| | 19 June, 2011
| | Hebrew U. honorary doctorate recipients include Sir James Wolfensohn, German Minister of Education, 2 Nobel laureates | |
 | | Minister of Education & Research of the Federal Republic of Germany, Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan, will receive an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew University today. |
|
Former president of the World Bank, Sir James D. Wolfensohn; German Minister of Education and Research, Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan; and two Nobel Prize laureates will be among ten distinguished figures to receive honorary doctor of philosophy degrees today, Sunday, June 19, at the opening session of the 74th meeting of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Board of Governors.
Sir James D. Wolfensohn KBE, AO
Former president of the World Bank and special envoy for the Quartet on the Middle East, Sir James Wolfensohn, is a highly respected figure in the worlds of finance, world development and diplomacy. During his two terms at the World Bank, he spearheaded a landmark change in approach that focused on human development, ensuring debt relief for the world’s poorest countries. Awarded an honorary knighthood for his contribution to the arts in 1995, Wolfensohn has been decorated by more than ten governments. At the Hebrew University, he established student scholarships in honor of his late father, Hyman Wolfensohn. In 2011, he was awarded the Truman Peace Prize by the University’s Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace.
Minister Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan
The Minister of Education & Research of the Federal Republic of Germany, Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan has been active in education and politics for over thirty years. After serving as Minister of Education, Youth and Sport of the Sate of Baden-Wurttemberg, she was elected to the German Bundestag for the Christian Democratic Union. While in office, Minister Schavan has been the driving force behind Germany's progress in education, research and science, and has created a virtual revolution by redefining scholarships as investment incentives – thereby expanding student financing. In addition, she created the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Professorship for outstanding international scientists. A great friend of Israel, Minister Schavan has pursued and cultivated cooperation between Germany and Israel through numerous endeavors, in particular the 2008 German-Israeli Year of Science and Technology, the Hebrew University's Center for German Studies and the Martin Buber Society of Fellows in the Humanities.
Trevor Pears CMG
A respected philanthropist and business leader, Trevor Pears has devoted his time, energy and resources to furthering the values of social justice and responsibility through academic, social and civic programs in Britain, Israel and the developing world. The executive chair of the Pears Foundation, he has given substantial support to the Hebrew University's international graduate programs in public health and agriculture. The Pears Scholars Program enables students from Africa and Asia to attend the University’s world-class international graduate programs in public health and agriculture. In Britain, the Foundation has made influential contributions to educational programs that include Shared Futures, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, and the Jewish Social Action Hub (JHub). The Foundation has established the Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism at the University of London, as well as a nationwide Holocaust education training program at the Institute of Education, and posts in Israel studies at four British universities. In Israel, the Pears Foundation has helped to address societal disparities through support for organizations that promote equal opportunities for Israel’s Arab citizens.
Frances R. Katz
Frances Katz is a devoted friend of the Hebrew University and prominent leader of its American Friends association. For over forty years, she has given unstintingly of her time, energy and efforts to the University’s advancement. Katz is a governor and benefactor of the Hebrew University who serves on the national board and on the New York regional board of its American Friends association. She is a key supporter of the Frances R. Katz Training Center for Social Work Practice in the Context of the Law, the recently inaugurated Aharon Barak Center for Interdisciplinary Legal Research and the Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz Chair in Corporate Law. She has afforded many young Israelis a university education through her support of student scholarships at the Hebrew University, and she is a staunch advocate of the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace. She was named an honorary fellow of the Hebrew University in 2002.
Prof. Dr. Alfred Haverkamp
A foremost scholar of medieval Europe, Alfred Haverkamp has redefined the historiography of the Jews in Europe between the 9th and 17th centuries and, in so doing, has transformed Jewish history into an integral part of German and European history. In 1974, he embarked on the revival of the Germania Judaica III, a historical-geographical encyclopedia, in cooperation with the Hebrew University, and in 1977 he convened the first conference on the history of Jews in medieval Germany at the University of Trier. He went on to establish the Arye Maimon Institute for the History of the Jews at the University of Trier, which he continues to direct.
Prof. Dr. Regine Kahmann
Distinguished molecular biologist, Regine Kahmann, is internationally renowned for her groundbreaking genetic studies of plant pathogens and plant-fungal interactions which have forged new paths in phytopathology and led to innovative approaches for curbing plant diseases. She is a steadfast friend of the Hebrew University, who has offered much wise counsel and support, most notably to the Otto Warburg Minerva Center for Agricultural Biotechnology at the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, where she has served on its advisory board since 2002. She is the director and head of the Department of Organismic Interactions at the Max Planck Institute in Marburg and a professor of genetics at Ludwigs-Maximilians University and Philipps University Marburg.
Prof. Bertil Andersson
Bertil Andersson is the provost and president-designate of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and a former rector of Linköping University in Sweden. A world-renowned plant biochemist, Prof. Andersson has made exceptional contributions to the understanding of processes involved in photosynthesis and provided important insights into the function of biological membranes. He has authored over 300 scientific papers focusing on photosynthesis, biological membranes, protein and membrane purification, and the processes associated with light stress in plants. He has served as chief executive officer of the European Science Foundation and has served on the Nobel Foundation. His close ties with the Hebrew University date back almost twenty years, during which time he has hosted exchange students and conducted joint research. He has continued to promote Israeli science, including the recent memorandum of understanding and joint doctoral program with the Hebrew University.
Prof. Harald zur Hausen
Nobel laureate Harald zur Hausen is an outstanding scientist who has revolutionized scientific understanding of the causes of cervical cancer and whose work has directly led to the development of a vaccine offering millions of women protection against this devastating disease. A devoted and supportive friend of Israel’s scientific community, he has promoted a wide range of joint German-Israel projects, including many at the Hebrew University. Since 2006, the first-ever cancer vaccine which was developed as a result of his work has been administered worldwide to about half a million young women each year, offering them protection from the viruses causing the vast majority of cervical cancers. Harald zur Hausen, professor emeritus and the former chairman and scientific director of the German Cancer Research Center, was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He is an ardent supporter of German-Israeli collaboration in cancer research, playing a crucial role in the creation of the DKFZ-MOST program which has provided funding for nearly 150 joint projects, many of them carried out by Hebrew University scientists.
Prof. Ada Yonath
Nobel laureate, Prof. Ada Yonath, is an outstanding scholar and scientist in the field of structural biology. She is best known for her pioneering work on the structure of the ribosome. In 2009, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her unique contribution to the understanding of how proteins build live cells – becoming the first woman in 45 years to win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. She is a professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science, and sits on the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Prof. Yonath is the first Israeli biologist to have her research sent into space on a NASA space shuttle, and over the years has worked with a dozen expeditions into space.
Dr. Dan Almagor
Dr. Dan Almagor is a prolific Israeli playwright, who has changed the face of the Israeli stage. He has adapted and translated over a hundred plays for the Hebrew stage, including Shakespeare's ''The Comedy of Errors'', ''Fiddler on the Roof,'' ''The King and I,'' ''My Fair Lady'' and ''Guys and Dolls''. He has written numerous songs and humorous and satirical articles and research, as well as presenting Israeli television programs.
During the ceremony, the Bublick and Rothberg Prizes will also be awarded. This year's recipients are Ilan Chet and Ambassador Ali Yahya, respectively. 352 students will also receive their Ph.D.s at the convocation ceremony.
The convocation will take place between 5.30 p.m. – 7.15 p.m. on Sunday, June 19.
|
Downloadable File: HonDocs2011.doc |
|
