From alternative energy to robotics, research plays an integral role in education at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
BGU promotes advanced research in all of its disciplines, from medicine and engineering to the humanities and desert agriculture. Through the recruitment of top faculty and student researchers, increased R&D budgets, national and international collaboration, and improved infrastructure, BGU has become a leader in a number of fields of research.
Alternative Energy
Each used tired
can produce
40%
liquid fuel
through a thermal treatment known as pyrolysis. Israel alone, with its 60,000 tons of used tires per year, can generate 24,000 tons (over 100,000 barrels) of refined liquid fuel that is suitable for internal combustion engines. A group of BGU researchers has access to a technology that is under development by American Eco-Energy and is close to the stage of commercialization.
learn moreDesert & Water Research
40%
of all of the planet’s landmass
is comprised of drylands
2 billion
people live in these harsh climates.
Israel
is the only country in the world
where drylands are actually
Receding
in large part due to the research done at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Did you know? The Negev comprises 60% of Israel’s landmass and only 10% of its population.
Homeland & Cyber Security
BGU scientists are building Israel’s first pico-satellite. No bigger than a shoebox, when launched it will provide “eyes in the sky” to help keep Israel safer. The miniaturized satellite, which will also launch Israel’s foothold into space exploration, will carry specially designed communication and GPS technologies, including a two-camera imaging system, and will have the ability to transmit and receive data. The ultimate vision is to create a fleet of cubeSats for search and rescue in cases of natural disaster or large-scale attack.
learn moreIsrael Studies, Culture & Jewish Thought
BGU scholars helped piece together
301,000
fragments
of ancient Jewish texts recovered from
a synagogue in Cairo, including Torah
scrolls, commentary, poetry, contracts,
personal letters, and more.
learn more
Medical Research
Jan 1
40
Every day, 40 children are diagnosed with diabetes in the United States.
BGU researchers discovered that alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) - a plasma-based FDA-approved drug for emphysema - controlled glucose levels and eliminated the need for insulin injections in many individuals with diabetes who were newly diagnosed with the disease.
30%
of the world’s population
suffers from brain
disease such as:
Alzheimer’s
Parkinson’s
Stroke
Epilepsy
Tumors
Traumatic brain injury
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Nanotechnology
The photonics research group at BGU’s Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology (IKI) is developing night vision goggles that convert infrared light invisible to the eye into visible green light, using sensitive nano-materials coated onto a regular pair of eyeglasses that will weigh only a few ounces.
learn moreRobotics & High-Tech
In the ABC (agricultural, biological and cognitive) Robotics Center,BGU engineers are developing robots that can identify, spray and pick individual pieces of produce from
plants, even when their targets are grapes, peppers and
apples that are as green as the leaves that surround them.
Creating the highly challenging artificial intelligence and
hardware necessary to detect the fruit and pick only the
ripe ones without bruising them will transform the
agricultural industry.
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