Difference between revisions of "User:Siri"

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I was a student on Team 1640 from 2007 ([[DEWBOT III | Rack 'n Roll]]) until I graduated from Downingtown East in 2009 (after [[DEWBOT V | Lunacy]]). I continue to mentor the team, commuting 7 hours from Penn State Main every weekend almost year-round. (I have literally driven the equivalent of the circumference of the Earth for robotics meetings.)
+
I am currently a mentor and alumna of team 1640, having been a student on the team from 2007 ([[DEWBOT III|Rack 'n Roll]]) until I graduated from Downingtown East in 2009 (after [[DEWBOT V|Lunacy]]) and a mentor from 2010 ([[DEWBOT VI| Breakaway]]) to present.
 
=Mentor=
 
=Mentor=
I currently serve as the team's field coach and process manager as well as its co-lead designer.
+
I serve as the team's field coach and co-lead designer (CAD), in addition to helping manage the shop and ensure students have and understand their jobs.
 
;Field Coach
 
;Field Coach
 
:As field coach, I'm responsible for training the drive team (and currently the scouts), negotiating qualification and elimination strategy, serving as the chief at-event contact for other teams, liaising between the drive team and pit crew (and the rest of the team), and of course coaching the drivers during matches. The longest-standing coach and drive team member (and one of the long-running team members in general), I have been coaching 1640 regularly since I graduated in 2009 and have coached 5 of our 7 competition championships.
 
:As field coach, I'm responsible for training the drive team (and currently the scouts), negotiating qualification and elimination strategy, serving as the chief at-event contact for other teams, liaising between the drive team and pit crew (and the rest of the team), and of course coaching the drivers during matches. The longest-standing coach and drive team member (and one of the long-running team members in general), I have been coaching 1640 regularly since I graduated in 2009 and have coached 5 of our 7 competition championships.
;Process Manager
+
;Co-Process Manager
:As process manager, I am responsible for the CIP or continuous improvement process on 1640. Generally, this is seen a endlessly bugging people to examine how we can better fulfill our mission (of inspiring and educating our students) and operate more optimally. I facilitate these discussions, mull over the SWOT (strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats) issues brought up, and then return with more suggestions, questions and improved structures with which to bug them. It's worked out well enough so far. This has been the mechanism for most of the team's recent restructuring. I am also responsible for some more in-the-moment issues, including running some meetings (particularly for student feedback), one-on-one interviews and other administrative and management activities.
+
:As process manager, I am responsible for the CIP or continuous improvement process on 1640. Generally, this is seen a endlessly bugging people to examine how we can better fulfill our mission (of inspiring and educating our students) and operate more optimally. I facilitate these discussions, mull over the SWOT (strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats) issues brought up, and then return to our other process managers and team members with more suggestions, questions and improved structures with which to bug them. It's worked out well enough so far. This has been the mechanism for most of the team's recent restructuring. I am also responsible for some more in-the-moment issues, including running some meetings (particularly for student feedback), post-mortems, one-on-one interviews and other administrative and management activities.
 
;Co-Lead Designer
 
;Co-Lead Designer
:During build season, this role generally entails teaching, supervising, and coordinating mechanical design, prototyping and fabrication. Unfortunately, a dearth in student CAD/design experience required me to step into a lead hands-on CAD role in 2011 before doing the bulk of the CAD work in 2012. My main job, however, is to work on remedying this inexperience, leading to my initiation and teaching of multiple design projects as the team's design process teacher. In 2013, I hope to take a more guiding, tutoring and coordinating role as a design leader, though I expect there will still be some hands-on CAD walkthroughs for eager students in my future.
+
:During build season, this role generally entails teaching, supervising, and coordinating mechanical design, prototyping and fabrication. Unfortunately, a dearth in student CAD/design experience required me to step into a lead hands-on CAD role in 2011 before doing the bulk of the CAD work in 2012 and much of 2013. My main job, however, is to work on remedying this inexperience, leading to my initiation and teaching of multiple design projects as the team's design process teacher. I hope to take a more guiding, tutoring and coordinating role as a design leader, though I expect there will still be some hands-on CAD walkthroughs for eager students in my future.
 
