42 The Israel Chemist and Chemical Engineer Issue 8 · November 2021 · Kislev 5782 Report more tremendous honor to be placed in such distinguished ranks as past awardees, many of whom are colleagues and close friends. First and foremost, I thank my family for their vast support, my wife Johaina, and kids Emil, Stephan, and Liam. Being in academia is challenging. It means working seven days a week and for extended times. So, I thank you, my dear, for your love and understanding. Of course, I want to thank my momMimi, brothers Jack and Issa, and sister Joyce for their eternal love and support. And I want to dedicate this award to my father, who worked as a mathematics teacher for over 33 years and died 3.5 years ago after a long battle against ALS. I was raised in Maghar, in Galilee, to a family that values education. Both my parents were teachers. And being the eldest came with a lot of responsibility. My parents told me multiple times, “If you do not get educated, none of your siblings will get educated.” So, it was a lot to carry, but happily, my siblings are well educated. Jack is a successful lawyer, Issa is a senior doctor of neurology, and Joyce is a pharmacist. In the Arab society, many parents, including mine, encourage their kids to pursue a medical doctor career. For that reason, we see so many Arab doctors these days. I remember that, as little boys, before my sister was born, my mom used to call us from the kitchen in Hebrew: “Dr. Norman, Dr. Jack, Dr. Issa, please go to the operation room. And if you are hungry, please come to the kitchen.” So, I wanted to be a medical doctor because I did not know what else would fit me, and I never met a scientist or professor in my life. Fortunately, I was not accepted to the medical school because I didn’t do so well on the psychometric exam, specifically in the English section. Since I liked chemistry at school, I decided to study chemistry at the Technion. I am sure you know that it is tough to study at the Technion, yet I got the highest recognition of excellence in the first year, far more important than the actual grades. I fell in love with chemistry, and then I knew that my destination was to be a scientist rather than a medical doctor. I worked hard to achieve my new goal of becoming a professor of chemistry. In fact, while still a second-year undergraduate student, I started working in Udi’s lab. I remember that Udi was very open, and he asked me, “What do you want to be?” and I answered, “I want to be like you.” I wish to thank everyone who helped me accomplish my goal, primarily my PhD supervisor, Udi Keinan, my second advisor, Phil Dawson, and my postdoc supervisor Don Hilvert. I learned a lot from each one of them, and their guidance helped shape the scientist that I am today. Any accomplishment for which I receive this award is due to my students’ persistence and hard work, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. I only came up with the ideas, but they have done the actual work. Fina l ly, the Arab societ y has made out standing accomplishments through higher education in the last two decades. I am sure we will continue to reach milestones and close the gaps between the different segments of Israeli society. In my talks at Arab schools, I meet many excellent students, and I encourage them to choose the career that suits themmost, love it, and work hard to achieve their goals. Thank you all for your kind attention.” Prof. Menny Shalom of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev received the prize for developing carbon nitride-like materials for photo-electrochemical cells with energy-related applications. Prof. Shalom responded: “Thank you very much. Considering the late hour, I promise to be brief. Also, my wife has just sent me a note that my children are waiting for me before going to bed. Many thanks to the Israel Chemical Society for the honor. I’m proud to be a member of this active society. I thank my PhD supervisor Prof. Arie Zaban and the glorious academic tree from which he descended. I thank my postdoctoral mentor, Prof. Markus Antonietti of the Max-Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces. Special thanks go to Ben-Gurion University and the Department of Chemistry for giving me the opportunity and tools to build my group and accomplish my research program. I am very thankful to my excellent group members and collaborators over the years. Above all, I thank my parents for insisting on a good education as their top priority, even in difficult times. Education has always been essential to them. I thank my wife and kids for all the support, love, and help over the years. Finally, I thank you all for staying with me until the end of this ceremony.” The 2020 Honorable Member of the ICS Prof. Albert Zilkha of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem received the award for his seminal contributions to polymer chemistry, achievements in chemistry teaching, and service as a role-model mentor of young chemists. The award ceremony took place on June 16 in the Mishkan Shmuel synagogue at Giv’at Mordechai in Jerusalem, attended by his family and many of his former students. Prof. Zilkha responded: “Hello everyone and thank you very much for coming. I want to thank the ICS, and President Professor Ehud Keinan, for awarding me the Honorable Membership. I also wanted to thank those who have recommended me for this award, primarily Professor Meir
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