I am making a rule that as a condition of using Science Committee space for projects that need extended use of the space, someone associated with the project must teach a class about the project at least once a month. The members should know what you are doing, why you are doing it and the status of the project. Currently, this rule applies to the aquaponics setup and maybe to beer brewing. If members are allowed to use your project, please tell us in your class how.
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Sounds great can you just be sure to document it in the wiki on your committee page
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I have faith that a class you teach will be fine.
Alsio I would attend a class on scientific computing.
I think you missed @Tron’s point. Many really don’t enjoy standing up in front of groups to speak or teach. If this becomes a requirement for the science area, some projects will self eliminate before starting.
Be careful of unintended consequences.
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I don’t know many people who like public speaking, but teaching is one of the makerspaces primary reasons to exist.
I have yet to see any member criticize another for their presentation skills. Also calling it a class is somewhat misleading. Nothing says it has to be all that different from sitting down with a few friends and talking with them about something you did.
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I understand that some people don’t like making presentations of any type. That’s why the class could be taught by any member of the group, not necessarily any one person. Don’t think of it as a class, if that helps; just think of it as a chat about what the purpose of the project is. You do that in our meetings, already; I’m just asking you to go into more detail.
As Walter (@wanderson) mentioned, education is one of the primary functions of DMS in general, and Science Committee in particular. Science Committee needs to demonstrate to the rest of the space that it is accomplishing something, via projects and classes. We have several stealth projects that maybe are gratifying to the people running them, but not even I know what they are doing, and this at a time when we not only need to justify every inch of space use, but our very existence as a group. I need a report on the projects, and it would be educational to the rest of the group to understand what the projects are doing and how they might benefit other people. Considering that one of the selling points of some of the projects is that other people could use those projects, we ought at least to learn how we could use those projects.
Again, this is just for projects that are going to be occupying floor space on a continuing basis. Yes, that includes Scientific Computing (I realized a day after my first post that I left it out).
Please, for the good of the Committee and the benefit of members and visitors, find it in yourself to talk about your project. We could have pizza, if you like.
Can I use Committee funds to pay for pizza at meetings?
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“If it’s a good idea, go ahead and do it. It is much easier to apologize than it is to get permission.”-- Rear Admiral Grace Hopper on asking for permission.
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You can purchase pizza with committee funds for meetings and classes.
Don’t go crazy with it please (this is more for passers-by who might think it is now open season on pizza). If I see more than once or twice a month overall pizza expenditures, I will consider reversing my decision.
Make it count.
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Apparently, I am chairman of a committee that does things that not even I know about. That’s disconcerting.
Membership dues provide members with a place to work on projects and provide short-term storage. They do not provide a permanent or private place for working on projects. If your project is classified, secret or proprietary, you should not be working on it at DMS, and that goes for all the other committee spaces, not just ours. Our security system is intended to keep children from cutting off their hands in a saw, not for keeping spies from watching what you are doing. At any time, your project could be observed, measured, photographed or video recorded, anywhere in the Space. For that matter, it could be thrown away by the Committee chairman.
We were promised that other members of the space could use the aquaponics setup. Exactly how is that supposed to work? What are some things that can be done with it? What compatible plants could we grow in it right now? What exactly is the Science Committee getting in return for allowing this project to occupy our space? Why should I keep it in our space? The same could be said for any of the other projects in the Science Committee area.
Projects that are set up and cleared away quickly aren’t my main concern right now. My main concern is that our space is full of stuff that nobody else can use. I want us to give as much opportunity to as many people as possible.
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So the aquaponics is open for anyone to use. I just ask they talk to me so I can manage the grow space and make sure there is enough room for everything. Now, I have some new lighting coming in that are much stronger. So half of the top and bottom beds will have enough light for fruiting plants and the other sides will be better for plants that grow in the shade. Along with that, I’ll be pulling out some of the old plants and most of the lettuce. It’s been harvested a few times and is ready to be retired.
As far as compatible plants or restrictions, I would prefer edible plants and they have to be legal to grow in Texas. The beds are only 6" deep so certain roots and tubers may not grow well, but you are welcome to try.
So just let me know if you want to plant something or multiple things and I will make space for them.
Also, because we are using the aquaponics as a testbed for automation technology, if you have a sensor you would like to test out in our system, feel free. Just make sure you keep any chemicals you use for cleaning or operating said sensor out of the water. I would rather not poison the fish.
Thanks for the information.
Would you mind meeting with a group of people to go over the control circuits you are using, the plants and fish you have stocked and the reasons you made those selections? It would be good if you also covered what changes you hope to make to it and any awards or recognition you have received for this project.
Let me see about setting up something in the near future. I’ll try to get it on the calendar in the next day or two.
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Nobody here is a Rear Admiral. Gaming the system is not cool.
Don’t get cheeky.
I think you’ll find her philosophy and comment had to do with innovating in computer science, motivating her students to break through the self-limiting barriers of preconceptions that saw her create the first compilers and move computers past simple calculation systems.
I’m pretty certain this context isn’t an appropriate use of the sentiment (and the quote I’ve always read is very different, in any case.)
I figured I’d be on the hook for the expense if I just jumped into it.
Oy. Tough crowd. Given my impression of her overarching philosophy, I found the attributed quote appropriate (if you think i got it wrong feel free to look it up) and could imagine she might as well, were she still with us and able to opine upon said situation. Also, it turns out it would have been fine, as per board member Groves’ post. And finally, as OP imagined so did I: be ready to fix the problem (reach into your own pocket) if needed in addition to the apology.
Hopefully Richard ( @opcode ) knew i meant it as a lighthearted endorsement and not a flat-out goad. Don’t reckon he’d take me up on the goad if it were. …
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I wasn’t quite ready to jump off that bridge that quickly… That’s why I posted my question in the first place.
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It’s a general reply to the general statement and not specifically targeted at @jast. Not about the Pizza per say, but something I felt needs to be said.
I am generally against the philosophy of that statement (seek forgiveness rather than permission). It implies go ahead and break the rules and shed crocodile tears for the person you infringed upon. It shows forethought of breaking rules and policies. Its a foundation for mistrust. Its not really being excellent to others.
In such situations, either the person is acting out or the rules are insufficient or wrong. One of those needs adjustment.
In the interest of building and maintaining a smoothly running system, I lean hard on play along and ask if something does not make sense. I acknowledge that it is not always easy in an environment as large and organic as ours (see RFID conversation); but I won’t give up on a structure that makes sense, is fair to all members, and protects us as a community.
Sorry to digress this conversation. I stop now.
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How would scientific computing take up any floor space?
The science committee was odd back in those days,