HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDLY COMPETITION PRE-EVENT INFORMATION

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

What is the High School Friendly Competition? 

It’s a 3-hour team-based competition event to bring creative minds together from high schools to solve problems as a team.  At our event, everyone is welcome to compete, there are no wrong answers, we don’t criticize you, and there are no losers.  The only way to fail this competition is not to show up so as soon as you walk in the door, you’re an instant winner and you will immediately have our respect. 

Why should students attend the High School Friendly Competition? 

Let me answer that question with these questions… Do you like working in teams to solve problems?  Would you like a good job that relies on problem solving?  Can you have fun while following the rules?  Oh, and do you like money?  You do?!  Excellent, then you should totally come to this event and join the fun (but we won’t be giving you any money).  Although this event is primarily to have fun while challenging your problem solving and team work skills, prizes will be given out for the top scoring teams.

Why should students want to be an Engineer? 

Want to make a car that goes faster but costs less?  Engineer it.  Want to make a toothbrush that safely brushes and flosses your teeth in less than 30 seconds?  Engineer it.  Want a fun, respected, and good-paying job?  Be an Engineer.  Want to try to solve problems with nothing but random stuff like office supplies?  Come to the High School Friendly Competition and be an engineer for the day.

COMPETITION OUTLINE

1. INTRODUCTION

   1. The primary objective of the Friendly Competition is for students to explore the various phases of the engineering process.  This includes determining requirements of the project, coming up with a concept to solve the project needs, researching and developing the concept, managing time and materials, construction of the project, and system testing.

   2. All engineering projects must follow cost, schedule, and performance standards.  Therefore scores for this competition are determined by each team’s use of materials (cost) and time (schedule), and the success or failure of the device during testing (performance).

   3. Public safety is of the highest importance to engineers.  No running with scissors.

   4. If you have a question, ask a judge.  Rule clarifications will be announced over the PA, so listen carefully when announcements are made.

2. PRE-GAME PHASE

   1. Each team will be given packages of materials and rules.

   2. When told to do so, teams open the envelope of materials and inspect the materials to ensure items are not damaged and are in quantities matching the materials list.  If any discrepancies are found, students will retrieve replacement materials.

   3. The sealed envelope of Competition Rules shall remain sealed during the Pre-Game Phase.

3. ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION PHASE

   1. When instructed to do so, teams open the envelope of Competition Rules and begin to engineer and construct their devices.  60 minutes are allowed for the engineering and construction phase.

   2. When a team has completed construction, the team notifies a judge who writes the completion time on the score sheet.  The team and judge calculate scores for time and materials.  Teams keep their score sheet with them.  Teams may not modify or touch their device again until the Testing Phase.

4. TESTING PHASE

   1. When a team has completed the construction phase they can proceed to the Testing Phase. 

   2. Each team will bring its device and score sheet to a testing station and test their device for performance in accordance with the Competition Rules document.

   3. After testing is complete, each team brings its score sheet to the master scorekeeper for data entry.

5. COMPLETION AND CLEANUP

   1. When the Testing Phase is complete, the top teams will be announced, and awards and prizes are given out.

   2. Please pick up after yourself and others whenever possible to save time.  Recycle the paper, and return unused supplies to the designed boxes.  Students may keep any supplies they need for school supplies.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

DIVIDE AND CONQUER:  Successful engineers know how to divide and conquer tasks.  To win an HSF competition, you need to work on multiple topics quickly.  Use your team’s strengths by division of labor.  One approach to consider is to assign duties as follows (one person could carry two roles):

TEAM LEADER:  Consider assigning/electing one person to be the team leader.  This person would be responsible for schedule (i.e. watching the clock) and coordinating the team.

RULE MASTER: Consider assigning/electing one person to be RULE MASTER that focuses on studying all the rules (i.e. cover to cover; fast reader) and helps with all other tasks.

SCORE MASTER: Consider assigning/electing one person to be SCORE MASTER that studies the score sheet (i.e. math skills) and helps with all other tasks.

BUILD MASTER:  Consider assigning/electing one person to be BUILD MASTER that focuses on coordinating construction (i.e. good with hands or has shop experience) and helps with all other tasks.

BRAINSTORM FIRST, ECONOMIZE LATER.  Focus on creating a design that scores a lot of OBJECTIVE POINTS first rather than focusing on materials costs.  Once a successful design has been established, then you can economize the design to score the most material points.

Engineers are CREATIVE and build on team knowledge to design something new.

In the first 5 minutes, list everyone’s device ideas.  Estimate how many points each idea is likely to win and consider the time needed to build each device idea.

Engineers MINIMIZE MATERIAL COSTS to keep overall project costs down.

Have a plan prior to building the device to minimize the amount of materials used to score more points.

Engineers MAINTAIN SCHEDULE to deliver their customer's product on time.

Keep E/C time to a minimum to score more points.

Engineers CONFORM TO THE CUSTOMER'S REQUIREMENTS to deliver a quality product that meets expectations.

Read this document carefully paying attention to device testing requirements and scoring rules.

Engineers prepare a good TEST PLAN to show that the customer's product works as expected.

Plan how to launch the device and who will perform which part of the launch.

Engineers WORK AS A TEAM.

Be an active participant.  Communicate your ideas openly and constructively.

Show commitment to the team.  Listen actively, respect the ideas of your team mates, and be flexible when changes are necessary.

Keep a calm and cheerful attitude in the face of adversity so others feel free to communicate with you.

Work as a problem-solver.  Don’t get discouraged or blame others when there is a road block.  A better approach is to look for solutions to the problem.