Student clubs

When engineering and passion meet: The Afeka student clubs

Afeka Academic College of Engineering believes in learning from the heart.

One of the ways that students can broaden their engineering knowledge is through membership in Afeka’s various student clubs – and, should they wish, by creating new clubs in their favorite fields.

We’re all familiar with the traditional learning model: classrooms, lecturers, presentations, and assignments.

In recent years, this model has given way to newer, more contemporary models that allow for experiential learning, break down classroom walls, and provide learners with far more information.

As a leading institution of engineer education, Afeka college has adopted a variety of innovative teaching methods. Among Afeka’s creative ways to encourage value-added learning is its wide array of student clubs and complementary extracurriculars – which provide students the opportunity to delve into their fields of interest, practice hands-on work, and develop their own engineering projects.

At the clubs, students meet likeminded peers, and together with the academic faculty and members of industry, they benefit from learning that is experiential, enriching, and fun. If no club exists in their field of interest, students can present the idea and be given the tools and resources to build one. 

Afeka’s investment in developing its student clubs is part and parcel of the college’s vision. Afeka strives to educate engineers not only with advanced contemporary academic knowledge, but also with the skills and proficiencies critical for entering and working in the industry.

Furthermore, the various clubs enable students to plan, develop, and lead technological projects, and to perform hands-on work that is often the equivalent of practical industry experience. It is thus precisely the activity of these clubs that can grant alumni added value on the day after graduation, and pave their way to a coveted job or the next world-changing startup.

FROM CONCEPT TO CLUB

Club activities at Afeka are continuously updated, as the college encourages students to present their own ideas and initiatives – and helps them to make these a reality.

The Aerospace Club was founded by a mechanical engineering student with a passion for the subject. She recruited experts in the field, including leading members of industry, alumni, and senior Afeka lecturers, who helped her to realize her dream. The club was subsequently joined by Sapir Lazar, a college alumnus who researches space radiation. Student response to the new club has been enthusiastic, and a large future project is in the works.

At Engineers Without Borders, students develop technological solutions for underprivileged communities in Israel and worldwide. As part of the club, various social organizations and nonprofits present students with a real challenge or need, and together they form a solution that will improve the lives of the affected population.

Among the projects completed in Israel, the club’s students have upgraded a physiotherapy device in collaboration with Beit Loewenstein (Israel’s largest rehabilitation hospital), enabling patients to use the device while playing.

In recent months, two delegations from this club have traveled from Afeka to Poland to volunteer with Ukrainian refugees and especially that community’s children.

The delegation members have managed to plan and realize a large number of engineering projects, such as building greenhouses for food, building learning and play spaces, teaching coding lessons, and more.

Afeka’s Robotics Club enables students to delve deeper into this field, and even to experience hands-on work in the maker workshops. At this club, considered one of Afeka’s most active and dynamic, students get to select the projects, challenges, competitions, and hackathons in which they will participate. The club’s members are set to represent Afeka at an international robotics competition in 2023.

The FIRST Mentors Club is intended primarily for alumni of the FIRST program (a world-leading educational program that promotes science and technology) who study at Afeka, and allows them to coach high school students who take part in the project’s various competitions. Students who haven’t taken part in high school competitions can receive training at the club and join it. This club includes the first team outside of North America to have taken part in the Ri3D competition, where contestants build a robot in just three days.

True to its name, the Art and Engineering Club combines technology and art, presenting its members with the fascinating task of developing technological solutions to artistic or creative challenges. The club is led by multidisciplinary artist Nirit Levav-Packer, who among other things has built an installation in the image of Eurovision winner Netta Barzilai. These days, the club is working on a statue that incorporates technological elements.

Afeka’s sports teams are also defined as clubs, and include running, basketball, climbing, chess, and other sports that are periodically added to the list. Club members represent Afeka at various intermural competitions.

In collaboration with ProWoman, an international association for getting women into positions of seniority and influence, Afeka operates a one-of-a-kind club for female empowerment in technology, in which it promotes a wide variety of related programs and activities.

The Energy Club, led by the academia-industry forum for developing the Israeli energy market, will promote[=promotes?] innovative activities and initiatives in this field.

The Automotive Engineering Club is led by Dan Hermann, head of the automotive specialization program. These days, club members are building a solar vehicle which upon its launch will go on a cross-country tour.

The Electricity Club is a new Afeka club for electric engineering students, in which teams and think tanks gather to find solutions for real-life problems.

Additionally, at the start of each school year, Afeka holds a fair to showcase the various activities, and any student or faculty member wishing to start a club in a subject near to their heart is welcome to contact Afeka’s dean of students.