2019 CONNECTECH FELLOWS
Meet the 2019 ConnecTech Fellows!

Steven Burcat G
Steven is a Master’s student in Mechanical Engineering. He enjoys mentoring in machine shops, hiking, and travelling around the world. He is looking forward to further exploring cultural connections with everyone on ConnecTech.

Judi Fusman ‘21
Judi is studying electrical engineering and computer science. She is originally from West Orange, NJ and spent a gap year in Jerusalem before coming to MIT. She is currently the president of MIT Hillel and enjoys yoga, swimming, warm weather, and hanging out with friends and family.

Michaela Gold G
Michaela is a Ph.D. student in the Microbiology program and works in the Ribbeck Lab, where she studies how mucus can tame bacterial opportunistic pathogens. Outside of the lab, Michaela leads science outreach activities for students and community members and also enjoys running.

Meital Hoffman ‘20
Meital is studying Urban Planning and Computer Science. She is doing research on analyzing satellite imagery to look at land cover and enjoys pottery, cooking, and running in her free time. She is a brother of tEp and enjoys being in charge of food for the house. Meital is super excited to improve her Hebrew and spend more time in the country she was born.

Rachel Kahn G
Rachel is a Ph.D. student in the MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science & Engineering. She is from Seattle and Southern California. Some of her favorite activities are running, cooking healthy food, and scuba diving. She also loves to travel and is looking forward to connecting with Israeli peers throughout the fellowship year.

Layne Kirshon G
Layne is a fourth year PhD student in economics originally from Houston, TX. He enjoys hiking, skiing, board games, and improv/stand up comedy. He's an active member of the Harvard/MIT Jewish communities in Cambridge, and he's excited to experienced a different part of Israel from what he has enjoyed in the past.

Zoe Levitt ‘21
Zoe is studying Geology and Mathematics. Outside of classes, she plays mandolin and is on MIT Motorsports, a team that builds an electric racecar. Last January, she taught at five schools near Haifa as part of the Global Teaching Labs Program. She is excited to return to Haifa!

Boaz Marks ‘21
Boaz is studying Aerospace Engineering and is originally from Baltimore. Outside of class, Boaz is involved with Addir Interfaith, Hillel Student Board, and is a Tour Guide for MIT Admissions.

Aaron Melamed G
Aaron is a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering. He is originally from Indiana, and he spent several years in industry before returning to school. In his free time, Aaron enjoys hiking, visiting museums, and learning about different cultures.

Daphne Schlesinger G
Daphne is a PhD student in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics, working on the application of computational methods to clinical datasets. She grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and enjoys reading, baking, and the outdoors.