Dr. Yossi Meir, a senior lecturer at the faculty of Aerospace Engineering at the Technion (Israel Institute of Technology) and an engineer at RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. for more than 40 years, visited SAR to speak with fifth graders about his work in the field, and specifically, in the creation of the Iron Dome Missile system that is so important to Israel’s safety. The Iron Dome is a counter-rocket, artillery, and mortar (C-RAM) weapons system that has been used by Israel to protect its citizens from enemy fire. Eitan Meir, an SAR fifth grader, was so excited about the recent rocket engineering unit that he and some of his classmates are studying in STEM, and offered to bring his grandfather, who would be visiting for the chagim, to address the entire grade. Dr. Meir emphasized to the students that there are many different types of engineers who all work together toward a common goal when creating aerospace craft such as airplanes, shuttles and missiles. Each person brings his or her area of expertise to the project. Dr. Meir explained how he uses digital programs to virtually design the missile body, specifically, the specialized tail wings and fins. The students had some wonderful questions for him, bringing their previous knowledge to the conversation!

Dr. Meir was recently awarded with a lifetime achievement award for having developed dozens of innovative models, probably more than any other engineer in Israel. Over the 40 years in the field, Dr. Meir has trained generations of leading engineers and researchers, and SAR hopes that his visit has inspired some of its students!

By Dr. Chaya Fine

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