Project X Manual - Missouri S&T
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Project X
Manual
1
Opening Week 2020 Goals and Objectives
Opening Week has been designed to welcome new students and facilitate an effective transition to
their new home - Missouri S&T. New students will have the opportunity to make friends and meet
faculty and staff. By participating in workshops, programs, and activities during Opening Week,
students are introduced to campus resources and college life for their academic, personal, and
professional success.
Project X
Goals
Project X incorporates a team design project to create an interactive and challenging learning
experience. Project X gives our new students a common learning experience in which they
can interact with faculty, staff, and other students. Other skills students will develop and use
while designing their projects are brainstorming, critical thinking, problem solving, and
conflict resolution.
Competition Description
Project X is a team-based design competition. Each team will receive a radio-controlled
chassis, one 9.6-volt battery, a battery charger, and a starter kit. Each team will compete in
the Missions to earn as much “Miner Cash” as possible to buy materials to add to the chassis.
Teams are to build a creative vehicle focused on the objectives of the obstacle course. Each
team is required to keep documentation and to turn in their deliverables for judging. The
finished vehicle must be able to complete the obstacle course. The time taken to complete
the course will be used in the formula to determine which team had the overall best vehicle
and team. As a team, students will reflect on and answer several questions about their
experience in Project X. Before the obstacle course, each team will have time to present a
brief description of their design and team experience to a panel of judges.
Safety Considerations
• Be careful with glue guns. They can burn skin and cause heat damage to nearby
materials.
• Electrical transformers used to recharge the battery packs can cause electrical shock.
• Electrical wiring can become frayed or broken during construction.
• Fumes from paint and glue can be harmful when directly inhaled, use in well-
ventilated areas.
• Use care with saws, X-Acto knives, and other cutting tools. Cut away from your body.
2
• Do not ingest any materials from the Shop.
• Use common sense.
3
COVID – 19 Requirements
Due to the COVID – 19 Pandemic, we have a few added requirements. These must be
followed at all times and teams that fail to follow the requirements will be dealt consequences
up to and including disqualification and removal from the Project X Competition.
1. Teams may only allow 2 people to touch the car or banner at any given time, all other
members must be 6 feet away from the car.
2. Any member who touches the car, banner, or bin must wash or sanitize their hands before
and after handling the above item.
i. ‘The car’ includes; the car, the controller, the batteries (both the AAA and green car
batteries), and the battery charger
3. Materials bought from the shop may not be traded in any way, shape, or form.
4. Teams must use Item Requisition Form for ALL orders from the shop.
5. Teams may order and pick-up items during Project X time but may not come to the shop
to just browse.
6. All team members must wear a face-covering at all times during the Project X Competition
7. During the race, all drivers must sanitize their hands before and after controller hand-off
8. During the race, certain pieces of the track are touched by all teams. So, to reduce risk, we
have multiple sets of those pieces which are sanitized between each team. The PRO Leader
in charge will tell the team which set to grab and those instructions. Not doing so will result in
the team being disqualified from the challenge and the 4-minute penalty for not attempting
the challenge.
4The Missions
#MinersThink
This Mission’s objective is to provide a snapshot of experiences new students will
face on a college campus that influence mental and physical well-being.
Ultimately, #MinersThink is a brief overview of important topics like alcohol and
other drugs, relationships, healthy choices, support networks, anxiety, and more.
For each topic, new students will virtually be presented: information and relevant
research, personal experiences from current S&T students, and a suggested
campus resource should the student find themselves in a similar scenario. It
should be noted that the topics addressed in our presentation are not an
exhaustive list; however, they have been carefully chosen in order to best address
the question: how do you know when you need help? Please see the #MinersThink
packet at the front of the mentor binder for more information.
Miner Island Challenge
New students will work together in their mentor group to compete in this
interactive challenge. This mission is designed to provide an opportunity for
students to meet faculty staff and learn about campus resources. During this
mission, students will learn about available campus resources by participating in
this exciting race. Participating campus resources include Alumni, University
Police, Student Involvement & PIA’s, Faculty, Burns & McDonnell Student Success
Center, Library, Miner Wellness, Academic Support, Student Union Board (SUB),
Information Technology (IT), and Student Diversity Initiatives (SDI).
COER Virtual Experience
This mission is the first step to the new students’ professional careers. Students
will get both a student’s perspective on career opportunities and experience a
virtual tour of our Career Opportunities and Employer Relations office. Students
will talk with a PRO Leader about the career fair, tips, and advice. COER will also
5be leading a live virtual interactive tour for the students to learn about their
services.
