| Sunday, March 14, 2010 |
| BGU Signs Co-operation Agreement with CUB |
|
Last week Rector Prof. Jimmy Weinblatt and Dr. Sharon Pardo, the Director of the Centre for the Study of European Politics and Society (CSEPS), made a three day visit to Hungary. The purpose of the visit, coordinated by the CSEPS and the Israeli Embassy in Hungary, was to strengthen cooperation with Hungarian universities. During the visit Prof. Weinblatt met Rectors and academics from 6 different universities. |
| |
| Sunday, March 14, 2010 |
| Ben-Gurion Medal Awarded to Prof. Dr. Hans Otto Horch |
|
On March 7th at the opening session of the conference Thirty Years of Austrian/German-Jewish Literary and Cultural Studies, Prof. Dr. Hans Otto Horch, Luwig Strauss Professor of German-Jewish Literary History at the RWTH Technical University in Aachen, Germany was awarded the Ben-Gurion Medal in recognition of his life-long achievements and contributions in the field of German-Jewish Studies. |
| |
| Monday, March 8, 2010 |
| Prof. Zvi HaCohen Elected as BGU Rector |
|
Ben-Gurion University's Senate has elected Prof. Zvi HaCohen as Rector for a four year term. Prof. HaCohen will begin his term on August 1st, replacing Prof. Jimmy Weinblatt who will be completing two terms. |
| |
| Wednesday, March 3, 2010 |
| Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian and German Cooperation in Important Project |
|
Members of the Department of Geography and Environmental Development's laboratory for flood research headed by Professor Jonathan Laronne recently took part in a meeting with Palestinian, Jordanian and German partners in Amman. |
| |
| Tuesday, March 2, 2010 |
| Spring Semester Opens at BGU |
|
March 1st saw the opening of the Spring Semester opened at BGU. |
| |
| Tuesday, March 2, 2010 |
| Weight Loss Diets Significantly Reverse Clogging of Arteries |
|
A two-year study led by Dr. Iris Shai of BGU with the Nuclear Research Center in Dimona and Soroka University Medical Center has found that healthy, long-term weight loss diets can significantly reverse carotid (main brain artery) atherosclerosis, a direct risk factor for strokes and heart attacks. The study is one of the first to prove the potential of moderate weight loss as a strategy to reverse atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) in overweight and mildly obese people. |
| |
| Wednesday, February 24, 2010 |
| Open Day a Resounding Success |
|
BGU's Open Day took place on 18th February and was visited by more than 6000 potential students. |
| |
| Monday, February 22, 2010 |
| Prof. Shlomi Dolev Elected as IUCC Chairman |
|
Prof. Shlomi Dolev of the Department of Computer Science, incumbent of the Rita Altura Trust Chair in Computer Sciences, and Head of the Lynne and William Frankel Center for Computer Science, was recently elected to serve as Chairman of the Governing Council for the Inter-University Computation Center (IUCC). |
| |
| Wednesday, February 17, 2010 |
| Family Therapy Helps Teens With Suicidal Thoughts |
|
Adolescents with suicidal thoughts and elevated depression had stronger and faster reduction of symptoms when treated with family therapy than with standard treatment in the community. A research team which includes Dr. Gary Diamond, a senior lecturer in Clinical Psychology in the Department of Behavioral Sciences reported these findings this month in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. |
| |
| Tuesday, February 16, 2010 |
| Pesticides to Blame for Wave of Parkinson's in Israeli Arab Town |
|
Israeli researchers say the unusual frequency of Parkinson's disease in Baqa al-Gharbiyeh is linked to pesticides sprayed in nearby fields. The researchers from Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University, the Clalit HMO and the Hillel Yaffeh Medical Center examined the prevalence of Parkinson's disease in the communities in Wadi Ara in the north. |
| |
| Monday, February 15, 2010 |
| The 2010 Beer-Sheva Conference for Child Welfare Opens at BGU |
|
Noting that every kindergarten in its natural and unruly state is a “microcosm” of the Israeli parliament, Speaker of the House Reuven (Rubi) Rivlin at the Opening Plenary Session of the Beer-Sheva Conference for Child Welfare, spoke about the importance of teaching democracy to the next generation. “My hope is that next year you will add a panel dedicated to ‘Children and Democracy,’ said Rivlin, noting that only two months ago the Knesset launched a program to bring more than 70,000 children to a new visitors’ center. |
| |
| Thursday, February 11, 2010 |
| European Charter Launch for the Rights of Older People |
|
