CIJE Innovation Conference, the single largest Jewish-sponsored STEM and robotics event, will be held on Sunday, May 7, 2-5 p.m., at the New York Hilton, in Manhattan. For the first time, this free event, open to the public, will combine three unique STEM events:

• CIJE’s fifth annual CIJE-Tech High School Young Engineers Conference, where approximately 1,000 high school students will share how they used their engineering studies to solve real-world problems
• A high school robotics competition, in which students will show off their inventiveness, creativity and resourcefulness
• The I.D.E.A. Schools Network’s second annual MakerXpo, where schools and organizations create interactive booths celebrating STEM and creativity

“We believe the CIJE Innovation Conference will be the largest STEM and robotics event of its type ever to be held in Manhattan,” says Jason Cury, president of CIJE. “This event will bring together top students to present their unique and innovative Capstone projects as part of their preparation for 21st-century careers.”

Those projects include a smart washing machine that texts you when the laundry is done, glasses that speak to you when you blink Morse code into them, a water bottle that reminds you to drink based on how much you’re exercising and a chemical container that you need a fingerprint to open.

“Parents will be amazed by these student team projects, which incorporate the fundamentals of STEM engineering and the design process, coupled with experiential learning, innovative thinking and problem solving,” says Judy Lebovits, CIJE Vice President.

At the MakerXpo, participants will be able to explore STEM and creativity in a hands-on way. Interactive booths open to all ages include a stop animation studio, an origami Hebrew language lab, a PVC pipe challenge—where you collaboratively build a structure, an Artbot studio where you use knowledge of genetics and the nature and nurture argument, a Rube Goldberg machine based on the city of Jerusalem and more. Attendees will also get to explore fun STEM tools such as spheros, Ozobots and Arduino boards, and learn how to make lightning detectors and self-cleaning counter robots.

“Over 400 people attended last year’s MakerXpo, which was at Yavneh Academy in Paramus, New Jersey. One of my favorite comments was from a father who said he hadn’t seen his kids this involved in anything other than TV or video games in a long time. What I like about the CIJE-Tech Engineering program and events like the MakerXpo is that they show kids how to be producers, not just consumers, of technology,” says Tikvah Wiener, co-founder and director of the I.D.E.A. Schools Network.

Fifty-three schools nationwide offer the CIJE-Tech High School Engineering program. In addition to providing equipment and materials, CIJE mentors with in-depth and applied STEM experience from industry guide the curriculum and mentor the teachers. CIJE provides extensive teacher training and reorients them to a student-centered classroom, focused on inquiry- and project-based learning.

The I.D.E.A. Schools Network helps schools implement project-based learning (PBL) by offering conferences and workshops. The Network, started in 2014 and initially funded by the Joshua Venture Group, has trained close to 1,000 teachers in PBL and educational innovation.

Participating schools: Bais Yaakov Machon Ora, Bais Yaakov of Waterbury, Bruriah, Darchei Torah, DRS, Flatbush, Frisch, Golda Och Academy, HAFTR, HANC, The Heschel School, Hillel Yeshiva, llan High School, JEC, Kohelet, Kushner, Ma’ayanot, Magen David, Mesivta Ateres Yaakov, Mesivta Shaarei Chaim, Moriah, Prospect Park, Ramaz, SAR, Sinai Acedemy, Shulamith (Brooklyn), Shulamith (LI), SKA, Solomon Schechter Bergen County, Solomon Schechter LI, Solomon Schechter Westchester, TABC, TAG, TMM (BBY), Yavneh, Yeshivat Darche Eres, Yeshivat Noam, YUHSB (MTA), YUHSG (Central).

For more information contact [email protected] or 212-757-1500.