;Pit Supervisor
 
;Pit Supervisor
:Though students now proudly organize and execute the pit work for 1640, I currently serve as the most-regular adult pit supervisor, coordinating troubleshooting efforts and advising the student crew where needed. (While not actually informal, this position is largely extemporaneous and derived from the collision of my coaching and process management roles with my student experience as pit captain.)
+
:Though students now proudly organize and execute the pit work for 1640, I currently serve as the most-regular adult pit supervisor, coordinating troubleshooting efforts and advising the student crew where needed, including facilitating communication, planning priorities and keeping members on task. (While not actually informal, this position is largely extemporaneous and derived from the collision of my coaching and process management roles with my student experience as pit captain.)
 
;NEMO Mentor
 
;NEMO Mentor
:As an official and active member of FIRST's [http://www.firstnemo.org/ Non-Engineering Mentor Organization], I have also assisted with the team's Chairman's and and Woodie Flowers submissions and created most of the team's media handouts. As our student and mentor base grows and more NEMO talent arises, I have been able to take a less active role in some of our own NEMO activities, though I still have some project responsibilities and remain active in some NEMO proceedings outside of 1640.
+
:As an official and active member of FIRST's [http://www.firstnemo.org/ Non-Engineering Mentor Organization], I had also assisted with the team's Chairman's and and Woodie Flowers submissions and created maost of the team's media handouts. As our student and mentor base grows and more NEMO talent arises, I have been able to take a less active role in some of our own NEMO activities, though I still have some project responsibilities and remain active in some NEMO proceedings outside of 1640.
  
 
=Volunteer=
 
=Volunteer=
I am proud to say I am a budding FIRST volunteer. I serve primarily as a referee, though I have and will fill other roles in FRC, VEX and FLL.
+
I am proud to say I am a veteran FIRST volunteer with 15 events under my belt in 4 years (11 in the last 2). I serve primarily as a referee, though I'm becoming a common judge for FLL/FTC, and will continue to will fill other roles in FRC, VEX, FTC and FLL.
  
 
;Current Qualifications
 
;Current Qualifications
:'''FRC''' (Rebound Rumble): Referee
+
:'''FRC''' (Ultimate Ascent): Referee
 
:'''VEX''' (Sack Attack): Referee
 
:'''VEX''' (Sack Attack): Referee
 
:'''FLL''' (Senior Solutions): Head Judge, Referee
 
:'''FLL''' (Senior Solutions): Head Judge, Referee
<br>
+
{|
;2013 Season
+
|'''2013 Season'''
*FRC Bridgewater-Raritan District - Referee
+
*FRC Bridgewater District - Referee
 
*FRC New York City Regional - Referee
 
*FRC New York City Regional - Referee
*FRC Battle o' Baltimore Off-Season - Referee
+
*FRC Battle o' Baltimore - Referee
 
*FRC ... Off-Season - Referee
 
*FRC ... Off-Season - Referee
*FLL Downingtown Area Robotics Tune Up
+
*FTC East Central PA Qualifier - Judge
 +
*FLL DAR Tune Up
 
*FLL ... Qualifier
 
*FLL ... Qualifier
*FLL Downingtown Area Robotics Qualifier<br>
+
*FLL DAR Qualifier<br>
 
:...
 
:...
;2012 Season
+
|'''2012 Season'''
 
