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Summer In The Lab
Local teen goes to summer camp at
the Technion in Israel.
Tessa Lewitt
Special to the Jewish News
A
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40
December 5 • 2013
fter 11 years of summer
camp and teen tours, I
decided to do something
different: the SciTech Summer
Program at the Technion-Israel
Institute of Technology.
Within my first hour at the Technion,
I had met 38 other high school juniors
and seniors, who came from the United
States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Italy
and even Serbia for the SciTech sum-
mer research program.
From the get-go, I could tell I would
have no problem socially, but I was still
worried about the dominant aspect of
the program: research. I had never par-
ticipated in scientific research before,
and though I have been interested in
science all my life, I knew almost every-
thing would be new to me.
My fears were immediately assuaged
when I met my mentor, Tali Fishman,
Ph.D., and my supervisor, Silvia
Mandel, Ph.D. Though they were clearly
very busy with all of their extremely
high-level neuroscience research, they
took the time to explain the project to
my two fellow researchers and me.
After talking to some of my friends
in different projects, they expressed the
same feeling; the mentors were amaz-
ing helpers, aiding us to learn what we
didn't yet know and build upon what
we already did.
Some of my favorite memories from
my SciTech summer are from the trips
Summer Horse Camp for Girls
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Tessa Lewitt with the presentation
she created at SciTech
we took on the weekends. We trav-
elled to Jerusalem and the Galilee as
a group, and we were also given a free
weekend, which I spent with a friend
in Tel Aviv.
Being at the Western Wall with
people from all over the world, includ-
ing non-Jews, was very powerful. We
were able to bond as a group, teaching
each other about our own cultures and
religions.
Being at the Technion made me
feel like I was a part of something so
important. I gained a greater under-
standing of science and the basics of
wet-lab research in one of the most
prestigious labs in the world, while
creating friendships that will last a
lifetime.
❑
Tessa Lewitt, 18, of Bloomfield Hills is a
student at the University of Michigan.
What Is SciTech?
ciTech is a three- to four-
week program that com-
bines scientific research
along with cultural and social activi-
ties. It brings together outstanding
students from all over the world and
is intended to challenge even the
brightest students.
Participants work either individu-
ally or in small groups on a research
project of their choice, which is
supervised by members of the
Technion's research staff. Projects are
conducted in the Technion's many
departments of science, engineering,
mathematics, medicine and archi-
•••
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MO. •■
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tecture and make use of the state-of-
the-art research facilities located on
campus.
Afternoons and evenings are
devoted to social and cultural activi-
ties. Day and weekend excursions
across Israel are conducted, intro-
ducing participants to the multifac-
eted culture and beauty of Israel.
SciTech 2014 is from July 21-Aug.
14. The deadline for receipt of applica-
tions in order to participate in SciTech
is March 15. Applications received
before Feb. 1 are entitled to a $200 dis-
count on the tuition fee. To apply, visit
http://tinyurl.com/m2cjehe.
❑