# Student Robotics Chat Agenda

## People Attending
<!--example: - David King (Trustee) -->
- Andy Barrett-Sprot (SourceBots/Student Robotics/University of Southampton)
- Kajetan Champlewski (SourceBots/University of Southampton)
- Tyler Ward (SourceBots/University of Southampton)
- Germaine (Daughter of Diane)
- Diane Dowling (Student Robotics Trustee)
- Alistair Lynn (SourceBots)
- Jake Howard (SourceBots/Student robotics)
- Peter Law (SourceBots/Student Robotics)
- Andy Busse (SourceBots/Student Robotics?)
- Henry Oliver-Edwards (SourceBots/University of Southampton)
- Anton Nikitin (SourceBots/Student Robotics/University of Southampton)
- Charlie Turvey (SourceBots/University of Southampton)

## Discussion Points

### Since the 2017 Competition
- SourceBots ran a competition with 10 teams (8 attended)
- Hill's Road ran a competition with 15 teams (8 attended)
- New Trustees assigned

### New Structure

#### Minutes:

- Diane was appointed by the application for trustees
- Rich intends to leave but is sticking around for hand holding
- Trustee Meetings are over hangouts
- Rich, Jimmy, Diane and David Massey (Hills Road teacher)
- Rob doesn't attend meetings
- Progress has been slow

- There's a mission and values document
- https://i.imgur.com/ArKAmjr.jpg
- Values:
- Accessible
- (see document)
- Autonomous
- (see document)
- Open by Default
- (see document)
- All documents are public

- Andy: It's important that we have a mission as that was missing in the previous Student Robotics
- The tree of documentation is messy in many places
- Rich is moving them to a one big place

- Aim to try and get the organision in a suitable shape for a competition to be ran next year

- Roles:
- Trustees aim for everything that is done to achieve a charitable objective
- Trustees don't run the competition itself.
- Looking for a core team to deliver the competition
- Core Team:
- Delivers the competition
- Discussion on how that works, are they just given money to run it, or is it a bit more hands on?
- Current trustees believe it should be very hands-off
- It's up to the core team to find out what the core team decides
- GDPR
- Check you can use everyone's email addresses,
- Decision was made it was acceptable

- Who has been contacted
- Team leaders and volunteers contacted by email
- Most volunteers said they're still interested
- Asking for 'Core team' members

- Core team decides a lot of things

- Kajetan: Previous volunteers have been contacted, what if you haven't volunteered before? What's the process?
- It's down to the core team

- Peter: Relationship between core team and charity?
- Diane: It's not quite worked out really
- need to decide how much communication there is between the groups

- Peter: What about official Members of the charity?
- Diane: There has been no discussion about members yet
- Andy B-S: Members actually have the power to vote in and out trustees
- Kajetan: It's good to show that there is some trust by having that power

- It's important for the competition to be more national
- It's understood that it might not be possible short term, but it should be a *long term goal*
- There are a few others who are beyond people in Southampton.
- This falls under the 'Accessability' value.

- Alistair: Mentoring is an important issue, this becomes exponentially harder if we're spread out across the country.

- There may be an issue trying to seed a core team and asking them to sort their own members
- Andy B: Good idea to appoint a leader in the core team?
- Diane: Wouldn't want to do that, it should be decided in a big meeting with a core team.
- There has been a document circled to try to get a meeting with people

- Peter: Size of core team?
- Diane: We don't really want to dictate that, it can be decided in the meeting of the core team?

- Having a hierarchy is problematic
- Alistair: Structures exist that don't enforce reporting to aboves.

- Tyler: 'Core Team' needs clarification in the email, was under the wrong impression
- Andy Busse: Good idea to send another email clarifying this.
- It implied that it may be a massive workload

- Peter: Do we have contact with those in bristol?
- Diane: Not sure as unaware of people's names
- it seems unlikely

- Tyler: Concerned about time, we are usually well into organising the competition.
- Alistair: We could jump into organising it as a loose group of people
- Diane: We probably won't directly appoint a core team

- We have ~100 people on the original mailing list (
- This is the mailchimp mailing list
- There is the google group which is
- *Action point* Did we post on the google group about the core team signup?

- Budget
- Diane will take over treasurer role.
- Previous treasury format was strange, it's undecided what format it is
- Peter: It's important that the budget is open and free

- Sponsorships
- Motorola gave money last year for the competition which didn't run
- There hasn't been an application for the next year.
- They're happy for the money to roll over.
- Volunteer fundraiser
- Diane will put something on http://do-it.org/

- Kit in Southampton
- We have kit in Southampton, can we throw it away?
- Would Need to check, but can't see why not

- Health and safety Legislation
- Previously there have been some non-compliance issues
- Need to be aware for child protection legislation too.

