West Bloomfield

Technion Institute looking for science students

By Eric Czarnik
C & G Staff Writer

WEST BLOOMFIELD — An Israeli university that specializes in science is hoping to put a few bright Americans to the test during a research summer camp.

The Technion Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, is hosting its summer SciTech camp for ambitious students who want to pursue technical and scientific careers. This summer’s camp will run July 30-Aug. 23, and the deadline to fill out the application is March 15.

Zelda Gechter of West Bloomfield is the Michigan-area chair of the summer program. She said Technion is home to three recent laureates of the Nobel Prize, including one from December 2011.

“It is a university that produces more than 70 percent of the engineering graduates in Israel and is home to some of the leading global innovations in science, technology and medicine,” she said in a statement.

The program is available to high-achieving high school students who are entering their junior or senior years in the fall. Students neither have to be Jewish nor speak Hebrew to join.

During the camp sessions, the students work in the lab alongside professors while studying such topics as computer science, robots, life sciences and engineering. At the end of the camp, students write a report and do a presentation on what they learned.

Besides the research and learning, students are also encouraged to socialize with other students from around the world and go on tours of Israel or do other recreational activities.

Jacob Leemaster, 26, went through the program when he was in high school in 2003 and learned about mechanical engineering and the use of fluids to cool microchips. Although he used to live in Franklin, he now lives in New Mexico, where works as an electrical engineer.

He said two of his favorite memories were enjoying Haifa and swimming in the Dead Sea. “I learned a lot about living in a foreign country being in a different culture,” he said. “It was a great cultural immersion experience.”

Scott Leemaster, Jacob’s father, said his son already had a high interest in science, but SciTech really gave him an excitement about the research. It also helped Jacob get into schools like Washington University and Georgia Tech.

“When parents are looking for summer educational experiences, it is so competitive to get into good schools,” he said. “This experience is something that can differentiate a college applicant from others.”

To learn more about the Technion Institute of Technology, visit www1.technion.ac.il/en or call (248) 318-1392. The program’s cost is $5,100, but grants for economic need may be available.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Eric Czarnik at eczarnik@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1058.