Historic Visit to HIT

Five university officials from California, USA, conducted a first-of-its-kind visit to the Institute. The guests, who lead academic institutions, came with the purpose of getting acquainted with the Institute and examining the feasibility of collaborations between the institutions they lead and HIT, expressing their solidarity with the State of Israel.

During their brief visit to Israel, they held meetings at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, and HIT - Holon Institute of Technology.

The guests were welcomed by Prof. Adir Pridor, Chairman of the Executive Committee; Prof. Eduard Yakubov, President of HIT; Prof. Shaul Bar-Lev, Rector of the Institute; Mr. Shmuel Goldberg, CEO of the Institute; Mr. Motti Mishan, Senior Advisor to the President; and Ira Ivshin Guetta, Head of International Affairs Division.

The guests received insights into the research and academic activities at the institute from academic staff members and researchers: Prof. Dudi Rawet, Dean of the Faculty of Design; Dr. Hadas Lewy, Head of Digital Medicine in the Department of Digital Medical Technologies; Boaz Ken Dror, Head of the Medical Design Clinic in the Faculty of Design; Hadas Lorber, Head of the Institute for Applied Research in Responsible Artificial Intelligence; and Dr. Kobby Barda, expert in US-Israel relations from the School of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Prof. Adir Pridor, Chairman of the Executive Committee, opened the visit with greetings to the guests and said that "the role of academic institutions is to engage in teaching and research. However, unfortunately, there are institutions that engage in political expressions, while your visit presents things in the right way and thus expresses deep solidarity with our country during this period."

Prof. Eduard Yakubov, President of the Institute, said this is a historic visit that opens the door to academic and social collaborations. "We feel great honor that this distinguished delegation chose to visit us," said the Institute's President. "We have much to show in the fields where we are successfully leading, such as Digital Medical Technologies, Instructional Technologies and Artificial Intelligence, as well as the fact that we encourage multidisciplinary approaches.

At this time, support from leading institutions in the USA is very important," added the President and said: "This is a great compliment to the institute that it was chosen as a leading body in strengthening the economy, society, and industry in Israel. We appreciate your support for our country and our institute."

The guests from the USA: Dr. Donald W. Sweeting, Chancellor of Colorado Christian University; Dr. Christopher S. Reese, President of Brigham Young University; Mr. Kevin L. Schlag, Vice President for Operations, Brigham Young University-Hawaii; Dr. Risa A. Dickson, President of La Verne University; Dr. Daniele C. Struppa, former President of Chapman University, were very impressed by the academic and research activities taking place at the Institute and were very moved by the visit. They also said that they feel deep sympathy for Israel and are involved and updated on what is happening in the country. According to them, there is fertile ground for collaborations with HIT, and they raised the idea of a joint mathematics conference in memory of the renowned mathematician Misha Shapira.

The visit concluded with a decision to continue developing and deepening the relationships between HIT and these universities in the USA.
HIT - Holon Institute of Technology attributes great importance to international collaborations as an integral part of its vision, and currently maintains academic and research collaborations with approximately 140 academic institutions in 35 countries worldwide.
 
*Photo: Ilanit Kitzoni