Creating the Future 2019
1,500 students and alumni creating the future together
On April 11, 2019, we gathered together – students and alumni from all the Future Scientists Center programs and institutions across Israel – for an exciting, empowering day of inspiration and content, experience and learning. The congress included outstanding encounters with groundbreaking researchers and lecturers, entrepreneurs and makers, inventors from the fields of science and technology, music makers and designers.
Greetings and guests of honor:
The Lectures
Prof. Dan Ariely appears on the stage with an exciting, thought-provoking lecture, “It’s worth it! It’s all about motivation.”
It is commonly assumed that motivation is a rather simple matter: we want things or need them, and we work to obtain those things. Based on this assumption, we behave like mice in a maze, only instead of food, we receive money. Is it possible that the way in which we think motivation works is totally wrong?
Prof. Ariely explained about motivation and lack of awareness, and took us on a journey, one that bridges the gap between what we think and what takes place in reality. From the boardroom to the family dining table, Prof. Ariely examined and explained what motivation is, how it works, and how its understanding can improve our lives.
Prof. Dan Ariely is a world-renowned expert in behavioral economics, and one of the founders of the Israeli company, Kayma, which brings insights from the world of behavioral economics to the various government departments. Prof. Ariely is a serial entrepreneur, involved in numerous startups. His books have become bestsellers and have been translated into dozens of languages, and his TED lectures have garnered millions of views.
Ascola Alumni Lecture!
With more than a touch of emotion, in front of an enormous crowd and alongside experienced moderators and researchers, among the best in Israel – Asad, Salha, Ofir, Uri, Maxim, Yotam and Stav, members of the Future Scientists Center’s Ascola alumni network, opened all the congress’s sessions. Each of them lectured in the area that they had researched, presented inspirational content, and earned extensive praise. The lectures will appear on the Future Scientists website.
Uri Shem Or
The Silicon Giants: On the Progress of Chess Programs from Calculation to Thinking.
Uri is a graduate of the Odyssey program and a member of the Ascola network, who is in his first year of an M.Sc. program in Physics at Tel Aviv University. In his free time he plays chess and watches YouTube.
Maxim Tolchin
The Cube: The Secret Behind D&D
Maxim is a graduate of the Alpha program and a member of the Ascola network, who carried out research into the development of production methods for biofuels and is currently involved in managing and running roleplaying games. In his free time he paints, and is trying to set up a YouTube channel.
Asad Saliman
It’s Not You, It’s Me: On Vision Neurons, their Role and How they Allow us to Understand the World.
Asad (18), from the village of Mashhad in the north of Israel, is a graduate of the Alpha program and a member of the Ascola network. In the past he was involved in research in the field of neuroscience and psychology, and he currently works at a study center for the psychometric examination. Asad is a fan of the history of science.
Yotam Barak
From Here to There, and All over the World: The Story of the Shipping Container and its Influence on the World
Yotam (24) is a graduate of the Odyssey program and a member of the Ascola network. He serves as a sailor in the Israel Navy, enjoys travel, trains in the martial arts, and has just taken up kitesurfing.
Salha Alian
Parallel Universes in Quantum Theory
Salha (19), from Shafaram, is a graduate of the Alpha program and a member of the Ascola network. She is currently carrying out voluntary national service with an association working with the elderly; she has graduated a course in home-styling, and occasionally works in that field.
Stav Levy
One Second before Running from the “Sphere”
Stav is a graduate of the Alpha program and a member of the Ascola network. She is currently completing a year of service in Kibbutz Jezreel, under the auspices of the Kibbutz Movement. In her spare time she is involved in sport, cooking and learning new fields.
Stav Levy
One Second before Running from the “Sphere”
Stav is a graduate of the Alpha program and a member of the Ascola network. She is currently completing a year of service in Kibbutz Jezreel, under the auspices of the Kibbutz Movement. In her spare time she is involved in sport, cooking and learning new fields.
Stav Levy
One Second before Running from the “Sphere”
Stav is a graduate of the Alpha program and a member of the Ascola network. She is currently completing a year of service in Kibbutz Jezreel, under the auspices of the Kibbutz Movement. In her spare time she is involved in sport, cooking and learning new fields.
Stav Levy
One Second before Running from the “Sphere”
Stav is a graduate of the Alpha program and a member of the Ascola network. She is currently completing a year of service in Kibbutz Jezreel, under the auspices of the Kibbutz Movement. In her spare time she is involved in sport, cooking and learning new fields.
Guest Lecturers
Dr. Kira Radinsky
Her lecture: The Journey Toward Predicting the Future
The world in which we are living is facing challenges which are only becoming increasingly complex. The climate, for example, has gone out of balance, and we have not yet conquered all diseases. But one thing is clear: we need to fix the world, and this has to be within our own generation. In order to put together a working plan, we need to see the overall picture, and provide decision makers with tools to make the necessary changes.
Dr. Kira Radinsky holds a doctorate in data science, and is chief scientific officer for eBay Israel, which is involved in constructing the next generation of predictive data mining, deep learning and solutions for natural language processing, which will change the face of internet commerce. Dr. Radinsky was a partner in the establishment of Salespredict (purchased by eBay in 2016), which assists companies in predicting their internet sales.
Previously, as part of her work with Microsoft’s research department, Dr. Radinsky received international recognition for the development of predictive algorithms that identify the warning signs before critical world events, such as political riots and plagues. Dr. Radinsky is also a guest lecturer at the Technion, where she focuses on the application of predictive data mining to the field of medicine.
