Three students from Bruriah who were nominated as finalists in a “Shark Tank” competition have attracted the attention of a major Amazon marketplace seller and manufacturer. For last year’s CIJE conference (Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education), Bruriah students Hallie Gordon, Nechama Stein and Judith Wechter built a device that would effectively prevent the development of many bed sores, which is a major source of infection and death in patients who are bed bound. Their device was being targeted to the healthcare industry at large and this caught the eye of an investor who was interested in products that could be brought to market. The three students received finalist status in the competition. As a result of their finalist status and the investor’s interest, the students have been invited to pitch their project to the investor.

“Being selected as a finalist in the CIJE Tank competition was thrilling. Working on the capstone project was challenging but really expanded my knowledge of coding and real world application.” said Wechter. Only six groups have been given this opportunity. All will receive awards and at least one group will receive a patent for their idea. Additionally, these students will receive a complete tour of this seller’s warehouse and prototype manufacturing facility. The projects these students work on have the potential to make the world a better place.

With the school’s support and effort CIJE has put in to reaching out to sellers, the students have an incredible opportunity to make a difference. Wechter continued, “It was exciting to see how we could apply all that we learned in our classes to a project that could ultimately prevent sores in bed-bound patients.” The event will be held at a warehouse and MakerSpace in Brooklyn, on January 13.