*FRC Chestnut Hill District - Referee
 
*FRC Chestnut Hill District - Referee
 
*FRC Mount Olive District - Referee
 
*FRC Mount Olive District - Referee
*FRC Battle o' Baltimore Off-Season - Referee, Teardown
+
*FRC Battle o' Baltimore - Referee, Teardown
*FRC Brunswick Eruption Off-Season - Referee
+
*FRC Brunswick Eruption - Referee
*VEX Delaware State Championship - Referee, Setup & Teardown
+
*VEX Delaware State Championship - Referee, Setup/down
*FLL Downingtown Area Robotics Tune Up - Game Announcer, Setup & Teardown
+
*FLL DAR Tune Up - Game Announcer, Setup/down
*FLL Chestnut Hill Qualifier
+
*FLL Chestnut Hill Qualifier - Judge
*FLL Downingtown Area Robotics Qualifier - Head Core Values Judge, Setup & Teardown
+
*FLL DAR Qualifier - Head Core Values Judge, Setup/down
;2011 Season
+
|'''2011 Season'''
*VEX Eastern Pennsylvania Regional - Co-Lead Queuer, Setup & Teardown
+
*VEX Eastern Pennsylvania Regional - Co-Lead Queuer, Setup/down<br>
;2010 Season
+
'''2010 Season'''
*FRC Big Apple Breakaway Off-Season - Referee
+
*FRC Big Apple Breakaway - Referee
*VEX Eastern Pennsylvania Regional - Field Controller, Logistics, Setup & Teardown
+
*VEX Eastern Pennsylvania Regional - Field Controller, Logistics, Setup/down<br>
;2009 Season
+
'''2009 Season'''
*VEX Eastern Pennsylvania Regional - Referee, Setup & Teardown
+
*VEX Eastern Pennsylvania Regional - Referee, Setup/down
 +
|}
  
 
=Student=
 
=Student=
In my time as a 1640 student, I served as captain-manager, pit captain, design team lead student, head mechanical student, head welder, co-driver, and outreach lead. However, several of these names would now be re-classified to include media lead, logistician and finance student, among others under the team's current, more detailed organizational scheme.   
+
In my time as a 1640 student, I served as captain-manager, pit captain, design team lead student, head mechanical student, head (and only team) welder, co-driver, and outreach lead. However, several of these names would now be re-classified to include media lead, logistician and finance student, among others under the team's current, more detailed organizational scheme.   
  
 
;Captain
 
;Captain
Line 57: Line 59:
  
 
;Pit Captain
 
;Pit Captain
:After an ill-defined 2008 pit hierarchy, I found myself in definitive the capacity of pit captain in post-season 2008 through 2009. Luckily, nothing much went wrong in 2009 (allowing me to focus on driving and [[DEWBOT V's Rockwell Automation Innovation in Control Award (Chesapeake Regional) | wooing judges]]).
+
:After an ill-defined 2008 pit hierarchy, I found myself in the definitive capacity of pit captain in post-season 2008 through 2009. Luckily, nothing much went wrong in 2009 (allowing me to focus on driving and [[DEWBOT V's Rockwell Automation Innovation in Control Award (Chesapeake Regional) | wooing judges]]).
  
 
;Co-Driver
 
;Co-Driver
Line 71: Line 73:
 
=Team Roles & Photos=
 
=Team Roles & Photos=
 
Below is a list of my sub-team memberships and roles throughout my student and mentor years (reverse chronological, each by precedence), along with a photo summary of my tenure.<br>
 
Below is a list of my sub-team memberships and roles throughout my student and mentor years (reverse chronological, each by precedence), along with a photo summary of my tenure.<br>
 
 
{|style="width: 75%"
 
{|style="width: 75%"
 
|colspan=3 align="center"|'''Mentor Tenure Responsibilities'''
 
|colspan=3 align="center"|'''Mentor Tenure Responsibilities'''
 
|colspan=3 align="center"|'''Student Tenure Responsibilities'''
 
|colspan=3 align="center"|'''Student Tenure Responsibilities'''
 
|-
 
|-
|rowspan=6 align="center"|[[DEWBOT VIII|DEWBOT<br>VIII]]
+
|rowspan=6 align="center"|[[DEWBOT IX|DEWBOT<br>IX]]
 
|[[FRC Team 1640 | FRC 1640]]
 
|[[FRC Team 1640 | FRC 1640]]
|Process Manager
+
|Co-Shop (Job) Manager
 
|rowspan=5 align="center"|[[DEWBOT V|DEWBOT<br>V]]
 
|rowspan=5 align="center"|[[DEWBOT V|DEWBOT<br>V]]
 
|[[Steering Committee]]
 
