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The Bar-Ilan University School of Engineering

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Bar-Ilan University School of Engineering Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel Telephone: 972-3-5317733 Fax: 972-3-7384051 http://engineering.biu.ac.il/en

Produced by the Division of External RelationsBar-Ilan University

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“Israel can win the difficult battle of survival only by developing, painstakingly, the intelligence and expert knowledge of her young people in the field of technology.”

Albert Einstein, 1932

Israel has more than fulfilled Einstein’s prophetic vision. The country’s reputation as a powerhouse in technological innovation is well-established. As the “start-up nation,” Israel is home to some 250 multinational research and development centers employing some 25,000 people. Indeed, at the recent World Economic Forum held in Davos, multinational high-tech companies were told by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “(Israel) can be your science and technology incubator.”

While Israel has vast brain power, much of this was supplied by the influx of Russian engineers and technologists who swelled the country’s professional ranks in the 1990’s and who are now nearing retirement.

The realization that Israel’s pool of engineers would need serious expansion and revitalization is what galvanized Bar-Ilan University to establish the School of Engineering in 2001.

“Israel is often called the start-up nation;I call it the innovation nation.The future belongs to those who innovate.”

Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu, 2014

future engineers

“With our young faculty and state-of-the-art facilities, we are as close as you can get to a start-up in an academic setting. Through our curriculum which is tailor-made to address present and future industrial needs, we are producing professional engineers who will bolster Israel’s technological superiority.”

Prof. George S. MoschytzFounding Dean, BIU School of Engineering

Strengtheningthe Technological Baseof the Start-Up Nation

Start-Up

Bar-Ilan University’s School of Engineering is a dynamic, forward-looking institution and leader in high-tech R&D. With a strong Zionist commitment, the School seeks to strengthen the technological infrastructure of the State of Israel by producing top-quality engineers who advance cutting-edge scientific research and pioneering technologies for the benefit of humankind. The School is led in this effort by its cadre of young and exceptionally gifted faculty members, who have been recruited from prestigious research universities and high-tech companies in Israel and abroad.

Internationally respected electrical engineering professor George Moschytz directed the Signal and Information Processing Lab at the prestigious Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) and served as chairman of the Electrical Engineering Department at ETH Zurich. He worked at Bell Telephone Laboratories from 1962-1972.

“To succeed in engineering, we need to identify what’s feasible and what’s not, using a methodical approach for solving real problems. Our vision is to uniquely position the School as a leader in innovation and excellence through education, research, and social responsibility. Targeted research attracts highly qualified faculty and graduate students, and enhances the quality of our undergraduate program.”

Prof. Ephraim ZehaviDean, BIU School of Engineering

Prof. Ephraim Zehavi is an expert on wireless communication, holding over 50 patents, including those that make cellphones and the rest of wireless communication possible. He holds a BSc and MSc from the Technion and a PhD from the University of Massachusetts.

The School’s diverse student body includes native Israelis and immigrants from the US, Europe and other countries. Most have completed their service in the IDF with distinction prior to enrollment, many as officers. The School also attracts many students who enjoy success in their high-tech careers and choose to pursue advanced graduate degrees to strengthen and deepen their knowledge. These students are assigned personal mentors to guide their course of study and ensure their academic progress.

Alongside its rigorous admissions policy, the School enjoys a well-deserved reputation for a supportive and open environment that is conducive to collaborative teamwork and productive research interaction. Prospective students are similarly drawn by the high level – and accessibility – of the School’s vibrant faculty ranks; the active interdisciplinary research collaboration; and the state-of-the-art facilities conveniently located in Israel’s center.

