I, a WOULD-BE of FLL “mentor-on-the-run” offer the NVA local teams a “home-service-call”: a free 2 hour FLL robot design / programming clinic at your place between Friday, 10/16 to Sundays 11/01 (only evenings at the weekends).

The “NVA local teams” is defined as

1 - Any teams based at home within 20-mile radius to zip-codes 20151 (my work place in Chantilly) or 22003 (my home in Annandale)

2 - Any teams based at school within 35-mile radius to the same zip-codes indicated above.

Of cause, As always I do this on totally volunteer-basis. Actually I am quite busy at work to bring up an information database system to comply a DOD security standard / requirement. Therefore, any personal time-off should be planned ahead.

If your team wants me to come at weekday daytime, you have to let me know ASAP.

What I will offer to you at the clinic –

Simply put, if currently your team expects to score 150 to 200 points at the robot game, you may gain 50 to 100 more points if you implement the robot design / programming tips that I will go through at the clinic. And the teams will enjoy a lot more in this Challenge because they will feel that THEY KNOW HOW TO MAKE THE ROBOT TO PLAY THE GAME!

Certainly the meeting will be interactive - I strongly encourage and welcome your questions at the clinic.

I prefer to work with team’s builders and programmers only (plus coaches / mentors) so the meeting can be more effective.

I’ll have some 2009 game mission execution demos used for explain the tips. The original NXT mission script is from Liam Bishop and his teammates of FLL 2009 Team 8404. The robot that I’ll use for the demo is from award-winning FLL 2007 Team 945, built by Jason Ye and his teammates.

I cannot reveal the awesome secret of Team 8404’s robot. But I can’t help to tell you the robot carries a “missile”.

If you are interested in the offer, please reply back to me only (not to the list). The deadline is Saturday, 10/17. If the number of teams that asked me is more than that I can service during the period, I’ll give priority to the school teams first, and then the teams with the majority of the kids who never did the FLL challengers before, and so on.

Jin Ye