|[[Steering Committee]]
Line 89: Line 90:
 
|-
 
|-
 
|Competition Play
 
|Competition Play
|Coach, Strategy-Scouting Adviser
+
|Coach, Scouting Adviser
 
|[[DEWBOT_V_Drive_Train|Mechanical]]
 
|[[DEWBOT_V_Drive_Train|Mechanical]]
 
|Student Lead
 
|Student Lead
 
|-
 
|-
 
|Competition Pit
 
|Competition Pit
|Adviser
+
|Superviser
 
|Pit Crew
 
|Pit Crew
 
|Pit Captain
 
|Pit Captain
Line 111: Line 112:
 
|Management
 
|Management
 
|Captain-Manager
 
|Captain-Manager
 +
|-
 +
|rowspan=6 align="center"|[[DEWBOT VIII|DEWBOT<br>VIII]]
 +
|[[FRC Team 1640 | FRC 1640]]
 +
|Process Manager
 +
|[[DEWBOT IV Drive Train|Mechanical]]
 +
|Student Co-Lead
 +
|-
 +
|Design
 +
|Trainer & Kickoff Lead, CAD Co-Lead
 +
|Competition
 +
|Operator, Off-Season Coach
 +
|-
 +
|Competition Play
 +
|Coach, Strategy-Scouting Adviser
 +
|Pit Crew
 +
|Student Co-Lead
 +
|-
 +
|Competition Pit
 +
|Adviser
 +
|colspan=3|
 +
|-
 +
|[http://www.midatlanticrobotics.com/ Mid-Atlantic FRC]
 +
|Referee
 +
|rowspan=3 align="center"|[[DEWBOT III|DEWBOT<br>III]]
 +
|[[DEWBOT_III_Drive_Train|Mechanical]]
 +
|Rookie
 +
|-
 +
|[http://www.firstnemo.org/about.htm NEMO]
 +
|Member
 +
|Competition
 +
|Operator
 +
|-
 +
|colspan=3|
 +
|Pit
 +
|Crew
 
|-
 
|-
 
|rowspan=5 align="center"|[[DEWBOT VII|DEWBOT<br>VII]]
 
|rowspan=5 align="center"|[[DEWBOT VII|DEWBOT<br>VII]]
 
|[[DEWBOT VII Design Team Page | Design]]
 
|[[DEWBOT VII Design Team Page | Design]]
 
|Kickoff Lead, Arm Designer
 
|Kickoff Lead, Arm Designer
|[[DEWBOT IV Drive Train|Mechanical]]
 
|Student Co-Lead
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[DEWBOT VII Drive Team Page | Competition Play]]
 
|[[DEWBOT VII Drive Team Page | Competition Play]]
 
|Coach, Strategy-Scouting Adviser
 
|Coach, Strategy-Scouting Adviser
|Competition
+
|colspan=3|
|Operator, Off-Season Coach
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|Competition Pit
 
|Competition Pit
 
|Adviser
 
|Adviser
|Pit Crew
+
|colspan=3|
|Student Co-Lead
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[DEWBOT VII Chairmans Award | Chairman's]]
 
|[[DEWBOT VII Chairmans Award | Chairman's]]
Line 134: Line 166:
 
|[http://www.firstnemo.org/about.htm NEMO]
 
|[http://www.firstnemo.org/about.htm NEMO]
 
|Member
 
|Member
|rowspan=3 align="center"|[[DEWBOT III|DEWBOT<br>III]]
+
|colspan=3|
|[[DEWBOT_III_Drive_Train|Mechanical]]
 
|Rookie
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|colspan=3|
 
|colspan=3|
 
+
|colspan=3|.
|Competition
 
|Operator
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|rowspan=3 align="center"|[[DEWBOT VI|DEWBOT<br>VI]]
 
|rowspan=3 align="center"|[[DEWBOT VI|DEWBOT<br>VI]]
 
|[[DEWBOT VI Mechanical Team | Mechanical]]
 
|[[DEWBOT VI Mechanical Team | Mechanical]]
 