- Advisory Board
- Having a board of engineering experts who can provide tips on engineering and maximising student experience

- Rebranding
- We've changed logo?
- Yes.

## Questions:
> What are the plans for volunteer expansion? Either expand through universities, or through individual volunteers, or both?
- Diane: Up to the core team

> How will Student Robotics prevent the *bus factor*?
- Diane: Just try to reach out wider
- **Aside:** Possibly having more regional mini-competitions in the future
- Some teams don't like the idea of splitting the competition
- Venue issues:
- we aren't large enough for big venues
- This is not an issue, as with >52 teams we are just about big enough for the smallest of big venues
-
- Currently Rich and Rob know everything, possible issues transitioning.
- Rich is moving the docs to a single bitbucket
- The previous docs were tight and overprescribed, this needs to be fixed

### Communication

- Some people have been removed from the facebook, curious why?
- There have been a lot of platforms used for various bits and pieces, we're just tyding it up
- Kajetan: We may be brushing away people by doing this tidying

### Tech

- Plans for Next years' kit, (and the following)?
- Down to the core team
- We have the kits in container in Newbury
- Can we have all the kit (including those in rob's flat?)
- Yes we'll look into it
- Tyler: Inventory can be used to chase up people, assuming it's up to date

- Teams possibly keeping the kits, speaking as a team leader Diane wants to keep them.

- Diane (as a team leader): Important to have more of a dialogue with the team leaders

- SourceBots uses the kits for summer schools, there was an issue of kit contention before, will that happen in the future?
- As long as it fits with the mission statement, kits would definitely be given

- Relationship with the University of Southampton Electronics and Computer Science department (ECS)
- The bridge has not been burned, but is slghtly smoldering.
- ECS gets students in return for funding
- ECS also gets experience for its students.

- Diane: Expanding through universities is a good idea
- We've had a bristol branch before.
- Kajetan: It's hard to get a branch started, we need to make it as easy as possible

- Andy B-S: Universities tend to run in a cycle, we need to avoid getting trapped in the cycle
- Andy B: We can expand through many ways including STEM AMbassadors

- Likely have enough teams for a 50 team competition
- Do we have the capabilities to run 50?

- There's a 20% churn for the competition, why is this?
- Teachers find it hard to find the time to do extra-curricular stuff.
- Example: If Diane left, collyers might not be able to do it.
- Diane started by a student finding a Student Robotics poster in the university. (outreach is apparently an important advertiser)

- Andy B: We tend to attract more private independent schools
- Might need to look into it.

### How do we get this done?

- Is there an aim to run the same competition again?
- Probably not a good idea to change much.

- Student Robotics could possibly fund an internship?
- With the budget we have we could fund an internship to sort out kits?

- How do we get a working kit this year?
- As far as we know, kits are not tested/processed
- LiPos are handled separately
- **ACTION POINT** We should sort out a working party to sort out the kit in the short future.
- SourceBots is sponsored by Farnell.

- Copyright issues
- Some software has strange licenses
- Peter: Most software was created for Student Robotics, it should be reasonable to continue as it was made for student robotics and it is being used for student robotics.
- **Action Point** Diane to investigate legally if it's okay to do this.

- Sponsorship:
- Could be sponsored by RS to get kits.

--------------------------------
# Agenda:

- Is there a clear structure for the organisation and what are the roles for everyone involved?
- What do the new trustees want to do, and what do they want other volunteers and us (Southampton) to do?
- What roles within the organisation will the Trustees take?
- Will roles below the Trustees be democratically elected?
- How will democracy be upheld?
- What are the plans for volunteer expansion? Either expand through universities, or through individual volunteers, or both?
- How many committed volunteers does new Student Robotics have?
- How will Student Robotics prevent the *bus factor*?

- What issues were there with the old (steering committee) structure.
- What issues are there with the current structure?
- How does this structure aim to fix the issues above?

### Communication
- How will the reformation of Student Robotics communicate to volunteers and ensure that they feel engaged in the organisation?
- will there be an open conversation which who are interested in can join in on? Ideally everything should be open and accessible in some way.
- If the members of SourceBots decide to merge with Student Robotics, how would this happen? What would the roles of the volunteers be in the new organisation?

### Tech
- Plans for Next years' kit, (and the following)?
- Mention the redesigned kits made for SourceBots and Hill's Roads'
- Can we merge the two?
- Have they been in contact with teams?
- Number of teams?
- Please could Student Robotics clarify what happened with the redesign of SR (the new logo, etc.)?

## Misc

- Kit in Southampton

- Health and safety Legislation

- Advisory Board (see Tyler)

- Rebranding

- Copyright issues

## How do we get this done?