One integrated pathway. You pick a real problem, research it, build a solution, and present it on stage at IAE - guided by Harvard student mentors from first evening to final pitch.
Mon–Thu, 12–15 Oct 2026, 5:00 PM Panama time on Zoom (Friday off in observance of Shabbat). By the end you know your problem, your team, and your plan.
Meet Your Mentors & the STEAM Challenge
Mon, 12 Oct 2026
Welcome and cohort introductions
Meet your Harvard student mentors
How the STEAM pathway works end to end
What a portfolio-grade project looks like
Research & Problem Framing
Tue, 13 Oct 2026
Choose the real-world problem you want to solve
Research methods and credible sources
Write a problem statement you can test
Mentor feedback on your first draft
Ideation & Project Scoping
Wed, 14 Oct 2026
Design-thinking sprint on possible solutions
Form your project team and assign roles
Scope what is genuinely buildable in 5 days
Define your success criteria
Build Plan & Summit Prep
Thu, 15 Oct 2026
Turn your scope into a day-by-day build plan
Materials, tools and datasets you'll need
Practical checklist for the week at IAE
Mentor sign-off before the summit
19–23 Oct 2026 at IAE, Panama City. Full days of building with your mentors, ending in the Grand Showcase on stage in front of industry judges.
Arrive & Build
Arrive at IAE and meet your cohort
Opening ceremony and pathway setup
First intensive build workshop
Evening team bonding with mentors
Deep Build Sessions
Full-day project build with mentors
Technical deep-dives across STEAM
1-on-1 mentor reviews
Progress check-ins and feedback
Test, Iterate, Refine
Test your prototype with real users
Interdisciplinary problem-solving
Iterate on what the evidence shows
Lock your final build
Rehearsals & Mock Panels
Full dress rehearsals with coaching
Practice pitches to mock panels
Presentation confidence coaching
Final project polish
Grand Showcase & Awards
Present on stage to industry judges
Live demos of your STEAM project
Awards ceremony
Certificates and celebration
You take things apart to understand how they work.
You have an idea you've never had the time or guidance to build.
You care about a real problem in your community and want evidence behind your solution.
You want a project worth putting in front of a university admissions officer.
Examples of the kind of STEAM project you could take from idea to stage.
A low-cost sensor rig paired with a data-visualisation dashboard that maps contamination across local water sources.
A trained image model that spots disease in crop leaves early, packaged into a simple tool a grower could actually use.
A research-backed exhibit and poster that turns local environmental data into something a whole community can understand.
From the week of 26 Oct 2026, weekday evenings at 5:00 PM Panama time. Your project becomes a competition entry, a pitch video, and a portfolio piece.
Pitch Mastery & Feedback