he prizes were awarded to Future Scientists Center students in the following categories:

Physics

Inbar Tannenbaum, an Alpha Program student at Ben Gurion University of the Negev for Youth won an award in the Physics category for her work on the subject of: Investigating the Factors Influencing the Existence of Nuclear Fusion According to the Inertial Containment Approach and the Estimation of the Quantity of Laser Energy That Must Be Invested as a Result of Medial Variation. Advisor: Prof. Dov Schwartz, Nuclear Research Center and the Atomic Energy Committee. 

Our world currently faces a critical challenge: global energy consumption stands to triple by the year 2050, while non-renewable energy sources will be depleted. As such, we must find nonperishable energy sources capable of generating high energy yields. One of the possible solutions is the fusion of inertial containment. This approach is expected to yield high levels of energy, but has yet to be realized. The energetic mechanisms that decrease and increase the quantity of energy of a given system are known, but have also yet to be realized when attempting to create fusion on an acceleration line stemming from them. In this study, we examine various system factors in order to define minimal conditions necessary for achieving nuclear fusion in reality. The more we increase the system’s factors of uncertainty, the more we will need to invest more energy (for energy-depleting mechanisms) or less energy (for energy enhancing mechanisms) within the system, considering realistic Riley Taylor uncertainty, capsule core failure, the alpha radiation particle escape effect, and system gas pollution, we will need to invest 2.56-10.24 times more energy in order to reach minimal ignition conditions.

Philosophy

Naama Sheinbaum, an Idea Program student at Tel Aviv University for Youth won an award in the Philosophy category for her work on the subject of: The Perception of Beauty According to Apollo. Advisor: Amir Yaritzky. Group Advisor: Yael Gazith. 

Naama’s work examines those very big ideas in a slightly different way - more intuitively and experientially. She looks at the magical, unique secret dialogues of Apollo. Philosophy, a “love for knowledge,” as true love. As such, her work is a true labor of love, demonstrating how one must always look at the beauty in things, become excited from it to one’s deepest core and always follow one’s instincts.

As early as during the pre-Socratic period, ideas about the nature of beauty and truth began to emerge; ideas of great importance and everlasting significance within aesthetic dialogues. One of the standout scholars dealing in these questions was, without a doubt, Apollo. One of the subjects he dabbled with was the question of “what is beauty?” which is often involved in discussions surrounding love and as a means towards uncovering the truth. 

The study seeks to point out how unique Apollo was as a scholar who linked the need for discussing beauty with discussions on love, as part of insightful research. This, unlike routine philosophical responses to similar questions, which, instead, are mostly based on the assumption that there is a distinct difference between the concepts of truth and beauty, as the first is ostensibly founded in insightful consideration alone, while the second is identified with irrational perspectives of the soul.

Biology

Eitan Yehuda, an Alpha Program at Tel Aviv University for Youth won the prize for his work in the field of biology on the subject of: The Use of Mononuclear Antibodies for the Purpose of Identifying Antigens Linked to Carbohydrate Growth. The study was held in Dr. Vered Fedler Karavani’s laboratory, under the tutelage of Ron Emun. Group advisor - Dr. Yair Pozanik.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world and requires the development of creative solutions, such as immunotherapy: The upgrading and enhancing of the body’s natural immune system in its fight against cancer. This field includes the development of cellular solution, genetic engineering and the enhancing of antibodies. Immunotherapy is a significant breakthrough with respect to treating this disease. The goal of this research project was to attribute antibodies capable of identifying unique sugary antigens for SLEa growth cells.

We examined two antibodies: an antibody known to be able to successfully identify the antigen, and an antibody that has experienced spontaneous mutations. Our hypothesis was that the mutant antibody would link to the antigen better than the זן-בר antibody. Our research included the creation of the antigens on a cellular level, the examination of various concentrations and ELISA connection testing. We found that the mutant antibody indeed linked with the antigen significantly better than the זן-בר antibody, and did not link to other antigens, evidencing that it preserves high levels of specificity. The mutant antibody holds potential for treating intestinal and pancreatic cancer, as they express high levels of SLEa.

Chemistry

Mordechai Sambol, an Alpha Program student at Tel Aviv University for Youth won an award in the Chemistry category for his work on the subject of: Improving the PM-LR Technique for Measuring Distances Between Atoms. The study was held in Professor Amir Goldbert’s laboratory, under the tutelage of Maria Macrinitz and Dr. Daniel Madar, the group’s advisor.

The study of atoms contributes to nearly every scientific branch and the attribution of molecule structures is fundamental to the resolution of a wide variety of dilemmas in fields such as chemistry, material engineering and biology. It also contributes to the development of precise and effective techniques for the attribution of molecule structures. PM-LR (Phase Modulated LA-REDOR) measurement of distances between atoms is extremely important (Goldbourt, A., 2014). This is a strong, precise technique for measuring the distances between atomic nuclei with a ½ spin (spin is a magnetic property measured by doubling halves) and atomic nuclei with a spin that is larger than ½. This approach includes the transfer of a series of pulses to one of the nuclei in order to obtain its nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). By comparing the signal received when there is a dipolar interaction between both nuclei, as well as when they are disconnected during experiments of varying lengths, one can discern the distance between the two nuclei (Nimerovsky, E., 2014). One can only use this approach when the difference between the two nuclei’s frequencies is large, due to its reliance on the use of two transmissions. That being said, this approach has an advantage over other techniques, such as crystallography, as the material being measured does not need to be soluble or crystal in form.