TABC held a singularly impressive Rabbi Hershel Solnica TABC Math/Science Expo last week. The evening began with opening remarks and divrei Torah by Rosh HaYeshiva, Rabbi Yosef Adler, and Science Chair Dr. Joel Berman. Dr. Berman recounted a story about the rishon the Ibn Ezra, who after adjudicating a monetary case stated that one who does not understand the cheshbon (accounting) of this temporal world, cannot hope to understand the cheshbon of Hakadosh Baruch Hu in heaven. Once the evening was placed in its proper religious context, the Expo was ready to begin.
Sophomore Shlomi Helfgot spoke first. He constructed and wrote the code for a Pintograph printer. This was followed by freshman Alex Ostrin, who researched non-smoker lung cancer. Freshman Nethanael Viner mathematically analyzed how the elasticity of helium balloons are compromised via UV light and temperature. Next, freshmen Jacob Lerer and Yoav Zolty gave the results of their research into which sports drink is most efficacious and why. Freshman Akiva Sturm presented the results of his fundamental research into hydrogen bonding. Sophomore Yaakov Zinberg offered an epic overview of modern genetic linkage. Which woods are best for electric guitars and why, was discussed (after many late nights in the lab) by freshmen Benji Meiner and Boaz Simantov. Juniors Eli Dickman and Benyamin Jachter studied, with a complicated torque equation, how much wood could a woodchuck actually chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.
After the presentations, the guest judges deliberated and the results came in. Yaakov Zinberg earned third place for his seamless and informative talk. Akiva Sturm earned second place because of his first rate fundamental research. First place was earned by Jacob Lerer and Yoav Zolty who proved, with impressive experimentation, that the natural sports drink, orange juice, is indeed the best sports drink.
Dr. Berman explained that the goal of the Math/Science Expo is to afford students the opportunity to engage in independent research. Dr. Berman asserted that “High school students have a natural curiosity that needs to be nurtured, as many successful researchers have commented that they did their best work before they reached the age of 30.”
The budding scientists and mathematicians were quite enthusiastic about their research. Alex Ostrin ’19 said, “The technology of CRISPR (Clustered regularly-interspaced short palindromic repeats) and its ability to save lives through editing and fixing mutated genes excited me and provoked me into thinking about its possible impact on so many lives and its potential to reinvent the way we, today, view cancer.”
The ten young scientists worked incredibly hard on their research, power points and public speaking and TABC is very proud of them. TABC looks forward to their students’ next science presentation at the Makerexpo at Yavneh Academy on March 6.
