Jerusalem, October 10, 2004
Three of this year's Nobel Prize laureates - two in chemistry and one in physics - are graduates of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. They are Prof. David J. Gross, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, and Prof. Avram Hershko and Prof. Aaron Ciechanover, winners of the Nobel Prize in chemistry.
The Hebrew University also presented an honorary doctor of philosophy degree to Prof. Gross, a graduate of the Faculty of Science, in 2001. At that time, he was cited for his pioneering work in theoretical physics and for his commitment to Israel and for his support and guidance of Israeli scientists. He serves as director of the Jerusalem Winter School in Theoretical Physics at the Hebrew University's Institute for Advanced Studies, The Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to Gross, of the University of California at Santa Barbara, and two other American physicists, Professors H. David Politzer and Frank Wilczek, for their discovery of the strong force or "color force" that operates within atomic nuclei and which led to the development of the new theory of quantum chromodynamics, a fundamental step in achieving a unified theory for all physical behavior.
Please click here to read a message from Dr. Aaron Ciechanover, 2004 Nobel laureate in Chemistry and Hebrew University alumnus.
Hershko and Ciechanover, both of whom are graduates of the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their discovery of the process whereby cells destroy unwanted proteins. Their work has led to breakthroughs in the understanding and treatment of numerous diseases. The two Israeli scientists, who shared the Nobel Prize with American scientist Prof. Irwin Rose, are on the faculty of the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and are also both winners of the Israel Prize, Israel's highest civilian honor.
The three Hebrew University graduates join another Hebrew University alumnus who was a Nobel Prize winner, Prof. Daniel Kahneman, who won the prize in economics two years ago. Kahneman is a professor at Princeton University in New Jersey and a fellow of the Center for the Study of Rationality and Interactive Decision Theory at the Hebrew University.
Prof. Menachem Magidor, president of the Hebrew University, said of the four alumni of the university who are now Nobel laureates: "The Hebrew University takes pride in the achievements of these outstanding graduates, who are among many who have distinguished themselves in their fields in Israel and the world. Their accomplishments bring honor to our university, which continues to be a leading force in the attainment of excellence in teaching and research."
