Professors Rapp, Vigodner and Prodan Secure More than $1 Million in Competitive Research Grants

Three Yeshiva University professors—Dr. Margarita Vigodner, Dr. Chaya Rapp and Dr. Emil Prodan—have been awarded major federal grants to pursue cutting-edge research at Stern College for Women. Collectively, they will bring more than $1.2 million in grant support to the college over the next three to five years.

Dr. Margarita Vigodner

“The accomplishments of these faculty members are particularly remarkable in these uncertain times when U.S. science agencies are targeted for budget cuts,” said Dr. Anatoly Frenkel, chair of the division of natural sciences and mathematics at YU. “It is also noteworthy that these recent awards went to our undergraduate faculty, who were competing with colleagues from much larger groups that included graduate students and postdocs. By winning these awards, Professors Rapp, Vigodner and Prodan are helping other YU science faculty by raising YU’s name recognition with science agencies.”

A Diverse Range of Fields

Vigodner’s grant, a $500,000 Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) R15 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will facilitate laboratory studies of the process of sperm formation. The R15 program awards medical research grants to universities and colleges and is intended to provide students with research experience.

According to Vigodner, that process is crucial for the achievement of normal male fertility and the prevention of birth defects. The studies will focus on the role novel proteins (known as SUMO) play in the process. “Our studies will lead to a better understanding of possible causes of previously unexplained cases of male infertility and the development of novel safe contraceptives,” she said.

Dr. Chaya Rapp

Rapp’s grant, also an R15, allots $250,000 to support research in the field of computational chemistry, with a particular focus on the molecular mechanisms of disease. “We model small molecular changes on the computer and ask, ‘What is the connection between these structural changes and downstream physiological effects?’” said Rapp. Some of these effects include whether an HIV virus is allowed to enter a cell or whether cancer will spread.

Prodan was granted $425,000 to study the developing field of topological insulators, a new class of materials that may be useful in future technologies such as electronics, computers and clean energy generation, under the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program. This marks Prodan’s second NSF grant in two months. His first, awarded in July, focuses on problems in quantum physics that have the potential to significantly impact the fields of nanoscience, solar cells and energy conversion and storage.

Dr. Emil Prodan

Hands-On Experience for Students

For all three professors, student involvement will be a key component of their work. Rapp and Vigodner’s grants both support three years of summer fellowships for undergraduate students, with student-professor research collaboration throughout the year. In addition, Prodan’s grant includes scholarships for three undergraduate students for five years and features a series of workshops called “Condensed Matter Blackboard Lectures,” which will convene accomplished scientists and students to share research and ideas. “Students will see that there are no experts,” Prodan said. “Some of us are older and some are younger, but we are all still learning.”

Zeeva Levine, a Stern College junior majoring in the physical sciences who conducts research with Rapp, felt the sense of excitement and discovery among Stern science faculty added to her passion for the field. “Seeing that our professors are so dedicated really nurtures my own love of science,” said Levine, who hopes to be a chemical engineer. “I feel like I’ve gained a lot by working with Dr. Rapp. It’s so important to understand how the research world works, and now that I’ve done this I feel I can go on to do research in other areas even more closely related to my field of study.”

“The robust research agendas of our faculty contribute daily to the superb education of our science students,” said Dr. Karen Bacon, the Dr. Monique C. Katz Dean of Stern College. “Mentored by the faculty and included in their projects, Stern College women learn how to frame questions and seek answers to some of the most important questions and problems facing science today.”

Dr. Jacob Wisse, director of the Yeshiva University Museum, visits the set of Good Day Street Talk and shares some of the rich traditions and cultural history of Rosh Hashanah. Wisse also previews upcoming exhibitions at the YU Museum, including Jews on Vinyl, Prophecy of Place and Graphic Details.

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A Special New Year’s Message from Yeshiva University

Yeshiva University wishes you many joys in the New Year.

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YU Students Protest Durban III, UN’s Controversial Conference on Racism

Yeshiva University students joined hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza across from the United Nations on Thursday, September 22, to protest Durban III, the UN-sponsored conference on racism. Organized by Stand With Us, a coalition of religious and secular groups, the circus-themed rally criticized the conference’s history of evading human rights discussion to focus on anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric.

This year’s conference was boycotted by prominent Democratic countries, including the United States, Israel, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Australia and Canada.

“It’s ridiculous that there are so many real human rights violations across the globe and this conference is being used to talk about Israel,” said Dena Shayne, a senior at Stern College for Women and part of a delegation of 20 Stern women attending the Non-Government Organization (NGO) Global Summit. A parallel conference to Durban III, the Summit convened NGOs from across the globe to pointedly address human rights issues neglected by the UN Conference.

