[galewind]

Our team has a largely mentor-designed machine with student input on how they feel devices should articulate. In other words, students feed mentors ideas (mentors contribute as well), then mentors work on designing and developing parts, sometimes WITH students. Sometimes students even assist mentors by inventoring parts before construction. Students do the assembly.

Now, I've shared my piece. Now I'll share this: this is going to sound crass, but I don't care exactly how you design and build your machine. Our goal, is to INSPIRE. Take a look at your students -- are they INSPIRED? Do they WANT to pursue engineering, technology, or problem solving in general?

I guess my point is: we all know that this is an uneven playing field. For the most part, I think we need to stop looking outside of the borders of our own team to make sure we're in-check with what I see as the primary goal of first: "inspiration" of our youth to pursue science and technology. Are WE accomplishing our mission? What's our track record? How many students have we succeeded? How many have we NOT succeeded.. and how do we lower that second number?

Past that, go on and TALK to other teams, WITNESS how they work, try to GAIN information to help TRANSFORM your team to MAXIMIZE YOUR INSPIRATION. Whether it be your design process, your team structure, or your meeting structure and activities, you are building PEOPLE first... focus on THEM before you criticize a team's robot design process.

This discussion should NEVER be about hating on teams... it should be about LEARNING from each other, SHARING ideas and experience, and RESPECTING the work that we all do.

I love you all for what you do, but please, let's remember, the robot and competition are just celebrations of hard work and inspiration. What we're really doing is building people, and our measure of success only comes after these students graduate high school and college.... NOT how we rank amongst other teams, or the details of our design process.

Good night.