This annual competition at Touro’s Lander College for Men builds STEM skills and prepares students for careers in science.

(Courtesy of Touro University) More than 160 students from 11 yeshiva high schools across New York and New Jersey competed this week in the Jewish Education Project Science Olympiad competition hosted by Lander College for Men (LCM), Touro University. They spent hours vying for the top spot and at the end of the day, SAR High School finished first, with North Shore Hebrew Academy coming in second, followed by The Frisch School and DRS Yeshiva High School, respectively.

The competition consisted of 12 events related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) research, considered necessary for success in today’s job market. High school students from each of the participating schools competed in at least one event, which tested various aspects of biology, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, earth science, and physics, as well as applications of engineering and technology. Schools were required to send at least two faculty coaches to the Olympiad to supervise students and serve as judges.

One student participant shared that he really enjoyed “the Codebusters event because it was a logical puzzle, incredibly fun to solve.” Another student liked Chem Lab because he “got to mix a lot of cool chemicals.”

Dr. Linda Padwa of the Institute for STEM Education at Stony Brook University, has been organizing the Sunday competition for yeshiva high schools since 2005. She loves “the excitement and joy of seeing students apply classroom learning to new situations.” The majority of events involve written test questions on selected topics that students have studied in advance. But several events are completely hands-on and these “provide outlets for students’ creative efforts.”

One of the most difficult exercises of the day is the Write-It/Do-It, where a team of two students work in separate rooms. One student views a 3D display and writes instructions on how to assemble it, and then the teammate reads the description and builds the display in a separate room, all within 50 minutes.

A perennial hands-on favorite is the Scrambler, where teams construct a vehicle in advance — using wood, elastic bands, compact discs for wheels, and other assorted materials — and push it down a ramp. An egg is placed on top, and the vehicle that goes the furthest while keeping the egg intact, wins. Students from the different schools gathered around the contestants to watch the event and cheer on their classmates and contestants.

For another popular event, participants constructed a tower out of wood and glue. To test the stability, a bucket was attached to the bottom of the tower and then slowly filled with sand until the bridge inevitably broke. Teams earned points according to how much weight their tower could hold, and the fewer materials used, the higher the potential score.

“It was truly remarkable to see high school students wholeheartedly embracing the sciences, a journey that took me 22 years to fully appreciate. Equally inspiring was the dedication of their teachers, whose passion and commitment made the sciences not just accessible but enjoyable for their students,” said David Gastman, a biology major at Lander College for Men who volunteered for the day at the science olympiad.

When not competing in events, students watched their friends compete or played games like ping pong, bumper pool, foosball, and pop-a-shot in LCM’s student lounge.

Dr. Ann Shinnar, a professor and chair of the Lander College Chemistry Department, has been serving as a liaison between LCM and the event organizers since 2011. In recent years, Shinnar has invited scientists to address the students about careers in science. This year’s guest scientist Dr. Pia S. Pollack was inspired by two Jewish women, her high school biology teacher and her college professor and research mentor. Pollack talked about her pathway to becoming a clinical cardiologist and later on to work on drug safety in major pharmaceutical companies. She also shared the challenges of being a religious Jew in the sciences and balancing her career and raising a family. Shinnar hoped that “the Science Olympiad participants will be motivated to pursue their interests in science.”