More than 1,000 Jewish teenagers gathered last week to demonstrate the projects that they have been working on all year as part of a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) curriculum sponsored by a nonprofit organization.

The Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE) coordinates educational programs in more than 175 Jewish schools across the country. Those programs impact the learning of more than 45,000 students each year and focus on both the ever-relevant (collaborating in teams, developing critical thinking skills and finding solutions) and the futuristic (the STEAM component).

CIJE held its Innovation Day at the L’Chaim convention space inside American Dream in East Rutherford. on May 23. The setup featured many breakout rooms for the multitude of presentations, along with a large central area for the awards ceremony at the end of the day.

“Innovation Day gives the kids the chance to present at a professional conference,” said CIJE Senior Vice President Amy Amiel. “Yes, it is a program for emerging engineers, but the year of learning, trial and failure, and experimentation and innovation with a team is also a very real-life skill that benefits our students no matter their future profession.”

The goal of the event was to celebrate the innovative endeavors of high school students around the country toward the goal of presenting their engineering projects for review by their peers and a judging panel. The in-person event was attended by 325 teams from 35 schools across eight states. Teams that were unable to attend in person were allowed to send their materials for review by a national judging panel of volunuteer STEAM professionals.

The students were invited to demonstrate their inventions in a “Shark Tank” style competition where they were graded on different aspects ranging from their presentation to how well their product fit a need in society. During the year, CIJE provides mentors, specialized equipment and materials for the students. The idea of this process is to yield greater results by making education a hands-on experience utilizing project-based learning.

The day was split into morning and afternoon sessions. Each session featured 14 rooms of around a dozen teams each. All of the rooms were equipped with audio and visual setups so that the students only needed to bring their projects. Competitors were given a few minutes to present their product, address the different areas of the scoring rubric, and take questions from the rest of the teams in attendance. Every student was armed with a clipboard in order to grade their peers’ presentations. Based on their scores, a winner was declared for each session in each room.

One of the biggest advantages to hosting the event at American Dream was that there were plenty of activities for the
attendees during the session in which they were not presenting. CIJE provided each student with free admission to Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park, located inside American Dream. This allowed the students to see what engineering can accomplish while also providing them with some fun to relieve the possible stress of presenting their projects.

“After the last couple of years, it’s so wonderful to get everyone together and see what they’ve worked on all year,” said Ahuva Krauss of Elizabeth (Bruriah _‘24). “It’s amazing to see all the different projects from all the schools.”

Since its creation in 2001, CIJE determined that in order to prepare for a future that might be radically different, there would need to be a change in the way students are educated.

“The CIJE program immerses students in science research and teaches them to think critically while preparing them for their futures in the work world,” said Gila Stein, science department chair at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls in Teaneck.

According to the organization, its goal is to prepare the next generation for innovation by funding programs with advanced technology, developing engaging curricula, and providing ongoing teacher training, mentorship and school visits by engineers.

At the end of the day, the students gathered for the award ceremony streamed live online so that the schools unable to attend could attend as well. Awards were distributed in the following categories: Engineering for Children; Engineering for Household Solutions; Engineering for Entertainment and the Arts; Engineering for Mobility, Engineering for Pets; Engineering for Older Adults; Engineering for Workplace Solutions; Engineering for Transportation; Judaic Innovation; Engineering Build; Elegant Design; Assistive Technology; Video Presentation; and Website Design.

One of the most interesting innovations was created by the team from Bais Yaakov of Baltimore (Hug-A-Bear, 3rd place in Engineering for Children). Its product, a teddy bear that helps with anxiety, so impressed one of the judges that the judge pledged to help them develop their idea further and bring it to market.

The day was a great experience for everyone involved. The hard work paid off and the students were treated to the type of amazing day that wouldn’t have been imaginable even 10 years ago.

“My favorite part of working on my project was overcoming the obstacles along the way,” said Ilan Nissel of Spring Valley (TABC ‘24). “The satisfaction of being here today and being able to present in front of everyone was a great feeling.”

By Nati Burnside