Israel Active

Joanna Shebson interviews Dotan Tamir, co-founder of Israel’s Big Idea Summer Camp. The camp teaches 12-15 year-olds new technologies, including programming, graphic design, film production, mobile app design, computer game development and more.

Thanks to the Satell Family Foundation, the University of Connecticut will develop an exchange program with Israel’s Technion. Graduates will visit each other’s campuses to develop joint research, such as into fuel cells, solar power and large-scale batteries.

Ben Gurion University’s new American Associates Village at Sede Boqer has been dedicated. The eco-friendly complex houses 150 extra international students. Previously, the International School for Desert Studies had to reject hundreds of candidates due to the housing shortage.

Thanks to the Ministry of Economy’s Israel NewTech, ten Israeli clean technology companies presented to Israel’s Teva on how the biotech giant could save energy and water by implementing Israeli cleantech products and services. The initiative can open more markets to such companies.

A group of 13-year-old students from the Harel School in Lod has made a unique breakthrough in water-filtering technology by using ground pieces of rubber made from scrap car and truck tires. It can be used as a water-filtering solution for developing countries.

(Thanks to Nevet) Israeli Shai Goitein designed the PowerUp 3.0 – a tiny battery-powered propeller and rudder. Fold a paper plane, attach the propeller and you control the plane with your smartphone. Shai asked for $50,000 on kickstarter. He actually raised $1.2 million.

Starbucks is installing Israeli-developed Powermats in USA coffee shops, for customers to charge compatible devices wirelessly. Rival chain Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is running a Powermat pilot in Los Angeles and McDonald’s are experimenting with them in Manhattan.

A tiny 840 grams satellite designed by a group of Israeli high school students at the Herzliya Science Center was successfully launched in Russia. Duchifat 1 is intended to orbit Earth every 90 mins for 20 years, assisting in locating lost travelers in areas with no cellphone reception.

An electric car equipped with an Israeli-designed aluminum-air battery system made its track debut at Montreal's Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Israel’s Phinergy has partnered with global metals engineering company Alcoa, to bring long-distance electric cars closer to a reality.

The IDF took delivery of the Green Rock mobile missile defense system from developers ELTA - a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries. Nicknamed “Wind Shield”, the system detects the launch of rockets and mortars and intercepts them before they reach their targets.