Is there really inspiration in teams?

[Mark McLeod]

We shoot for a 50/50 partnership during design/build between mentors and students working together as a team. Students lead the overall design debating alternatives then voting on the major design decisions. Mentors pipe-up during the debates, then help refine the choices that are made as well as help design the more difficult components.

Student officers run the club (top positions are elected, others appointed by the elected officers). Occasionally advisors step in and take the heat for unpopular decisions based on the student declared objectives. There are of course school/sponsor requirements that must be managed by the team advisors, but the students are kept in-the-loop. There is a separate/parallel parent-lead Booster organization focused on fundraising and reducing the cost per student.

8 of 10 of our 2005 graduates either majoring in or registered for science & technology courses in engineering/aerospace, computer science, physics, biology. Several are undecided on their final majors. We have our success stories including graduates who had never considered engineering before robotics, and full engineering scholarships.
Drew University
George Washington University
Embry-Riddle University
Rensselear Polytechnic Institute
Rochester Institute of Technology
State University of NY (SUNY) Binghamton
SUNY Oswego
SUNY Stony Brook
University of Maryland
University of Virginia