Our Students

2001 – The Bar-Ilan University School ofEngineering opens its doors, with a student enrollment of 92, after receiving approval from the Council for Higher Education to grant a BSc degree in electrical engineering and computer engineering

2005 – First BSc graduating class; PhDprogram begins

2008 – The School moves into its permanent home: the new, state-of-the-art Engineering Complex, thus providing vitally-needed research and teaching labs in optics, signal processing, bioengineering and other areas

2010 – MSc program begins

2011 – Celebrating its 10th anniversary and its renown as a leader in academic training, scientific research and application of pioneering technologies, the School of Engineering becomes an independent academic faculty

2012 – A major faculty recruitment drive gets underway, with some ten outstanding returning scientists joining the School over the following two years, significantly enhancing our capabilities in nano-electronics, computer engineering and other such areas

2013 – Student enrollment surpasses 500, more than a 500% increase since the School’s modest beginnings, and well on the way toward its targeted capacity of 1,000 students; faculty members are recipients of prestigious prizes and dozens of important research grants, totaling millions of dollars

Benchmarks

Impacting Industry

The Bar-Ilan University School of Engineering offers students a in terms of ״one-stop shop״engineering education, with degrees beginning with BSc and continuing to a PhD. These include:

Electrical Engineering – with tracks in electro-optics, nano- and micro-electronics, signal processing, communications, bioengineering, and a dual major in electrical engineering and physics for outstanding students

Computer Engineering – with tracks inadvanced logic design, VLSI design, computer architecture, computer communications, robotics, and cyber-security

Study Tracks

• BSc 4-Year Study Tracks comprise theoreticalcourses, lab work and an engineering project in a specialty area (submitted during 4th year)

• MSc 2-year Study Tracks with thesis (project),and without

• PhD 4-year Study Tracks• Direct 5-Year BSc - MSc Study Tracks

for outstanding students

Undergraduate

& Graduate Program

s innovative

With an innovative curriculum drawing from engineering education models created by such respected bodies as the American Society for Engineering Education and the best engineering schools in Europe, the BIU School of Engineering focuses not only on research, but on the excellence of the education it provides.

Specializing in bio-engineering, computer engineering, communications, signal processing, electro-optics, and micro-electronics, it seeks to train professionals who can contribute to and shape Israel’s rapidly-changing technological landscape. In such areas as defense and security, telecommunications, the pharmaceutical industry, and biomedical start-ups, the School is steadily making its impact felt.

The School’s academic programs are developed in collaboration with high-tech industry, and are geared to address actual needs of this community as they arise. In this way, the BIU School of Engineering provides an excellent foundation for many different technologies and scientific developments, helping students easily transition into a broad spectrum of high-tech careers.

The vitality of the BIU School of Engineering is especially showcased in special undergraduate projects during their 4th year of study, in which students are supervised by a faculty advisor. These budding engineers are responsible for entire design, implementation and characterization processes of their research project, in keeping with exacting academic standards.

Among the wide range of projects: a laser ray device that detects blood-alcohol level from a distance – a convenient alternative to the Breathalyzer, pool- and soccer-playing robots which star in RoboCup competitions in Israel and abroad, and many, many more.

Smart Talk Android Application Have you ever tried having a mobile phone conversation while trucks rumble by? Yossi Buchnik (above, right) and Idan Hen (above, left) have a solution. Their BSc project, Android Application for “MixMax” Speech Enhancement Algorithm, filters out disturbing background noises while on the phone or recording a lecture. Having “learned” from a pre-compiled database of human voice, the algorithm provides more intelligent and effective filtering than standard noise filters, and the system is capable of identifying and zeroing-in on dominant human voices in a conversation. Supervised by both Prof. Sharon Gannot, who conceived of the idea with a colleague, and his lab engineer Pini Tandeitnik, the project provided an opportunity to learn about algorithms, signal processing and android operating systems, as well as how to optimize and integrate the application in real time.

“Android is a hot topic and I now have a year of experience at the cutting edge of the field, which is advantageous if I apply for graduate studies or seek employment,” says Hen, an Android freelancer. Buchnick, now employed in a defense electronics company, says “the intense teamwork experience and the real-time processing work help me on the job.”

