Written by Dr. Danny Aviv, Director of Engineering and Design
Like many people, I’ve become a bit reflective and nostalgic during these Corona Daze. I’ve been thinking about my Schechter Westchester/Leffell School journey so far and especially thinking about all of the students who were there (and are still there) with me along the way. I thought this was a good opportunity to send out an update about the program.
This fall, we opened the Digital Design Center (DDC) in what used to be my very cluttered office across from the dance studio (see image #2 to the right). The DDC was designed and built almost entirely by two E2 students, Sophia Loeber and Alyssa Schwartz (Class of 2019) as part of their WISE projects, with the help of a community volunteer. The DDC has beautiful butcher block tables and six computer stations. It’s a graphic design and CAD studio. The space is intended to cultivate student interest and skill in aesthetic design and digital fabrication. It’s also a great space to collaborate with teammates and visiting Need-Knowers and company consultants.
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Including the DDC, we now have five spaces dedicated to engineering and making: the INC, Tech Style Studio, and Fablab in the Upper School, and the Makerspace in the Lower School. The next space we are developing is what I’m calling the ExoSpace (images #3, #4, and #5). Imagine two shipping containers arranged in an "L" on a concrete slab with a pitched roof over the space between. Now imagine it behind the Middle School garden. This will be where we do everything that requires proper ventilation; spray-painting, staining, sanding, welding, and grinding. It will also have storage for large stock items like plywood sheets and stock metal. My hope was to build it this summer for use in the fall. COVID-19 thwarted those plans, but hopefully construction can start as soon as school gets back underway.
The E2 seniors held the third annual TOM (Tikkun Olam Makers) Makeathon this past January (images #6 and #7). This year, we had 11 Need-Knowers (people with physical disabilities) participating and projects that included fabricating a series of yadayim so Ed could read Torah from his wheelchair and customizing a grabber for Chari. In addition to the students and Need-Knowers, we had 12 experts, three SciTech/E2 alumni, and a Jimmy Diresta supporting the teams. Every TOM event we host gets better and better as we build upon the experiences from the previous years. At the beginning of the pandemic, TOM started mobilizing makerspaces to produce and distribute PPEs and has become a repository of open-source solutions to problems associated with COVID-19. We are working with TOM and the University of Michigan TOM Community Manager, our very own Eitan Abecassis (Class of 2018), to design and test products and devices that can be added to the TOM repository.
Last year, CIJE started CIJE TANK, asking teams from different schools to submit videos describing their products (image #8). Out of over 40 submissions, six finalist teams were chosen, of which three were from our E2 program. At a separate event, our teams presented to a panel of venture capitalists. Though we didn’t win first prize, our teams were very impressive and professional. This year, we again were invited to bring three teams to the final CIJE TANK competition, and we brought home a first-place trophy and a provisional patent for the project idea E-band, a bandage that automatically applies the appropriate amount of pressure to open wounds in order to prevent blood loss.
Last year, CIJE started CIJE TANK, asking teams from different schools to submit videos describing their products (image #8). Out of over 40 submissions, six finalist teams were chosen, of which three were from our E2 program. At a separate event, our teams presented to a panel of venture capitalists. Though we didn’t win first prize, our teams were very impressive and professional. This year, we again were invited to bring three teams to the final CIJE TANK competition, and we brought home a first-place trophy and a provisional patent for the project idea E-band, a bandage that automatically applies the appropriate amount of pressure to open wounds in order to prevent blood loss.
The program has really grown. This year we had 182 students in E2 with three classes per grade. There is a full-time teacher (Raz Idan) working with me teaching the 12 E2 classes. We have now expanded our academic computer science sequence in the High School to four courses, including advanced study in Java and related fields. We also now have an engineering and computer science program in the Middle School. To put all of this under one umbrella, the Upper School will have a new department in the fall, the Engineering and Design Department, which I will chair. We’ve come a long way from the bio room in 208! On the right, you will find a graphic I made to show the story of developing our program and facilities thus far (image #9), which I hope will provide you with some pride and perhaps inspire you to reach out to me with updates about how you’re doing along your journey.
That’s the update. Hoping you and your family are safe and healthy. I also hope you are being productive with this time and would love to hear from you.
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