Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering Dedicated at BGU
Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering Dedicated at BGU
June 10, 2011
Medical Research, Press Releases
The Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering was dedicated on Sunday, June 5th at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in the presence of senior University administration, faculty, students, supporters of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Americans for Ben-Gurion University), and members of the Goldstein-Goren family, including: Alexander M. Goren, president of Americans for Ben-Gurion University; Viviana Goren Khazzam, president of the Cukier, Goldstein-Goren Foundation; Micaela Goren Monti; James Goren; and representatives of the younger generations.
Speaking at the ceremony, University President Prof. Rivka Carmi noted that members of the Goldstein-Goren family have been visionary benefactors of the University, generously enabling education and research through the donation of the Cukier, Goldstein-Goren Building for Humanities and Social Sciences; the Goldstein-Goren Department of Jewish Thought and Goldstein-Goren International Center for Jewish Thought; the Cukier, Goldstein-Goren Scholarship Endowment Fund; and now the Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering.
“Your family has been part of the BGU family almost since its creation,” she said. “Your father’s commitment to Israel and the Negev was unwavering. It has been my privilege to know you all and see how you are memorializing your parents’ legacy with the naming of this department. You’ve made a wonderful investment in a young and promising department that you can rely on to grow and deliver. I’m sure you’ll be proud,” she added.
Rector Prof. Zvi Hacohen noted that the Goldstein-Goren family, “recognized us when we were nothing. There are not enough words to express our thanks for recognizing our potential.”
The Goldstein-Gorens were among the first donors to BGU in the early 70s. Alexander Goren explained how the department was the perfect way to honor both of his parents’ personalities. “My father would have liked that it is a department of young Jewish scientists and a platform for international prominence. My mother would have liked that it is forward-looking,” he said.
The Department Chair Prof. Razi Vagu and the former chair Prof. Smadar Cohen lauded the department’s exceptional researchers and students. “We are the youngest such department in Israel,” explained Cohen, “but many of our graduates are already holding faculty positions at other universities.” Cohen, whose algae-biomaterial is already in clinical trials in the United States for therapeutic treatment of cardiac patients, added, “This is really one of the new frontiers of science.”
At the ceremony, members of the family received scrolls that read: “May this department provide a fitting environment for students, teachers and researchers as they seek to extend the boundaries of knowledge, giving impetus to progress in the cutting-edge field of biotechnology engineering, thereby improving the human condition and contributing to enhanced quality of life.”
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
For all press inquiries, please contact:
James Fattal, J Cubed Communications
516.289.1496
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