Forum Notes

November 12, 2008

Assign mentors (from any team) as a question person for new members
Evaluation that past wiki pages are actually read
Online wiki orientation tutorial with quizzes
Better documentation to aid future members
More basic introductory information (i.e. glossary)
Smaller training sessions for new members
Newcomer orientation w demo plant and slideshow of processes
Lateral knowledge transfer between teams
Team updates on any major breakthroughs at beginning of class
Monthly short (3-5 minute) update on projects to entire class
Weekly updates from half of teams, with each team going every other week
Class/speakers on Monday, half updates on Wednesdays (short class period)
Ensure an understanding of goals for team each semester
Open house for research tours at the beginning of the semester

1 credit technical writing course to add to CEE 2550 for technical writing option
Offer CEE4550 course as by permission of instructor with CEE 4540 or CEE 3310

AguaClara Forum

Meeting notes
How much should Cornell stay tied to AguaClara?
- How much control should we keep, how much power and freedom should go to partner institutions
- Could lose lab space and alumni connections
What other NGOs and groups should we pair with?
- Religious focus of CRS and other faith-funded charities is tricky
Expansion into Ethiopia?
- Cornell program there would provide good ground contacts
- Many sites there don't have adequate distribution systems in place
- Water chemistry differences would greatly strain our research program
- Replicate this lab in Ethiopian univeristy?
Concept paper on wiki to be edited by whole team
- concept paper
- 2 pages intro to what the project is about to give to donors or allies

May make Cornell more likely to fund academic (versus business and industry) interests
- Keeping it more research versus humanitarian?
- Legitimizes project from academic standpoint
- Gives a resource on the ground to do site visits, etc

We tend to make it sound like we have accomplished so much that there is nothing left to do
- Need to reinforce the research that still needs to be done

Thursday and Friday April 10 and 11
Number of meetings depends on agencies interested
Need 5-year plan and concept paper by then
- PLEASE EDIT/ADD TO THE WIKI-ED CONCEPT PAPER ASAP
Video of the demo plant?

$300,000 to bring 15,000 people clean drinking water
- Maybe present to groups as a per-plant cost
- Groups could donate 1 plant
- Use estimate of $20 per person
Covers standing costs of employees in Honduras
- Can handle 5 plants easily, maybe 10 even
About 4-6 plants, with specific community names

CU web design league has been contacted
Need a new front page for the wiki
- With photos, FAQs, fun stuff, and a link to our "current" front page

Please keep documenting your work!
Wiki-ing reports and work: all on one page with collapsible sections?
- See Monroe's process controller page on how to make it work.
How do we let people know when their pages have been commented?
- When you create a new page, select the envelope icon and you will receive updates on your page. That way if someone edits or comments "your" page, you receive an email notification and you can make adjustments.
Moving stuff from the old website onto the wiki
Team needs to make more contributions, Monroe is still dominating...

Make sure you always have a clear list of tasks to work on
- Meet with your sub-team leader if you need direction/tasks/help

Plate settler support system design system needed by end of week
- Collaborate with engineers in Honduras
Plate settlers have high cost, need a new construction design and a person to work on it

Everyone in team reads through design and then asks questions in open forum
"Lead reviewer" for AguaClara reads and signs off on the design
- Go Ian, go!
Massive final presentation of design first to whole team at end of semester, followed by a single reviewer