|Mentor
 
|Mentor
|Pit
 
|Crew
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[DEWBOT VI Competition Team | Competition Play]]
 
|[[DEWBOT VI Competition Team | Competition Play]]
 
|Coach, Strategy-Scouting Adviser
 
|Coach, Strategy-Scouting Adviser
|colspan=3|
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[http://www.firstnemo.org/about.htm NEMO]
 
|[http://www.firstnemo.org/about.htm NEMO]
 
|Member
 
|Member
|colspan=3|
 
 
|}
 
|}
  
<gallery widths=230 heights=230 perrow=4>
+
<gallery widths=125 heights=125 perrow=6>
Image:DB3_alterarm_install_Siri_070218_csm.jpg|DEWBOT III: ''What on Earth have I gotten myself into?''
+
Image:DB3_alterarm_install_Siri_070218_csm.jpg|I wasn't sure what I'd gotten myself into at first!
Image:DB3_Duel_Delaware_Heather_Siri_pit_071013 csm.jpg|But I got used to it. And made pit crew! (for 3 years)
+
Image:DB3_Duel_Delaware_Heather_Siri_pit_071013 csm.jpg|But I got used to it, and made pit crew all 3 years
Image:DB3_PARC_Dave_Siri_Cassie_070512_csm.jpg|And drive team! (also 3 years)
+
Image:DB3_PARC_Dave_Siri_Cassie_070512_csm.jpg|And drive team, too!
Image:DB4_Maley_under_robot_080204 csm.jpg|I even made team captain! (2 years)
+
Image:DB4_Maley_under_robot_080204 csm.jpg|I even made team captain in my 2nd year (for 2 years)
Image:DB4_PARC_Siri_alliance_captain_080510_csm.jpg|And we're getting better now.
+
Image:DB4_PARC_Siri_alliance_captain_080510_csm.jpg|Plus, we're getting better now.
Image:DB4_Siri_@_Sugartown_Elementary_081024_csm.jpg|I do outreach....
+
Image:DB4_Siri_@_Sugartown_Elementary_081024_csm.jpg|I do outreach,
Image:DB5_Davis_Feartherman_Maley_090216_csm.jpg|And some leader-like stuff.
+
Image:DB5_Davis_Feartherman_Maley_090216_csm.jpg|Lead build projects,
Image:DB5_Maley_frame_welding_090118_csm_2.jpg|And welding...
+
Image:DB5_Maley_frame_welding_090118_csm_2.jpg|Do the welding,
 
Image:DB5_GETT_Siri_Heather_090328 csm.jpg|And public speaking! ([[Girls Exploring Tomorrow's Technology (GETT) |GETT]])
 
Image:DB5_GETT_Siri_Heather_090328 csm.jpg|And public speaking! ([[Girls Exploring Tomorrow's Technology (GETT) |GETT]])
Image:DB6_Wk4_Siri_Clem_Scott_20100131_SMW_0071.jpg|''Hey, I'm a mentor.''
+
Image:DB6_Wk4_Siri_Clem_Scott_20100131_SMW_0071.jpg|''Hey, I'm a mentor?''
Image:DB6_Matt_Siri_welding_frame_100124_csm.jpg|In mechanical work...
+
Image:DB6_Matt_Siri_welding_frame_100124_csm.jpg|On the mechanical team...
 
Image:DB7 Champ drive team dance 110429 csm 2.jpg|And coaching!
 
Image:DB7 Champ drive team dance 110429 csm 2.jpg|And coaching!
 
Image:DB7 Siri 110128 csm.jpg|Leading CAD...
 
Image:DB7 Siri 110128 csm.jpg|Leading CAD...
Line 175: Line 199:
 
Image:BoB2012_Siri_Molly_Lucy.JPG|and Volunteering!
 
Image:BoB2012_Siri_Molly_Lucy.JPG|and Volunteering!
 
Image:DB7_defense_setup_Phila_110409_csm.jpg|We've been in some tight spots...
 
