The Vision Project at the ELSC supported by the Swiss Friends

The Swiss Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem support the Vision Project at the new Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC).

Dr. Amedi wearing one of the SSD devices developed as the result of research in his lab.

Vision is a central research area at ELSC and the research being done by Hebrew University in this area has already seen noted success.

ELSC is exploring the way in which the brain controls visual functions. About a quarter of our cerebral cortex is devoted to processing visual information. Our brain does an exquisite job at this: we are able to recognize a familiar face, or the gist of a natural scene, in a brief glance lasting only tens of milliseconds. Furthermore, this capability is generally unaffected by drastic changes in the level illumination, viewpoint, partial occlusion, shading, and viewing distance.

Funding the Future: Vision Research

In order to enable Hebrew University neuroscientists to continue their trailblazing research in the field of brain and vision, additional funds are necessary. In order to achieve its aims in this field, ELSC seeks support in two main areas:

Establishing a vision research lab.

This laboratory would be reserved for those scientists working on vision-related research. The lab and the facilities would be created according to the instruction of vision-related scientists and exist as a central hub for innovative vision research. The tools necessary for scientists like Amir Amedi and Ehud Zohary would be at their fingertips. Additionally, the creation of a lab for vision-related researchers would create focused collaboration between those scientists working within the same field, ultimately spurring greater creativity and the increased exchange of ideas. Establishing such a lab requires an initial investment of $3 million. The lab could then be named in accordance with the donor's wishes.

Support for vision-related research at ELSC will enable groundbreaking research and the training of a new generation of talented neuroscientists, thus enhancing Israeli science and society as a whole. The continuation of high caliber research in the area of vision-related neuroscience will not only ensure Israel’s place in the world community as a forerunner in research, but it will ultimately generate pioneering innovation with the capacity to change and save lives.