Scholarship from the Tank

In an extraordinary display of dedication and resilience, Shai Ben-Ami, a 31-year-old doctoral student at BIU's Faculty of Engineering, has proven that even the harsh conditions of war cannot dampen the pursuit of academic excellence.

Ben-Ami wrote his research proposal in the confines of a tank during his extended military service in Gaza. This unique backdrop for academic work has now culminated in a remarkable achievement: Ben-Ami has been awarded the prestigious Azrieli Fellowship for advanced studies.

"Your achievement is particularly impressive, given the caliber of candidates from all universities who applied for the fellowship," remarked Professor Amnon Albeck, Rector of Bar-Ilan University. "It's a testament to your skills and abilities."

In a twist that perfectly encapsulates his journey, Ben-Ami prepared for the final interview for the fellowship in the tank's corridor in Netzarim.

Ben-Ami's research focuses on the interaction between light and sound waves on a nanometric silicon device. "When two lasers meet face-to-face inside the device, they create a force that causes mechanical vibrations that progress as a sound wave," he explains. Beyond the pure scientific interest, this phenomenon has various applications that have been demonstrated on different platforms. However, Ben-Ami and his team are attempting to recreate this phenomenon on the most common and useful platform in the chip world - silicon-on-insulator.

Reflecting on his journey, Ben-Ami expresses heartfelt gratitude to his support network. "I want to thank everyone who supported me along the way - my dear wife and daughter, my family, Professor Avi Zadok, my current advisor, Professor Avi Peer, who guided me in my master's degree, my research colleagues over the years, the excellent faculty staff, and especially Professor Orit Shefi, who helped a lot behind the scenes with everything related to winning the scholarship."