Judges Interview - Answers

[Billie Jean]

Subject: Judging and Mentor Involvement

Q: In some cases, mentors are very hands-off and in other cases mentors are active ( to very active) with the team. For example, a mentor may help arrange for interactions with different corporations and organizations or complete paperwork needed for a grant. . Is it reasonable for the FTC team to take credit in the engineering notebook for the activities/grants that were facilitated/initiated by their mentor but assisted with or completed by team members?

A: A team should not be penalized if their coach or mentor initiated an activity or grant, as this is part of their role as being a mentor to the team. It is reasonable for the team to get credit for that activity, especially if the mentors role was to assist in making the connection, while the students did the rest of the work. A good way for a Judge to gauge the students involvement in the activity is to ask specific questions about their participation.

[Mae Jemison]

Subject: Team using video for judging presentation

Q: Had a team in Judging today that use a 4-minute video for most of their 5-minute presentations...any rules about using video instead of speaking

A: There is no rule about this - so yes, in theory, a team can incorporate video as part of their team's presentation. However, teams should take into consideration that a pre-recorded video may or may not be effective. Depending on how the video is presented - such as from a laptop - judges may have a hard time seeing or hearing the presentation. Also due to the varying nature of venues for the judging interviews, there are events that would not have be able to access a power outlet in the judging interview rooms and a team will not be given extra time to setup for a video presentation.

[Mae Jemison]

Subject: Community Outreach - Do Internships Count?

Q: Based on many years of experience gained from being in FIRST our team members landed summer internships with local companies utilizing their coding, CAD, etc. skills. They spent the summer learning from many STEM professionals gaining critical knowledge that they brought back to the team to learn and utilize during the season. Can this time be counted as community outreach since they gained deep understanding and learned from STEM professionals and made connections with the engineering community as teams would if they toured a company? They also engaged with the company's professionals to get them involved with FIRST. Thank you!

A: What wonderful opportunities for the team members. I believe you are asking about the Connect Award. From Game Manual 1, criteria includes that the team provides clear examples of developing in person or virtual connections with individuals in the engineering, science, or technology community and the team actively engages with the engineering community to help them understand FIRST, the FIRST Tech Challenge, and the Team itself. Sure sounds like a summer internship would absolutely be something to highlight when talking to judges.

[Billie Jean]

Answers to your questions about the Judges Interview can be found in this section.