When a delegation from the Yeshiva University High School for Girls (Central) visited YU’s Innovation Challenge in March, the group’s aim was to merely observe the pitch night event. So how did this group – freshmen Camryn Brunner, Sarah Galanti, Maya Goykadosh, Maayan Kotkin, Emily Segall, and Hudis Schnur – go from observers to first-place winners, competing against both college and graduate-level entrants at YU’s Innovation Challenge on Wednesday, May 8? It’s a story for the books.
In March, the students were invited to attend a pitch night event at the Innovation Lab, which was established by YU to shape the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders with educational programming infused with Jewish values. Originally, the group, accompanied by Central’s Head of School, Ms. Bracha Rutner, and Director of Technology Mrs. Marci Karoll, intended to watch and listen as event participants brainstormed product ideas with professors and entrepreneurs. However, Central’s students were inspired – and had a strong pre-existing idea they had previously developed for Northwell Health’s Medical Marvels Challenge in the fall. “For our Medical Marvels competition, we were challenged to put together a hypothetical prototype that would help a student with a disability to attend a mainstream school,” explained Emily Segall. Their idea, the Blue Cane, could be used to help students with visual impairments navigate school campuses.
The Blue Cane enables users to request locations using a device with braille-labeled buttons, then move through buildings and navigate crowds independently with the help of a GPS system, Bluetooth, and RFID chips.
The positive reception the students received encouraged them to move forward and develop their own pitch. Supporting the group in their work were the Science Department Chair and Science Institute Coordinator, Mrs. Ruth Fried, as well as Mrs. Karoll. “This was project-based learning at its best,” Mrs. Fried said. “These students had to research blindness, technology, grants, potential consumers, and the cost of manufacturing such a product.” Also lending support and perspective to the group was disability advocate Rabbi Michael Levy, whose advice was formative in Blue Cane development.
“We asked Rabbi Levy about his experience as a student who could not see,” Emily said. “We took some key points he spoke about, which were mostly related to his struggles as a student with visual impairment, that we wanted to address.” Sarah Galanti agreed that the contribution such a project could make to the learning experience of users would be significant.
“While developing the Blue Cane idea, we learned so much about blindness and different laws in effect for disabilities, as well as some of the business aspects of the project. Overall, I feel that this project can make a big impact on the education of students who are blind.”
An additional mentor for the group – Associate Dean Michael Strauss of YU’s Sy Syms School of Business – who helped the students craft their pitch to the strict parameters granted by the Challenge: a presentation in seven minutes, followed by a five-minute judge’s question period.
“From the minute that I met these ninth graders and heard a summary of the idea, I knew they were going to win the competition,” Dean Strauss said. “Having worked with Central students in the past, I was not surprised. These students are very bright, motivated, and dedicated to this effort, and it showed at the presentation. I spoke to each judge, and one by one, they told me how impressed they were and how pleasantly surprised they were when they compared the ninth graders’ presentation to others given by much older students.” Mrs. Fried agreed: “Their presentation was sharp, fast-paced, and effective. And they won.”
On Wednesday, May 15, the students shared their project in a symposium held at the YUHSG campus. Also featured at the symposium was Rabbi Levy, who addressed the community with his lecture, “My Journey Through Life As a Jew with a Disability.”
The event marked the conclusion of a formative experience for these six students. “I hadn’t participated in a project like this before,” Sarah said, “so it was very new and exciting for me.” Emily agreed: “Collaborating with the group was an incredible experience. We were all passionate about what we were doing, and we each contributed our own thoughts and ideas to the group project.”
The group’s next step: to develop an actual prototype in order to make the Blue Cane a reality. “I loved working with my team to reach accomplishments,” added Maya Goykadosh, “and hope we will have more in the future.”
