TSGC | TSGC Design Challenge: Guidelines

TSGC / TSGC Design Challenge /

ABOUT THE DESIGN CHALLENGE

Dr. Tim Urban
urban@csr.utexas.edu

voice: 512-471-4267
fax: 512-471-3585

3925 West Braker Lane, Suite 200
Austin, Texas 78759

toll-free switchboard:
1-800-248-8752

Talia Jurgens
jurgens@tsgc.utexas.edu

voice: 512-471-8271
fax: 512-471-3585

3925 West Braker Lane, Suite 200
Austin, Texas 78759

toll-free switchboard:
1-800-248-8752

The information below offers prospective teams an overview of the requirements set for each Level and Option Area. They are not intended to serve as the "handbook" for participation. Guidelines, that address requirements for each Level and Option Area, in full, are provided as downloadable pdf files in the Design Team Notebook.

BASE Level completion and submission of the Design Brief is REQUIRED to secure a spot for your team. Participation is not competitive in a traditional sense; but is first-come / first-served. Some restrictions and consideration will apply toward determining final participating teams configuration.
Level I, II, and III are milestones that help the team set individual completion goals and earn project funding. Successfully meeting the requirements set for Level I, II and III is considered "completing the DESIGN CHALLENGE" and qualifies the team to receive all applicable incentives and awards.
Option Areas are not required milestones, but may be incorporated at any time during the semester to bring dimension and new experiences to participation and add funds to the design team's project account. NOTE: Due to funding constraints impacting the Spring 2013 semester, Option Area funding opportunities and Option Area "Match" Scholarships may not be available. Please contact Dr. Tim Urban about your team's interest in pursuing Option Area opportunities.


BASE LEVEL SEMESTER I TEAMS - It all starts right here! During BASE Level, the team gets organized, reviews available topics, and narrows the design topic field to a first-choice with one alternate.

TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES	Meet Criteria for Participation Organize Team / Faculty Advisor Review appropriate guidelines Select a design topic Submit Design Brief by the deadline

AWARD:	Acceptance to participate in DESIGN CHALLENGE.

NOTES:	See the Design Team Notebook entry addressing "Base Level Guidelines" for complete information on requirements and deliverables associated with Base Level.

SEMESTER II TEAMS - May submit a current Design Brief or an Email indicating "no updates needed" or providing update information.


LEVEL I SEMESTER I TEAMS - It's about research! During Level I, the team will demonstrate a serious beginning to topic research by submitting a formal design project proposal.

TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES:	Satisfactory and timely completion of BASE Level Submission of a Design Project Proposal Inclusion of high resolution digital team photos to include: (1) the full team and (2) individual "head shots" of each team member and faculty advisor

AWARD:	$75.00

NOTES:	See the Design Team Notebook entry addressing "Level I Guidelines" for complete information on requirements and deliverables associated with Level I.

SEMESTER II TEAMS - Will submit a "Summary of Work-in-Progress [SOW]" to brief TSGC on where the team plans to take the accomplishments of the first semester on through the "home stretch."


LEVEL II SEMESTER I TEAMS - Design concepts emerge! Level II marks the mid-point in the team's design effort where research comes together; "customer" needs are addressed; and a method of determining the best design [down-selection] is implemented.

TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES	Satisfactory completion of Level I Submit a mid-term report Submit an accompanying "rough draft" Power Point Presentation Design a Team Mission Patch

AWARD:	$125.00

NOTES:	See the Design Team Notebook entry addressing "Level II Guidelines" for complete information on requirements and deliverables associated with Level II.

SEMESTER II TEAMS - Will submit a "Midterm Summary of Work-in-Progress [SOW]" to summarize how the design and model are being fine-tuned.


LEVEL III - Finis! Showcase Time! All Teams [both Semester I & II] will complete all design-related activity, present the design at the TSGC DESIGN CHALLENGE Showcase and submit a final report.

TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES	Satisfactory completion of Level II Finalize all design-related activity Participate in TSGC DESIGN CHALLENGE Showcase Submit a final written project report Submit a program evaluation and scholarship forms

AWARD:	$200.00

NOTES:	See the Design Team Notebook entry addressing "Level III Guidelines" for complete information on requirements and deliverables associated with Level III.


OPTION AREA I: EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH [EPO] - Taking science into the community The EPO Option Area affords the team with an opportunity to take their scientific knowledge and share it with the community group of their choice.

TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES	Present, demonstrate or display any STEM-related topic to an EPO audience, including K-12 appropriate activities, classroom tutoring, participation in an engineering fair or open house. Provide an Outreach Report that describes activity pursued and documents it in photos as an appendix to any required Level report. Incorporate Outreach any time during Level I, II, III.

AWARD:	$125.00

NOTES:	See the Design Team Notebook entry addressing "Option Area I Guidelines" for complete information on requirements and deliverables associated with Outreach. Teams completing all three Option Areas satisfactorily will receive $400 in project funds; $400 in matching scholarship funds; and a special recognition award at the Design Challenge Showcase. To Be Determined. NOTE: Due to funding constraints impacting the Spring 2013 semester, Option Area funding opportunities and Option Area "Match" Scholarships may not be available. Please contact Dr. Tim Urban about your team's interest in pursuing Option Area opportunities.


OPTION AREA II: MEETING PRESENTATION - Present yourself! Option Area II provides the team with a resource for gaining valuable meeting presentation experience, while affording the team with an additional avenue for showcasing its design efforts.

TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES	Participate in a professional-level meeting or formal presentation setting that includes student conference sessions or divisions, presentations to the team's mentor, collaborators or university college administrators, university student organizations. In-class presentations do not qualify. Submit a Meeting Presentation Report that documents participation using photos, meeting agenda, brochures etc. Incorporate Meeting Presentation any time during Level I, II, or III

AWARD:	$125.00

NOTES:	See the Design Team Notebook entry addressing "Option Area II Guidelines" for complete information on requirements and deliverables associated with Meeting Presentation. Teams completing all three Option Areas satisfactorily will receive $400 in project funds; $400 in matching scholarship funds; and a special recognition award at the Design Challenge Showcase. To Be Determined. NOTE: Due to funding constraints impacting the Spring 2013 semester, Option Area funding opportunities and Option Area "Match" Scholarships may not be available. Please contact Dr. Tim Urban about your team's interest in pursuing Option Area opportunities.


OPTION AREA III: TEAM / PROJECT INTERNET PRESENCE Option Area III offers each team the opportunity to profile the design team and its project for public view by creating an internet presence.

TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES	Design and Create a Team/Project Internet Presence via one of the following four vehicles: Team Blog Website Facebook Page Wikipedia Article Other by Approval

AWARD:	$125.00

NOTES:	See the Design Team Notebook entry addressing "Option Area III Guidelines" for complete information on requirements and deliverables associated with Meeting Presentation. Teams completing all three Option Areas satisfactorily will receive $400 in project funds; $400 in matching scholarship funds; and a special recognition award at the Design Challenge Showcase. To Be Determined. NOTE: Due to funding constraints impacting the Spring 2013 semester, Option Area funding opportunities and Option Area "Match" Scholarships may not be available. Please contact Dr. Tim Urban about your team's interest in pursuing Option Area opportunities.


TEAM TRAVEL GRANT - Taking the team outside the classroom! The Team Travel Grant provides each team with a limited amount of funding to support participation in the TSGC Design Challenge Showcase held at the end of each semester and for travel outside the classroom to supplement the design experience. TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES

TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES	Engage in team travel for the purpose of participating in the Design Challenge Showcase or supplementing the design experience via field trip experience, site visit, meeting presentation, career exploration, or outreach. Provide a Team Travel and Expense Report to document team travel and associated expenses. Include a narrative description of the event and include photos as documentation. Incorporate Team Travel any time during Level I, II, or III. Leftover travel grant funds may be used to support the team project in areas other than travel.

AWARD:	up to $400.00 Long-Distance Travel Grant will not be available for the Spring 2013 semester Please note that due to funding constraints impacting the Spring 2013 semester, the application of the Long-Distance Travel Grant may be impacted by the number of teams requesting additional travel funds. Please contact Dr. Tim Urban if your team requires Long Distance Travel funding assistance.

NOTES:	See the Design Team Notebook entry addressing Travel Grant Guidelines for complete information on requirements and deliverables associated with Team Travel, including the Long-Distance Travel Grant.


AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS AND BENEFITS Participation can be extra work - for everyone involved - so what's the benefit?

INDIVIDUAL TEAM MEMBERS	Real-world design experience Certificate of participation CHALLENGE program shirt Commemorative patch Insight into internship, coop and employment opportunities within NASA, JSC and its contractor community Added resume value Scholarship opportunities Put classroom theory into practice Comments As a team leader, I learned a lot from this program. Also, it was the first time to "propose" and "design" a project, so that was new too. Overall, it was great to get to go through what engineering is all about. This whole project has been amazing. This all started as a class project and we initially debated whether participation was worth it due to the paperwork demands, but it has been totally worth it! The trips we went on were amazing. I never expected anything this cool. The program had a huge impact on my way of thinking and prospective of myself.

DESIGN TEAM	Each team is eligible to receive rewards up to the maximum specified for each Level and Option Area Monetary awards are received for satisfactory completion of any Level or Option Maximum project earnings total $1,250 for one-semester teams and up to $1,500 for two-semester teams for satisfactory completion of all Levels. Comments The most enjoyable aspect in participating in the DESIGN CHALLENGE was the experience it gave the entire team when working with our NASA mentor and TSGC to accomplish the goals of the project. It allowed the team to experience a real-world engineering environment by working in conjunction with different organizations. Not that many students at our university get an opportunity to work with NASA and TSGC.

FACULTY ADVISORS & TEAM MENTORS RECEIVE:	An opportunity to lead a team of students through a real-world design experience DESIGN CHALLENGE program t-shirt Commemorative patch and poster Opportunities for higher level teaming between faculty and mentors Funding to supplement design course Comments A great experience for the students . . . gaining discipline in organization, working in team environment, making a presentation before a professional audience! There are two big benefits to participation. The first is in having an external customer for the design project. This brings the project up to a different level than if the students were "just doing it for the class" and for the local professors. The second benefit is the external motivation of the levels and the funding associated with each. This "carrot" is very helpful in keeping the motivation level up throughout the year. It seems to be effective at moving the project along. Also, the peer pressure of not wanting to embarrass themselves at the Showcase has some benefit. The impact is that the professor doesn't have to hold grades over the students' heads all the time to keep them working allowing him/her to concentrate more on the project itself.

DEPARTMENTAL SPONSORS RECEIVE	Opportunity to receive classroom or program materials Display item which commemorates both the institution and team's participation in the TSGC DESIGN CHALLENGE Comments On behalf of the entire Engineering program, I would like to thank TSGC for all of the hard work in support of our students. The classroom materials received will be used in courses beyond our beginning Engineering course and will enhance the existing tools that our students have to work with. Thanks again for your support.