From a Garage Prototype to a Patent: My Polygence Journey as a Student and Mentor

The moment I realized my idea might actually be patentable didn’t happen in a lab, a classroom, or a boardroom. It happened in my garage, staring at a prototype that almost worked. Almost.

At the time, I didn’t see that moment as anything special. It was just another late afternoon of tinkering, testing, and fixing small mistakes. But looking back, that was the moment everything shifted.

Until then, I had always believed that “real” ideas — ideas worth protecting, investing in, or taking seriously — were things you waited to have later. Later, when you had a degree. Later, when you had a title. Later, when someone gave you permission to try.

What began as a curiosity-driven student project through one of the many research programs for high school students evolved into something far more serious: a real invention, a real introduction to the patent system, and a real lesson in what it means to take your own ideas seriously, no matter your age.

That experience didn’t just shape my academic path. It reshaped how I view innovation, mentorship, and the role young people can play in solving real-world problems.

Today, I’m still pursuing that patent, and I’m also mentoring students who are standing right where I once stood — full of ideas, unsure how far they can go, and wondering whether their work truly matters.

Discovering Polygence and Finding the Right Mentor

During my junior year of high school, I stumbled across Polygence almost by accident. I was searching for structured research programs for high school students that would let me explore engineering beyond the classroom. Within a week of applying, I heard back.

Soon after, I was matched with my mentor, Hebert.

From the very beginning, he treated the project not as a “student exercise,” but as a legitimate engineering challenge. That mindset made all the difference.

Together, we began working on a device we later named AutoMelter, a project born out of equal parts frustration and practicality.

AutoMelter was designed to melt snow off driveways while striking a balance between two extremes:

• The effectiveness of heated driveways (which are prohibitively expensive for most homeowners)

• The affordability of a simple shovel

The idea was straightforward but ambitious: create something accessible, effective, scalable, and modular.

The inspiration was personal. I hated shoveling snow. And as the youngest in my family, I ended up doing it constantly.

During our research, we found that every year in the United States, a significant number of elderly individuals suffer heart attacks or severe respiratory complications while shoveling snow.

That changed everything.

AutoMelter was no longer just about convenience. It was about safety and accessibility.

And that realization led us to ask:

Should we pursue a patent?

Deciding to Pursue a Patent as a Student

Before this project, the idea of filing a patent felt completely out of reach.

I associated patents with massive legal teams, endless paperwork, and costs that ran into the thousands — or tens of thousands — of dollars. As a high school student, it didn’t feel like something I was “allowed” to do.

Through the program, I was connected with a legal mentor who explained that while patents can be expensive, much of that cost comes from attorney fees — not from the patent system itself.

He introduced me to pro bono patent programs run through law schools. Professors supervise students filing real applications. The students gain hands-on experience. The professors ensure quality. Inventors receive legal support at no cost.

Through this network, I connected with a law professor at UCLA. What I expected to be a barrier became one of the most empowering parts of the process.

Navigating the Patent Process (and What Surprised Me Most)

From the outside, the patent process feels intimidating.

In reality, it was surprisingly straightforward.

My role was to prepare:

• A detailed technical report

• Clear diagrams explaining how AutoMelter worked

• A breakdown of what made it unique

• Specific claims we wanted to protect

The law students handled the legal language and submission process.

After filing, I was told to expect a long wait — 18–24 months. Nearly two years later, we heard back.

The patent examiner requested clarifications. We responded. More questions followed. Each round refined the application.

Just recently, we received what may be the final round of feedback.

The biggest surprise? Accessibility.

There were:

• No in-person meetings

• No massive legal bills

• No gatekeeping

The only required payment was the U.S. PTO micro-entity filing fee of $65.

Everything else happened through virtual meetings and collaborative documents.

For years, I had assumed patents were only for people with money or corporate backing.

That assumption was wrong.

Returning — This Time as a Mentor

My experience didn’t end after AutoMelter.

I later returned to explore another project and continued building my technical skills. At the same time, I was gaining hands-on work experience through engineering teams at school, mentoring underclassmen, and leading technical design reviews.

Eventually, a thought clicked:

What if I came back — not as a student — but as a mentor?

