The EMET Prize is awarded to Prof. Haim Harari for his significant contribution to providing science education for all pupils in the education system. His wondrous ability to introduce into the field of educational philosophy, patterns borrowed from scientific fields, and inculcate them successfully within the Israeli education system, constitutes a breakthrough in educational practice.
Haim Harari was born in Jerusalem in 1940. After receiving his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and upon completing his service in the IDF, he joined the Weizmann Institute in 1966 and became associate professor in 1967. Since 1970 he has been the Annenberg professor of high-energy physics. He is now an “Institute Professor” at the Weizmann Institute.
His scientific research has focused on theoretical particle physics. He has held numerous administrative academic posts, such as: Head of the Department of science teaching, Dean of the Feinberg Graduate School of the Weizmann Institute, Chairman of the Planning and Budgeting Committee (“VATAT”) of the Council of Higher Education in Israel and, from 1988 to 2001, President of the Weizmann Institute.
His contributions to education include: Scientific advisor, writer and presenter for Israel Educational Television; Chair of the physics programs committee for high schools; Founder and council chair of Perach, the national tutoring and mentoring project; Chair of the national panel who wrote the “Tomorrow 98” report on science education in Israel; Chair of the Israel Science and Technology Education Center (“Malam”); Founder and chair of “Hemda” the science education center in Tel-Aviv, and founder and chair of the Davidson Institute of Science Education at the Weizmann Institute.
Over his forty years of activity, Harari has been a guest professor at many universities around the world, and has been chairman or member of a variety of international bodies dealings with science or with science and technology policy, including the German-Israeli Council for Cooperation in higher technology (co-chair), the science commission of the EU (special advisor), and numerous other boards.
His scientific work has won him many prizes including the Weizmann Prize (1973), the Rothschild Prize (1976), and the Israel Prize (1989). He has been a member of the Israel Academy of Science since 1978. In 2001 he won the Harnack Medal, the highest award bestowed by the Max Planck Society. He holds honorary doctorates from several universities in Israel and abroad.
