Last week, we learned just how “out of this world” AMIT is. The Rimon Foundation SpaceLab is a two-year hands-on research program open to 8th and 9th grade students in the U.S. and Israel. The overall goal is to learn about science through the prism of space studies. The participants compete to develop and submit an experiment to the International Space Station. And, this year, with over 120 schools taking part, (7 AMIT schools), AMIT Yeshiva Tzfat took first place. This means that Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe will conduct their experiment in space.
What is perhaps, even more amazing, is who participated. It was not handpicked students from the highest-level classes. It was a heterogeneous group of 17 boys who were interested and willing to make a commitment to the program. The boys came from Tzfat, Hatzor and moshavim around Tzfat where many of their parents work in agriculture and do not have HS bagrut diplomas. This opportunity had an extraordinary impact on the community at large – when the team won, large signs appeared in the entries to the moshavim, proudly proclaiming the students’ win.
The spokesperson for the group, O, an 8th-grade student, came to AMIT from a low socioeconomic background, with a stutter and a mediocre academic record. By the end of the program, he was chosen to present the project in English to an important panel of judges, including a current Israeli astronaut and well-known academics. He was also interviewed on Israeli radio. His teachers found it hard to believe that this capable and confident young man was the same person who walked into middle school 1½ years ago.
Below is the radio interview. Press the play button below to listen to the interview.
For those of you curious, the project hypothesis is to reduce the amount of water carried on space flights by enabling liquid to be reused by mixing the water with Moringa powder and copper wire to reduce turbidity and germs. When the liquid comes back from space, it will be evaluated for E.coli and other germs. If the process is successful, it could become a cheap and simple way to reuse liquid in long-term space missions and space stations and improve water in developing countries.
At AMIT, we believe that if you give children opportunities and guidance, you can develop stars.
Jewish tradition states that when the month of Adar starts, joy increases. May you all have a joyous Purim.
Shabbat Shalom!
