One of the three young researchers from Israeli universities who won the Belvatnik Prize this year for their groundbreaking research is Prof. Yossi Yuval from the School of Zoology and the head of the Purple School of Neuroscience, who studies animal behavior to decipher human behavior.
A new field of research – neuroecology
The award was given to Prof. Yuval for his research that combines two of the most influential fields in biology: ecology (the study of animals in their environment) and neuroscience (the study of how the brain controls actions), through the study of bats. As a leading expert in the study of bats’ use of echo (sonar) to orient and navigate around the world, as a model for how the brain integrates sensory information to guide behavior, he helped establish the new field of neuroecology, exploring how the brain controls behavior in a rapidly changing natural environment. The biological processes in the natural world.
Prof. Yuval’s laboratory has developed a miniature and innovative GPS device and other sensors, which are already in research use all over the world, which monitor the behavior of bats that move freely in the wild. This work provides broader insights into questions such as how animals feel about their environment, how they navigate and how they behave in a group. Prof. Yuval also applies his research to echoing bats in a variety of robotic applications. For example, he develops various uses for echo locating in autonomous tools and agricultural robotics.
Achievements and implicit promises
The Belvatnik Awards are given to young scientists and engineers and promising early in their professional careers, both for their outstanding achievements and for the promise inherent in them for future scientific discoveries. The awards are given to researchers up to the age of 42 thanks to their groundbreaking research in three fields – life sciences, chemistry and physics and engineering.
This year, 37 names of candidates for the award from seven universities in Israel were submitted. Members of the Prize Scientific Council, including Nobel Prize winners: Member of the Israeli National Academy of Sciences – Prof. Aharon Ciechanover, Prof. David Gross, as well as Chairman of the Israel Space Agency and Chairman of the National Council for Research and Development Prof. Yitzhak Ben Israel They also offer candidates. A judging panel that includes senior scientists in Israel from each category, led by members of the Israeli Academy, selected the three winners.
“The past year has proven the importance of groundbreaking science,” noted Len Belvatnik, founder and chairman of Access Industries and head of the Belvatnik Family Foundation, “It is our duty to encourage young scientists to expand their fields of research and push the boundaries of scientific discovery. The achievements of these three exceptional young Israelis are a testament to their abilities, perseverance and imagination – characteristics of many young Israeli researchers who will continue to make significant contributions to science for future generations. “
“The winners of the 2021 Belovetnik Awards in Israel are an impressive group of science pioneers. On behalf of the New York Academy of Sciences, we are proud of the contribution of these young people in Israel to the global scientific community and to improving life through their research. We congratulate them on their achievements,” , President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences.
The awards for 2021 will be presented in a solemn ceremony to be held in Jerusalem, as far as the Corona limits allow, on August 1st. Along with Prof. Yuval, the award was also won by Dr. Ido Kaminer from the Technion and Prof. Rafael Klein from the Weizmann Institute of Science.