6Project X Deliverables
The following items are due to the PRO Leaders by 5pm on
Wednesday, August 19:
• Reflection Questions found on the next page emailed
to the PRO Leaders email at proleaders@mst.edu
• Prize Preferences found at the following link:
https://forms.gle/qoEnyAtKhdBvxBmP7
Note: Other mentor groups will have a different deliverable due date.
The Reflection Questions are scored by the PRO Leaders and
added into the overall opening week score. The top finishers
receive a prize of your choice, by filling out the prize
preference sheet.
Good Luck!!
7Reflection Questions
TYPE your response to each question in 200 words or less
1. Having completed this project, how does your team think or feel it will
help each member be successful in the classroom?
2. What did your team learn about each other over the course of the
project?
3. How did each team member’s talents/skills make a difference in team
interaction and collaborations?
4. What campus resource did your team utilize to complete the project?
5. What challenges did your team encounter and how were they resolved?
6. Did your team enjoy working on this project? Please explain.
7. What were the successes and failures in your project?
8. What did your team learn from these successes and failures?
9. What changes in Project X would your team make for next year’s
students?
10. What overall changes in Opening Week would your team make?
89
The Track
Course Description:
The Project X track is an obstacle course with a series of activities that will require the team to
design and build an R/C vehicle from the chassis up. The vehicle must complete the track and
the eight challenges. The race starts with a zipline off Schrenk Hall. The time begins when the
student releases the car on the zipline. The time will stop as soon as the car crosses the finish
line at the Havener Center.
The Finish Line Banner: Location: Havener Main Entrance
Teams will have the entire week to construct a finish line banner to cross or break through at
the end of the race. You will be given one banner inside your Project X Starter Kit. All
materials used on this banner must be purchased/rented from the Project X Shop or items
provided to the mentor during training. Keep in mind, creativity is a judging criterion; have
fun! The Finish Line Banner is to be turned into the Shop with your deliverables by the end of
your last Project X shift. Make sure to put your team number on all four corners of the
backside of the banner.
Union Pacific (sponsor of Project X)
All teams must have Union Pacific represented on their vehicle (usually a logo).
Spirit of Change: “Students Inspiring Students”
Location: Check-in Table
On race day, the team will be awarded tickets for their Spirit of Change contributions. The
tickets awarded will be in terms of dollars raised as a percentage of the team described in the
table below (i.e. a team of 16 people that raises 8 dollars will get 5 tickets corresponding to
the 50% - 59% / 5 ticket tier). The tickets will be placed into a drawing where one team will
win a Missouri S&T Waterproof First Aid Kit.
In all cases, we round down.
% of Money Raised # of Tickets
100% 10
90% - 99% 9
80% - 89% 8
70% - 79% 7
60% - 69% 6
50% - 59% 5
40% - 49% 4
30% - 39% 3
20% - 29% 2
1010% - 19% 1
0% - 9% 0
Description of Judging
The Winning Formula
[Reflection Questions (judged 0-10)] * [Presentation (judged 1-5) + Creativity (judged 1-5) +
Obstacle Course Time (Ranges of 1-5)] = Total Points
The highest score wins! Note that leftover Miner Cash is not included in the formula, and that
Reflection carries the most weight in the formula. So be sure to spend time reflecting over
the week!
Reflection Questions
10 8 6 4 2 0
Information Information Information Information Deliverables No
clearly clearly clearly has little or are not fully deliverables
answers the relates to relates to nothing to completed. were
question. questions. It questions. do with the received.
Includes provides 1-2 No details questions.
supporting supporting and/or
details details examples are
and/or and/or given.
examples examples.
11Presentation Judging
Groups will give a short (2-4 minutes) oral presentation to a panel of judges before time trials
on the obstacle course. Give a description of the unique features, innovations, and
experiences that set your vehicle and team apart.
5 points 4 3 2 1
All required All required One required One required No effort has
elements are elements are element is not element is not been made to
included, and 3 included but included, or the included, and create a
or more team less than 3 presentation is the presentation presentation.
members team members not within the 2- is not within the
presented. presented. 4-minute range 2-4 minute
range
Creativity
5 points 4 3 2 1
The car shows The car shows The car shares a The car shares a No attempt has
great clear attention design with design with been made to
craftsmanship to detail, but many other many other be creative.
with clear the design is teams or there teams and there
attention to not unique is not clear is not clear
detail and a attention to attention to
unique design detail detail
Obstacle Course Judging
After all times have been recorded, the times will then be split in to five ranges. The top 20%
of times will be awarded 5 points. The next 20% will be awarded 4 points. The next 20%, 3
points, and so on.