Image:DB7_defense_setup_Phila_110409_csm.jpg|We've been in some tight spots...
Image:DB7 Phila alliance 110409 csm.jpg|But luckily it's worked out!
+
Image:DB7 Phila alliance 110409 csm.jpg|But it's worked out!
Image:DB7_DD_111022_csm-9.jpg|It's hard work...
+
Image:DB7_DD_111022_csm-9.jpg|Through hard work...
Image:DB7_DD_111022_csm-34.jpg|And we've got stiff competition...
+
Image:DB7_DD_111022_csm-34.jpg|And stiff competition...
Image:DB7_Champ_drive_team_dance_110429_csm_3.jpg|But what's not to love?
 
 
Image:DB7_RR_111112_csm-2.jpg|We're getting a lot better!
 
Image:DB7_RR_111112_csm-2.jpg|We're getting a lot better!
Image:DB8 HH 120303 csm-37.jpg|Really, a lot better.
+
Image:DB7_Champ_drive_team_dance_110429_csm_3.jpg|What's not to love?
Image:DB8 Philadelphia 120413 csm-10.jpg|It's pretty incredible.
+
Image:DB8 HH 120303 csm-37.jpg|We're getting it now,
Image:DB8 Philadelphia 120414 csm-16.jpg|'Nuf said.
+
Image:DB8 Philadelphia 120413 csm-10.jpg|And it's pretty incredible.
 +
Image:DB8 Philadelphia 120414 csm-16.jpg|We're on our way up!
 +
Image:DB9_HH_130302_csm-15.jpg|Up...
 +
Image:DB9_SCH_130315_csm-4.jpg|Up...
 +
Image:DB9_SCH_130316_csm-3.jpg|And away!
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
 
=Experience & Travel=
 
=Experience & Travel=
I'm currently at Penn State - University Park, where I'm a Schreyer Honors College Scholar (<2% of all PSU undergraduates) and mechanical engineering major with concentrations revolving around international relations and humanitarian engineering. I am currently a teaching intern in the humanitarian engineering & social entrepreneurship program at Penn State, where are do some curriculum writing and teaching in addition to working on getting peer-review articles to publication. I will be taking graduate bridge courses at Penn State until 2014 before moving on to graduate school for engineering. I am also a student member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and an honored member of [http://www.tbp.org/pages/main.cfm Tau Beta Pi]. Additionally, I have traveled rather extensively in my work and study for international relations and humanitarian engineering.
+
I'm currently a Penn State Schreyer Honors College Scholar (<2% of all PSU undergraduates) and mechanical engineering and political science double major with concentrations revolving around international relations and humanitarian engineering. I currently work as an in-house reviewer in the Humanitarian Engineering & Social Entrepreneurship program at Penn State, where I do some curriculum writing and teaching in addition to working on getting peer-review articles to publication. I will be taking graduate bridge courses at Penn State until 2014 before moving on to graduate school for engineering. I am also a student member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and an honored member of [http://www.tbp.org/pages/main.cfm Tau Beta Pi]. Additionally, I have traveled rather extensively in my work and study for international relations and humanitarian engineering.
{|style="width: 30%"
+
{|style="width:30%"
 
!colspan = "2"|United States
 
!colspan = "2"|United States
 
!International
 
!International
Line 232: Line 259:
 
Indonesia<br>
 
Indonesia<br>
 
Malaysia<br>
 
Malaysia<br>
 +
.
 
|}
 
|}

Revision as of 16:46, 18 March 2013

I am currently a mentor and alumna of team 1640, having been a student on the team from 2007 (Rack 'n Roll) until I graduated from Downingtown East in 2009 (after Lunacy) and a mentor from 2010 ( Breakaway) to present.

Mentor

I serve as the team's field coach and co-lead designer (CAD), in addition to helping manage the shop and ensure students have and understand their jobs.