Undergrads D

esignfor the Future

A Diagnostic Braceletfor DiabeticsA bracelet incorporating a green laser, mini high-speed camera and magnet offers diabetics a welcome alternative to finger-pricking. The novel device, invented in Prof. Zeev Zalevsky’s lab and executed as an undergrad project by Nisan Ozana (right, seated) and Nadav Arbel (right, standing), gauges glucose concentration in the blood noninvasively, by analyzing the speckle patterns formed by laser illumination on skin which itself is caused by vibrations from the blood pulse stream. If the glucose level is high, the vibration is distorted. The project, supervised by Dr. Yevgeny Beiderman and Prof. Zeev Zalevsky, has a patent-pending, and is being commercialized.

“Much of our electrical engineering is more theoretical, solving equations using a pencil and notebook – but here, we did real lab work,” notes Arbel, today a MSc candidate in fiber optics. Ozana says the project, which gave him an opportunity to experiment with advanced electro-optical equipment and development algorithms, “was one of the main reasons I decided to pursue graduate research. In fact, I now use a similar technique to detect bone fractures.”

future

Playwright George Bernard Shaw said that ״youth is wasted on the young.״ In the BIU School of Engineering – where 70% of the 30 faculty members are under the age of 45 – the opposite is true. The young faculty were drawn to the BIU School of Engineering in large part because of Prof. George Moschytz, its founding dean. Moschytz, was tapped by BIU because of his vast experience in both academia and industry.

Th new dean, Prof. Ephraim Zehavi, joined the School faculty in 2003, and has recently served as vice dean. His teaching, research, business experience and international reputation have attracted young academics to Bar-Ilan.

Faculty members are graduates of top universities (e.g., MIT, Stanford University). Many are internationally acclaimed, and have won prestigious awards and competitive grants. The academic ranks include many Israeli-born scientists brought back to Israel from top US institutions and companies, within the framework of the nation’s Returning Scientists Program.

Actively pursuing interdisciplinary research in chemistry, physics, biology, brain science and mathematics, many of the engineering faculty members are also members of the Bar-Ilan Institute of Nanotechnology and Applied Materials (BINA).

Faculty members partner with prestigious research institutions and hi-tech industry leaders, including Intel, GM, Samsung, Nice Systems, Microsoft, Cisco, Motorola, RAD, ECI, Tadiran and Agilent, with universities in the US and Europe (e.g., Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, ETH, Imperial College, Delft) as well as with various bodies involved in Israeli security.

A Young and Vibrant Faculty

achievements

Basic and Applied Research BIU engineering faculty members have already been awarded close to 100 patents. School faculty have pathblazed such innovations as a new encryption technique which impedes eavesdropping, an optical heartbeat monitor which, in 2011, was selected as one of “Israel’s top 45 greatest inventions of all time,” and a bionic eye which may one day enable people blind from birth to see.

From medicinal leeches which show us the mechanisms of neuronal growth in the nervous system to “hacker-proof” robust codes for reliable and secure communication channels, the engineering team members have demonstrated creativity, originality, and vision in the research agendas they have pursued. Among the highlights of their research:

Our Achievem

entsThe First D

ecade and Beyond

Academic TrainingThe School of Engineering is known for its dedicated, highly motivated and accomplished lecturers and forward-looking curriculum. It has grown consistently in size since its establishment, with some 365 BSc and 135 MA and PhD graduates pursuing their degrees under its auspices.

A Contact Lensthat Opens Up the WorldProf. Zeev Zalevsky, in collaboration withProf. Michael Belkin of Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, has developed a prototype contact lens that may enable the visually impaired to see the world around them. The revolutionary device, which is worn like a regular contact lens, processes digital images and translates them into tactile sensations which can then be felt on the cornea, allowing the user to form a picture of the physical surroundings. The system uses a smartphone or mounted camera to capture images that are then transformed into a form of electronic Braille. The lens, fitted with electrodes, stimulates the cornea to enable the perception of objects around the wearer. Preliminary clinical trials have been conducted and the lens is now set to undergo further testing.

