Zuckerman “Esprit de Corps”

Thirty Zuckerman Postdoc scholars welcomed a long-awaited opportunity to meet in person for a day-long exploration of Jerusalem’s academia, technology, history, and of art.
The day began with a briefing on Israeli innovation and technology at the Jerusalem hub of Start-Up Nation Central, where they learned how entrepreneurs, industry, and academia work together to bring Israel’s innovative solutions to solve some of the world’s most difficult challenges.
At the Harel Lab, Zuckerman Faculty Scholar Itamar Harel presented a fascinating look at his research on aging and age-related diseases. He explained why the African turquoise killifish makes an ideal specimen for study, since its life cycle resembles that of humans, and lasts just four months from birth to death.
Zuckerman Faculty Scholar Yaron Bromberg explained how his Complex Photonics Lab studies the fundamental properties of light to gain a better understanding of its many applications for imaging, microscopy, communications, and lasers.
The scholars enjoyed a special visit to the Albert Einstein Archives of the Hebrew University with Hanoch Gutfreund, Director of the Einstein Center, and a former president of the university. As a founding member of the university, Einstein gave the inaugural scientific lecture in 1923 on the Mount Scopus campus and maintained a strong connection to the university throughout his life. He bequeathed his personal library to the university after his death.
The scholars got a taste of spring and the augmented reality at the Botanical Gardens’ exhibition, Seeing the Invisible, followed by a moving visit to the newly-opened Western Wall Heritage Center, its excavations and the Western Wall tunnels.