Steering Committee 2011-05-06

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Mentors Meeting 6-May-2011

B. Kellom, R. Wall, J. Kulik, R. Kulik, J. Christopher, J. Morganto, M. Rizzo, G. Deaver, J. Weissman, S. Weissman, S. Maley, C. McKown

Off-season competition plans:

  • This provides our best opportunity to train a new drive team
  • Also to get autonomous working
PARC – Tunkhannock – 4-June – SAT’s day & no Christopher
(BR) – Bridgewater – 11-June
IRI – Indianapolis – 22 & 23 July
Duel on the Delaware – 22-October
Ramp Riot – November
  • Sign up if we have student commitment

Suggestions/Observations:

  • We should investigate the 5th Gear drive simulation (Christopher & Maley) – but there is no pivot simulation
  • We had students who had no interest in building robots.
  • General lack of motivation and investment – reluctance to step-up – reluctance to question mentors
  • None of the students were leaders. Includes Captains.
  • We still lack a second potential co-captain for next year.
  • Suggested we use and enforce the Scrum methodology. (Deaver)
  • Generate the plan the night before.
  • The lack of predictability in attendance interfered with team cohesion. Very visible in the minibot effort. No-one knew who (both mentor & student) would attend on any given evening/day. Students who worked with one mentor one day would show up and find that this mentor was not in (and vice versa).
  • Unpredictable arrival and departure times of students and mentors confounded attempts to hold integration meetings (can’t successfully run Scrum under these conditions) (C. McKown)
  • Suggested to move to a culture more like Miss Daisy’s, where students sign up and commit to being present at specific times on specific days. (C. McKown)
  • In the original team, Students were hand-picked by Paul Sabatino. We no longer have this filter and really have no access to teachers for recruiting students.

Behaviour

  • We need some rules (with consequences)
  • Behavior in the shop is a problem. A specific student cited. If effectively directed, this student is very productive. Otherwise, this same student is disruptive and prevents others from working effectively (Kellom).
  • A written and signed code-of-conduct was suggested (Weissman)
  • There needs to be an expectation that students will learn & work; less social club; less video gaming; less hiding in the kitchen.
  • Need job descriptions and guidelines for student leaders (C. McKown & Maley)
  • Some aspects of team cohesion and leadership started to appear after Philadelphia.
  • Nice team shirts and drive team hats suggested for improving cohesion.

Summer projects:

  • Programming & Test Board
  • Design Classes
  • 3DS Max
  • Video team

Space

  • CCIU – Clem (7-June)
  • Lockheed – Morganto
  • Boeing – Kulik (post-501c3)
  • Champ sponsor list – Kulik

How can we increase exposure of students to other aspects of the robot?

Can we have a checklist for other areas?

How do we get more kids?

  • Student-driven recruiting
  • Demos to Boy/Girl Scouts
  • Demos at schools
  • A more professional shirt
  • Demos at Summer events
  • Demos
  • Back-to-school nights

Web-site

  • Lot of the kids find the website confusing.
  • With VEX having its own website (and not kept current on the old site) convert site to FRC-only (Team 1640) with links to other DAR sites
  • Need to link the Facebook team and YouTube page.
  • Maybe the Facebook page can take on some of the social role (allowing more work during meetings)

Sponsors & Fundraising

  • 501c3!
  • Finance Report
  • No matter where we present, we need to point out that we offer CAD & 3ds-Max and Photoshop & media.
  • We need a booklet sort of thing for potential sponsors. See the 1511 Sponsor book for reference.
  • Rizzo needs video-editing software.
  • Lightbulbs!