The first eight grants for applied science projects at the Hebrew University through the newly established Robert Szold Center of Applied Science were announced here tonight at a dinner in honor of Robert Szold, a New York attorney and philanthropist. The dinner, which was attended by more than 300, was held under the auspices of the American Friends of the Hebrew University.
The grants are all concerned with the development of new products. Five of them deal with pharmaceutical items ranging from a new aspirin-type compound to certain steroid esters which, it is hoped, will have a significant effect in the treatment of arteriosclerosis. Grants were also announced for work on the production of artificial gem stones, specifically blue and white star sapphires; the development of a new catalyst for polyurethane, a synthetic sponge material with industrial application; and the study of a new process for the production of bromine, one of Israel’s major exportable materials.
The announcement of these initial grants was made by Sidney Musher, a New York industrialist chemist, who was chairman of the dinner. Mr. Musher also revealed that $560, 000 of the Center’s $1, 000, 000 goal has been collected.
The principal speakers at the event were Dr. Charles H. Townes, Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Nobel Prize Laureate in physics, who visited Israel recently; Dr. Ernest D. Bergmann, professor of organic chemistry at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and former chairman of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission; and Prof. Nathan Rotenstreich, rector of the Hebrew University, who is now visiting here.
Nathaniel L. Goldstein, president of the American Friends of the Hebrew University, presented a plaque to Mr. and Mrs. Szold “in warm appreciation of their pioneering and visionary contributions in the creation and development of the State of Israel and with gratitude for their leadership and generosity in the establishment of the Robert Szold Center of Applied Science. ” Mr. Goldstein also presented Mr. Szold with a check for $1, 000, provided by the Solomon Bublick Award which had been granted to Mr. Szold in Jerusalem earlier this year.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