12The Shop
Shop will be held in Schrenk G3 this year. All materials needed to build the RC Car can be
purchased using Miner Cash earned throughout the week and can be viewed on the
attendance sheets shared with the mentor on Google Drive.
The 2020 Item Description Form will be online. All of the materials available for shop will be
listed out and pictures of items will be included in the form.
The Item Requisition Form will be online as well. The link to the form will be:
https://forms.gle/SghfWnsQyLvxEyAe8 Fill this out for both pre-orders and items needed
during Project X time. Use the form to make orders for any and all items needed. Due to
COVID restrictions, teams will not be allowed to come the shop to browse. Since all orders
will be made online, small items can be picked up from Schrenk G3 or you can request large
orders be delivered to your team at your assigned workspace.
Only the mentor and one team member will be allowed in the shop hallway to pick up their
bin. Only one person will be allowed to enter the shop to pick up tools and orders. This
person must sanitize their hands after entering Schrenk and before picking up their items.
Timeline for Success
1. Obtain starter kit from the Shop during your first Project X Shop Time
a. Contents:
• RC Car and controller • Paper roll for “Finish Line” • 3 Tool Passes
• 9.6-Volt battery and banner • Hot Glue Gun
charger • Recycled shopping bag • Ruler
• Project X Manual with • Black Permanent Marker • Scissors
journal • Trash Bags and Brooms to clean • Team Notebook
• $1000 Miner Cash up
2. Determine team dynamics. Assign specific jobs and leaders. This is a team project
not an individual project. There is no “I” in team.
3. Begin brainstorming based on objectives and obstacle course. Include all designs and
ideas in the team journal. Journals will be judged on content.
4. Buy necessary items from Supply Shop using the Item Requisition Form
5. Get more Miner Cash for completing Missions and buy more stuff!
6. Complete all deliverables, showcase your design with a dynamic presentation, and
compete in the timed obstacle course to win!
13 DON’T FORGET TO FULLY CHARGE YOUR BATTERIES BEFORE THE
RACE!!!!
14Track Overview
Driver Changes 1) Start at Schrenk Stairs/Zip
Line
2) Labyrinth Table
3) Alien Bowling
4) U.P. Space Train
5) Stargate Slalom
6)
7) Yeehaw Seesaw
8) CarPlunk!
9) Finish Line
15Challenge 1 - Zipline
Location: Schrenk Fire Escape
The Zipline Challenge will require special modifications to your car. Teams will construct an
attachment to the car that can clip to a carabiner and hold the car while it travels down a
zipline. One team member will carry the car to the second landing of the Schrenk fire escape
and attach the car to a carabiner. One team member will need to be positioned at the
bottom of the zipline to catch the car. The official time for the obstacle course will start as
soon as the team member releases the car down the zipline. The car may start driving ahead
as soon as it has been disconnected from the zipline and is placed on the ground. The team
member that is stationed on the fire escape will meet the team at The Puck for the next
challenge. The time allotted for this obstacle is 1 minute. The penalty for not completing this
obstacle is 4 minutes. Touching the zipline or the car to help move it along will result in a 10
second touch penalty.
**Note - Teams must build something to their car to complete this challenge. Attaching the
carabiner directly to the bumper or other parts of the chassis is not allowed and teams who
do so will be penalized by 4 minutes.**
Zipline Start
Zipline End
Will be attached to concrete
post
16Challenge 2 - Labyrinth Table
Location: Puck Area
This is a “Minute-to-Win-It” style challenge, so the running time will stop once the car is
parked in the designated chalk box. All team members will grab a SINGLE handle on the
edges of the board. A yellow softball will be placed at the start by the PRO Leader in charge.
The team will then have to work together to navigate the ball through the maze by tilting the
table in all directions. Time allotted for this challenge is 1 minute and 30 seconds. If the team
finishes in the time allotted, they will receive a 15 second time deduction. There are fuel
reserves scattered around the maze, each is worth a 10 second deduction. Be careful, the fuel
reserves are located in asteroid fields; hitting an asteroid will result in a 10 second penalty.
