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 future of humanity.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/turning-point-soft-skills-sculptor/
Jul 19, 2017... Maya Schuldiner, a yeast biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, won the 2017 European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Gold Medal award for discovering the functions of proteins that no one had previously studied. She explains how finding her voice helped her to build a productive career, which has included launching and teaching a highly sought-after graduate-level course in soft skills.What have you struggled with most during your career?It didn’t occur to me as a student that one needs to learn more than how to work at the bench — with the possible exception of how to give an interesting talk. It surprised me when I started my lab and realized that most of the technical skills I knew were not that important in this role. The skills I needed were how to recruit the right people, how to pair the right project with the right person, how to write successful grants and how to motivate my students. I worried that if I asked older colleagues about these, they might think less of me.How did you find the answers?I was part of a cohort of 17 people when I started as a professor at the Weizmann Institute in 2008. We set up an early-career principal-investigator group to meet every two weeks and talk through one new skill — from how to write a letter of recommendation to how to fire someone. I started thinking that it would be nice to turn these into lessons for graduate students.How was the class received?The first year, I advertised the course on the Weizmann website. Around 120 people registered — half of the PhD students at Weizmann. I restricted it to 30 people to facilitate discussion. I’m now in my sixth year of teaching the course. I’ve increased the size to 50 students, but consistently get 120 registrants. It shows how hungry students are for this information. In Israel, because of compulsory military training, students are often older and have families with children. A lot want strategies for work–life balance.What strategy did you use to launch your lab?There were two things. I decided to work only with people I really like. I’ve created an environment where there’s a strong feeling of friendship and camaraderie. Second, I took time to find my own scientific voice — my own special way of doing things. The first three years were scary because it took a bit more time than average to start publishing and be productive, but I wanted to find out what made me excited and could be uniquely mine.What do you mean by ‘find your own voice’?It's my way of doing science — what questions I ask, how I ask them and what tools I use to answer them.What worked well and what didn’t?I made a point of putting my students’ and postdocs’ needs ahead of mine, to be the kind of person they can trust to promote their well-being and agendas. Seeing that work made me happy and proud. I made some mistakes hiring people who weren't right for me or the lab. So I've learned to trust my intuition.Do people call you ‘Wonder Woman’ for having three children and a career?I hate it when people phrase it like that. It means that they think only a few people can do it. I don't think that's the case. The only reason I can do this is because of my husband, who is an associate professor also at Weizmann. We share every aspect of our lives. It's not as much about how I am, but how we are as a team.Does the EMBO award validate your strategy?It gives me a sense that the scientific path I’ve chosen is one that people find valuable, which is really moving for me. It comes also after a decade in the lab, when I want to enjoy what I’ve achieved and reflect on what went well and what didn’t. If I want to continue doing interesting things, it’s important to take a breather and really reflect on what to do in the next 10 years.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Sep 11, 2015...
Aulden Foltz, far right in the front row, and other members of the American delegation to the Dr. Bessie L. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute at the Weizmann Institute campus in Rehovot, Israel.
Over the summer, Wiltonian Aulden Foltz conducted scientific research in Israel with the Dr. Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute.
Each year, approximately 80 “highly talented” high school graduates from all over the world participate in the month-long program. Aulden was one of 21 Americans this summer.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/inside-stories-beer-science-and-good-spirits/
Aug 21, 2010... The Weizmann Institute is committed to making science widely accessible to all. As part of our ongoing public outreach efforts, scientists and graduate students ventured out to Rehovot’s coffee shops and pubs to share their knowledge. Over espresso, cappuccino, or beer, local residents heard Weizmann researchers discuss timely subjects that engage them on daily basis in laboratories and classrooms on campus. Presentations were followed by lively discussions
May 02, 2017...
For most of his life, Joshua Meier has been the textbook definition of a whiz kid. At four, he received his first computer game – a gift that fascinated him until he realized that the experience it created was “fundamentally limited.” Eager to push beyond those limitations, he opened his first email account when he was five and began programming at the age of eight.
His interests soon expanded to biology. By the time he was a high school junior in Teaneck, New Jersey, he was the head of a biotechnology company, Provita Pharmaceuticals, and had already gained recognition from Google for his stem cell research.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/aja-safecrackers-going-to-israel/
Mar 06, 2017...
AJA Upper School students Shaun Regenbaum, Josh Bland, Josh Italiiander, Jonathan Bashary and Nittai Shiff are traveling to Israel from March 22 to 30 compete in the Shalhevet Freier International Physics Tournament at the Davidson Institute of Science Education at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot.
The five students will design, build and operate a locking mechanism for a box, making it a safe, through the use of principles of physics. The mechanism could use lasers, wires, magnets and other elements.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/jerusalem-girls-win-the-telescope/
Mar 07, 2016...
South Korean astronaut Yi So-yeon (center) and two members of the winning team from Jerusalem’s Pelech Religious Experimental High School for Girls
A class of 9th-grade girls from Jerusalem were the winners of this year’s Ilan Ramon Space Olympics for junior high school students. In addition to receiving a telescope for their school, they and the students from the other 11 classes that reached the final round of the competition had a day at the Weizmann Institute of Science that included a talk from a female astronaut – South Korea’s Yi So-yeon.
Jul 16, 2019...
For Daniel Zajfman, physicist and president of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, the formula for a successful university is quite simple.
“You focus all your funding on individuals; the ones who can move the needle on an issue,” Zajfman told Science|Business. “We give our researchers full labs and full funding from day one, and total independence to work. They don’t have to report to anyone; they don’t have a boss.” The pressure is all on them.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/stepping-stone/
Oct 25, 2018...
Tony Pan in a research lab at the Weizmann Institute this past summer. Courtesy Tony Pan
While many of his peers spent the summer gearing up for college, Tony Pan of Grosse Pointe Farms traveled to Israel to work in a lab at one of the world’s foremost scientific research institutions.
Thanks to a scholarship from the Borman family of Bloomfield Hills, Pan was one of 19 American teens participating in the 50th annual Dr. Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute (ISSI) at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, a global leader in scientific disciplines, from cancer to alternative energy to space exploration.
May 20, 2012...
Soyeun has been involved in scientific research during the past few years. She began research at the University of Colorado during her junior year, studying nanoparticle applications. Throughout last summer, she worked as a research assistant at the Children's Hospital, studying mineral deficiency in developing countries.
Recently, she was accepted to the 44th Dr. Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute as one of 19 Americans. Through the program, she is receiving a full scholarship to conduct scientific research in July at the Weizmann Institute in Israel with 74 other students from all over the world.
May 19, 2019...
James Gertler, trustee of The Zuckerman Institute, and Richard Lester, associate provost for International Activities at MIT, launch the the MIT-Israel Zuckerman STEM Fund, May 2019 (The Zukerman Institute)
A fund launched by the Mortimer Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program seeks to match faculty members from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US and seven Israeli academic institutions in an effort to promote the “next generation of groundbreaking research” in sciences and technology.
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