You’ve seen the hit TV show “Shark Tank,” where budding entrepreneurs vie for the chance to bring their dreams to reality. Welcome to “Carp Tank,” an inaugural event in which Ma’ayanot STEAM entrepreneurs pitched their inventions at the Jewish Home at Rockleigh on Tuesday, May 8.
“Carp Tank” was the culmination of a year-long project in which the students visited residents of the Jewish Home, discussed their needs and different abilities and created innovative devices for senior citizens in the school’s state-of-the-art Makerspace. At “Carp Tank,” seven teams of young entrepreneurs presented their capstone projects in front of the judges and an audience of residents of the Jewish Home. “Shark Tank” music contributed to the electric energy in the room, which was decorated with an under the sea theme.
“The beauty of “Carp Tank” is that it encompasses entrepreneurship, young women in STEAM, community service and meaningful intergenerational relationships,” said Sunni Herman, executive vice president of the Jewish Home.
Gila Stein, co-director of STEAM at Ma’ayanot, told the residents, “You are the ones who shaped our nation and created the backbone of technology. Now our students can use the lessons of the past to create and innovate the technology of the future.”
The audience applauded for Clap-22, a customized lamp that turns on or off, triggered by a person’s clap. Unlike similar devices on the market, Clap-22 can be customized based on the the strength of the consumer’s clap, and can be coded to light up colorful LEDs.
Sheindl Berger, Lieba Joran and Eliora Kruman presented a device called “Press Yes,” with large red, yellow and green buttons that allow a person to respond to questions with a simple “Yes, no or I don’t know.” The girls explained that their device is particularly beneficial for individuals with cognitive or speech deficits. Judge Shirley Peters was so impressed, she asked, “Why hasn’t anything like this been invented before?”
The winning invention was Piano PT, a piano with weighted keys that can be used for physical therapy, invented by Daniella Shlagbaum, Tzivia Major, Hannah Samuel and Atara Weil. Miriam Fisch won an award for her winning essay about the Jewish Home experience. All agreed that the presentations were extremely professional.
“Carp Tank” is part of the Better Together program, made possible by a generous two-year grant from a foundation that encourages intergenerational relationships among Jewish students and senior citizens.