Teams that do not attempt this challenge will receive a 4-minute penalty. Teams may not
touch the ball unless the ball is stuck. If the team touches the ball, the ball will be placed
exactly where the ball was touched. Running time will resume as soon as the car leaves the
box.
Finish
Start
**Note-The final path will be revealed on race day!**
17Challenge 3 – Alien Bowling
Location: Outside Toomey Hall
The Stars & Strikes challenge will require special modifications to your car. The driver will
drive up to the start line and stop momentarily. As soon as the PRO Leader says ‘GO’ the
driver will have 1 minute to start moving their car towards the bowling pins. If the car stops
after the start line, it must restart at the start line. The time keeps counting if the driver must
start over. The car will knock over as many pins as it can without turning the wheels past the
‘turn line’; turning after the turn line disqualifies any pins that fall after turning. A 3 second
time deduction will be given for each pin that falls. Teams that do not attempt this challenge
will receive a 4-minute penalty.
**Note – The team must build something on their car to knock the pins over. The pins are
plastic, and NOT the pins used at a bowling alley**
No-Turn
Start
18Challenge 4 – Union Pacific Space Train
Location: Outside Parker Hall
A designated conductor will board the train and navigate through the slalom. The driver will
have 1 minute and 30 seconds to navigate through the course. The train is an adult tricycle
with a wagon attached to the back. If either the train or the conductor touches an obstacle, a
10 second penalty will be given. There will be 4 members of the team stationed in designated
spots around the slalom to throw space asteroids into the train car. Each asteroid caught is
worth a 2 second deduction. The train conductor may not touch the asteroids, doing so will
disqualify that asteroid. Teams that do not attempt this challenge will receive a 4-minute
penalty.
19Challenge 5 – Stargate Slalom
Location: Outside the Library
The driver will have 2 minutes to navigate the car from the start line, through the holes in the
boards in order from 1 to 4. The car must be able to fit through each hole; the smallest hole
is 40cm x 40cm (~15.74in x ~15.74in). Teams that do not attempt this challenge will receive a
4-minute penalty.
Time deductions will be given based on the time taken to drive through all boards;
30 seconds – 30 second time deduction
40 seconds – 25 second time deduction
50 seconds – 20 second time deduction
60 seconds – 15 second time deduction
70 seconds – 10 second time deduction
80 seconds – 5 second time deduction
*Example: A team that finishes in 40.01 seconds will receive a 20 second deduction. A team
that finishes in 40.00 seconds will receive a 25 second deduction.*
20Challenge 6 – Driving in the Dark
Location: Outside Parker Hall
This is a race-against-the-clock trial, but overall race time will stop for this challenge. The
driver will park the car in the designated box and then be blindfolded. Running time will stop
as soon as the car is on the box. The PRO Leader will give the driver the GO command and
team members will then stand in the designated areas and direct the driver on how to
navigate throughout the indicated path. Teams will have 1 minute and 30 seconds to run
through this obstacle. The amount of time that the car spends off the path will be added as a
penalty.
Teams that do not attempt this challenge will receive a 4-minute penalty. Running time will
resume as soon as the car leaves the area.
21Challenge 7 – Yeehaw Seesaw (Space Transportation Seesaw)
Location: Between H-SS and E-Man
The driver will carefully drive the car up the ramp until the seesaw starts to tip then drive
down the other side. The driver has 1 minute and 30 seconds to complete this obstacle. If the
car falls off, the driver must start over at the beginning of the seesaw. There is a checkpoint at
the halfway point, so if the car falls off after the checkpoint, the driver may place the car on
the checkpoint for restart. If the car falls off the side at any point, a 10 second penalty will be
given for each time it falls off. If the car is not heavy enough to tip the seesaw, the PRO
Leader in charge will slowly guide the seesaw down so the car may drive off. Teams that do
not attempt this challenge will receive a 4-minute penalty.
**Note-The car may need some run-up to make it up the ramp.**
**Note-The car needs to be able to make it up the ramp with the attachment for Car
Bowling**
22Challenge 8 - Carplunk
Location: The Atom
This is a “Minute-to-Win-It” style challenge, so the running time will stop once the car is
parked in the designated chalk box, under the Carplunk contraption, similar to the childhood
game Kerplunk. The team will select 5 team members to each pull one wooden dowel-rod
from the contraption, without letting any plastic balls fall. The time allotted for this challenge
is 1 minute, so if the team members manage to pull their quota, and they are daring, they
may select a 6th person to pull a dowel-rod and then a 7th and so on. Each extra dowel-rod is
worth a 3 second time deduction. However, if any balls hit the ground, a 5 second penalty
will be given. If the team catches the balls that fall, into a device on the car, no time penalty
will be given. After the challenge, the driver will pull all balls from the car and give them back
to the PRO Leader. If the team does not reach the 5-rod quota, a 10 second penalty will be
given for the remaining dowel-rods needed. Teams that do not attempt this challenge will
receive a 4-minute penalty. Running time will resume as soon as the car leaves the
designated spot.
