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--- growingstems:handbook:hiveinfo [2026/06/26 14:58] – ankoch
+++ growingstems:handbook:hiveinfo [2026/08/24 00:18] (current) – ankoch
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+<WRAP classificationbanner unclassified> PUBLIC RELEASE </WRAP>
 ====== General Information for The Hive ======
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 ===== Facility Code of Conduct =====
-All members will be respectful and exhibit age-appropriate behavior at all times.
+All members will be respectful and exhibit age-appropriate behavior at all times. Horseplay can be dangerous around power tools and equipment and is not acceptable. Disrespecting teammates is contrary to the core values of the programs in which we participate. Discrimination for any reason will not be tolerated.
-Horseplay can be dangerous around power tools and equipment and is not acceptable.
-Disrespecting teammates is contrary to the core values of the programs in which we
-participate. Discrimination for any reason will not be tolerated.
-All members will respect and take care of the facility and any tools they use. Resources
+All members will respect and take care of the facility and any tools they use. Resources should not be wasted purposefully and reusable kits should be returned in the form in which they were found. Members who intentionally damage or destroy growingSTEMS property will be required to replace the item.
-should not be wasted purposefully and reusable kits should be returned in the form in
-which they were found. Members who intentionally damage or destroy growingSTEMS
-property will be required to replace the item.
-None of us know everything and none of us think we know everything. However, we are
+None of us know everything and none of us think we know everything. However, we are willing to listen and learn and we expect the same from you. Sometimes we will walk you through things and other times we will pose open-ended questions that point you in the correct direction to find your answer. We simply ask for an open mind and some effort on your part to learn something new. At the end of the day, you will likely teach us something new as well.
-willing to listen and learn and we expect the same from you. Sometimes we will walk
-you through things and other times we will pose open-ended questions that point you
-in the correct direction to find your answer. We simply ask for an open mind and some
-effort on your part to learn something new. At the end of the day, you will likely teach us
-something new as well.
 ===== Restricted or Prohibited Items =====
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 Additional growingSTEM programs may have different avenues for discipline in addition to those handled at the growingSTEMS level.
+===== Branding and Reputation =====
+growingSTEMS is a widely recognized program with an excellent reputation. We expect all of our members to recognize this fact and to proudly represent growingSTEMS at all times. Whether you believe anyone is watching or not, realize that you are always a representative of this program in all activities. Be proud, but not boastful; be helpful, but never condescending. growingSTEMS members do not curse, do not taunt, and never walk away from those in need of assistance. growingSTEMS is more than just a collection of teams, we are a family. We watch out for each other, we help each other and we respect each other. We carry ourselves professionally at all times; to judges, other teams, toward our mentors, sponsors, and parents, and always toward our teammates.
+Any member choosing to participate in any activity that would reflect poorly on the organization will not wear or display anything identifying growingSTEMS (or any teams associated with the organization) on their person or vehicle. All members displaying identifying clothing/equipment will comply with the organization’s expectations of appropriate behavior.
+==== Social Media ====
+All program participants should keep in mind that when they publicly associate themselves with growingSTEMS, they are representing the department. All social media posting, especially when directly associated with growingSTEMS, should reflect positively on the organization.
+It is a breach of growingSTEMS member conduct to post on any public or private website or other forum, including but not limited to, information sharing sites, social media sites, social or business networking sites, or any other electronic or print communication format, any of the following:
+  * Any information that may harm the reputation of growingSTEMS or any of the associated programs/teams.
+  * Any disparaging, discriminatory, or harassing information concerning any member or other person associated with growingSTEMS.
+  * Any private, privileged, confidential, or proprietary information related to growingSTEMS, its programs/teams, or its participants. This includes, but is not limited to, personal information about program participants.
+===== Facility Access =====
+==== Opening/Closing ====
+Certain volunteers have been provided the ability to open and close The Hive.
+If you believe that you need the ability to open/close The Hive, please contact Zach Stachelczyk.
+==== Visitors ====
+Often, students and mentors will actively seek out people to talk about robotics. Ideally, that will interest people and prompt a visit to The Hive. We love showing off The Hive and what we are working on to anyone who is willing. However, we like to have some notice before they show up. If you want to bring someone by The Hive, let one of the mentors know about it first. Letting the mentors know first enables the team to act as gracious hosts for any visitors. It also ensures that the appropriate people are present and able to provide support to the visitors.
+==== Inclement Weather Policy ====
+Our build season coincides with the winter weather season so on occasion we must close The Hive because of adverse weather conditions. As a rule, The Hive will only close for cases of extreme weather (rain, sleet, snow, etc). In general, we will not cancel meetings or close the shop for cold temperatures or rain alone. Closure will only occur if weather and road conditions prevent travel to The Hive.
