The Knowledge Society (TKS) is a human accelerator for the next generation of entrepreneurs, scientists, and innovators who want to solve the world’s biggest problems. Follow us on instagram, twitter, or linkedin for more updates.
Hello 👋,
We’re one month down in our ten month accelerator. Everyone has started their first set of projects, finished five sessions, a hackathon, and kickstarted different community events, including brain pods, squad meet ups, and virtual hangouts.
If you want the tl’dr:
October started a 30 day #buildinpublic challenge, with 25 students sharing their goals online and sharing progress updates.
Arnav, Activate alum, wins $1M solving the impossible award, a global science based competition. Current students Amy, Aahaan, and Mikael gain crowdfunding support for their research.
Our first hackathon was a 12 hour deep tech sprint for 16 projects, including machine learning for drug discovery in non hormonal male birth control, blockchain to track the blood and organ donation supply chain, and more projects here.
And if you want more, here’s what’s in this newsletter:
Learn about core principles of the program: understand yourself + the world.
Check out featured student content, projects, and newsletters.
Monthly ask: become a mentor.
As it’s set up as a tasting menu, follow your curiosity for what you have an appetite for.
1. Guiding core program principles
Understand the world. Explore why the world’s biggest problems exist and technical challenges that prevent scalable solutions.
Sessions - exposure to non obvious problems and training skills to solve them
Skillsets - memo writing, root cause analysis, gap analysis, research sprints, data analysis
Projects - everything is project based learning. from second focus projects in emerging technology and science to world biggest problem projects
Understand yourself. Develop self awareness, grow knowledge, and find ways to think more clearly. Here’s a take from
Aahaan’s take on seeking understanding post MIT case study
Skills - personal user manuals, #buildinpublic, philosophical conversations, debates, negotiation, daily and weekly updates
Squads - mastermind like groups for weekly syncs on progress and help on challenges
Mindsets - applied mental models like first principles, Nth order, and probabilistic thinking, as well as grow in character through intentions in bias to action, being helpful, authenticity, and seeking discomfort
So students can understand how they fit into making an impact in the world. The goal is to activate change to solve some of the biggest opportunities globally, from earthshots to bioengineering challenges to UN SDGs and tackling monkeys in cell ag at scale.
Each student gets personalized coaching support to figure out what that means for them with a back drop of a collaborative community. Success is individually defined and not prescribed.
This intentionally acts as training down the path of uncertainty, making decisions, and figuring things out.
Check out the next section for progress so far ⤵
2. Featured content, projects, and newsletters
Every month Activators are building, researching, hustling, and making progress. These are some highlights.
In the news:
Arnav, Activate alum, wins $1M solving the impossible award, a global science based competition. Current students Amy, Aahaan, and Mikael gain crowdfunding support for their research.
Mir Ali’s cover story on the Khaleej Times for his work in brain computer interfaces and internship at Neurable.
Aryan featured in Economic Times in India for his #build-in-public twitter as he builds his next startup.
Interesting reads or listens:
Sri’s DataGAN project for generating better data for self driving cars.
Sofi’s review of the gut microbiome as a potential diagnostic for insomnia.
Zayn’s build-in-public roundtable with KP, program director for On Deck’s no code fellowship.
Students building their T, learning something new:
To best follow individual growth journeys check out monthly newsletters:
Aleem’s update: wearable project updates, learnings in neurotech, and starting the build in public challenge.
Chloe’s update: takeaways from the start of Activate, starting new projects in AI and space tech.
Shout outs:
Amy getting a s/o from Michael Levin, synthetic biologist at Tufts, for her work in bioelectricity.
Sriya and Sofi featured on Perfect Day sustainability advisory council, on a mission to cow-free dairy, with two other TKS alum, Rania and Okezue.
Anush getting recognized by Alex, CEO of Divergence Neuro, as he starts his fall neurotech internship.
If you liked any of the above, please share and repost. Tag the authors or us @thesociety.
3. Monthly ask: become a mentor.
In order to train the next generation of Olympic level Activators, we need an Olympic level village of support.
Our goal is to crowd source feedback with office hour style openings with mentors of different experiences and backgrounds for our teens. If you (someone you know) would make a great mentor click here. We are looking for:
Technical mentors with experience in AI, quantum computing, blockchain, gene editing, stem cell research, robotics, personalized medicine, cell ag, nanotechnology, or full stack development.
Growth mentors with interesting experiences and unique skillsets in industry or research who want to help guide teens down unconventional paths.
An extra thank you to everyone who helped this month with our hackathon 🙌
We are also always open to collaborating. If you have interesting ideas, shoot us an email at michael@tks.world.
Forward, onwards,
Michael + Brandon | Activate Directors
✌
super excited to see whats coming :)