12 April 18 • 2019
jn
SARA BERKOWITZ EAKER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Robots Are Coming
Israeli teams will come to Detroit for an international competition.
T
he future is technology and that
future will be well represented at
the 2019 FIRST Championship
April 24-27 at Cobo Center in Detroit,
featuring a celebration of space, inno-
vation and STEM — science, technolo-
gy, engineering and math.
This is the world’
s largest STEM
jubilee, bringing together thousands of
students from around the world who
participate in K-12 robotics programs
along with educators, industry profes-
sionals, sponsors and organizations.
Also, following the theme of building
your own robot, 1,300 robots built by
these young visionaries will be making
the journey to Detroit.
Detroit was chosen because it is a
hub of technology, manufacturing,
invention and creativity. Another com-
petition will be held in Houston earlier
this month.
When it comes to innovation,
Israel is often at the forefront. FIRST
Robotics Israel was brought to Israel
16 years ago by Israel Air Force Lt.
Gen. (Ret.) Avihu Ben-Nun and Peretz
Lavie, president of the Technion, Israel
Institute of Technology.
“From 12 teams in year one, we’
ve
grown to more than 1,200 teams in
2019, from all over Israel, across gen-
ders and religion,” said Alon Wolf, a
professor at the Technion who heads
the program. “We have four programs
in Israel starting in kindergarten
through 12th grade for a total of
15,000+ students with 2,000 volunteers
around the country.”
FIRST is still a project of the
Technion and run by the Technion as
its leading outreach activity. This year,
Israel will send 600+ high school stu-
dents, including teams from Detroit’
s
Partnership2Gether region in the
Central Galilee, to participate in the
championship in Detroit. Ben-Nun
and Wolf will accompany the Israeli
teams, along with mentors, parents
and volunteers.
“We have strong leadership in robot-
ics and technology at the Technion,
”
Wolf said. “My research is in the field
of robotics and, for many years, I was
involved with STEM activities. I was
asked 10 years ago to take the lead at the
Technion with the program.
”
Though competition is important,
Wolf believes the most important factor
is cooperation.
“FIRST was founded on the concept
and philosophy that teams can and
should help and cooperate with each
other even as they compete,
” Wolf said.
“Cooperation involves learning from
teammates. It is teaching teammates.
Cooperation means competing always
but assisting and enabling others when
you can.
”
Teams that follow this philosophy,
promote STEM and follow the compe-
tition principles can earn a spot on the
dean’
s list, which awards them a free
ticket to the world championship, Wolf
explained.
A special guest at the competition will
be Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway
and international founder of FIRST
Robotics.
Dr. Richard and Sally Krugel, longtime
Jewish Federation and Jewish communi-
ty lay leaders, will be volunteering at the
event. They know Ben-Nun well.
“In 1974-75, we were stationed at
Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery,
Ala. This is where the Air War College is
located, including the upper echelon of
generals. We were there the first time an
Israeli was invited over. That Israeli was a
pilot at the time, Avihu Ben-Nun,
” Sally
Krugel said.
“We lived on base and so did he and
his wife, and we became fast friends.
Years later, Avihu Ben-Nun became
commander of the Israeli Air Force.
When he retired, he was in a business
conglomerate and one of his portfolios
was General Motors, so he would come
to Detroit with the Israeli GM affiliate.
”
Richard Krugel explained Ben-Nun
took this leadership role because it
helps build Israeli technology. GM has
a research and development facility in
Herzliya, Israel, where they are working
on autonomous vehicles and research
that exceeds the research capabilities of
GM here in the U.S., Krugel said.
“Our goal is to get people out to the
event and give the Israeli kids in Cobo
Center our support.
” ■
For details, visit firstchampionship.org.
jews d
in
the
TOP: April 4 at the
FIRST Robotics Israel
finals
BELOW: Alon Wolf at
the finals in Israel.
ALON WOLF