Day 1 July 6th- Fostering Community, Collaboration, and Communication

Forming a community-learning names

In a team-building session at EDW, Chris Mayer emphasized the importance of community and collaboration among team members who will work on projects in this workshop. The group is encouraged to remember each other's names for effective teamwork. A playful exercise is initiated where participants introduce themselves, with each person repeating the names of those who preceded them. Chris starts, mentioning his background in Boston and Texas, and the exercise continues with participants from various locations, including Barcelona, Ferrara, Ostia, Mexico, and Istanbul, as well as students from the Boston area. The exercise underscores the significance of names and correct pronunciation, especially with diverse cultural backgrounds represented in the room.

   The conversation is an activity to learn each other's names. Chris guided the process, ensuring everyone is introduced correctly, including names with multiple syllables and those with unique spellings. There is a focus on clarity and correct pronunciation, with some participants needing to confirm their names. 

Chris also mentions the presence of ASL interpreters and the importance of knowing each other's names, hinting at a team-building or ice-breaking exercise. The group is also informed that they will be moving to different positions to ensure everyone interacts and remembers names, with a playful threat of push-ups if names are not remembered correctly.

Collaborative Drawing Exercise:
https://livestorm.co/ice-breaker-games/collaborative-drawing

In the collaborative drawing exercise, students, working in teams, sketch a design on paper for 5 seconds, then pass the paper to another team member who adds on to the design.

Invention Ideas Round 1

The session then shifted to individual idea generation, with participants required to write with their non-dominant hand and present their ideas to new partners.

 Students presented their partner's ideas, to emphasize listening and communication.The emphasis was on understanding the motivation behind each idea( the '5 whys') and refining them for better execution.

Teams presented their innovative product ideas. The first group introduced the "Mobile House," an eco-friendly dwelling. Another team proposed the "Genie," an eco-friendly cargo plane. The "Garfield Robot" was presented as a gardening assistant, while "Happy Blowers" was a hydro rocket for underwater exploration. The "Turbot" was a painting by a famous artist. 

Individual Idea Generation and Presentation

• Students were instructed  to write down three ideas and switch to a new partner.
• Chris counted down the time for participants to come up with their ideas.
• Participants to hold up their ideas and find a new partner.
• Participants to present their favorite idea to their partner and ask questions about it.
• Participants to present their partner's idea, emphasizing the importance of understanding the heart of the project.

The meeting featured presentations of innovative products. Speaker 1 introduced Skater 5000, a skateboard with strings for added fun. Speaker 3 proposed Sports Player Health Monitor (SPHM), a health monitoring bracelet for general public, focusing on mental and physical health. Speaker 4 suggested a guitar with lasers to alleviate finger pain, while Speaker 7 presented Frog Rotation, a large frog-like vehicle for transportation. Each product aims to address different needs, from music and entertainment to health and transportation, reflecting diverse interests and solutions.

Telegraph Activity: Learning to Communicate

Chris  instructed students to form groups of four to participate in a communication exercise where students communicate a message using a simple telepgraph. The task is to transmit and receive messages using a simple light circuit setup in two rooms. Chris explained that while Morse code can be used for communication, participants are encouraged to develop their own codes, and the winning group will be the one that correctly receives and executes the message first. There are six transmitters and six receivers, and the students are not allowed to communicate verbally except through the light signals. 

Chris instructed participants to form groups of four or five people, emphasizing the importance of mixing with unfamiliar individuals. Each group requires one piece of paper and one pencil, which will be distributed by mentors. Chris also outlined a task involving a battery pack and jumper cables, noting the specific color sequence (gray, red, black) that needs to be followed. Speaker 2 and an unknown speaker briefly acknowledge the task, indicating a hands-on activity related to the battery pack assembly.

An equation is part of the message; the correct answer indicates the message was corrctly communicated.

Chris also mentions a prize for the winners and encourages students to work with people they haven't met before.

The conversation involves a group participating in a coding challenge where they must transmit and receive messages using a specific code. Speaker 1 explains the rules, mentioning multiple rounds and the goal of completing the task in a limited number of presses. Teams discussed their strategies, with some experiencing issues like repeating words and needing to start over. The code involves using long and short presses to represent letters in the alphabet. Feedback is given on what went right and wrong, such as the need for better error handling and feedback mechanisms. The group prepares for the next round, with instructions to review their performance and make improvements.

The team discussed the results of a coding competition where three teams with similar base code placed first, second, and third. They highlighted the importance of communication and iteration in their success. One team used a system of pressing buttons to represent letters and numbers, while another relied on intuitive guesswork. The conversation also touched on the balance between speed and accuracy, with examples of miscommunications and adaptations. Additionally, they explored the complexities of encoding systems, especially for languages with thousands of characters like Chinese. The session concluded with plans for further ideation and project development, emphasizing creativity and technical assistance from mentors.

The meeting concluded with various mentors sharing their past projects to inspire new ideas. A university student discussed a levitating galaxy project, while Jose built a folding clothes machine. Kim Vandiver, Professor of  mechanical engineering and director of the Edgerton Center, shared his experience with Schlieren  photography. Matt created a piano that shocks if notes are missed. A student from Italy built a drone that targeted other students. A mechatronic engineer from Mexico designed an Arduino-controlled up house. Michelle, an aerospace engineering student, discussed high school projects involving aircraft. The session emphasized the importance of creativity and practical appication in future projects.

Plans for tomorrow:

The meeting discussed a structured brainstorming process where participants present and vote on ideas, categorizing them based on common themes. The goal is to generate 40-60 ideas, with 10-12 announced to the group. Categories like animals, explosives, vehicles, and educational tools will be discussed in smaller groups. Voting will be done with eyes closed, and top ideas will be selected. Teams may then build cardboard prototypes if time permits. The session is expected to take 2-6 hours, with participants encouraged to prepare for an active and caffeinated day. The plan involves significant interaction and decision-making, aiming to inspire individual project ideas.