Source: Times of Israel
The Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE) recently organized its first tech trip to Israel for Yeshiva high school students. Called CIJE-Tech: Journey to the Start-Up Nation, the ten-day program, which concluded last week, was the latest effort by CJIE to get kids interested in and excited about science and technology, helping them to prepare for the STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – careers of the 21st century.
The CIJE-Tech program focuses on encouraging and enhancing education for science and biomedical engineering. CIJE-Tech exposes Yeshiva and day school students to a diverse range of science and technical knowledge while helping develop multidisciplinary and abstract thinking as well as leadership and teamwork skills. It also provides intensive teacher training, on-going teacher mentoring as well as all science laboratory equipment and materials, which many of the schools can’t afford.
Operating since 2001, CIJE has built 100 computer laboratories, 27 state-of-the-art science laboratories and donated more than 500 smart boards.
The trip included about 50 students from yeshiva high schools throughout the US who journeyed to Israel to meet scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, and fellow teens who would help to open up new vistas for participants, both in terms of how they see their futures, and how they see Israel.
Many of the participants in this trip are already enrolled in science programs in their schools, or are at least interested in the subject. The trip emphasized life sciences and biotechnology, taking participants to places like the Technion, the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), and biotech firm Given Imaging, as well as start-ups, Google Labs Tel Aviv, venture capital firm Jerusalem Venture Partners, Jerusalem entrepreneurial hub Siftech, and others.
Read more at The Times of Israel.