Guidelines

First and foremost, I want to welcome you to the ideaLab. Here we hope to inspire fellow students to learn and create freely and hope the space will be well utilized. In order to maintain an optimal experience for everyone involved, I would like to put out a few guidelines on how people use the ideaLab. I think that creativity works best when unbounded, so I will endeavor to remove as many boundaries as possible. However, we will need to respect each other and the lab. Other than that, I think these entirely voluntary guidelines can improve the quality of the lab.

I'd like to hear what everyone thinks about these new guidelines.

• Metric System instead of SAE

In the best interest of standardization, we should use the metric system. Both the scientific and global communities exclusively use metric and I think we should join them. I'd like one of the things that the ideaLab succeed at is getting students to work hands on with metric measurements so the amounts become intuitive.

• Google accounts for everyone

I will freely admit to being a Google fanatic. Their free and integrated cloud services are amazing for students. I also like their approach to Open Source products. If all members of this ideaLab use their services, it will assist a great deal in standardizing how we document and share our discoveries (if we want to share).

• Instructables style documentation (helpful for contests)

Documentation will help show that the ideaLab is helping students and bring the lab much needed recognition. Another reason to use Instructables' template is that I would like students to submit projects towards the numerous free contests offered through Instructables.

• Instructables Winnings

As ideaLab resources are used to develop for Instrucatable Contests, what portion of the winnings should be gifted to the ideaLab (and written off as donations if possible)? I am personally fine with any amount from 0 to 100%. I think this amount should only be stipulated in the group agreements (elaborated later on), if ever stipulated.

• Agreements for group research/projects.

If all things go as planned, we should be inventing new products and services. However, copyright and ownership can easily ruin the best of groups unless they fill out a form detailing what each member is adding into a project and getting out of a project (whether it be time, money, resources, etc). To prevent problems, I suggest that a series of Partnership Forms be created and linked to on this blog to prevent as many problems with groups as possible.

•  Creation of new equipment

With access to the CNC equipment in this lab, it is incredibly easy to produce new pieces of equipment (especially 3D printers). I think that the best solution to this is that the students produce a second piece of equipment with parts paid for by the ideaLab if requested to do so. This also implies access to any needed software and calibration.

An example is the fact that I plan to create a vacuum former once the lab equipment is set up, and will gladly produce one for the use of the lab. 

EDIT: Corrected proper branding on ideaLab.