**Note – Teams may build a catching device on their car to catch any plastic balls that fall.**
**Note – The plastic balls similar to ones you would find in a ball bit.**
**Note – After completion, the driver should give all plastic balls back to the PRO Leader in
charge.**
23Race to the Finish: From the Atom to the Finish Line
This is the last section of straightaway track before the finish line. The team’s banner will be
hanging in front of the finish line for the team to either run through or under.
End of Track: Finish Line
MANDATORY ACTIVITIES FOR TEAMS:
- After crossing the finish line, please gather for a group picture with your vehicle.
- After the picture, all vehicles will be collected and put on display in the Havener Center Atrium
until after the awards ceremony.
- Vehicles that are not picked up Saturday evening after awards will be recycled. Make plans to
pick up your auctioned vehicle.
Driver Changes
There will be driver changes in between specific challenges. The driver changes are marked
by a large yellow star on the sidewalk as well as a sign indicating the driver change is to take
place. They are also marked on the map by stars. Teams will be required to change drivers in
these locations and no team member is allowed to drive more than once.
Penalties
If anything falls off the vehicle, it can only be replaced if the part is vital to finishing the
challenges or the race. In order to repair the broken part, the vehicle must pull off of the
track prior to being fixed. The team will have to turn the vehicle off during the repair and
hand the remote to the running judge. This is to prevent two vehicles running on the same
frequency and interfering with the other vehicle’s race. The time will continue to run during
the entirety of the repair. If a part falls off that is not essential, the driver must pick up the
fallen item and carry it with them for the remainder of the race. If any sharp objects are
placed on the car, the team will not be allowed to catch the car from the zipline, they will
instead let the car slide and hit the pillar at the bottom.
Running Judges
Running judges run through the race with a team and keep track of the running time as well
as any time deductions and penalties.
Mentors will act as running judges and are required to sign up for one time slot to be the judge
for one other team.
The penalties are as follows:
24Penalty Penalty Time
Did Not Attempt Challenge 4 minutes
Failure to Complete Challenge Time allotted for challenge
Touch Penalty 10 seconds
There are also challenge judges (PRO Leaders) for each obstacle. They will time the vehicle as
it begins the challenge. If the vehicle does not finish the obstacle in the allotted time given for
the challenge, the challenge judge will tell the driver of the vehicle to continue the race
without finishing the challenge. The challenge judge will also call out penalties and
deductions as they occur during the challenge. The running judge will then record both on
the Running Judge’s Score Sheet.
The PRO Leader in charge of each challenge will tell the running judge the exact scores to
write in each box. Ex: if a team completes the labyrinth table, collects 2 fuel cells and hits 1
asteroid, the PRO Leader will say exactly “Finished the table, 2 fuel cells, 1 asteroid.” The
running judge will mark Y,2,1 in each respective cell.
*Challenges will stop for these events, so make sure to stop your stopwatch when the car is
parked and resume the time when the car starts moving again.
In the case of a team skipping a challenge entirely, cross through the entire row with a giant
‘X’ and initial the row.
25Finally, at the end simply look at the stopwatch and write the time shown. (We have an excel
doc to add all penalties and deductions.)
Miscellaneous
In the case of one team catching up to another team, the challenge judge will make the
decision to stop the slower team’s vehicle. The vehicle will be removed from the challenge by
the running judge and the time will stop. The faster team will be allowed to pass through the
obstacle with their time continuing. As soon as the faster team finishes the obstacle, the
slower team’s vehicle will be replaced in the exact spot and the time will begin again. The
vehicle will then continue the race.
Each team will be allowed only one run through the course unless the judges feel there was
interference with the run. There will be one judge per team that will follow the group through
the entire course. This will allow the competition to move along more smoothly. All teams are
competing against each other for the best time through the course.
Final decisions will be made by the Track Coordinators, Tyler Glidden and Michael Nacy.
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