Field Coach
As field coach, I'm responsible for training the drive team (and currently the scouts), negotiating qualification and elimination strategy, serving as the chief at-event contact for other teams, liaising between the drive team and pit crew (and the rest of the team), and of course coaching the drivers during matches. The longest-standing coach and drive team member (and one of the long-running team members in general), I have been coaching 1640 regularly since I graduated in 2009 and have coached 5 of our 7 competition championships.
Co-Process Manager
As process manager, I am responsible for the CIP or continuous improvement process on 1640. Generally, this is seen a endlessly bugging people to examine how we can better fulfill our mission (of inspiring and educating our students) and operate more optimally. I facilitate these discussions, mull over the SWOT (strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats) issues brought up, and then return to our other process managers and team members with more suggestions, questions and improved structures with which to bug them. It's worked out well enough so far. This has been the mechanism for most of the team's recent restructuring. I am also responsible for some more in-the-moment issues, including running some meetings (particularly for student feedback), post-mortems, one-on-one interviews and other administrative and management activities.
Co-Lead Designer
During build season, this role generally entails teaching, supervising, and coordinating mechanical design, prototyping and fabrication. Unfortunately, a dearth in student CAD/design experience required me to step into a lead hands-on CAD role in 2011 before doing the bulk of the CAD work in 2012 and much of 2013. My main job, however, is to work on remedying this inexperience, leading to my initiation and teaching of multiple design projects as the team's design process teacher. I hope to take a more guiding, tutoring and coordinating role as a design leader, though I expect there will still be some hands-on CAD walkthroughs for eager students in my future.
Pit Supervisor
Though students now proudly organize and execute the pit work for 1640, I currently serve as the most-regular adult pit supervisor, coordinating troubleshooting efforts and advising the student crew where needed, including facilitating communication, planning priorities and keeping members on task. (While not actually informal, this position is largely extemporaneous and derived from the collision of my coaching and process management roles with my student experience as pit captain.)
NEMO Mentor
As an official and active member of FIRST's Non-Engineering Mentor Organization, I had also assisted with the team's Chairman's and and Woodie Flowers submissions and created maost of the team's media handouts. As our student and mentor base grows and more NEMO talent arises, I have been able to take a less active role in some of our own NEMO activities, though I still have some project responsibilities and remain active in some NEMO proceedings outside of 1640.

Volunteer

I am proud to say I am a veteran FIRST volunteer with 15 events under my belt in 4 years (11 in the last 2). I serve primarily as a referee, though I'm becoming a common judge for FLL/FTC, and will continue to will fill other roles in FRC, VEX, FTC and FLL.

Current Qualifications
FRC (Ultimate Ascent): Referee
VEX (Sack Attack): Referee
FLL (Senior Solutions): Head Judge, Referee
2013 Season
  • FRC Bridgewater District - Referee
  • FRC New York City Regional - Referee
  • FRC Battle o' Baltimore - Referee
  • FRC ... Off-Season - Referee
  • FTC East Central PA Qualifier - Judge
  • FLL DAR Tune Up
  • FLL ... Qualifier
  • FLL DAR Qualifier
...
2012 Season
  • FRC Chestnut Hill District - Referee
  • FRC Mount Olive District - Referee
  • FRC Battle o' Baltimore - Referee, Teardown
  • FRC Brunswick Eruption - Referee
  • VEX Delaware State Championship - Referee, Setup/down
  • FLL DAR Tune Up - Game Announcer, Setup/down
  • FLL Chestnut Hill Qualifier - Judge
  • FLL DAR Qualifier - Head Core Values Judge, Setup/down
2011 Season
  • VEX Eastern Pennsylvania Regional - Co-Lead Queuer, Setup/down

2010 Season

  • FRC Big Apple Breakaway - Referee
  • VEX Eastern Pennsylvania Regional - Field Controller, Logistics, Setup/down

2009 Season

  • VEX Eastern Pennsylvania Regional - Referee, Setup/down

Student

In my time as a 1640 student, I served as captain-manager, pit captain, design team lead student, head mechanical student, head (and only team) welder, co-driver, and outreach lead. However, several of these names would now be re-classified to include media lead, logistician and finance student, among others under the team's current, more detailed organizational scheme.