+If meetings are cancelled / postponed, an official announcement will be made via Slack and our email groups. If no such announcement has been made it means that activities at The Hive will operate as planned.
+All team members should use good judgement when traveling to or from The Hive in these conditions. Parents should also use good judgement in deciding if a student should travel to The Hive, either with them or on their own. This answer may be different for everyone based on their location.
+Team members should remember that no robot development is so important that it has to get done in an unsafe or unhealthful way. Only drive if you are an experienced driver in icy, messy road conditions, and stay home if you have any doubt about your ability to travel safely.
+If any of you or your parents do not feel safe travelling due the weather conditions, that is perfectly fine. We only ask that you please let the rest of the team know that they should not expect you.
+==== Entry System and Attendance Tracking ====
+The time we spent at the shop is not the only metric by which contributions to the team are assessed. In many ways, it is not even a particularly important one. It is, however, easily quantifiable and fun to track.
+All students and mentors are asked to create a unique number code that allows them to check in and out of the facility. Each door to the shop has a keypad next to it to enter the appropriate code.
+For the front door, this logging system also serves as an access control system. Entering the code will unlock the door for a brief period of time. All members will check in upon arrival and check out when leaving via this electronic attendance system.
+Members can also use their [[idcards|growingSTEMS ID card]] to check in and out of the system.
+Our attendance tracking system can be accessed at growingstems.org/entry. This webpage is password protected when accessed outside of the growingSTEMS network. However, it is freely accessible to any device connected to the network.
+Information collected by this system is regularly provided to sponsors. If you require access to the hours spent at the shop, we are happy to pull that information for you. Just reach out to Andrew Koch, Dan Logan, or Zach Stachelczyk.
+===== College and Career Mentoring =====
+Dean Kamen, one of the founders of the FIRST Robotics Competition, explained his philosophy on mentoring during the 1998 FIRST Competition Kickoff Workshop on January 10, 1998.
+Again, the point of FIRST is to create, and do, for intellectual and technical things, what the Shaquille O’Neals and Michael Jordans do for unimportant things. And it gives kids an opportunity to see real role models, real heroes, not celebrities, but real heroes. So they can finish up the six weeks and say “I can do that. I want to learn these things. I’ll put effort into that. I want to be like . . . you people.”
+The goal of FIRST programs are to show that STEM career fields are achievable for all. Participation in FRC is an excellent way to explore a career in STEM. Throughout their time on the team, students will be exposed to many principles of STEM principles, ranging from mechanical engineering to programming to data science (and much more). While not all students will pursue a career in STEM, all team members will benefit from discovering the many careers in and associated with the STEM fields.
+For this purpose, the connections between mentors, team members, and local government, industry, and academia are invaluable. We have found that our partnerships and relationships are the key to long-term success, both at the individual and organizational level.
+growingSTEMS and The RoboBees prides itself on our success in ensuring that our students have strong hands-on education in relevant career fields. Our partnership with Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) provides us with valuable opportunities for our students. Approximately 25% of our graduates have gone on to support our local naval aviation community in some way, either as active duty, civil service employees, or contractors.
+Regardless of your intended career path, our job is to do our very best to support you and give you the tools you need to succeed.
+==== Internships, Apprenticeships, and Scholarships ====
+The [[https://www.navalsteminterns.us/seap/ | Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)]] places high school students in Department of Navy (DoN) laboratories where they take part in real Naval research for eight weeks during the summer.
+SEAP gives academically talented sophomores, juniors, and seniors interested in STEM the opportunity to learn about Naval research and technology while receiving first-class mentoring by top scientists and engineers.
+The [[https://www.navalsteminterns.us/nreip/ | Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP)]] places college and university students in Department of Navy (DoN) laboratories where they take part in real Naval research for ten weeks during the summer.
+NREIP gives academically talented college students, graduating seniors, and graduate students pursuing STEM careers the opportunity to learn about Naval research and technology while receiving first-class mentoring by top scientists and engineers.
+The [[https://www.smartscholarship.org/smart/en | Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART)]] Scholarship-for-Service Program is a unique opportunity for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students to advance their education and jumpstart their careers.
+SMART provides merit-based scholarships to bachelor's, master's, and doctoral students pursuing STEM degrees. SMART scholarship recipients receive full tuition, annual stipends, summer internships, and after graduation, civilian employment with the Department of Defense/War.
+Applications are open annually from August 1 to the first Friday in December. growingSTEMS has had three successful SMART Scholars. If you need any help with these applications, feel free to reach out to David Allocca Jr., Liam King, and/or Daniel Aaron.
+The Next-Generation NAWCAD Workforce (N2W) is an unpaid summer internship at NAS Patuxent River for rising high school seniors.
+There are many scholarship opportunities associated with the FIRST program. The mentors will be providing information regarding scholarships as soon as they are made available. There is also information listed on the FIRST website.
