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We are very fortunate to have on our team the owner and lead man of one of the largest machine shops west of the Mississippi helping us design and build the robot. We (students/teachers/machinists) spend about 30-40 hours a week working together in the machine shop. With their help our students are able to ACTUALLY DESIGN AND BUILD our robot. Yes the machinists do come up with a lot of the more advanced solutions to problems. As a teacher I think that is great. The experience of the machinists allows the students and MYSELF to be inspired and amazed by possibilities that we never dreamed possible. Using ideas of dedicated and willing machinists does not hinder student learning. On the contrary, I feel that the ideas of experts in "real life" design applications are not only good but essential for student learning.
When someone asks me who built your robot? I reply "THE TEAM DID". We are all members of the same team. We are all in this together.
Shawn
Team 60
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