In the aftermath of Oct. 7, Ben-Gurion University doubles down on its mission

• Published date: 22 April 2024
• Author: JERUSALEM POST STAFF
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Adam attended Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) as an undergraduate; he later returned for his MBA and subsequently as a lecturer; and established his own start-up, SIGHTBIT

"Adam created an AI lifeguard system to prevent people from drowning and helped save lives," Doug Seserman, CEO of Americans for Ben-Gurion University (A4BGU), recalled. "I remember meeting Adam in my office when he was in New York raising funds for his company. "And now he is no longer with us."

The BGU community has been disproportionately impacted by the events of Oct. 7 and the ensuing war, with 111 people killed (including fallen soldiers, students, and immediate relatives), 29 wounded, eight missing or kidnapped, 1,000 displaced from their homes, and more than 6,600 called to reserve duty, with several hundred still in active service.

Adam perfectly embodied BGU, a place where the Israel of the future is built every day, spearheaded by remarkable people pursuing groundbreaking ideas to make the world a better place – a mission that the university has uncompromisingly continued to pursue even after Oct. 7.

In order to celebrate the university's efforts and raise awareness of its role as the central institution to the well-being of Israel's South, A4BGU is hosting a webinar event titled "Remarkable Resilience – Leading the Way Forward," on May 8, at 12 p.m. EST (7 p.m. Israel).

The event will showcase unique contributions by students, professors, and staff members to the war efforts and the strengthening of Israel's civil society, such as biomaterials and 3D printing researcher Dr. Galit Katarivas Levy's 3D printed solution for carrying medication in war, currently in use by the IDF; and Spitzer Social Work Department Dr. Talia Meital Schwartz-Tayri's AI bot to support mental health in survivors, soldiers, and families of abductees. Schwartz-Tayri is also faculty and head of the BGU AI for Social Work at BGU Research and Development Lab.

Some featured speakers will also share their experiences in the field as fighters and first responders. Among them are industrial engineering and management second-year student Alon Jacobs and Dr. Oren Wacht, the head of the Department of Emergency Medicine and an experienced EMT. Both were called up for reserve duty on the morning of Oct. 7. Jacobs, a member of the special forces, was wounded in the fighting.

"In my opinion, the two most important organizations in Israel today are the Israel Defense Forces because they are the only ones...