Interest list open for next summer Programs · High school · Los Angeles

Build it. Program it.
Race it.

Our six-week summer program brings high school students together in Los Angeles to build off-road robots that navigate on their own. Teams design, build, and program their robots, learning through the problems they run into along the way.

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A student kneeling beside two robots on the course, next to a plywood ramp
On the course, between runs.
The program
WhoAges 14–17High school students
LengthSix weeksFive days a week
WhereLos Angeles, CATwo full-time staff on site daily
Cost$1,490Materials, equipment, and instruction included

Beginners are welcome. Students are expected to take initiative, use resources to learn what they need, and keep working when a design doesn’t succeed. Engineers and mentors challenge their thinking and help them decide what to try next. Financial aid is available.

Stardance by Hack Club
Stardance by Hack Club

Stardance partnership

Last summer, Definity ran a hardware engineering track in partnership with Stardance, Hack Club’s online summer program for builders aged 13–18. Our students were eligible for Stardance funding and prizes.

See Stardance
Stardance supporters NASA AMD GitHub
The summer

What the work looks like

Two students wiring an off-road robot chassis
The build

Build the robot.

Students design the structure, connect electronics, and write the software that controls how the robot moves. They test their work, investigate failures, and revise their designs. Teams also manage budgets and order parts from suppliers and machine shops.

A mentor working with students in the lab
The people

Work with engineers.

Mentors ask questions and help students identify what to investigate next. Students do the research and carry out the work. Two full-time Definity staff run the program on site each day.

In their words

Hear it from the students

Students from the summer program, in their own words.

The summer cohort on the steps outside Reflect Orbital
Around the build

Beyond the robot

  • Founder conversations. Hear how aerospace and energy founders built their companies.
  • Industry speakers. Ask engineers, founders, and executives about their work. Past speakers include a former VP of Propulsion at SpaceX.
  • Company visits. See where engineers work and meet the people doing it. Past summers have included SpaceX, Reflect Orbital, and Impulse Space.
  • Career conversations. Talk with hiring managers about the skills and experience they look for.

Other activities may include visits to university rocket labs and conversations with founders from Y Combinator, a startup accelerator, depending on student interest.

Demo day

The final race

The summer ends with teams racing their robots through an obstacle course. The robots navigate on their own, with new challenges revealed during the race.

A student setting a robot on the course as the cohort and families watch
Lining up a run while everyone watches.
A student-built robot with bright wiring and green wheels on the course
A student robot climbing the plywood ramp
A student-built robot chassis with motors and electronics
Three students posing with their finished robot
Three students sketching robot designs on a whiteboard A student-built robot with a conveyor intake on a test course

Don’t wait until next summer.

After-School Engineering in Hawthorne runs year-round, and students can join at any point. Start building now.

Want to hear about the Summer Program too? Join the interest list and we’ll email you when dates are set and applications open.

Join After-School Engineering Join the summer interest list

Questions? Text (470) 705-0363.

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