Polygence’s mentorship programs gave me that opportunity. Having completed two projects myself, I deeply understood the student experience. I also happened to be the youngest mentor on the team, which made the role especially meaningful.

Today, I mentor five students working on ambitious ideas of their own. Watching them wrestle with uncertainty and slowly gain confidence has been one of the most rewarding parts of my academic life.

In many ways, mentoring has felt like a different kind of work experience — one where technical growth and leadership development happen at the same time.

What Comes Next

The patent process has been long, but I never intended to let that slow me down.

Once the patent is granted, my next goal is commercialization.

AutoMelter is designed to sit between:

• Shovels

• Snow plows

• Heated driveways

Price-wise, it aims to be close to a shovel.
Performance-wise, it aims to approach a heated driveway.

For me, the patent isn’t the finish line.

It’s a foundation — one that I hope will eventually turn into meaningful real-world work experience building and launching a product that improves safety and accessibility.

Advice for Students with Big Ideas

If there’s one thing I hope students take away from my experience, it’s this:

You don’t need permission to take your ideas seriously.

Big ideas don’t magically appear after graduation. They start as half-formed thoughts and prototypes that almost work.

Structured research programs for high school students can provide direction. Strong mentorship programs can provide guidance. But ultimately, the belief that your idea is worth pursuing has to come from you.

My advice is simple:

• Don’t underestimate your work.

• Ask questions early.

• Seek mentors who treat your ideas as real.

• Don’t assume something is “out of reach.”

If a high school student with a garage prototype can pursue a patent with $65 and a few virtual meetings, imagine what you can do with the right support.

A Student-Friendly Guide to the Patent Process

If you’re a student with a project you think might be patent-worthy, here’s the path I followed:

Step 1: Build Something Concrete

You need a clear, technically defensible invention. A prototype or detailed design is enough.

Step 2: Document Everything

Keep sketches, CAD files, test results, photos, and explanations.

Step 3: Do a Basic Novelty Check

Search Google Patents or the U.S. PTO database.

Step 4: Decide If a Patent Makes Sense

Ask whether your idea solves a real problem and whether it’s meaningfully unique.

Step 5: Find Pro Bono Help

Search for patent law clinics at nearby universities.

Step 6: Prepare a Technical Disclosure

Explain how it works and what makes it different.

Step 7: File the Application

If you qualify as a micro-entity, the fee is around $65. You become “patent pending.”

Step 8: Be Patient

Expect 18–24 months before review.

Step 9: Iterate

Most patents go through multiple rounds.

Step 10: Think Beyond the Patent

A patent is a tool. You can pursue commercialization, licensing, startups — or simply leverage the experience as meaningful work experience in future roles.

More About Me

My name is Youssef Abdelhalim, and I graduated from Northwestern University in Spring 2025 with both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

At Northwestern, I focused heavily on Formula SAE, working on high-voltage battery systems, powertrain, and liquid cooling. I also helped design, build, and hot-fire a hybrid rocket engine while launching a new propulsion club.

I am currently:

• An R&D Engineer at Ford Motor Company working on High Voltage Active Suspension and Electro-Mechanical Brakes

• CTO and Co-Founder at Aster Space, developing oxygen production solutions for the moon

And I continue mentoring the next generation of innovators — just as someone once mentored me.

Conclusion: The Power of the Right Support

Looking back, the most important part of this journey wasn’t the prototype, the patent application, or even the possibility of commercialization.

It was the support.

Having access to structured research programs for high school students gave me a starting point. Being matched with a mentor who treated my idea as real gave me confidence. Being connected to legal guidance made the patent process feel possible instead of intimidating. And returning later through mentorship programs allowed me to grow from student to mentor — from someone seeking direction to someone helping provide it.

At every stage, Polygence didn’t hand me answers. Instead, it created an environment where serious ideas were taken seriously — even when they came from a high school student working in a garage.

That kind of support changes more than a single project. It changes how you see yourself.

For me, it transformed a frustrating winter chore into a patent application, a research experience into real-world work experience, and a student opportunity into a long-term commitment to mentorship.

And that’s the real impact: not just building projects, but building people who believe they can.