Vote on which Israeli scientific achievements will go into time capsule

36 items will be placed in Israel's first scientific time capsule.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Updated: SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 07:39
A vehicle equipped with Mobileye technology (photo credit: COURTESY MOBILEYE)
A vehicle equipped with Mobileye technology
(photo credit: COURTESY MOBILEYE)
Members of the public are invited to vote to choose the 36 items that will be placed in the country’s first-ever scientific time capsule to be buried in the foundations of Jerusalem’s new National Library now being poured at the foot of the Knesset.
For the occasion of the Night of the Scientists, September 19, the Science and Technology Ministry has initiated the project. The capsule, designed by an artist, will include items of historical importance that reflect the scientific activity of Israeli research institutions and universities, including notable international achievements of the Nobel Prizes and the Turing Award (for achievements in computing) and the Fields Medal (for great achievements in mathematics).
How will we regard Israel’s scientific achievements of today in about 30 years? Will today’s breakthroughs be milestones for the technology of the future? The project, in cooperation with the National Library (whose current location is on the Hebrew University’s Givat Ram campus), seeks to perpetuate the memory of Israeli discoveries and developments of recent decades.
Among the discoveries and developments that are expected to enter the scientific time capsule are the Waze application, the world’s first electronic ink, Mobileye vehicle-guidance systems, a brain and spinal surgery robot, the PillCam to examine the gastroenterological system, and the achievements of Israeli scientists who won prestigious international prizes for their work in game theory, ribosome structure detection, quasi-cyclical crystals, and so on.
Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis said on Wednesday that ahead of the 70th anniversary of the state’s independence, “we decided to salute the scientific advances and achievements that have made Israel an international scientific empire. Science and technology are leading Israel forward, forging collaborations, promoting Israeli public diplomacy and creating an indelible mark.”
The results of the public vote on the ministry website (http://rn.most.gov.il/#) will be announced on the Night of the Scientists, which will be coordinated by the ministry and with the cooperation of the European Union.
The Night of the Scientists will be held for the 13th year in research institutes and science museums around the country and will include a series of free meetings, workshops, lectures, experiments and activities for the whole family, starting at 5 p.m.
The activities will take place at the University of Haifa, Tel Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Oranim Academic College, Bloomfield Science Museum, Migal Galilee Research Institute, Weizmann Institute of Science, Ashdod Academic College of Engineering, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Open University, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research and Al-Qasemi Academic College of Education in Baka al-Gharbiya.