Israel Active

18-year-old Raz Dvora won the top prize at the International Mathematics Competition for University Students, just weeks after graduating high school. He had simultaneously been studying undergraduate mathematics at the Open University of Israel’s Academia in High School program.

As planned (see previously) for the first time in the world, desalinated seawater is being pumped into a freshwater lake, as Israel transfers Mediterranean water into the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret). The “Reverse Carrier” initiative will keep the level of the Kinneret above the “Red line”.

A team of Ben Gurion University Professors and students has won an Ig Nobel – the international science prize for making people laugh and then think. They published a study to reveal what happens to bats when they get drunk. They won ten trillion Zimbabwe dollars (60 cents in 2008).

Israel’s Commcrete has developed a  suite of ultra-compact satellite communication systems (Flipper, Stardust & Bittel) to work without clear sky access or heavy antennas, enabling secure voice, text, data, and location-sharing globally, in any environment or weather.  

Israel’s SCIO has launched its handheld Cheese Analyzer (see previously). No need to prepare the sample, the portable near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy device provides fast, accurate, and non-destructive analysis of fat, moisture, and protein content in all types of cheese and curd in under 10 seconds.

Israel’s Novella Innovative Technology has used its AuraCell platform to develop Novella Strawberry, a patent-pending, new generation of bio-actives derived from whole strawberry cells. Novella bypasses the need to grow the whole plant, saving time, cost, waste and the environment.

Israel’s Meala FoodTech (see previously) has unveiled Groundbaker, a single-ingredient pea protein that replicates eggs’ multi-functional performance in baked goods. It enables food manufacturers to reduce costs, decrease reliance on eggs (due to avian flu), and simplify formulations.

An Israeli university study has revealed that corals in the Gulf of Eilat have survived four consecutive and intensifying marine heatwaves without experiencing mass bleaching. These include the world’s most extreme event in 2024 - a resilience unmatched anywhere else on the planet.

Israel Sci-Tech Schools has inaugurated a new ultra-Orthodox hesder yeshiva, thanks to Chedvata (see previously). Netanya’s Hermelin College combines Torah study with academic excellence in practical engineering tracks. There are now four Chedvata yeshivot.

Israel’s Technion is helping Israel's - and the world's - dwindling bee populations thrive. From AI-monitored hives to robotic honeybees, Israel's brightest minds are ensuring that Jewish tradition and nature's sweetness endure for generations.