[Al Skierkiewicz]

Anna,
Welcome! Know that when ever you have a question you can come here and get an answer, but learn early that there are some good people to listen to and there are some not so good. As Chief Engineer you will be responsible for making sure everyone does their jobs. In order to do that, you may have to learn a little about every aspect of your robot. Your biggest task will be keeping everyone working to a schedule. First makes things easy for you by designing the box of parts such that rookie teams can assemble a driving base in a very short period of time. I would recommend you have a base built by the end of the first or second week to give your team something to practice with, test software and prototype. When the game is announced start brainstorming right away. Try having everyone play the game, decide what you need to do to be competitive and start designing for that goal. Modify your base as needed for your design and add on what you think you need. As others have pointed out, check weight every few days. Ask for help along the way and don't be disappointed if you put a less than perfect robot in the shipping crate. You can work on it at events and get lot's of pro help there as well. Have fun!