Company Rules for Qualifying Teams
Company Rules for qualifying competition:
There are only a few Company rules that all participants need to be aware of:
- Companies must have 2 – 12 participants;
Companies can operate with more than this number – SpaceSet understands student interest can wane, or new students can want to participate. Teachers and organizers need to be aware that, should a Company be invited to a Regional Final, or the ISSDC Finals, the invitation is for only twelve (12) students.
- Companies must have a single adult point of contact who may be a teacher, advisor or parent.
This will be the primary point of contact from your SSDC organizing committee to your Company.
- Participations must be 15 or older to take part in any Finals events;
- Yes, this means a 14 year old can participate in a remote submission, as long as they’re turning 14 before the Regional or ISSDC Final.
This is regularly a teacher from the students’ school; or a parent or guardian of one of the students.
How To Form A Company:
SSDC events are team competitions – designing a space settlement is much more than a one-person task! It’s important to put some effort into forming your Company; the below information should help.
Remember the following when forming a SSDC Company:
- The larger the Company, the more innovation and creativity generated, and – in principle – the less work each participant will have to contribute.
BUT – the larger your Company, the harder management becomes, as does the chance of communication difficulties.
- The smaller the Company, the better the chance everyone will work smoothly and without conflict, with management and group communication becoming easier.
BUT – Each participant will have to do more work.
Editor’s Note: if you’re a student wanting to take part, consider the following:
- Find a mentor first – maybe your favorite teacher at school. This person may be able to assist with helping you find other interested students and should be able to help you use school facilities for meetings.
- Companies normally form within schools, but some of the strongest teams are made of people from different schools.
- Ask your friends. If you are interested, there is a good chance one or two of your friends will be as well (don’t be scared to ask; remember if you win there’s a trip to the NASA Kennedy Space Center!)
Group Dynamics & Team Composition:
The SSDC is designed to encourage individuals to learn to operate within a group environment. As much as there is an emphasis on research and writing of the final submission; the competition will test and develop your ability to work with people under pressure to meet deadlines. Many (if not all) teams find this the hardest component of the Competition.
It is important to realize that everyone within a group has different values and ideas. Each team member will have individual strengths and weaknesses. Some will be talented at math and science, others at English, others at design or art. Some will be good researchers, some excellent team players, and a few good leaders. The most successful team will be able to make use of each individual’s strengths and work through everyone’s weaknesses.
The first goal, once you have a team, is to organize the group into an effective working body. There are many ways to do this, and there is no one correct method. At ISSDC semifinals and finals, student companies are asked to fit their members into the organization chart shown here.
© 2020 Space Settlement Design Competitions® are brought to you by The National Space Society and Aerospace Education Competitions