Our Philosophy
At GELL, we facilitate deep, organic discovery. We believe that an intuitive grasp of technical STEM concepts can be achieved when young minds are empowered to explore complex environments at their own pace. Our approach emphasizes the cultivation of critical thinking, adaptability, and patient analysis, transforming trial and error into a professional discipline of curiosity and innovation.
Our Sessions
ORGANIC EXPLORATION • SOFT SKILLS • STEM MASTERY
Learning Programs
Kerbal Space Program: Beginner/Intermediate (Age 10-18)
Kerbal Space Program (KSP) is arguably the most bountifully educational video game ever built, thanks to its dedication to realistic space physics. However, this also makes it a daunting game to get a toehold on. I see my role in these sessions as a mentor, helping with technical issues, finding challenges they find interesting, and switching over to more formal instruction as they organically encounter walls they aren’t yet intellectually equipped to surmount.
Topics covered include:
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Core Rocket science concepts. (Delta-v, Specific Impulse, etc)
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Orbital Mechanics
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Space Science
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Aerodynamics Basics
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Rendezvous & Docking
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Interplanetary Navigation
Kerbal Space Program: Advanced Laboratory (Ages 12-18)
This advanced session is only open to graduates of the Beginner/Intermediate sessions. It takes students into a modified (“modded”) version of KSP that uses a model of our own real solar system, and simulates real-historical parts. This vastly more challenging version adds additional constraints including limited ignitions, throttle restrictions, engine failures, ullage, propellant choice tradeoffs, life support, radiation hazard, and more. The real solar system setting adds additional challenges including deeper gravity wells, the Van Allen belts, and other environmental challenges.
They’ll find that integrating historical parts is aided by researching the historical rocket systems they were built for, and missions that were achieved using similar technology to what they have available in-game. In so doing they’ll gain familiarity with the US and Soviet space programs as well as learn new facts about planetary and space science through organic exploration
Satisfactory: Team Engineering Project (Ages 12-18)
Satisfactory is a multiplayer automation sandbox game in which players are challenged to design logistical and assembly systems through exponentially increasing levels of demand in terms of both volume and complexity of product.
The session structure is loosely inspired by Agile software development methodologies, and imposes a Plan, Do, Reflect cycle on a rapid 2-hour cadence. This creates space for the team to discuss what’s working and what’s not, and devise strategies for dealing with pain points. In so doing they will get experience planning and organizing work, learning how to manage distractions, and eventually how to think about large, complex systems. Along they way they may develop new and empowering understandings of their own behavioral patterns.