Captain
In 2008 I became the first 1640 student to be named lead captain for two years, serving as captain-manager of FRC Team 1640 for the 2008 (Overdrive) and 2009 (Lunacy) seasons before graduating Downingtown High School East Campus. At the time, the job entailed being representative and student liaison, media and PR lead, student logistician, contact point person, scheduler and organizer, and finance officer. It also earned me the first student slot on the [[Steering Committee], created in 2009.
Design Team & Mechanical Lead
In the 2009 season, I became the first student member of the just-created design team as the team's pit captain and lead mechanical student. Student slots have since been significantly expanded, but at the time the enhanced student-mentor coordination helped lead to the team's then-most unique (and effective) drive system, as well as our first official award (turns out the judges really would rather hear from a student).
Pit Captain
After an ill-defined 2008 pit hierarchy, I found myself in the definitive capacity of pit captain in post-season 2008 through 2009. Luckily, nothing much went wrong in 2009 (allowing me to focus on driving and wooing judges).
Co-Driver
As a sophomore in 2007, I became the team's youngest official driver by operating the arm at the Pittsburgh Regional. I drove in every event in 2007-2009 afterwards, including serving as alliance captain at PARC 2008, making the finals at Duel on the Delaware and winning PARC 2009. I also did some coaching in those years before becoming the team's main coach for 2010-Present.
Lead Mechanical Student & Chief Welder
As I took over as lead mechanical student in post-season 2009, one of the main changes I found myself in was in rapidly becoming the chief, first and only team welder (student or adult) in 2009. Somehow I managed to figure out what I was doing well enough to weld a 2009 robot that weathered 6 competitions (tied for our record at the time) with only one broken weld. I also served as lead mechanical student (design, though I also did fabrication) for the rest of the award-winning 2009 robot.
Outreach Lead
As the team's representative in 2008, I had the wonderful opportunity to help start a robotics club at Sugartown Elementary School in the nearby Great Valley School District, with whom we still remain in contact. Also in pre-season 2008, the team leadership began pre-kickoff classes (we were previously basically dormant before kickoff), several of which I taught to both the FRC team and our VEX outreach.


Team Roles & Photos

Below is a list of my sub-team memberships and roles throughout my student and mentor years (reverse chronological, each by precedence), along with a photo summary of my tenure.

Mentor Tenure Responsibilities Student Tenure Responsibilities
DEWBOT
IX
FRC 1640 Co-Shop (Job) Manager DEWBOT
V
Steering Committee Captain-Manager
Design Trainer & Kickoff Lead, CAD Co-Lead Design Student Lead
Competition Play Coach, Scouting Adviser Mechanical Student Lead
Competition Pit Superviser Pit Crew Pit Captain
Mid-Atlantic FRC Referee Competition Operator, Off-Season Coach
NEMO Member
DEWBOT
IV
Management Captain-Manager
DEWBOT
VIII
FRC 1640 Process Manager Mechanical Student Co-Lead
Design Trainer & Kickoff Lead, CAD Co-Lead Competition Operator, Off-Season Coach
Competition Play Coach, Strategy-Scouting Adviser Pit Crew Student Co-Lead
Competition Pit Adviser
Mid-Atlantic FRC Referee DEWBOT
III
Mechanical Rookie
NEMO Member Competition Operator
Pit Crew
DEWBOT
VII
Design Kickoff Lead, Arm Designer
Competition Play Coach, Strategy-Scouting Adviser
Competition Pit Adviser
Chairman's Adviser
NEMO Member
.
DEWBOT
VI
Mechanical Mentor
Competition Play Coach, Strategy-Scouting Adviser
NEMO Member

Experience & Travel

I'm currently a Penn State Schreyer Honors College Scholar (<2% of all PSU undergraduates) and mechanical engineering and political science double major with concentrations revolving around international relations and humanitarian engineering. I currently work as an in-house reviewer in the Humanitarian Engineering & Social Entrepreneurship program at Penn State, where I do some curriculum writing and teaching in addition to working on getting peer-review articles to publication. I will be taking graduate bridge courses at Penn State until 2014 before moving on to graduate school for engineering. I am also a student member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and an honored member of Tau Beta Pi. Additionally, I have traveled rather extensively in my work and study for international relations and humanitarian engineering.

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