The Adolescent Research Cohort
This cohort consists of students aged 12–16 who work on Institute innovation projects across aerospace, autonomous systems, environmental monitoring, and applied research.
Contribution, Not Enrichment
They don't study engineering concepts in the abstract. They build.
The SBB-1 CubeSat — a functional satellite designed, assembled, and presented by this cohort — demonstrated that adolescents can meet TRL-9 (Technology Readiness Level 9) engineering constraints when given access to real problems and proper mentorship.
Participation is project-based, not course-based. Students enter when they demonstrate readiness — curiosity, persistence, and tolerance for failure. They work alongside Research Fellows, external advisors from the Research Council, and industry partners.
Outputs include:
• Hardware prototypes
• Published datasets
• Patent filings
• Conference presentations
This is not enrichment. It is contribution.