YU students waved Israeli flags and carried homemade signs crafted two days before at an event organized by YAKUM, a student group that aims to educate young Orthodox Jews to fight anti-Israel and anti-Semitic bias in the media and politics. “They are singling out the only democracy in the Middle East to criticize,” said Simon Goldberg, a senior at Yeshiva College who also attended the NGO Summit. “We have a moral responsibility to expose the lie that is Durban III and make sure the world knows the truth about what Israel stands for.”

Speakers at the rally included Professor Alan Dershowitz of Harvard Law School, who is known for his outspoken views on the Arab-Israeli conflict. In an address to the demonstrators, Dershowitz lamented the “hypocrisy and double standard” of Durban III. “Does no one recognize the need for a single standard of human peace?”

Later in the day, YU students took part in an Open Dialogue Tent at the Plaza. “Our students have a long and proud history of taking a leadership role in activism to defend Israel and the Jewish people,” said Adina Poupko, who works in Stern’s Office of Student Life.

“I was very proud to be standing with YU students who were by far the largest group of college students in attendance,” said Beth Hait, assistant dean of students at Stern. “The theme of the rally was that the UN has become a circus, and I thought to myself, how true—not one world leader has the courage to say that the emperor has no clothes.”

YouTube Sensation A Capella Group’s Latest Song Celebrates the Spirit of the High Holidays

The Maccabeats, the popular all-male a capella group comprised of current and former Yeshiva University students, have released their newest song, “Book of Good Life,” in time for the upcoming High Holiday season. The song parodies OneRepublic’s “Good Life” and follows in the success of their previous Purim and Chanukah-themed videos, which have each received more than 1 and 5 million YouTube views, respectively.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRaQSbuTiBg

“Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are perhaps the most meaningful days of the year and we hoped that this song and this video would help people connect,” said Maccabeat Immanuel Shalev ’08YC, who is completing his third year of law school.

“A lot of people send us emails and post on Facebook that they look forward to our videos because they help them get ready for the holidays,” said fellow Maccabeat, Noah Jacobson, a senior at Yeshiva College. “That is really special to us. If even in some small way we can help make someone’s holiday and life a bit more inspired and meaningful, then we know this whole project was worthwhile.”

Learn more about the upcoming High Holidays at YUTorah.

Tutors and Directors, Past and Present, Gather for 25-Year Reunion of YU Writing Centers

The Yeshiva University Writing Centers on both the Beren and Wilf Campuses celebrated their 25th anniversary on Sunday, September 18 by hosting their first-ever tutor reunion. Some 40 Writing Center tutors and directors, past and current, attended the reunion, which was part of YU’s Homecoming festivities, coming together to share the positive impact working at the writing centers has had on their professional and personal lives.

The Writing Centers celebrated their 25th anniversary on Sept. 18.

“Recently, several people asked me if in 1986 I could have imagined that the two Writing Centers would be as central to the learning experience for the undergraduate students as they have turned out to be,” said Richard Nochimson, founder of both centers and current professor of English at Stern College for Women and Yeshiva College, in his opening remarks. “My answer was ‘yes.’ Founding the writing centers was part of a larger project: making writing important in this University in a way that it wasn’t 25 years ago.”

The Writing Centers provide free one-on-one tutoring to students of all skill levels on all types of writing, from composition essays and graduate school applications to marketing papers and lab reports. Through a collaborative process, the centers aim to help writers gain the skills and confidence to articulate more clearly in prose and to develop thinking and writing proficiencies that will help with every assignment.

“The experience for me was fantastic,” said Rabbi Yona Reiss, Max and Marion Grill Dean of Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and the very first tutor hired by Nochimson. “The ability to communicate well is fundamentally important no matter where you are, what community, what time. You have to find the right words to get your message across.”

In total, more than 450 students have served as Yeshiva University Writing Center tutors over the past quarter of a century.

Tova Gardin ’10S credited her experience as a tutor in helping prepare her for her current role as brain trauma researcher at YU’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “As a Writing Center tutor, in order to help a student figure out what she is trying to say, you go through a maze of ideas to find a central one and then you build from there. I took this skill I learned and applied it to how I deal with medical patients. When they come in with many different complaints, I try to break it down to one main cause and then build it up again.”

Neil Goldman ’08YC, an editorial assistant for the Charlie Rose show on PBS, echoed Gardin. “I remember in the Writing Center, students would come in, and in 45 minutes you had to be able to assess priorities and it is this exercise that I find very useful in my job today,” said Goldman.

“I’m really struck by the stories of tutors from past generations: how they valued the Writing Center during their time but also how they have felt it has been a part of their lives since,” said Andrea Rosso Efthymiou, associate director of the Beren Writing Center. “I know from my experience, the students, tutors and administrators that I engage with on a daily basis have made me see the value of collaboration and engaging with others in a way that I didn’t realize before.”