+==== References for College and Job Applications ====
+Team members may want to enhance their college or job application by describing the skills they have gained and the contributions they have made to The RoboBees. We highly encourage this, as participation in FRC is an excellent way to show off your technical and leadership skills.
+It is advisable that team members seek the help of a mentor before completing application forms, especially if they are uncertain how to describe their involvement most effectively with the team. Letters of recommendation are strongest when they are written with a specific student in question. Generic letters of recommendation are not particularly valuable. Mentors and volunteers need time to draft strong letters. Please be sure to notify those people who you would like a recommendation from as soon as feasible.
+It is important to note that merely being a member of the team is not sufficient to gain the endorsement of the team or a specific mentor for applications. To gain the team’s endorsement for college or university applications, team members need to demonstrate a reasonable level of participation with the team. This is shown by a good attendance record, actively working on one or more of the sub-teams and helping less experienced team members, assisting with outreach projects, and attending and participating in at least one competition.
+Team members who only attend meetings sporadically, and/or make no effort to participate in the team projects or assist with our outreach activities, will likely not receive a strong letter of recommendation or a letter at all.
+===== Information Technology =====
+Computers are ubiquitous in the modern era. The world of FRC is no different. We use them for a lot of different applications that include but are not limited to an assortment of CAD and simulation software, programming environments, video and photo editing software, and project management software, just to name a few.
+==== Team Computer Usage ====
+The team has a supply of laptops which students use for various pieces of work. We expect you to treat these as your own. Keep them charged, do not drop or otherwise physically abuse them.
+==== Personally Owned Computers ====
+It is important to note that a personally owned laptop is not required to be on the team. That being said, it is incredibly convenient and helpful to have a computer that is set up and customized for your specific workflow and needs. If this is something that you can easily acquire, we encourage you to do so.
+For those who are not well versed on computer hardware, we recommend the following specifications for a laptop for a student on the FRC team. These are not requirements, but rather recommendations.
+  * Unordered List ItemCPU: Quad Core or greater CPU, latest generation preferred
+  * RAM: 8GB minimum but 16GB or more is a good idea
+  * 15” or Larger screen with 1080p or higher resolution
+  * 256GB Solid State Drive (or larger)
+  * Dedicated graphics card
+==== Google Account ====
+We are very fortunate that Google offers a Google Workspace for Nonprofits plan at no cost to the organization. This provides us with our main collaborative apps/tools, cloud based shared drives, and email addresses. The account supports up to 2,000 users, so we do not anticipate any scaling issues in the near future.
+All FRC mentors and students are expected to have an active email address and to check for team communication on a regular basis. Members should check email at least once a day during the offseason and multiple times a day during the offseason. Responding to messages and communicating plans and ideas is not only productive but respectful.
+All individuals associated with the organization are issued a growingSTEMS email address. For adult volunteers and mentors, this takes the format of <firstinitial><lastname>@growingstems.org. For students, this email address is formatted as <firstinitial><lastname>.student@growingstems.org.
+If you have any issues with accessing your Google Workspace, please contact one of the Workspace admins, Zach Stachelczyk and Dan Logan.
+==== Slack =====
+Email is used for external communications, formal internal communications, and for disseminating information that needs to be retained and accessible in the long-term. All other communication takes place on the organization’s internal Slack workspace. This workspace is located at growingstems.slack.com and can be accessed through a web browser, through a desktop program, or through a mobile app.
+All FRC and combat mentors and students are expected to join the organization’s Slack workspace. Team announcements, group chats, and private messaging all flow through Slack, so it’s a vital tool for team communication. A list of Slack channels can be found [[slackchannels|here]].
+Parents are invited to join Slack but are not required to do so. Accounts are created for each student as soon as they join the team. Parent accounts are created upon request.
+Mentors and students are expected to check Slack at least daily. During the build and competition season, mentors and students are expected to check Slack multiple times a day. Failure to check Slack is not an excuse to miss required activities or deadlines.
+If you have any issues with accessing Slack, please contact one of the Slack admins, Zach Stachelczyk, Dan Logan, Andrew Koch (ankoch@growingstems.org), Zoe Lambert, and Cody Graham.
+==== GitLab ====
+The organization’s source code repositories are centralized on GitLab at [[https://gitlab.com/growingstems | [gitlab.com/growingstems]]. GitLab is primarily used for programming, so if you are involved in writing code you will likely need an account.
+When you create your GitLab account, please choose an appropriate username that we can easily identify as you and set your profile name and profile picture accordingly as it just makes everything a lot easier when configuring our systems for you to use. You may end up using this GitLab account well beyond your time on the team, so make sure you keep it professional.
