The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology sealed a time capsule during a ceremony in early June, set to be opened in 2124 to celebrate the university’s 200th anniversary.
The time capsule aimed to capture the achievements of the Technion during its first century, according to a press release from the university.
The capsule was sealed during the Technion Board of Governors meeting. Items were selected by faculty, students, and management to represent campus life, the institution’s innovation, and its contributions to research and education.
The event was attended by Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan, Board of Governors Chair Scott Leemaster, and Executive Council Chair Gideon Frank. Children from the Technion's daycare centers also participated in the ceremony.
“Close your eyes and imagine what the Technion campuses will look like in 100 years,” Prof. Sivan said. “What role will they play? How will people learn and teach? What will the frontiers of science, engineering, and medicine look like?”
“It’s hard to predict—especially the future,” Sivan continued, quoting physicist Niels Bohr. “But, as every historian knows, predicting the past isn’t easy either. So, in the Technion’s centennial year, we’ve decided to send a time capsule to our successors, to be opened in 100 years, during the Technion’s bicentennial.”
Items included in time capsule
The capsule contained multiple technological innovations developed at the Technion, such as a copy of the Nano Bible: a silicon chip coated with a 20-nanometer gold layer etched with 1.2 million letters of the Hebrew Bible using focused ion beam technology.
Additionally, a letter from the Technion’s president and Board of Governors was included in the capsule, using a technology that ensures its preservation for at least 100 years. The letter reads:
“In the Hebrew year 5785 (2025)—100 years since the Technion first opened its gates and 113 years since the cornerstone was laid for its first building on the historic Hadar HaCarmel campus—we seal this time capsule and send it to you, the children of future generations.
In 100 years, you will know of the Technion’s work during the first century of its existence—a period in which it laid the foundation for the establishment of the State of Israel, contributed to building its economy and security, and strengthened its social resilience. The Technion’s people have worked for a century to educate future generations in science, engineering, medicine, architecture, and education.
We pass this torch to you, so you may know that we have invested our hearts and all our resources into training the next generation in the spirit of science and technology, for the glory of scientific and technological research in Israel and the betterment of humanity.”