Gruber Foundation, the three-year award recognizes brilliant early-career Weizmann scientists.
New Weizmann faculty members require significant support to establish their labs and launch their careers. By empowering these “bright lights,” as Patricia calls them, the Grubers understood that they were making a worthy investment in the future of science.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/solar-powered-vision-of-the-future/
Feb 19, 2006...
Sitting in his book-lined office, Professor Jacob Karni likes to quote the French novelist Jules Verne.
"Yes, my friends," says Prof Karni, director of the Centre for Energy Research at the Weizmann Institute of Science, quoting from Verne's 1874 novel The Mysterious Island.
"I foresee that in the future, water will be used as fuel... water will be the coal of the future." The professor enthuses about the French author's vision 130 years ago that the world's reliance on fossil fuels is unsustainable. But he disagrees with Verne, famous for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, in one fundamental respect. Whereas the French writer saw water as the fuel for the future, the Israeli scientist says the future lies with solar energy.
Sep 22, 2014...
Jacob Karni, a pioneer of numerous solar energy technology projects, says the industry has to stand on its own two feet. Picture: Aaron Francis Source: News Corp Australia
HE is known as Israel’s solar star.
Over more than two decades of work at the world-renowned Weizmann Institute of Science in Tel Aviv, Jacob Karni and his team have been pioneers of numerous solar energy technology projects.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/power-without-pollution/
Jun 01, 2009...
Every time we use a plastic bag, eat a meal, or ride in an elevator, we take advantage of the energy invested in those materials. "Since people around the world want more materials to consume, the main question is how to generate energy without self-destruction," says Prof. Lubomirsky. "We have to find a way to produce it without burning fossil fuels and poisoning everything around us."
Prof. Lubomirsky, a researcher in the cutting-edge field of nanoscience, brings a background in materials science to his investigations of ways to diversify our energy supply. For example, he discovered that, under certain conditions, a common ceramic material called cerium gadolinium oxide behaves more like rubber than like a regular ceramic. It adjusts to an externally imposed shape, but returns to its original form once released from its constraints. And unlike an average ceramic, it does not buckle when heated or crack when cooled. The ceramic's ability to adapt to all temperatures could be useful in devices that undergo repetitive warming and cooling, such as fuel cells that convert chemical energy directly into electricity.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/factory-waste-morphs-into-clean-syngas/
Jan 15, 2015...
The NCF unit uses heat from the sun or industrial processes to transform carbon dioxide and water to syngas.
For millions of years, plant life has been turning water and carbon dioxide (CO2) into energy. Today, many entrepreneurs are copying natural photosynthesis to find a good use for the dangerously excessive CO2 in our air. But these solutions aren’t widely adopted by industry without government incentives to offset their cost.
Jun 07, 2012... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—June 7, 2012—An Israeli-Australian venture will use solar technology developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the burning of brown coal. The venture was recently launched in Israel by NewCO2Fuels Ltd., a subsidiary of the Australian company Greenearth Energy Ltd., which has acquired an exclusive worldwide license for the solar technology from Yeda, the Weizmann Institute's technology transfer arm.
Nov 27, 2019... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—November 27, 2019—Bacteria in the lab of Prof. Ron Milo of the Weizmann Institute of Science have not just sworn off sugar – they have stopped eating all of their normal solid food, existing instead on carbon dioxide (CO2) from their environment. That is, they were able to build all of their biomass from air. This feat, which involved nearly a decade of rational design, genetic engineering, and a sped-up version of evolution in the lab, was reported in Cell. The findings point to means of developing, in the future, carbon-neutral fuels.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/better-energy-for-a-brighter-future/
Mar 23, 2016... Population growth and rising standards of living worldwide are driving a rapid increase in demand for energy. In fact, says Prof. David Cahen of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Materials and Interfaces, “the prediction is that 25 years from now we’ll need double the amount of energy we currently need.” However, he adds, “dearth of funding had, by 2006, created a situation of several decades of few new ideas in basic research that would help address this energy issue.”
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