“It’s like reading Braille, not with your fingertips but with your eyes.” Prof. Zeev Zalevsky

Prototype contact lens

Fine-Tuning Technology for Improved Hearing Aids For 35%-50% of seniors aged 65 and older who suffer from hearing loss, this frontier research offers promise for minimizing disturbing background noise and reverberations that impede the efficacy of their hearing aids.

Prof. Sharon Gannot develops and validates novel de-reverberation algorithms for binaural (two cooperating) hearing aids which can reduce undesired noise, resulting in a greater hearing capability and even, enhanced spatial impression.

Using Gold Nanoparticlesto Target Cancer CellsMimicking nature, molecularly targeted nanoparticles are revolutionizing cancer detection, diagnosis and therapy. Prof. Rachela Popovtzer’s novel research in molecular imaging has yielded exciting results. She has found that injecting a mouse with targeted gold nanoparticles sharply enhances tumors, offering a method that should significantly improve the ability to detect tumors in humans.

“Imagine if you could recharge your laptop just once a week, or your cell phone just once a month.” Prof. Alexander Fish

nanoparticles

Designing Energy-Efficient MicrochipsHow do you keep microprocessors running at high performance levels without burning them out, and cell phones, digital cameras, and bio-medical devices working without the constant need to recharge them? That’s the research focus of Prof. Alexander Fish (below, right) and Dr. Doron Naveh (below, left), who are designing energy-efficient chips that expend less energy. This is good news not only for computers, but also for portable battery-operated devices in which energy consumption determines the lifetime of a battery, or the time between recharges.

Communication We’ve all endured the frustration of the ever-present problems of reception with our mobile phones. Indeed, have you ever tried using your mobile phone at a mass rally or other crowded venue, only to find that there’s no reception? With the burgeoning numbers of cellular users, this scenario is becoming all too commonplace.

Prominent among researchers addressing this challenge are Dr. Anelia Somekh-Baruch and Dr. Yair Noam.

Somekh-Baruch analyzes futuristic communication systems, such as cognitive radio networks, which are able to sense their surroundings and adapt the transmission scheme to the noise that interferes with the signals being transmitted.

Noam explores how to enable multiple-antenna cognitive radios to coexist simultaneously in the same area and on the same frequency bands with other systems while causing minimal interference to each other. His research won an award in the Interdigital Innovation Challenge competition, which included 33 groups from top universities in the US and Canada.

Somekh-Baruch and Noam’s investigations contribute to an enhanced understanding of communication systems which can help in the design of reliable and efficient transmission strategies.

CyberTerror

“With a smart coding approach, we can guarantee that no cyber-attacker can initiate an offensive without being noticed.”Dr. Osnat Keren

Combatting Cyber-TerrorModern-day cyber-attacks threaten our computers, smart cards and other hardware devices. To combat these invasive threats, Dr. Osnat Keren uses mathematical models to design codes as well as hardware that ensure that all maliciously injected errors are detected before any damage is done. Together with colleagues in Israel and Boston University, Dr. Keren is working on a coding protocol that will reveal the presence of cyber-attackers who are of major concern for security agencies which wage battle with enemies in cyber-space, as well as for all electronic communications (internet, telephones, industry and banking systems, to name but a few) that are vital for a secure and reliable modern society.

More Intelligent

comm

unication

“There’s a special feeling of camaraderie, with students helping each other. In fact, I evenmet my wife Tzofia here.”Assaf Ben-Amram(pictured with Tzofia) MSc in electrical engineering

Collaborating with Industry and Research Institutions for Progress

cooperation

Despite its relatively young age, the School of Engineering has already established high-level cooperation with Israel’s defense establishment, cyber-technology firms, and many high-tech industry leaders such as GM, Samsung, Starkey, Microsoft, Cisco, Motorola, Intel, RAD, ECI, and Tadiran.