Prof. Karine Nahon, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya
Her lecture: Social Networks and Challenges to Democracy
The internet and social networks are filled with power struggles that have been taking place with greater intensity over the past 20 years. The struggle over the control of the flow of information and over the structure of online space generally takes place far from the eyes of the public, but its aim is to change the behavior of users, to influence their preferences, and to set an agenda that is favorable to certain stakeholders.
In what way do these power struggles challenge democratic regimes? What is the role of the mediating platforms in the process, and how can the virality of information shuffle the deck and change these power dynamics?
Professor Karine Nahon is an information scientist, lecturer and social activist in the field of the politics of information. She investigates various questions related to the power struggles that take place on social networks and on their influence on politics.
She was chosen by The Marker as one of the 100 most influential people in Israel, and by Forbes as one of the 50 most influential women in Israel. Professor Nahon serves as president of the Israel Internet Association and as a staff member at the Schools of Government and Communications at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. Her book, Going Viral, which examined the influence of virality of information on society, won her the Best Information Science Book Award by the Association for Information Science and Technology, and the Outstanding Academic Title Award by the American Library Association.
Professor Yoav Shoham, Professor (Emeritus) of Computer Science, Stanford University
His lecture: Can a Computer Think? Feel? Express Free Will?
Much has been written on the subject of Artificial Intelligence (AI) today, and this is because this technology touches on all aspects of our lives, from assisting in early and more accurate detection of cancer, through to finding the most appropriate photograph for a bar-mitzvah album, out of tens of thousands of photographs, and more.
In his lecture, Professor Shoham surveyed the development of artificial intelligence from its earliest days to the present, touching also on predictions for the technology in the near future, but particularly for the distant future: can a computer – in principle, in another 200 years, or 2000 years – be creative? Can it feel? Can it have free will? The conclusion: no one knows for certain, but the questions are no less fascinating than the answers.
Professor Yoav Shoham is one of the world’s most experienced and respected researchers in the field of artificial intelligence. He was the founder of a number of AI companies, among them TradingDynamics (sold to Ariba), Timeful (sold to Google) and AI21 Labs. In addition, he is a joint founder of WeCode, a program for teaching programming to the disadvantaged, run at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. In 2016 Professor Shoham initiated the AI Index, which was launched at the end of 2017.
Assaf Talmudi – Composer, Music Producer and Researcher
His Lecture: How do sounds stick to their opinions? Adventures in the technology of music
Music is a clearly human phenomenon. It doesn’t exist in nature, only in the desires and behaviors of people. In the 21st century there are robots and smart computers that can play chess and operate on people, solving real world problems and functioning, at times, like human beings. In the music industry, too, more and more tasks are being performed by computers. Researchers at universities and at commercial concerns, for example, are developing sophisticated algorithms that simulate musical intelligence. But can they replace human musicians? What would music created by machines sound like to people? The lecture gave the audience a look at the forefront of research into music in the age of learning machines.
Assaf Talmudi has produced albums for Shlomi Shaban, Shai Tzabari, Rona Keinan, Noam Rotem, Efrat Ben Zur, Ehud Banai, Barry Saharof, and Shuli Rand. He studied at the Thelma Yellin High School, served at Galei Zahal, and studied at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and at Bar-Ilan University. Talmudi lectures at institutions such as Shenkar College, the University of Haifa, Musrara in Jerusalem, and Bezalel. Today Assaf Talmudi works for Imperson, which is developing artificial intelligence technology for the entertainment market.
Adi Ninio Greenberg – Space Researcher and Professional Counselor, Tel Aviv University
On the Way to Mars, you Stop at the Moon
America is going back to the moon, and has identified mankind’s next goal: to put a man on Mars. How have the past 50 years influenced the journey from Earth to Mars? Is mankind on the way to settling across the solar system? What are the challenges that stand in its way, and when will all this be possible? On mankind’s journey on the way to settlement throughout the solar system and on the challenges expected to be faced by the first men to set foot on the planet Mars.
Adi Ninio Greenberg is a space researcher in the Cometary Research Laboratory at Tel Aviv University. She holds the rank of Major (Res.), and was previously head of the Space and Satellite Technologies Section, and the Technological Innovation Section, in the Israel Air Force. She is the founder of Allspace IL for technological innovation in the space industry, and leads projects for excellence among students and adolescents, to encourage the choice of STEM subjects. She serves as a professional advisor to the Israel Space Agency, the Ramon Foundation, and other organizations.
What else?
Eco System
This year, Future Scientists students and alumni were able to take part in an giant entrepreneurship space, where they were able to meet informally with entrepreneurs and directors of leading companies and startups around a single table. The discussions were in-depth and full of content and practices/ the participants learned about the entrepreneurs’ dilemmas, challenges and breakthroughs. Among the companies hosting the meetings: SparkBeyond, DreaMed Diabetes, SpacePharma, MOV.AI, and more
הפוך על הפוך
דקל בנו, חידונאי ויוצר תשבצי היגיון, עם סדנה מלהיבה במיוחד ומעוררת מחשבה.
מצלמדע
מדע פוגש מצלמה - סדנה חוויתית עם אורן פרבר.
הספרים המוזרים ביותר בעולם
דורון פישלר, האיש מאחורי הפודקאסט המצליח "התשובה", מרצה ומבקר קולנוע ישראלי. דורון הגיע להרצות לנו על ספרים יוצאי דופן, ויצר כהרגלו אווירה מסקרנת ומלהיבה במיוחד.
החומרים מהם אנו עשויים
האמן והמאייר הישראלי המוערך חנוך פיבן, עם סדנה יצירתית במיוחד הבוחנת את הקשר בין חומרים, צורות ותחושות.
