Daniel J. Amit he, דניאל עמית (May 5, 1938 – November 4, 2007) was an Israeli physicist and pacifist, who was one of the pioneers in the field of computational neuroscience. Amit,
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Haim Sompolinsky, in a set of papers referred to as the ASG papers, were the first to demonstrate the utility of statistical mechanics in neural network research and helped establish theoretical and computational neuroscience as a novel approach that brings into brain research unique powerful sets of concepts, models, and standards of rigour.
Early life
Daniel Amit was born on May 5, 1938, in
Łódź
Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...
, Poland, to a wealthy Jewish family. In March 1940, several months after the
German occupation of Poland
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
, his parents managed to slip out of the country, and traveling through
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
and
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
, reached
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
in July of the same year. Daniel grew up in a middle class neighbourhood of central Tel Aviv, met his wife to be, Dahlia, in high school and married her two years later at the age of 18. In 1961, he received a
BA is Physics at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, then completed his
MA in Physics at the
Weizmann Institute of Science
The Weizmann Institute of Science ( he, מכון ויצמן למדע ''Machon Vaitzman LeMada'') is a public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, 14 years before the State of Israel. It differs from other Israeli unive ...
, after which he served for two years in the newly established computer unit of the Israeli Army.
Scientific career
Amit started his scientific activity in
particle physics
Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) an ...
, obtaining a PhD from
Brandeis University
, mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = NECHE
, president = Ronald D. Liebowitz
, ...
in 1963, under
Eugene P. Gross. He was then active, in the 1970s, in
statistical mechanics. In the 1980s he moved on to a more interdisciplinary research including
neurosciences. He was a visiting scholar at the
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States, is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent schola ...
in 1982-83. He was professor at
The Racah Institute of Physics of the
Hebrew University
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
in Jerusalem and professor of
neural networks in the Department of Physics of the
Sapienza University of Rome
The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a public research university located in Rome, Ita ...
and was among the founders of the modern theory of neural networks.
Activism
Amit's involvement with progressive causes started with the protest movement against the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
that intensified in the mid 1960's on campuses across the United States. It was during this period that he was first exposed to the Palestinian issue and other aspects of leftwing politics and ideas. He was widely known for his engagement for peace, especially between Israel and the
Palestinians.
Later life
Amit was naturalized as an
Italian citizen in 1999. The last decade of his life saw him bitterly disappointed at the failure of the left to construct a real alternative to globalisation and the dominance of the US
eference neededThe disappointment weighed on him heavily and he took his life in his Jerusalem home on November 4, 2007.
Awards
* In 2007, he was awarded with the
Rammal Award by
Euroscience
EuroScience (the founding organisation of ESOF, EuroScience Open Forum) is a pan-European grassroots organisation for the support and promotion of science and technology in Europe. The membership of EuroScience consists of individuals interested in ...
.
Rammal Award 2007
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References
External links
Article on La Rivista del Manifesto (in Italian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amit, Daniel
1938 births
2007 deaths
20th-century Israeli physicists
Brandeis University alumni
Academic staff of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Institute for Advanced Study visiting scholars
Israeli Jews
Immigrants to Italy
Israeli emigrants
Israeli expatriates in the United States
Israeli pacifists
Jewish physicists
Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine
Academic staff of the Sapienza University of Rome