Weizmann Institute for Science

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מכון ויצמן למדע
Weizmann Institute for Science
logo
founding 1934
Sponsorship state
place Rechovot , Israel
president Alon Chen
Students 1000
Annual budget 200 million euros
Website www.weizmann.ac.il
Tower of Koffler - particle accelerator with attached Kraar - Observatory (2012)

The Weizmann Institute of Science ( Hebrew מָכוֹן וָיְצְמָן לְמַדָּע Machon Weizmann le-Maddaʿ , Arabic مركز وايزمن للمعرفه) is a multidisciplinary institute for scientific research and education in Rechovot , Israel .

A total of three Nobel Prize winners and one Turing Award winner are associated with the institute.

history

The institute was originally founded in 1934 by the chemist and later Israeli President Chaim Weizmann under the name Daniel Sieff Research Institute (Daniel Sieff Research Institute) . On November 2, 1949, it was renamed to its current name and Chaim Weizmann became its first president. At the inauguration ceremony, Weizmann said: “The institute is the fulfillment of a vision and the implementation of a dream into reality. It can do a lot for the good of Israel, and when peace comes to the Middle East it will do good for our neighbors and good for humanity. ”The German-Jewish chemist and Nobel Prize winner Fritz Haber originally accepted the offer, first director of chemisch -physical institute. However, he died on a stopover in Basel in January 1934 before he could take office.

WEIZAC - the first computer in Israel

The Weizmann Institute played an important role in the development of Israel. An early focus was cancer research, which is still an important part today. Various drugs were developed at the Weizmann Institute, including Copaxone and Rebif , which are used to treat multiple sclerosis . WEIZAC , the country's first computer - and also one of the first mainframe computers in the world - was built at the institute between 1954 and 1955 and then used. The country's first department for nuclear physics was established and in 1976 the Koffler particle accelerator , which has since been decommissioned and is now the symbol of the institute, was completed. The institute's logo is a fig tree and is also associated with the tree of life .

financing

The Weizmann Institute sees itself as an independent institution that receives only a quarter of its budget from the state (as of 2015). It derives a considerable part of its income from license fees for patents. In 2014, companies around the world would have turned over $ 29 billion with patents developed here. Licenses are initially granted free of charge, the institute only participates in possible profits.

Institute

Today around 2,600 researchers, technicians and students work on the approximately one square kilometer campus. In contrast to many other scientific institutions in Israel, such as the Technion , the Weizmann Institute focuses on basic research . The Feinberg Graduate School is the university branch in which master's and doctoral programs are offered. The language of instruction is English.

The annual budget is around 1 billion shekels (~ 200 million euros). The State of Israel bears around a quarter of this. The rest is raised through research grants, patent income and private donations.

Faculties and departments

The institute is divided into five faculties : Mathematics and Computer Science , Physics , Chemistry , Biochemistry and Biology . The faculties are in turn divided into several departments .

  • science class

  • Kimmelman building

  • Holocaust memorial by Dani Karavan

  • Clore Garden of Science

  • Jubilee Plaza

Museums

On the campus of the Weizmann Institute are two museums: The Science Garden (Clore Garden of Science) and the Weizmann House . In the science garden, natural phenomena can be explored in around 80 interactive scientific experiments. Subject areas include the laws of physics, solar energy and water power, sound, and geometry. In a geodesic dome , principles of ecology are conveyed. The Weizmann House is the property of Vera and Chaim Weizmann designed by Erich Mendelsohn in the international style . After her death it was reopened in 1978 as a museum, in which the private rooms of the first Israeli president and his wife can be visited.

Well-known researchers

Ruth Arnon , Wolf Prize Winner in Medicine (1998)
Leo Sachs , Wolf Prize Winner in Medicine (1980)
Chaim Weizmann , first Israeli President
Ada E. Yonath , Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry (2009)

Reputation and Rankings

In 2011, the American magazine The Scientist rated the Weizmann Institute as the best academic employer worldwide based on an annual survey.

