Original Inventions Presented
at Regional STEM Expo
Nine Projects Spotlight Hands-On
Science & Engineering Course
P
acking up capstone projects representing the cul-
mination of a full year’s work, 19 Mesivta Chaim
Shlomo science and engineering students headed to
Bell Works in Holmdel, New Jersey, in the spring to par-
ticipate in the seventh annual Innovation Day sponsored
by the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE).
The 9th and 10th graders from the Mesivta were
among nearly 1,500 students from 44 schools in New
York, New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, Pennsylvania
and Texas who spent a year cultivating their STEM skills
at special in-house CIJE science classes. In addition to
learning about engineering and technology, students
spent several months designing, implementing, build-
ing and testing original inventions that were presented
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BEDARCHEI HATORAH
WINTER 5780/2020
at CIJE’s year-end Innovation Day, where student teams
made presentations demonstrating innovation in scientif-
ic engineering, eldercare, arts, eco-innovation, consumer
products, and healthcare and assistive technology.
Yeshiva Darchei Torah has been using the CIJE curric-
ulum in special 8th, 9th and 10th grade classes for nearly
a decade, with students learning hands-on skills including
microprocessor programming and how to build and test
their own creations. From the middle of the winter until
the spring, the Mesivta science and engineering class had
been devoted to preparing for Innovation Day, with stu-
dents gaining invaluable skills.
“In addition to making sure that their inventions work,
students also learn to cooperate as a team, how to develop