“The reunion underscored for me what thoughtful, engaging and interesting people tutors are, and how wonderful it is for alumni from different generations to connect with each other,” said Dr. Lauren Fitzgerald, director of the Wilf Writing Center.

Visit the Beren and Wilf Writing Centers online to learn more or to schedule an appointment.

Groundbreaking Exhibition Featuring All-Star Roster of Comix Artists Over Four Decades Has its NYC Premiere at YU Museum

The genre-bending influence of Jewish women in comics will get a rare spotlight as the acclaimed Graphic Details: Confessional Comics by Jewish Women exhibition arrives at the Yeshiva University Museum on September 25, 2011.

Escape from “Special”, by Miss Lasko-Gross, Fantagraphic Books, 2006

Featuring original work by 18 of the most influential creators, Graphic Details showcases work of all-stars from the pioneering Wimmen’s Comix and Twisted Sisters artists of the 1970s and 1980s to the superstars of the new generation.  Many of the cartoons in Graphic Details have never been displayed in public until now. The artists, who hail from the U.S., Canada, Israel and the UK include Vanessa Davis, Bernice Eisenstein, Sarah Glidden, Miriam Katin, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Miss Lasko-Gross, Sarah Lazarovic, Miriam Libicki, Sarah Lightman, Diane Noomin, Corinne Pearlman, Trina Robbins, Racheli Rotner, Sharon Rudahl, Laurie Sandell, Ariel Schrag, Lauren Weinstein, and Ilana Zeffren.

This well-reviewed and often-startling exhibition makes its New York City debut after successful runs in San Francisco and Toronto, and provides the first in-depth look at a vibrant and prolific niche of graphic storytelling—Jewish women’s autobiographical comics. While the influential role of Jews in cartooning has long been acknowledged, the role of Jewish women in shaping the medium is still largely unexplored. This exhibition of original drawings, full comic books and graphic novels presents the powerful work of artists whose intimate and complex work has influenced the world of comics over the last four decades.

“YU Museum is proud to host the powerful work of these artists who have not, until recently, been recognized for their important role in the world of graphic storytelling and new modern forms of Jewish autobiography,” said Dr. Jacob Wisse, director of the YU Museum.

Read more about the exhibit and upcoming public programs at the YU Museum here.

Prof. James Kahn Discusses President Obama’s Deficit Plan

James Kahn, Henry and Bertha Kressel Professor of Economics, shared his take on President Barack Obama’s plan for economic growth and deficit reduction on PIX11 Morning News.

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EL AL President and CEO Discusses Professional Journey, Israel’s Business Landscape at TAMID’s Inaugural Event

“After leading EL AL for a year and a half, I can tell you that it is a very complicated company,” said Elyezer Shkedy, president and CEO of EL AL Israel Airlines, who discussed Israel’s business climate, as well as his own professional journey, with Yeshiva University students on Wednesday, September 14. The lecture was hosted by TAMID, a student-run organization that connects American business students with the Israeli economic landscape.

Elyezer Shkedy, president and CEO of EL AL Israel Airlines, speaks to YU students at TAMID's Sept. 14 event.

“Israel is one of the world leaders in technology and innovation,” said Michael Strauss, associate director of student advising and administration and clinical professor of management at YU’s Syms School of Business. “It is incumbent for our students to connect with Israeli companies and gain a better understanding of their inner workings.”

Shkedy joined EL AL in January 2010 after a distinguished career of 33 years in the Israeli Air Force, earning the rank of major general. He served as commander of the Air Force from 2004 to2008 and, prior to that, was its chief of staff from 2002 to 2004.

Shkedy spoke about his transition from being a commander in Israel’s air force to CEO of EL AL and the surprising similarities the two positions hold. “The main issues are the same: you have to define goals and missions, be an expert in operations, and you have to lead people,” he said.

As CEO of EL AL, Shkedy faces many unique challenges and must make complicated decisions. “It’s financially difficult not to fly on Shabbat and to make sure that every single Jew feels comfortable to eat,” he said. “And although I’m not a religious Jew, I find it important to maintain these values and to always relate to our clients. I want every person to enter the airplane and to feel at home. We are, after all, the civilian wings of Israel and the Jewish nation.”

Joining Shkedy were approximately 25 EL AL employees, as well as Gil Lainer, the Israeli consul for media and public affairs for the Israel consulate general. They had all come with Shkedy because this was not only the inaugural event of TAMID’s YU chapter but was also the launching of a new initiative headed by Alon Futterman, the director of EL AL’s Advocacy Initiative for Israel (which Shkedy created) called Blue and White EL AL Ambassadors.