A charter protecting the rights of older people in clinical trials has been launched by a nine country consortium dedicated to investigate the exclusion of older people from clinical trials. Research findings will be presented of systematic reviews of the literature, surveys with health professionals working with older people, and focus groups with patients and care givers. |
| |
| Thursday, February 4, 2010 |
| Researchers Discover Gene Mutation Shedding New Light on Mineral Loss in Bones |
| Researchers from the Faculty of Health Sciences, National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev and Soroka University Medical Center have identified a gene defect which sheds new light on mineral loss in bones. Their research was recently published in the American Journal of Human Genetics (AJHG). |
| |
| Thursday, February 4, 2010 |
| Soroka University Medical Center Staff return from Haiti |
|
Five doctors from Soroka University Medical Center recently returned from Haiti, where they were part of the IDF Medical and Rescue Delegation. The delegation's 236 members included 218 IDF soldiers and officers, and 18 civilians. |
| |
| Wednesday, February 3, 2010 |
| California Expert Works on Clean Water at Sde Boqer |
|
Assistant professor Sharon Walker of the University of California, Riverside, has one professional goal: to ensure clean drinking water. She is a world expert on why bacteria stick to certain surfaces, a crucial issue for water quality. While her specialty has enormous potential applications in a variety of fields, Walker wanted to contribute to an environmental issue of the highest order and so chose to focus on bacteria in water. |
| |
| Tuesday, February 2, 2010 |
| Prestigious Grant Awarded to Prof. Yoram Grossman |
|
Prof. Yoram Grossman of the Department of Physiology and Neurobiology at BGU's Faculty of Health Sciences and incumbent of the Lawrence and Marie Feldman Chair in Neurophysiology, was recently awarded a grant of US$280,000 from the (US) Office of Naval Research (ONR). |
| |
| Sunday, January 31, 2010 |
| Integrating Private Insurance with Public Health would improve US Health |
|
The United States has an inefficient and expensive health care system, but it could be improved with a new integrated health care system detailed in a new study in the American Journal of Public Health (February 2010 Vol. 100 No. 2), carried out by researchers from BGU and UCLA. |
| |
| Sunday, January 31, 2010 |
| Analyzing the Search for Missing Relatives |
|
A unique study is underway at BGU by Tehila Malka an MA student who is carrying out research to analyze the societal effects of the widely-listened-to “Missing Holocaust Relatives“ radio broadcast on Israeli life. |
| |
| Wednesday, January 27, 2010 |
| BGU Represented at Saban Forum |
|
At the beginning of November, two BGU students were former US President Bill Clinton's delegation's guests of honor at the Saban Forum which took place in Jerusalem. Ohad Ish-Shalom is a third student in the department of Economics and Psychology and Ben Reuveni, who completed his studies last summer, has a degree in management. |
| |
| Wednesday, January 27, 2010 |
| Unique Exhibition: Official Awards and Orders in Eretz Israel and Israel |
|
An exhibition entitled Official Awards and Orders in Eretz Israel and Israel, comprising pieces from the private collection of Prof. Emeritus Shaul Ladany of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, will open at BGU on Tuesday February 2, 2010. This unique exhibition follows the birth of the Yishuv and its struggle in Eretz Israel through official, civil and military awards and orders, many of which have never been shown or documented. |
| |
| Monday, January 25, 2010 |
| IBM Faculty Award for Prof. Nava Pliskin |
|
Prof. Nava Pliskin of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management recently received a 2009 IBM Faculty Award. |
| |
| Monday, January 25, 2010 |
| BGU Medical Historian seeks 1940s Irradiation Victims in US |
|
BGU medical historian Prof. Shifra Shvarts has an odd mission - to find Jewish adults, now in their 60s and beyond, who as children in the US underwent low-grade radiation treatments for the skin disease known as ringworm. |
| |
| Monday, January 11, 2010 |
| 6th Class of HMBA Graduates |
|
The 6th class of the Honors MBA program graduated last month. Some of the 19 graduates of the program – the only one of its kind in Israel – have already taken up managerial positions in various sectors in Israel, using the knowledge, tools and skills acquired during their studies at the Guilford Glazer School of Business and Management. |
| |
| Sunday, January 10, 2010 |
| Melbourne Keren Hayesod UIA Grants Scholarships to Immigrant Students |
|
