January–September 2027
Aptera is structured as a nine-month executive learning pathway that builds capability over time and repeatedly returns participants to the real-world problems they are developing through their capstone projects.
Timeline
Frame the Mission
Opening ODU residency; program and capstone orientation; security politics and applied research; Mission Engineering; cloud and AI foundations; strategic policy; initial capstone selection and development.
Strengthen Judgment and Collaboration
AI-augmented research; decision and risk analysis; assessing the policy and collaborative landscape; leading across cross-sectoral and multinational environments.
Build Data and AI Fluency
Data science foundations for decision-making; hands-on cloud AI applications; AI-enabled organizational transformation; model tuning, deployment and AI agents.
Test, Secure and Simulate
ODU laboratory capabilities; generative AI and large language models; secure and responsible AI; modeling and simulation for complex scenario decisions; AI applications with JTLS-GO; capstone midpoint facilitation.
Connect Mission, Policy and Evaluation
Washington, D.C., residency and congressional staff discussions led by MDAA; test and evaluation strategy; electromagnetic spectrum operations; continued capstone development.
Integrate and Present
Strategic policy and threat-environment sessions; reflection on mission execution; capstone rehearsal and refinement; formal capstone presentations and program close.
Learning by Solving
Capstones are the connective thread running through Aptera. Participants work in small interdisciplinary teams on real-world, unclassified problems with guidance from faculty and expert mentors. Their work culminates in presentations structured for national-level decision makers, challenging participants to translate complex analysis into clear, actionable recommendations.
Final projects are expected to include an approximately 40-page research paper and 20-slide presentation.
Frame the Mission
Opening ODU residency; program and capstone orientation; security politics and applied research; Mission Engineering; cloud and AI foundations; strategic policy; initial capstone selection and development.
Strengthen Judgment and Collaboration
AI-augmented research; decision and risk analysis; assessing the policy and collaborative landscape; leading across cross-sectoral and multinational environments.
Build Data and AI Fluency
Data science foundations for decision-making; hands-on cloud AI applications; AI-enabled organizational transformation; model tuning, deployment and AI agents.
Test, Secure and Simulate
ODU laboratory capabilities; generative AI and large language models; secure and responsible AI; modeling and simulation for complex scenario decisions; AI applications with JTLS-GO; capstone midpoint facilitation.
Connect Mission, Policy and Evaluation
Washington, D.C., residency and congressional staff discussions led by MDAA; test and evaluation strategy; electromagnetic spectrum operations; continued capstone development.
Integrate and Present
Strategic policy and threat-environment sessions; reflection on mission execution; capstone rehearsal and refinement; formal capstone presentations and program close.
Learning by Solving
Capstones are the connective thread running through Aptera. Participants work in small interdisciplinary teams on real-world, unclassified problems with guidance from faculty and expert mentors. Their work culminates in presentations structured for national-level decision makers, challenging participants to translate complex analysis into clear, actionable recommendations.
Final projects are expected to include an approximately 40-page research paper and 20-slide presentation.