According to Futterman, this program will send out EL AL pilots and crew members to serve as Israeli ambassadors. “They’re all volunteers who want to talk about the Israel of 2011. They all come from different backgrounds, and each one has a personal story to share,” said Futterman. “They feel that people are missing a different perspective of Israel—one that they’re not getting from the news. This is a people to people initiative and we’re very excited about it.”

The Ambassadors project is being sponsored by the Jewish Agency, the Stand With Us advocacy organization and the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

After spearheading a similar event for Israeli high school students for Israel’s 60th birthday, Shkedy knew he wanted to create a new program for Jewish communities outside of Israel. “The Jewish nation is a very complicated nation. Kirvu L’vavot—working together and hearing each other—is one of the most important things we can do. It’s our big mission and it’s what we hope to accomplish with events like tonight,” said Shkedy.

“EL AL is a prime example of a company that takes care of the community as a whole,” said Tzvi Solomon, the event organizer and director of TAMID’s YU chapter. “I was interested in inviting someone who understood the importance of not only running a fine business but who understood the importance of where he comes from.”

Homecoming Brings Yeshiva University Community Together for Day of Fun and Learning

On September 18, more than 600 members of the Yeshiva University community came together for a day of celebration and reconnection at YU’s Homecoming. It was a day with something for everyone: an assortment of college classes and shiurim [lectures], face-painting and carnival games, a club fair, live music, balloon-making, hot pretzels and cold smoothies. Current students and alumni of all ages met old friends and made new ones, sharing memories of their college experience and a feeling of pride and belonging to the larger YU family.

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“Homecoming is an opportunity to bring the extended YU community together on campus to experience all that YU provides for personal growth and learning,” said Barbara Birch, senior director of alumni affairs and annual giving at YU. “Through Torah study, athletic clinics, tzedakah [charity] projects and interaction with the rabbis, professors, administrators and students here today, Homecoming attendees got a real taste of YU and how it can continue to be a part of their lives and their children’s lives.”

The day kicked off with Talmudic lectures and group discussions led by Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter and Professor Smadar Rosensweig as part of the Abraham Arbesfeld Kollel Yom Rishon and Millie Arbesfeld Midreshet Yom Rishon. Weissberg Commons offered a snapshot of current student life on campus by giving attendees the option to find out what each student group was all about, whether that meant taking a personality test at the Psychology Club table or making silly putty with members of the Chemistry Club. The new Heights Lounge in the Glueck Center hosted a Town Hall Meeting with President Richard M. Joel, providing a forum for all members of the YU community to ask their questions in person. In Tenzer Gardens, friends and families relaxed on the grass and enjoyed an engaging set list from the Maccabeats, Blue Fringe and the Y-Studs—all of whom began their musical careers at YU.

“We always mention that we got our start here,” said Dov Rosenblatt ’05YC who, along with fellow alumni Hayyim Danzig ’05YC, Danny Zwillenberg ’03YC and Avi Hoffman ’05YC, formed Blue Fringe in 2001. “We had just gotten back from Israel and spent almost every night in Schottenstein, practicing. What YU represents—a really unique, meaningful marriage of Torah U’madda, the secular and traditional—is something we try to capture in our music as well.”

“Walking this campus today and reuniting with so many colleagues and mentors has been amazing,” said radio host Nachum Segal, ’84YC. “As I walk on the east side of Amsterdam Avenue, south of Belfer Hall, I’m taken back 30 years to the WYUR (YU’s undergraduate radio station) of the 1980s. This is a great day to take pride in the past, present and future of YU.”

For many alumni visiting the campus, family was an important theme of the day. “YU is a big part of our family,” said Gail Elsant ’76S as she sipped a fruit smoothie in Tenzer Gardens. She went on to list the degrees: her husband Marty attended YU, as did her four children and their spouses; her son and son-in-law were both graduates of YU affiliated Rabbi Isaach Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS); and her daughter is in a doctoral program at the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. “Now we’re waiting to meet our children here and enjoy ourselves together,” said Elsant. “There’s a continuity of generations at YU.”

Dr. Stuart Shaffren ’74 YC agreed. “My family is a YU family,” he said. “My boys went here, my daughter went to Stern, and my grandkids will come here. It’s the center of Judaism in America.”

That link between generations was especially striking on the hand mural, an idea current student Eli Shavalian ’14YC thought would allow attendees of all ages to leave their mark at YU. “It shows that past alumni, current and prospective students are all united,” he explained. Visitors could dip their hand in paint and press it against a long white roll of paper, then sign their name and graduating year next to the print. Dates along the mural, which will be displayed on campus, ranged from the 1970s to future graduates in the 2030s.

“I think today is a metaphor for Jewish family and Jewish experience,” said President Joel. “It feels like home here because it is home. Yiddishkeit [Judaism] is a celebration and together we are all building a sacred community.”