| CATEGORY |
QUESTION |
ANSWER |
| Competition |
Is participating in the Design Challenge a competitive process? If so, how do we make sure our team is selected. |
No, selection to participate in the Design Challenge is not competitive. Teams are "selected" to participate on a first-come/first-served basis. You can improve your chances for "getting a spot" by completing the required Design Brief completely and submitting on time. |
| I understand some teams receive awards at the end of the semester - - doesn't that mean it's a competition to see who wins? |
Teams receive awards recognizing excellent performance in a variety of areas - - including competitive Bonus Awards - - at the Design Challenge Showcase at the end of each semester. The "big awards" are for Best Poster, Best Model and Best Oral Presentation. TSGC also acknowledges team excellence in a variety of areas including: Outreach Activities, Website design, Team Patch. New for the Fall 07 semester is a competitive Top Design Team scholarship prize. |
| Continuing a Previous Team's Project |
Our team wants to work on a project started by another Design Challenge team during a previous semester. Is that allowed? |
Absolutely. In fact, it's encouraged. Talk to the faculty advisor about your interest in following-up on a previous team's work. Contact the original team to advise them that work is continuing [or I'll do this for you] and be sure to reference their work. |
| Second Semester Projects |
We are beginning a project that will last two semesters? Do we still have to submit a Design Brief when the second semester begins? |
Yes. Teams continuing a project into the second semester will begin the process in the same way as a first-semester team, but will note only updates or changes to the team profile. |
| Deadlines |
How long, after the Showcase presentations, does the team have to get all of the deliverables submitted in order to receive the award? |
Final submission dates for each semester are listed in the Design Challenge Time Table - - but basically, teams generally have about two weeks after the end of the semester to get final deliverables submitted. If a team needs more time, they can let me know. |
| Team Members |
Are there any restrictions on participation by non-US citizens? |
Any student, regardless of national origin, is welcome to participate in the Design Challenge; however, certain restrictions may apply:
- Non-U.S. citizens may not receive TSGC / NASA scholarships.
- NASA facilities currently impose visitor restrictions based on citizenship ? so a non-citizen team member will probably not be allowed to accompany the team for a site visit.
- The topic sponsor may have citizenship restrictions that apply when providing the team with proprietary design information.
If a team has a member who is not a citizen of the United States, contact me and we'll discuss any potential restrictions that might apply on a case-by-case basis. |
| Leftover Funds |
The website talks about "team earnings." Does this mean that the team gets to keep any of the funds that are leftover after the project ends. |
There is limited opportunity for design teams to actually work on "funded" projects during their undergraduate career. It's even more rare for teams to be allocated a budget for travel to make site visits/field trips and attend formal conferences. The Design Challenge offers opportunities for teams to earn "project funds" and "scholarship funds." Project funds are accumulated via completion of milestones, called Levels. A travel allowance is also included within this funding category. Scholarship funds are dollars that the team members may personally receive; these funds are not restricted to project-only use. Opportunities to earn Scholarship Funding is embedded into Option Area completion, Bonus Award recipients and a new Top Design Team prize. |
| Outreach and Website Design seems like a lot of extra work - - what does the team gain from taking on the extra load? |
Option Area participation benefits the team members is two ways: [1] expands and widens the team's base of experience, and [2] provides an avenue for earning scholarship dollars. |
| Our design team would like to organize an end-of-semester social to celebrate the conclusion of the design effort and invite our families to come and see our work. Is this an allowable expense? |
Sure. Talk to your faculty advisor about setting up such a celebration. This is often a good way to include other teams that may not have had an opportunity to receive funding for their projects. |
| Would purchasing a display case for our project be an allowable expense? |
Yes. Leftover funds can be used at the discretion of the team's faculty advisor for a number of things including making purchases that benefit the course. Some have purchased software, a digital camera, shop equipment etc. |
| Limit on Number of Teams |
What is the number of teams that any one institution may involve in the Challenge? |
The rules say: maximum two teams, per institution, per semester. However, more than two teams from the same institution may participate if they are working on different projects, space permits and topics are available. |
| Travel Funds |
Our team used a portion of our travel allowance to make a site-visit. Now it looks like we may not have enough to support team travel to the Showcase. May we use funds that we've earned for Level & Option Area completion to make up the difference. |
Yes. In the end, it's all one account. |
| Our team only used a small portion of the Travel Grant for travel - - but we could certainly a little extra to apply toward construction of our model. Can we use the extra money for fabrication? |
Yes. In the end, it's all one account that will absorb projects and team travel-related expenses. |
| Showcase |
Is it okay if the team videotapes the presentations? |
Oh sure. |
| Should the team use a private vehicle for transportation to the Showcase? |
The travel allowance available via the Travel Grant will allow the team to drive a private car or rent a car for travel to the Showcase. If you're driving your own car, you will be paid mileage at the state rate. If you are interested in renting a car, talk to your faculty advisor about which rental car companies are recommended by your institution. The rental agency will require a credit card to secure the rental, and some rental agencies require a driver to be 25 or older, so be sure to ask about driver-age restrictions when making your reservation. |
| May we invite family to attend the Showcase and see our presentation? |
Yes. For seating and catering purposes, just provide us with an estimate of how many people to expect. |
| What is the attire for the Showcase? |
Meeting and presentations: Business casual.
JSC Tours: Casual; comfortable closed-toe shoes. |
| We have a large team, and the conference hotel will cost us more than we've budgeted for - - are we allowed to stay at another cheaper hotel. |
Absolutely. Talk to me about which hotels are recommended. |
