Netanya Deputy Mayor: "YBA Yad Avraham brings great pride to the city."

YBA Yad Avraham student, Sagi Giat, receiving award

Sagi Giat is just 18 years old, but he has already invented a small gasoline engine that is 3% more energy efficient than motors in use today.

Sagi is a 12th grade student at YBA Yad Avraham in Netanya. Six months ago his Physics teacher, Dr. Mark Geller, recognizing his potential, encouraged Sagi to enter an international contest for 'Renewable Energy - Eco-friendly Transportation' co-sponsored by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the Israel Center for Renewable Energy, a number of Israeli high-tech firms and the Eilat-Eilot Regional Council.

"I joined another Israeli and a student from Italy to form a team to compete with other teams in developing an original idea to be start-up ready," explained Sagi. "We chose to investigate applying advanced friction reduction technology to standard 2-stroke gasoline engines, commonly used in lawn mowers and electric generators. 20% of the gas used to fuel these engines is wasted on overcoming friction. We submitted a ground-breaking motor that reduced friction and increased efficiency by 3%."

Sagi's team was one of the four finalists to present their projects to a panel of distinguished judges at a renewable energy conference held in Eilat last January. In the end, Sagi's team was awarded second place, just behind a team of students from Serbia.

Dr. Geller proudly explained that "Sagi tinkered with the motor and succeeded in reducing friction significantly. His invention proved effective when used to generate electricity, but in the future this same technology may well be applied to increase the fuel efficiency of cars, trains and jet planes!"

Dr. Avital Laufer, Deputy Mayor in charge of the Education Portfolio said: "This is evidence of the very clear and praiseworthy trend toward academic excellence in the school. The students are led by great teachers; talented and dedicated to identifying the strengths of each of their students, and accompanying them with wisdom and love to reach exceptionally impressive achievements. The school brings great pride to the city of Netanya."

YBA Yad Avraham Beit Midrash

YBA Yad Avraham was founded in 1960 and serves 450 boys from Netanya and the surrounding area in grades 7-12.  The campus is located on a hill on the outskirts of Netanya, on an area of about 35 acres surrounded by lush greenery, giving a comfortable and pleasant atmosphere.

YBA Yad Avraham Beit Midrash interior view

Like all schools in the YBA educational network Training Israel's Future, YBA Yad Avraham combines values education, Jewish education and social education, with academic excellence in general and scientific subjects to help its students reach maturity as well-rounded individuals. There are special tracks for excellence in Talmud, Mathematics, Physics, and Biology, and a unique Pre-medicine track in which students study a variety of medical issues in cooperation with Laniado Hospital in Netanya.

YBA Yad Avraham believes that the role of every teacher is to be an educator – not only to teach the curriculum, but to provide each student with all the tools he will need to succeed in all walks of life.