Melbourne Keren Hayesod United Israel Appeal (UIA) recently granted four scholarships to immigrant undergraduate students at BGU, strengthening their academic ambitions and helping them achieve their goals. |
| |
| Thursday, January 7, 2010 |
| Dr. Anne Bernheim receives Krill Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research 2010 |
|
Dr. Anne Bernheim, a senior lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering has been awarded a Krill Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research 2010, the prize totalling $10,000. |
| |
| Wednesday, January 6, 2010 |
| Prof. Mark Clarfield named as President of the Biannual Meeting of the Israel Gerontological Society |
|
Prof. A. Mark Clarfield, Director of the Medical School for International Health (MSIH) has been named as President of the 18th Biannual Meeting of the Israel Gerontological Society that will take place on February 16-17, 2010 in Tel-Aviv. The meeting brings together hundreds of experts in the field of aging from Israel and abroad. |
| |
| Monday, January 4, 2010 |
| Chaya Asner named as new Director of the Zalman Aranne Central Library |
|
Chaya Asner was recently appointed as Director of the University's Zalman Aranne Central Library. She will replace Avner Shmuelevitz who will retire in February after serving as Director for the past 17 years. |
| |
| Sunday, January 3, 2010 |
| New Research on Prescriptions |
|
A new study carried out at BGU by Prof. Talma Kushnir of the Department of the Sociology of Health in the Faculty of Health Sciences, says that the number of prescriptions that doctors write is decided not only by the condition of their patients and health fund guidelines but also according to their moods. Prof. Kushnir revealed this at the recent 14th International Conference of the Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research. |
| |
| Thursday, December 31, 2009 |
| New Series of Lunchtime Talks in Medical Humanities to Begin in 2010 |
|
A new series of lunchtime talks in medical humanities initiated by Prof. Barbara Hochman of the Department of Foreign Literatures and Linguistics and Prof. Shifra Shvarts of the Center of Medical Education will begin in January 2010. A joint team from the Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences and Health Sciences, headed by Prof. Daniel Lasker and Prof. Carmi Margolis, is presently planning a proposed degree in the field of Medical Humanities supported by the Deans of the Faculties, Prof. Moshe Justman and Prof. Shaul Sofer. |
| |
| Tuesday, December 29, 2009 |
| Faith in Government Agencies Rising |
|
A new study by Prof. Shlomo Mizrachi from BGU's Guilford Glazer School of Business and Management and Prof. Eran Vigoda-Gadot, head of the University of Haifa's School of Political Sciences and the Center for Public Management and Policy shows that overall satisfaction with public bodies is actually on the rise. Israelis may like to complain about the government, but a recently published survey shows that, overall, Israelis are satisfied with the services they receive and that, following a dive in the middle of the decade, satisfaction levels are back to what they were eight or nine years ago. |
| |
| Sunday, December 27, 2009 |
| Seven New BGU Researchers Awarded IRG Grants |
|
Seven new BGU researchers have been awarded grants from the competitive Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant (IRG) program of the European 7th Framework Program (FP7), resulting in 100% success in the most recent submission cycle and attesting to the high quality of new recruits to the University's academic staff. The University plans to maximize this funding avenue by insisting that every eligible scientist returning to Israel from abroad apply to the IRG program. |
| |
| Thursday, December 24, 2009 |
| Dr. Bertrand Boeken receives IALC Grant |
|
Dr. Bertrand Boeken, a rangeland ecologist in the Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture at the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research at BGU's Sede Boqer campus is the only Israeli scientist to be awarded a grant this year by the International Arid Land Consortium (IALC). The grant of US$ 85,000 is for the duration of two years. |
| |
| Thursday, December 24, 2009 |
| Surprising Research Results Six Months after 'Operation Cast Lead': Anger Rises, Anxiety Doesn't Fall |
|
Six months after Operation Cast Lead, Prof. Shifra Sagy and her colleagues from BGU - Dr. Orna Lewensohn and Ms. Nagua Abu-Nimer Abas - revisited Jewish, Arab and Bedouin teenagers in Beer Sheva and Rahat they had previously interviewed during the course of the war. The recently published research findings are surprising: despite that during the second research period it was quiet (no rockets falling during the 6 months after the operation), the level of anxiety did not fall. Furthermore, the level of anger of Beer Sheva teenagers had actually risen significantly (from an average of 1.94 during the war to 2.19 after, on a scale of 1-4). |
