Mesivta Ateres Yaakov boasts a host of different elective options for its talmidim. Among them is the popular CIJE (Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education) Engineering Program. Students in the two-year course learn engineering concepts ranging from simple constructs to robotics. The course culminates each year at the CIJE Engineering Fair, which will be held at the New York Hilton.
Last week, a group of MAY engineering students took a field trip to New York Rehabilitative Services, a Lawrence-based prosthetics and orthotics facility. Organized by the class’s instructor, Mr. Pinchas Fiber, an alumnus of MAY, students met with CPOs Michael Nadata and Emanuel Kashi and Chief Engineer Michael Sperber. Mr. Nadata described the process of fabricating prosthetic limbs and the amazing feeling of having “patients come to the office in wheelchairs and walk out after being fitted with their prosthetics.”
Students witnessed the technology processes involved in creating a custom-fitted prosthetic limb: 3‑D scans, machining, mechanics, and testing. The incredible staff walked students through the office, explaining every step of the process, and demonstrating the digital scanning and fitting steps on a student volunteer.
“These field trips help our students see firsthand how their engineering lessons relate to real-world challenges,” commented assistant principal Rabbi Yossi Bennett, who accompanied the class on the trip. “Students walked away feeling that this could be a viable field for them to pursue.”
The mesivta appreciates New York Rehabilitative Services taking time out of their day to educate the students, and thanks the entire staff for being so accommodating.
