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18 November 9 • 2017 jn A sk most teenagers what they did on their summer vacation and you might get answers like summer camp or work- ing in a fast-food joint. But for Isaac Mintz of West Bloomfield Township, the answer is a bit more grown-up — develop- ing computer code for an autonomous vehicle. Mintz, who just started his sophomore year of high school at Frankel Jewish Academy (FJA) in West Bloomfield, worked with Lawrence Technological University (LTU) robotics instructor James Kerns and Professor Don Reimer of the College of Engineering to arrange what amounted to a one-student summer computer code camp. Mintz said he spoke with Ella Dunajsky, a college counselor at FJA, about what summer education pro- grams might be available to him and she suggested contacting Reimer, who has a longstanding relationship with the academy, including teach- ing an entrepreneurship class there. Mintz and Reimer met. "We talked the whole lunch hour and so far into my next class period that I had to get a pass," Mintz recalled. Reimer quickly figured out Mintz's strong interest in technology. Then, Mintz said, "Professor Reimer connected me to Professor Kerns, and that was that." Mintz spent the summer work- ing in LTU's new Robotics Lab, part of the Taubman Engineering, Architecture and Life Sciences Complex that opened in August 2016. Most of the time, he worked on producing computer code for a small vehicle Kerns had assembled out of inexpensive parts. The aim of the code was to use machine vision to get the vehicle to follow a white line around a dark sur- face. The vehicle has three sen- sors and each sensor's input — black or white — produces a number that in turn produc- es an output to the vehicle's wheels that steers the vehicle, following the numbers that correspond to the white line. Kerns said the idea is to produce a low-cost autonomous vehicle that young students can afford to buy and program, using 3D print- ing technology. The total cost of all components of the little car, Kerns said, is less than $50, putting it with- in the reach of almost anyone. "I had wanted to do this, but didn't have the opportunity," Kerns said. "When Isaac came in, here was the opportunity. He didn't have a programming background, but he sure grew, progressed and learned over the summer." Mintz isn't sure yet what he wants to do for a living — only that it will be "something to do with technology or engineering" — or what college he'd like to attend. But he had this to say about LTU: "It's amazing that kids my age are able to use this sort of technology in a learning experience. I am grateful for the opportunity to have learned these things with Mr. Kerns and to have a relationship with Lawrence Tech and Professor Reimer." • Matthew Roush is director of media relations at Lawrence Technological University. Cool Opportunity FJA student learns code at LTU to help autonomous car project. ABOVE: LTU robotics instructor James Kerns, FJA student Isaac Mintz and LTU Professor Don Reimer. MATT ROUSH MATTHEW ROUSH SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS jews d in the W ell before the leaves start to change and the tem- perature drops, when summer is still in full swing with trips to the pool and backyard BBQs, NEXTGen Detroit is thinking about late November. Why? For more than a decade, the Saturday night after Thanksgiving has been the date for its biggest event of the year, and outdoing themselves each year has become a welcomed challenge for the staff, event co-chairs and committee mem- bers who make it their mission to top every Latke Vodka that has come before. "Latke Vodka is a tradition for so many young Jewish Detroiters. People know exactly where they're going the Saturday night after Thanksgiving," said Ashley Silverman, NEXTGen Detroit board member who is chairing the event for her second time. "With tons of people coming back year-after-year, we con- stantly need to think of new ideas to make the night feel fresh while still giving our guests the event elements that they've come to love." NEXTGen Detroit, the young adult division of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, welcomes 1,000 party-goers to Latke Vodka every year, close to a third of whom are native Detroiters currently living out-of-state. "Latke Vodka is a chance to be welcomed back home. The response from young expats and Detroiters who attend is initially a bit of shock and then excitement," says event co- chair and NEXTGen Detroit board member Michael Rubyan. "Looking out at a sea of people in three packed adjacent venues in Midtown Detroit — you can't deny that young Jewish life in Detroit is alive and thriving." Sponsored once again by Detroit Popcorn Company, Latke Vodka is returning Nov. 25 to the Majestic Theatre, Majestic Café and Garden Bowl on Woodward. The event moved to the city two years ago from Royal Oak. The current venue offers three distinct areas for guests to explore, each featuring different entertainment, food and music. "The Majestic Theatre is the largest space in the venue, and we really want to embrace the fact it's a theater at heart," said Alex Scharg, NEXTGen Detroit board member and event co-chair. "Our vision for this year is inspired by Cirque du Soleil, and we're working to make this a real production with live per- formers and an interactive, decora- tive space to bring the theme to life." The event will also include dueling DJs battling it out on old-school turn- tables. The Garden Bowl will again be open for guests, this year with a competitive twist and the chance to win some great prizes. But it's the interactive surprises that NEXTGen Detroit is most excited about. "Our Latke Vodka committee is thinking way outside of the box this year and exploring very cool local vendors, artists and performers to make this an event for all the senses," said Alyssa Gorenberg, NEXTGen Detroit's lead staff for the event. • Tickets to Latke Vodka are $20 at LVintheD. org or $25 at the door. From every ticket sold, $18 is a gift to the Jewish Federation, making everyone who purchases a ticket a donor to Federation's 2017 Annual Campaign. Latke Vodka 13 NEXTGen Detroit's hallmark event returns to Midtown Detroit Nov. 25. BECKY HURVITZ SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS A scene from Latke Vodka 12 at the Majestic Theatre