Making a Team

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Making a team:

There is no concept of an ideal team here. Different teams have different combination of talent, based on what is best available and willing to dedicate their entire school year (sometimes several years) to competing in the competition. But we are listing a few suggestions that you may take into account while forming your team:

  1. Ideal number of team members: 12. Sometimes teams start with more than 12 members and then trim it down to 12.
  2. Role of advisors: Advisors play a major role in giving direction to the team. They are expected not to participate in the actual design process but closely mentor and monitor the progress of the team.
  3. Although the Space Settlement Design Competition was developed for participation by high school students, it is possible for non-students to provide assistance by mentoring participating student teams. This type of involvement in the Competition is recommended as an activity for Chapters or Sections of technical societies, and business or civic groups. Individuals who decide to mentor teams are advised to recognize this involvement as a serious responsibility, and to stay with the team until either the proposal has been submitted or the students on the team decide to discontinue the relationship. Mentors can do just about anything to help the team with the project, except that the students must do the actual design.
    • Every competing team must register to get the Final RFP, and mentors can help with facilitating filling in the registration and submitting the payment.
    • When the Final RFP arrives, mentors can go through it with the students and help them interpret what their design must do.
    • Mentors can help the students put together a requirements’ matrix to make sure they completely satisfy the design requirements.
    • Mentors can help students find information that will be useful to them in preparing their design.
    • Mentors can help the team plan and schedule their work to complete the 40-page written report describing their design by the deadline.
    • Like a real manager in industry, a mentor can assist communication processes between students doing different parts of the design, so that all of the components are compatible.
    • Mentors can help students learn how to manage themselves.
    • Mentors can help the team develop a report format that will get all of the design details into the page limit.
    • Mentors can review and critique the team’s work, and advise them of design deficiencies to correct.
    • Mentors can help the team print, copy, and mail their final product.
    • After the proposal has been submitted to the judges, and while the team is waiting for the judges’ selection of the twenty Finalist teams, it would be useful to help the students develop a briefing describing the Qualifying Competition design, and to help them learn effective presentation techniques.
    • Mentors may not, however, help with the design itself, or provide design ideas.
    • And, if your team is one of the twenty that earns an invitation to the Finalist Competition, mentors can help the students get publicity, raise funds for the trip, and get prepared for an invigorating and exhausting three-day design and briefing ordeal.

An Ideal Team

Successful teams usually have the following talents:

  • A designer (good with 2D and/or 3D and/or hand drawings)
  • A writer
  • Students inclined towards engineering
  • Students with inclination to Human Engineering
  • Good Presenters
  • Students who understand and appreciate advancing technology
  • Creative and innovative thinkers
  • People who understand business and economics
  • and many more…