Pioneer Scientists
Prof. Israel Dostrovsky
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Prof. Israel Dostrovsky was born in Odessa, the former USSR, in 1918, and arrived in Israel [Eretz Israel] in 1919. After attending primary and secondary schools in Jerusalem, he traveled to England to study, and received a B.Sc. in chemistry in 1940 and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry in 1943, both from University College, London. After working as a lecturer in chemistry at University College, he joined the Weizmann Institute in 1948 shortly before the Institute’s dedication. Immediately upon joining the Weizmann staff, he was appointed Head of the Isotope Research Department, a position he held for 17 years. Between 1971 and 1975 he served as the Institute’s Vice President and President. In 1975 he was named Institute Professor, a prestigious title awarded by Weizmann faculty and administration to outstanding scientists who made significant and meaningful contributions to science and to the State of Israel. Between 1980 and 1990 he served as Director of the WIS Center for Energy Research. When he reached 80, the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities held a commemorative scientific conference in Jerusalem and at WIS in his honor. Prof. Dostrovsky’s government appointments included Director of Research at the Israel Atomic Energy Commission - 1953-1957, Chairman of the National Council for Research and Development - 1959-1961, Director-General of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission - 1965-1971, and Chairman of Israel’s Desalination Committee - 1966-1981. Between 1973 and 1981 he served as a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, and between 1991 and 1993 he was a member of the Executive Committee of the International Energy Agency’s Solar PACES. Prof. Dostrovsky belonged to the following professional societies: Israel Chemical Society, Israel Physical Society, American Chemical Society, American Physical Society and Royal Chemical Society of Great Britain. He was a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and an honorary life member of the New York Academy of Science. He received the Ramsey Medal and Prize - 1943, Tel Aviv’s Weizmann Prize - 1952, honorary doctorates from Tel-Aviv University - 1973, and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology - 1994, and the Israel Prize - 1995. |
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| Fields of Research ·
Radioactive isotopes ·
Geology and hydrology ·
Brain research ·
Environmental science ·
Solar energy · Particle physics |
Prof. Dostrovsky excelled in the field of radioactive isotopes’ research, which, at that time, became significant in science, medicine, and technology. Simultaneously, he initiated several applied projects based on fundamental discoveries. He established a semi-industrial facility within the Institute campus separating oxygen isotopes, producing water enriched with a heavy oxygen isotope, which is commonly used in medical diagnostic procedures. This facility was a pioneering step in the history of industrial applications and exploitation of patents by the Weizmann Institute, culminating in placing the Institute as a world leader in the field of using intellectual property derived from pure research. Prof. Dostrovsky moved with great agility and talent from one research area to another, and was a mentor to generations of young scientists. Later on he placed on the Institute agenda and of the entire country, the need to exploit solar energy for diverse purposes besides heating water. Through his initiative, the Institute constructed the Solar Tower facility on campus and recruited an ever-widening nucleus of scientists studying energy research. Eventually, as well, the new Environmental Science’s department had been established. |
| Selected Awards and Honorary Degrees | |
1943 Ramsey Medal and Prize 1951 Weizmann Prize 1973 Doctor Honoris Causa, Tel-Aviv University 1994 Doctor Honoris Causa, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology 1995 Israel Prize, Exact Sciences |
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| Selected Publications | |
| Link to Scopus Database |
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Documents Preserved at the WIS Archives |
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| Prof. Dostrovsky’s personal archive, as well as the archive from his tenure as Institute Vice President and President, including documents, letters, protocols, lectures, scientific documentation, paper notes, photos and multimedia, are treasured and preserved in the Weizmann Institute of Science Archives. |
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| Selected Archival Documents | |
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| A letter from David Seiff, 1995 | |
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| American Chemical Society-50 years of Membership, 1999 | |
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The Royal Society of Chemistry-Certificate of Membership, 2001 |
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| The American Physical Society-Certificate of Fellowship, 2003 | |
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Selected
Bibliography |
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| H. Harari. In Memoriam: Israel Dostrovsky 1918-2010. Weizmann Institute of Science, 2010 | |
| Weizmann Institute of Science, Journey to the Center of the Sun, [no date] | |
| I. Dostrovsky. Water for Israel: New Approaches to Old Problems, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Vol. xxviii (8):11-18, Oct. 1972 | |
| L.Y.Bronicki,I. Dostrovsky, and U. Fisher. Solar Energy: Acceleration Through Integration a Possible “Minimum Regret Strategy”, Presented at the 17th World Energy Congress, Houston, Texas, USA, September 1998 | |
