Giving big to tiny innovation

Ben Gurion University of the Negev. Photo by David Saranga

L.A. philanthropists Henry and Anita Weiss pledged $1 million last week to support and expand nanotechnology research at Ben-Gurion University’s (BGU) Beersheva campus.

“We are so proud to continue to help provide BGU the resources necessary for continued cutting-edge research and training in nanotechnology,” Henry Weiss said. “It is so exciting to see the level of research being conducted in the Negev. It is our hope that this expansion will benefit and amplify scientific advancements worldwide.”

The donation would finance work at the Atom Chip and Quantum Optics R&D Facility, part of the university’s “Nano in the Negev” program, and help BGU retain technical staff to continue its nanotechnology research.

BGU’s Atom Chip lab, part of the Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, is the only one of its kind in Israel. Atom chips are used in the construction of atomic clocks, a component of high-precision guidance systems for satellites and missiles, according to American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU).

The Weisses have supported nanotechnology at BGU since 2005, funding the Henry and Anita Weiss Family Building for Advanced Research and the Weiss Family Laboratory for Nanoscale Systems.

In April, Ben-Gurion University received a $3 million pledge for its Atom Chip lab from AABGU National Vice President Ruth Flinkman-Marandy and Ben Marandy, also from Los Angeles.