+==== CiviCRM ====
+In the summer of 2025, the team expended a large amount of effort to bring online a Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) database with [[https://civicrm.org/ | CiviCRM]]. This allowed us to centralize many of our tracking spreadsheets into a single database solution. This information holds participant/alumni information, program registration info, sponsor contributions, internship data, and event sign-ups. This better allows us to develop analytical reports that can help bring in more support from the community.
+This database can be accessed at [[https://drupal.growingstems.org/civicrm | drupal.growingstems.org/civicrm]]. If you need access, please contact Andrew Koch (ankoch@growingstems.org). We welcome anyone who is willing to help maintain this information. This is important to the long-term success of the team and organization. Luckily, this is something that volunteers and parents can help with at home.
+==== LimeSurvey ====
+Since 2023, the FRC team has run a large annual survey to gauge student, parent, and mentor perceptions on the success of the season. The results of this anonymous survey are published to the team and are used to inform changes to the team and the organization as a whole. In addition to the large end of year survey, this LimeSurvey software is utilized to gauge team perceptions on other issues, everything from the robot name to training topics.
+Requests for survey participation will likely come from survey@growingstems.org, but active surveys can also be found at [[https://limesurvey.growingstems.org | limesurvey.growingstems.org]]. If you would like to run a survey, or if you need access for any other reason, please contact Andrew Koch (ankoch@growingstems.org).
+==== File Storage and Retention ====
+In order to ensure team knowledge is passed down effectively and to maintain integrity of team resources, we ask that team members understand that all documentation created for team activities and shared with any team members is considered part of the team’s knowledge base. The team tends to retain as much information as possible, as you never know when documents related to robot design and construction will be needed.
+All artifacts created during a team’s season, including design, build, controls, programming, awards, photos, videos, and so forth must be archived. It is very easy to create a file that can disappear into the abyss, never to be found again.
+For documents that are of importance to growingSTEMS as a whole, the Board of Directors has an established policy for file and document retention.
+We use Google Drive for access and storage of most of the team documents. You’ll need to work with a mentor to gain access to the appropriate shared drives. GitLab, discussed in depth elsewhere, is used for retention and version control of source code.
+For very large files, or files that need to be accessed quickly when on the local network, the growingSTEMS file server can be utilized. This is primarily used by the FRC media students and those individuals transferring files to the CNC machines. However, if the need arises, different workflows can be developed.
+==== Intellectual Property ====
+When any robotics information is shared through Slack, Google Drive, GitLab, SmugMug, email, or any other sharing service, it becomes part of the team knowledge base and will be considered team intellectual property (IP).
+To be clear, this applies to team efforts shared as part of being on the team. If you develop a neat mechanism that ends up going on the robot, it’s something that the team created. This does not apply to personal projects that are shared as part of the team. We aren’t going to steal your science fair project just because you asked for some help on Slack or used your growingSTEMS Google Drive account to share information.
+Careful consideration should be made before sharing team documents to those outside the team. If the confidentiality policy described later in this document does not cover a question you have about sharing documents, ask a leadership team member. In addition, materials protected under this Intellectual Property Policy should never be removed from team access.
+==== Network Access ====
+We are very fortunate to have talented engineers who have brought their skills to the team to create a robust network to facilitate our many programs.
+The Gonk server, currently located onsite at The Hive, hosts our GitLab runners, our CiviCRM server, our LimeSurvey server, and other assorted services.
+Access to the network is primarily through the ethernet drops located in multiple rooms in the facility and through the facility’s wireless access points. Please talk to your program coordinator for assistance in accessing the network.
+For any issues related to the growingSTEMS network, please contact our Systems Administrator Dan Logan.
+==== Security Cameras ====
+growingSTEMS operates several security cameras throughout The Hive. While these occasionally capture funny antics or interesting team moments, they are primarily in place for the security of the building and the people within it. These cameras are located in the lobby, the conference room, the office, the VEX IQ room, the combat room, the machine shop, and the fieldhouse.
+If you require access to any video footage, please contact either Andrew Koch (ankoch@growingstems.org), Zach Stachelczyk, or Dan Logan.
+===== Outreach Events =====
+Recent Outreach Events
+  * 2025 Open House - June 14, 2025
+  * 2025 Combat Camp - July 19, 2025
+  * 2025 Antweight summer program
+  * 2025 Hive Hysteria - July 26, 2025
+  * 2025 Antweight Tournament - August 9, 2025
+  * 2025 Combat Camp - August 16, 2025
+  * 2025 SMCM Volunteer Expo - September 5, 2025
+  * 2025 St. Mary’s County Fair - September 19 and 20, 2025
+  * 2025 Blessing of the Fleet - October 4, 2025
+  * 2025 Water’s Edge Destruction - October 11, 2025
+  * 2026 FLL Explore Festival - March 6, 2026
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