31 October 2008 New science and technology centre for ORT Argentina ORT Argentinas Almagro high schools reputation as one of the best schools in Buenos Aires looks set to be enhanced with the building of a state-of-the-art science and technology centre. Construction work is due to start early next year on the first stage of the four-storey centre, which has been designed free of charge by renowned architect and Secretary of the ORT Argentina Board of Directors Dario Jaraj. ORT Argentina has already raised more than $1.4 million towards the project and expects to raise another $600,000 over the next two years. World ORT has agreed to provide matching funds to allow completion of the first stage. This initial development of what had been a petrol station adjacent to the Almagro campus ORT Argentinas original campus dating back to the 1940s will see the construction of a mechatronics laboratory, a media laboratory production centre, an applied mathematics IT laboratory, an integrated design and architectural workshop, a genetics and biotechnology laboratory, an experimental biochemistry laboratory, an experimental physics laboratory, an environment and alternative energies laboratory, and an interactive multimedia sciences classroom. Almagros reputation as one of the best schools in Buenos Aires, together with its location close to Jewish population centres, means that many more students try to enrol than can be admitted, said World ORT Representative in Latin America Isidoro Gorodischer. Last year there were 800 applications but the school has only 630 places, so 170 young people had to be turned away. The demand among Jewish families for a school which exemplifies scientific and technological excellence justifies this new centre. But an added benefit will be that its construction will free up space in the existing campus that will allow more students to be enrolled. The new facilities will be built on a 1,330 square-metre plot with each of the four levels boasting a covered area of 870 square metres. It will enable ORT Argentina to further the ORT mission worldwide, to give its students the top notch education that otherwise would be denied them, and to meet the needs of the local Jewish community, said an ORT Argentina spokesman. ORT Argentina is widely recognised as a leader in scientific and technological education in Latin America, the spokesman said. Our institution has a tradition of continuous innovation both in curricular aspects and in teaching strategies because we give highly skilled teachers the most advanced resources with which to educate our students. In order to keep providing the best education to our community, ORT Argentina needs to extend its facilities. This will enable us to fulfil the increasing demand by Jewish families from Buenos Aires and surrounding area for quality scientific, technological, general and Jewish education. Hence this new Science and Technology Centre, which will employ the most up to date thinking in educational architecture. The centre will feature a dazzling array of superbly equipped laboratories. Among them will be one for mechatronics, which combines the study of mechanical, electronic and computer engineering. The laboratory will allow the study and development of projects based on flexible manufacturing, robotics and industrial automation. An applied mathematics IT laboratory will use special software to allow students to widen and deepen their knowledge of how to use computer modelling and simulation in applied mathematics and to solve a range of scientific and technological problems. The integrated design and architectural workshop will feature a multimedia classroom area, a Computer Aided Design area, a scale modelling room, and a printing and plotting area while the genetics and biotechnology laboratory will enable students to undertake DNA analysis among other things. In addition, the equipment and infrastructure of the environment and alternative energies laboratory will encourage the development of environmental evaluation and treatment activities. ORT Argentinas determination to realise ORTs historic goals is taking impressive shape with this new centre, said World ORT Director General Robert Singer. We are excited to support ORT Argentinas visionary path knowing that the world will benefit greatly from the alumni whose skills were nurtured in such magnificent surroundings.