| |
| Thursday, December 24, 2009 |
| BGU Study finds that Anti-inflammatory Drugs Interfere with Aspirin's Clotting Ability |
|
A new study conducted at BGU reveals that Celebrex and other anti-inflammatory coxib medications may counter the positive effects of aspirin in preventing blood clots. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), indicates that people who are taking aspirin and coxibs together are in fact inhibiting the aspirin's effectiveness in preventing heart attacks and strokes. Millions of Americans take Celebrex for arthritis or other pain. Many, if they are middle-aged or older, also take a low-dose aspirin tablet daily to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Yet they may be getting little protection, because Celebrex keeps the aspirin from doing its job effectively. |
| |
| Tuesday, December 22, 2009 |
| Dr. Amnon Sintov Receives Dekker Award |
|
Dr. Amnon Sintov, a senior lecturer in the Department of Biomedical Engineering is the first BGU member to be awarded a grant funded by the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia & Parkinson Foundation (Dekker Award in Parkinson's Disease Research). The award totaling US$ 50,000 is for a duration of one year. |
| |
| Tuesday, December 22, 2009 |
| BARD Funding for Dr. Osnat Gillor |
|
Dr. Osnat Gillor, a research scientist at the Zuckerberg Institute of Water Research at the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Water Research at BGU's Sede Boqer campus, was the initiator and coordinator of a proposal submitted to and recently approved by BARD (Bi-National Agricultural Research and Development Fund), a competitive funding program for mutually beneficial, mission-orientated, strategic and applied research of agricultural programs, jointly conducted by American and Israeli scientists. |
| |
| Thursday, December 17, 2009 |
| ARCHES Awarded to Dr. Ohad Medalia |
|
Dr. Ohad Medalia of the Department of Life Sciences and a member of the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev (NIBN) was recently awarded the ARCHES (Award for Research Cooperation and High Excellence in Science), a German-Israeli research award funded by the Federal German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) and administered by the Minerva Foundation of Germany. |
| |
| Wednesday, December 16, 2009 |
| The Guilford Glazer School of Business and Management to Host ISC2009 |
|
The Guilford Glazer School of Business and Management will host the Third Annual Meeting of the Israel Strategy Conference (ISC2009) at the end of December. It is expected that more than 100 participants will take part in the conference in which more than 60 papers will be presented. |
| |
| Thursday, December 10, 2009 |
| University’s Africa Centre Launched |
| The University’s Africa Centre was officially inaugurated in a series of events, organized in cooperation with the BGU Student Association over two days in December. The events ranged from a performance by the Ethiopian-Israeli theater group Netele, to dance workshops and academic panels on topics such as Israeli Aid to Developing Countries; Sports, Politics and Africa; and Africa – Health Issues. |
| |
| Thursday, December 10, 2009 |
| The Lewiner Fund for the Department of Chemistry Inaugurated at BGU |
|
The Professor Jacques Lewiner Fund for the Department of Chemistry was inaugurated on November 23 at BGU. The ceremony took place as part of the University’s annual Ben-Gurion Day celebrations on November 23, in the presence of the benefactor, his wife Colette and their family. |
| |
| Monday, December 7, 2009 |
| Alpha Blondy to Perform at Inauguration of BGU's Africa Centre |
|
One of the world's best-known reggae performers, Alpha Blondy, arrived in Israel on Sunday, to help inaugurate BGU's Africa Centre. "Bonjour maman" were the first words that reggae star Alpha Blondy said Sunday when he arrived in Israel and entered the VIP reception room at Ben-Gurion Airport. Blondy, a social activist from Cote d'Ivoire who rose to fame as one of reggae's best known performers when he came out against apartheid, was addressing Israeli ex-ambassador Dr. Tamar Golan, who came to the airport to greet him. |
| |
| Thursday, December 3, 2009 |
| First Meeting of Eilat Campus Supporters Group |
|
The recently founded Eilat Campus Supporters Group held its first meeting last week, under the leadership of Ami Federman, vice-chairman of the Dan Hotels group. |
| |