Yaroslav Fedko, a physics teacher at the Levi Yitzchak Schneerson Jewish Lyceum No. 144, the leading educational institution of the Dnipro Jewish Community, became the winner of the regional competition for educators “STEM Teacher of the Year 2026,” taking 1st place in the category “Artificial Intelligence in STEM Education.”
The jury highly praised Yaroslav Fedko’s innovative project “AI-Physics Twin” (“Digital Twin of the Student”). This unique educational ecosystem combines physics, neuropsychology, and artificial intelligence technologies to create a personalized learning model.
A distinctive feature of the project was its individual approach to each student – the system adapts complex physical concepts to the child’s cognitive style, helps develop analytical thinking, and does not provide ready-made answers but rather fosters a collaborative process of searching for solutions with the student, simultaneously predicting typical errors and helping to overcome learning difficulties.
The project also covers a wide range of STEM fields, including the study of physical laws, machine learning, engineering prototype development, and mathematical statistics. An important confirmation of the development’s effectiveness came from the practical results of implementing the model, which demonstrated a significant improvement in the quality of learning material assimilation, particularly in topics of optics and thermodynamics.
For its high innovative potential and significant contribution to the development of STEM education, the Dnipro Lyceum No. 144 named after Levi Yitzchak Schneerson was also awarded a certificate for 30,000 hryvnias for the further development of the STEM environment at the educational institution.
“Yaroslav Yuriyovych’s victory is an important recognition of the high level of teaching and the innovative approach being developed at our lyceum,” said Olena Krasnova, Director of the Lyceum. “It is especially important that modern technologies and artificial intelligence are not used formally, but as a tool to unlock the thinking and potential of each child. We are sincerely grateful for the constant support, attention, and assistance from the united and cohesive Dnipro Jewish Community under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki, thanks to which opportunities for implementing the most modern educational initiatives are created at the lyceum.”