Important patents and technologies that were developed in the School have either been transferred to start-up companies, presented to such giants as Samsung, Sony, Google and others, stewarded through the pre-commercial stage by the Israeli Ministry of Industry and Commerce in order to mature relevant technologies, or combined with European Union research groups in order to promote joint R & D projects with European academic and industrial consortia.

“I love my studies at the Engineering School. The atmosphere is so positive, and that makes it easier to pursue the challenging curriculum.”Sari Ben DovBSc student inelectrical engineering

home

Pictured in the background are the Mina and Everard Goodman Computer Engineering Building, the Dr. Mordecai and Dr. Monique Katz Information Technology Building, the Aharon and Rachel Dahan Electronic Technology Building, and the Marc RichBio-Engineering Building

The School of Engineering is housed in a state-of-the-art Engineering complex on BIU’s North Campus. The complex comprises four individual but co-joined buildings covering over 80,000 sq. ft. (7,400 sq. m.) containing cutting-edge research and training facilities. In addition to the four large auditoriums, lecture halls and libraries, the complex has teaching, project, and research laboratories which are outfitted with sophisticated electronic equipment, such as high power lasers, a near-field scanning microscope, an atomic force microscope, a fluorescent microscope, spectrometers, and much more. These facilities are used mainly for electro-optics, bio-engineering and nano-electronics.

Among the key laboratories are the Very- Large-Scale Integration (VLSI) Design lab, Super Resolution and Imaging lab, Robotics lab, Speech Processing lab (the only one of its kind in Israel), Cryptology lab, Graphene Electronics lab, and the Single Cell Genomics lab.

The Engineering complex is surrounded by the Nathan Shapell Engineering Gardens, which include engineering and scientific motifs, such as the infinity system and the suspended plumb.

Our Home:Physical Facilities, Labs, Equipment

Since its first graduating class in 2005, the School has produced hundreds of highly-qualified engineers who figure prominently in Israeli high-tech industry as well as in start-ups and the defense establishment.

SuccessfulAlumni

“I was very pleased with the personal attention and the dedicated academic and administrative staff at the BIU School of Engineering. Learning in such a supportive environment motivated all of us to achieve. At Intel, I’m expected to constantly find new technologies, assess and assimilate them in my group, while developing the next line of experts and leaders. I use the knowledge and know-how gained at the School when trying to develop a new idea or teach others.”

“My studies at the BIU School of Engineering provided me with the knowledge and tools to be able to handle the challenges I face in the dynamic field of software development. In my current position I lead a team in charge of developing a portfolio of Human Capital Management (HCM) software. We work with cutting-edge technologies developing high-end web services for clients using smartphone and tablet devices.”

“The School faculty is very supportive and the learning environment is fertile and cohesive, empowering us to achieve and excel.” Neta ZilonyPhD candidate in bioengineering

Amir Avni, Development Team LeaderSynerion Systems Ltd. BSc Computer Engineering, 2009

Neriya Bar-levav, Tech Lead, Intel IsraelClient Microprocessors GroupBSc Computer Engineering, 2005(1st graduating class)successful

BIU’s Schoolof Engineering:A Partner in Israel’s High-Tech FutureThe BIU School of Engineering is clearly on the map, training and qualifying the next generation of high-tech innovators and leaders who can fuel dramatic growth throughout the nation.

In defense and security, telecommunications, optics, the pharmaceutical industry, and biomedical start-ups, the School is making a clear and resonating impact as it spearheads novel devices and technologies to improve the world around us.

tomorrowA partner in Israel’shigh-tech future,

the School is energizing engineering in the State of Israel.

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The Bar-Ilan University School of Engineering

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Bar-Ilan University School of Engineering Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel Telephone: 972-3-5317733 Fax: 972-3-7384051 http://engineering.biu.ac.il/en

Produced by the Division of External RelationsBar-Ilan University