A NASA Exercise in Team Building NAFSA Region XII Conference

2012

Scenario

• You are a member of a space crew originally scheduled to rendezvous with a mother ship on the lighted surface of the moon. However, due to mechanical difficulties, your ship was forced to land at a spot some 200miles from the rendezvous point. During reentry and landing, much of the equipment aboard was damaged and, since survival depends on reaching the mother ship, the most critical items available must be chosen for the 200 mile trip. Listed are the 15 items left intact and undamaged after landing. Your task is to rank order them in terms of their importance for helping your crew to reach the rendezvous point. Place the number 1 by the most important item, through number 15 for the least important.

Survival Items

• Box of matches Food concentrate

• 50 feet of nylon rope Parachute Silk

• Portable Heating Unit Two .45 caliber pistols

• One case dehydrated milk Stellar map

• Two 100 lb. tanks of oxygen Self-inflating life raft

• Magnetic compass 5 gallons of water

• Signal flares

• First aid kit, including injection kit

• Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter

NASA’s Rank Order List for Survival

• Number 15

• Box of Matches – Virtually worthless – there’s no oxygen on the moon to sustain combustion

• Number 14

• Magnetic compass – The magnetic field on the moon is not polarized, so it’s worthless for navigation.

• Number 13

• Portable heating unit – Not needed unless on the dark side of the moon

• Number 12

• One case of dehydrated milk – Bulkier duplication of food concentrate.

• Number 11

• Two .45 caliber pistols – Possible means of self-propulsion.

• Number 10

• Signal flares – Use as distress signal when mother ship is sighted

• Number 9

• Self-inflating raft – CO2 bottle in military raft may be used for propulsion

• Number 8

• Parachute silk – Protection from the sun’s rays

• Number 7

• First aid kit, including injection needles – Needles connected to vials of vitamins, medicines, etc. will fit special aperture in Nasa space suit.

• Number 6

• 50 feet nylon rope – Useful in scaling cliffs and tying injured together.

• Number 5

• Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter – For communication with mother ship (but FM requires line-of-sight transmission and can only be used over short ranges)

• Number 4

• Food concentrate – Efficient means of supplying energy requirements

• Number 3

• Stellar map – Primary means of navigation – star patterns appear essentially identical on the moon as on earth.

• Number 2

• 5 gallons of water – Needed for replacement of tremendous liquid loss on the light side of the moon

• Number 1

• Two 100 lb. tanks of oxygen – Most pressing survival need (weight is not a factor since gravity is one-sixth of the Earth’s – each tank would weigh only about 17 lbs. on the moon)

Scoring

0-25 excellent

26-32 good

33-45 average

46-55 fair

56-70 poor – suggests use of Earth-bound logic

71 – 112 – Very poor – you’re one of the casualties of the space program

International Education Scenario

• Ms. Susan Park, a former international student and Business major at your university and now a highly successful business women in her home country, has donated $5,000,000.00 (five million dollars) to promote international education at your school. She has requested that the donation not be broken up into more than three categories (to avoid piece meal supplements). How would you use this donation for the purpose for which it was donated?

Team Building for Problem Solving, Planning, and Imagining

Team Building for Problem Solving, Planning, and

• Imagining

• Problem Solving:

A. Difficult cases & challenges faced by international students B. Maintain rapport within the office C. Reduced budgets/facilities/personnel D. Spatial arrangements E. USCIS regulations F. Efficiency and productivity G. Improving work environment H. Improving services I. Improving communication J. Recruitment/retention K. Prioritizing international education L. Other?

• Planning: • Allocation of funds • Professional Development • Making best use of personnel • Expanding/diminishing services • Outreach • Community service • Strategic plan • Connecting/coordinating with faculty at large • Educating faculty ( USCIS regulations, etc.) at large • Other?

• Imagining: • BHAG – “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” • International Education Programing • Celebrations/Festivals • Acknowledgements/awards • Public displays • Recruitment/retention • Increasing funds • Expanding/enhancing international education • Fun at work • Team building • Other? • Additional factors: • Student input/involvement • Indifferent/hostile faculty/administrators • Recognition/credit • Cross-cultural values & perspectives • Other? •