[omutton]

Engineers are a great resource but I don't think they should be the ones 'on the front lines' building the robot. Sure they can help and offer their expertise, but they shouldn't be the ones making the final decisions. On our team, yah, we have engineers that help and offer their advice, but students make the final decisions.

The ultimate "test" is to watch at a competition. Go into the pits or watch when a robot breaks down and see who immediately works on it. We have seen some teams with adults working on it and fixing it and students sitting back doing nothing and I don't think that teams should operate like that. Our team is one of the FEW that doesn't have an adult as a coach. I think because students are making the final decisions, they don't want to be 'bossed around' by an adult. They would rather listen to a student their own age. I am wondering how everyone else feels about the adults as coaches situation?