Minnow Tank is a think tank run completely by Bernards students under guidance and assistance of Dr. Swanson. It was founded two years ago in Bernards by senior Jake Epstein who says that the club started with Freddy Ludtke, David McMillan, Max Stanley, Matt Litton, Pedro Safi, Alan Luo, Chris van Dijk, David Hu, Kieran Farrell, and Amar Bindra.

Inspired by the television show “Shark Tank” on ABC, the Minnow Tank generates ideas for designs and inventions and goes through the engineering design process to develop these inventions. Ideas are expanded upon by the students and proposals are taken into account for the projects. Minnow Tank projects vary from simple to complex, depending on the ideas that the students provide.

“Our projects range from simple organizational tools to apps to auxiliary systems for airplane black boxes, or flight recorders,” says founder Jake Epstein.

Creativity plays a major role in the Minnow Tank. Students who possess the trait of creativity will most likely find that they will thrive in this club due to their original and innovative thinking. After expressing different and new ideas, students can watch as their invention comes to life, which is extremely rewarding, especially if the idea is authentic.

Epstein said, “People who think differently and who are willing to think out of the box and look at problems in unexpected ways should consider. In other words, ambitious people who add some sort of skill or experience to The Minnow Tank would fit great.”

The club meets depending on the month and schedule of Dr. Swanson and the members, but they typically have two sessions per month to share ideas and thoughts for future projects or begin sketching out and working on projects that are in the making.
If you would like to share your ideas with the Minnow Tank or if you have any comments or questions about the club itself, email Jake Epstein at [email protected] or the advisor, Dr. Swanson, at [email protected].