I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a lone wolf, but I’m definitely an independent worker by nature. Years of struggling through group projects with unmotivated high schoolers taught me to trust no one’s work ethic besides my own. Asking for help or input was out of the question; if I wanted it done right, I had to do it myself.
As I’ve come to learn at Rice, this is not a sustainable mindset, especially for an engineer. And given that study groups were my saving grace during my sophomore year of college, I’m ever so slowly learning to trust and even lean on my teammates. This week, as we began our daily Morning Standup sessions (in which each team will share any progress or struggles encountered the previous day and ask for suggestions from their peers), I discovered the true meaning of the phrase, “two minds are better than one.”
During our research phase of the design process, we hit a wall in terms of finding materials for the device which are both durable and locally sourced in the countries we are designing for. After spending hours the week before racking our brains for ideas, I shared this struggle with the group during our inaugural Morning Standup and mentioned that any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
The response was immediate–several people asked questions to clarify our problem (What are the requirements of the structure? What effect does UV light have on materials?), then suggested that we talk to our international collaborators or consider pre-built structures such as containers used in shipping or construction. I was even approached afterwards by my peer Matthew, who mentioned using foil warming blankets to contain UV light within the device, and our TA Andrew, who pointed out that the Steribox does not have to be a box.
I was like a horse with its blinders removed. Of course–names are important, but they don’t have to define our device. Our team excitedly discussed a variety of new geometries: a cylinder, a triangular prism, or even a frame with UV-blocking fabric draped on top (I’ve shown a couple of brainstorming ideas below; please ignore my excited [messy] handwriting). We had spent so much time focused on the specifics of our project that we didn’t even think of zooming out and taking a different approach to the problem.
Now, five Morning Standups later, my teammates and I rack our brains for obstacles to share each time just so we can take advantage of the collective brainpower of the 24 interns, TAs, and instructors in the room. Moving forward, I’m excited to continue building my trust for my teammates and appreciating the value of humility and collaboration. Who knew that roadblocks could be the most promising part of the process?
***I thought I’d also take a moment to share some exciting news: after 1.5 weeks of deliberation, we’ve named ourselves Team Now UV Me, Now U Don’t! I’ll leave you with a team picture–not just any team picture, but a groundbreaking hybrid team selfie.***