In common international university rankings , the institution is among the best 150 universities in the world:

According to the CWTS Leiden Ranking 2015, based on the analysis of citations ( impact factor ) of papers published between 2010 and 2013, the institute ranked tenth worldwide for its research impact .

President

Swiss Society of Friends of the Weizmann Institute of Science

The Zurich- based company, founded in 1978, aims to promote scientific exchange and dialogue between the Weizmann Institute and the research and university location in Switzerland, as well as providing any financial support. The society had a total of 600 members in 2018, mainly in the Zurich and Basel area , but to a lesser extent in French and Italian-speaking Switzerland .

Every year scholarships are offered to enable young researchers to spend 12 months at the institute's headquarters in Rechovot. The company itself has no commercial purpose and is registered as a non-profit association in Zurich.

The president of the company is Eric Stupp.

German Society of Friends of the Weizmann Institute

The German Society of Friends of the Weizmann Institute e. V. based in Frankfurt am Main was founded in 1981. The independent and non-profit association supports the work of the Weizmann Institute of Science from Germany. To this end, the association wants to gain support from government agencies, institutes, associations, foundations, companies and private individuals. Whenever possible, the German Friends arrange funding for selected research projects and other activities of the Weizmann Institute.

The chairman of the association is Jörg Schweikart. His predecessors include the former mayor of Heidelberg, Beate Weber, and Kaspar von Harnier.

The aim is to make the long-standing scientific collaboration between German and Israeli scientists at the Weizmann Institute even better known in Germany and to further promote the lively exchange of science among young people in this area.

Others

They present the Weizmann Women in Science Award every two years .

literature

  • Ralf Balke: Weizmann Institute. In: Dan Diner (Ed.): Encyclopedia of Jewish History and Culture (EJGK). Volume 6: Ta-Z. Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2015, ISBN 978-3-476-02506-7 , pp. 340–343.

Web links

Commons : Weizmann Institute of Science  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://www.weizmann.ac.il/pages/about-institute/management-team
  2. ↑ a b c Facts and Figures. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on July 8, 2011 ; accessed on July 7, 2011 (English).
  3. ↑ History | Weizmann Institute of Science. Retrieved January 14, 2018 .
  4. ^ WIS International Board. Retrieved February 12, 2012 .
  5. ^ Pioneering process. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 29, 2012 ; accessed on February 12, 2012 .
  6. ^ Research at the Weizmann Institute. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 6, 2011 ; Retrieved February 12, 2012 .
  7. ^ Koffler Accelerator of the Canada Center of Nuclear Physics. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on October 21, 2013 ; accessed on February 12, 2012 .
  8. ^ Weizmann Resource Development. Retrieved September 18, 2012 .
  9. ↑ Chaim and Vera Weizmann Grave. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 21, 2012 ; accessed on September 18, 2012 (English).
  10. ^ Research in Israel: Rich and Confident. Stuttgarter Zeitung, December 4, 2015, accessed on February 23, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Best Places to Work Academia, 2011. (No longer available online.) In: The Scientist. July 1, 2011, archived from the original on September 10, 2012 ; accessed on July 7, 2011 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / the-scientist.com
  12. ↑ ARWU World University Rankings 2017 | Academic Ranking of World Universities 2017 | Top 500 universities | Shanghai Ranking - 2017. Accessed January 14, 2018 .
  13. ↑ Weizmann Institute ranked 10th in world for research impact | WeizmannCompass. Retrieved January 14, 2018 .
  14. ↑ Priska Leutenegger | digitalraum: About us - Weizmann Institute of Science. Retrieved January 14, 2018 .
  15. ↑ Priska Leutenegger | digitalraum: Board of Directors - Weizmann Institute of Science. Retrieved January 14, 2018 .
  16. ^ Website of the German Friends ( Memento from January 15, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  17. ↑ Home | German Society of Friends of the Weizmann Institute V. Accessed January 14, 2018 (English).

Coordinates: 31 ° 54 ′ 27 "  N , 34 ° 48 ′ 33"  E