| From the President |
A prominent European scientist who recently visited Technion asked me the following question over lunch: “President Lavie, can you explain to me how the Technion has been so successful not only in theoretical research but also in developing innovative technologies that could be immediately implemented, while most universities find it difficult to excel even in one type of research?”
  Prof. Peretz Lavie
Indeed, a simple dichotomy between pure (or basic) and applied science fails to capture the way science is often done. The two terms are not opposites. The fact that research can be applied does not mean that it is not also basic. It’s important to remember where the creation of new technology begins. It’s in a place which cannot be seen or touched. In a place where there is no agenda, just pure curiosity... curiosity about how things work.
Pasteur conducted a basic research that was derived from his desire to solve a scientific mystery that would also have important practical issues. Watson and Crick’s discovery of the structure of DNA and Hershko and Ciechanover’s discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation, both resulted from their passionate pursuit of solutions to scientific puzzles, but years later have led to the cure of diseases and development of new treatments.
Technion, I told our guest, is a unique place. Because at Technion, we find basic science operating in a beautiful chain with all processes of application. It is a powerhouse of innovation. For every step made in basic research, hundreds of possibilities are opened in the realm of application.
When you think Technion, think pure, think applied, and above all, think progress. |
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From the President