The Technion and Security

"The War on Terror"   "Homeland Security"

These one-time catch phrases have become part of our everyday vocabulary in the last seven-plus years. Heightened security has been a part of everyday life in Israel for decades and now, it has become part of our lives as well.

What is the main weapon behind Israel’s ability to stay ahead of terrorists? The brainpower of its people. At the Technion, new technologies are being developed to thwart future attacks.

Please watch the video below to watch what the Technion is doing, and get to know the researchers behind the innovations.

Technion Security in the News   Technion and Yale Collaborate on Anti-Terror Research   The Technion and the Yale School of Management received a $1.3 million gift from Daniel Rose - chairman of New York-based real estate organization Rose Associates, Inc., a member of the Yale Class of 1951, and a member of the Technion International Board of Governors - to establish a three-year partnership to conduct homeland security and counterterrorism research.   The Rose gift will bring together top researchers from the Technion and Yale School of Management to develop sophisticated techniques to identify terrorists' whereabouts; determine how best to allocate anti-terror resources; and study the strengths and weaknesses of human intelligence when compared to technology-based anti-terror efforts.   Read more about this program from the New York Jewish Week.   An interview with Daniel Rose about his personal connection with the Technion:

The Generic Approach to Homeland Security

Prof. Abraham Marmur's training did not point him toward a career focus in anti-terror technologies. However, as a chemical engineer, he has spent many years studying "interfacial phenomena," as when a liquid meets a solid surface. Prof. Marmur now finds himself as the Technion's top expert on another meeting point: between the scientific community and the growing scourge of international terror.

"In Israel, we're all too used to terror attacks," says Marmur, adding that Israel's defensive tactics have evolved slowly, in response to continuous, low-level threats. "After 9/11, when terror was recognized as a global problem, there were massive efforts to create technologies for homeland security. But because of the difficulty of anticipating specific dangers, these efforts have not been sufficiently effective."

According to Marmur, the biggest problem in fighting terror is technological asymmetry. "The technologies used by terrorists are relatively simple, easy to obtain and inexpensive. Homeland security technologies, on the other hand, are sophisticated, expensive and can take a long time to develop. Consequently, homeland security lacks the flexibility it needs to meet the challenge."

Marmur serves as the Head of the Center for Security Science and Technology, an organization that coordinates anti-terror research being done in many labs on campus. Established in 2002, the Center represents a unique strategy for fighting terror: one that emphasizes generic tools, rather than specific solutions. According to Marmur, such a "generic" approach will help the civilized world respond more effectively as new threats appear.

"The generic approach is about identifying common building blocks of terrorist activity, and creating general techniques that can be used to build specific countermeasures as needed," says Marmur. "Rather than amassing a complete arsenal of devices -- devices that would become obsolete in any case as terror tactics change -- such techniques would help us optimize our response to terror, and quickly meet the challenge of a variety of unpredictable threats."

Watch the interview below to learn more about developing generic security solutions:

Today, the American Technion Society awards an annual prize for the most promising anti-terror research at the Technion. The work of chemist Prof. Timor Baasov, this year's prize recipient, is one example of a general approach with very specific and significant benefits.

Baasov is an authority on anthrax: a spore-forming bacterium that causes acute breathing problems, shock, and eventually, death. In its natural form, anthrax is of little danger to humans. However, laboratory-altered anthrax -- like the white powder that caused five deaths in the United States in 2001 -- is the stuff of bio-terror.

"All bacteria have evolutionary defenses that make them very hard to destroy," says Baasov, who has built his career by designing "smart" antibiotics that take such defenses into account. Anthrax, however, is particularly dangerous because once it gets into the body it multiplies very quickly, releasing lethal toxins into the blood. As a result, by the time one feels sick, it's too late for treatment."

Baasov's answer to the anthrax challenge involved making a tiny change to an organic molecule: turning that molecule into one that attacks and destroys the bacterium itself. And in terms of containing anthrax-based bio-terror, this "double-duty" makes all the difference.

"Terrorists can create different strains of anthrax, and other toxin-producing bacteria in a matter of weeks," says Baasov, who holds a patent for his dual-action molecular agents. "We need a technique that will allow us to create molecules that will target specific, resistant strains and destroy both the bacteria and the toxin. Our work shows how this can be done."

Other areas of research at the Center for Security Science and Technology include the development of sensors that can detect contamination in water or air; ultra-strong concrete for use in personal body armor; and computer-vision software that can characterize specific types of movement and positively identify the moving agent, thereby reducing "false positives" in electronic surveillance. But beyond individual scientific advances, the Center provides an opportunity for researchers from different disciplines to work together to create new approaches to securing our world.

Marmur also sits on a number of national committees promoting technological integration. Among these is MAGNET -- a consortium of academic and industrial leaders who are working together to design the terror-fighting infrastructure of tomorrow. Not surprisingly, the consortium decided to begin its efforts by re-thinking the security protocol of the modern airport.

"Today, air travelers wait through long lines while every individual is screened as a possible terrorist," says Marmur. "But with the proper combination of technologies, it is possible to assign an anonymous 'tag' to every person who walks in the door. As people move through the airport, they could be passively monitored for movement patterns and other forms of suspicious behavior. Only someone who raises questions will actually be pulled over for a more thorough search."

According to Marmur, generic research conducted at the Technion's Center for Security Science and Technology gives Israel the edge it needs to respond quickly to the ever-changing face of terror. Perhaps just as important, however, the Center has made the Technion an important and high-profile resource for the wider security community.

Other Security Innovations Worth Noting

A Helicopter Anyone Can Fly Without Leaving Home
Combining a patented computer program and Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) with an existing minicopter, an Israeli company has developed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that could be the next homeland security defense tool.

Terrorists Beware: Device Identifies Previously Undetectable Explosives
Technion researchers have developed a device that identifies a previously undetectable explosive commonly used by terrorists. Once a suspicious substance is located, a small sample is placed in the device, named Peroxide Explosive Tester (PET), to determine whether or not it is in fact triacetone triperoxide (TATP). The PET, which resembles a three-color ballpoint pen then releases three chemical mixtures that change color when they interact with TATP.

Breakthrough Could Lead to Anthrax Antidote
Using derivatives of a well-known antibiotic, researchers from the Technion and The Scripps Research Institute have developed a basis for an antidote to anthrax.

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