Become a Networking Natural This Holiday Season

Become a Networking Natural This Holiday SeasonBecome a Networking Natural This Holiday SeasonWith holiday cheer in the air, Ive been thinking a lot about generosity. We spend time with our families, exchange gifts and revel in the warmth of giving. It is the season of kindness, generosity and benevolence. The holiday spirit naturally invokes a sense of positivity, joy and kindness.Lately Ive begun to realize that networking has parallels to the generous cheer of the holidays. Networking too is about generosity, a willingness to offer help without expecting something in return. Developing a deep and meaningful network occurs when you genuinely want to help other people and approach with the attitude that everyone in the room (including you) is of equal value. Its about generosity, a willingness to offer help without expecting something in return. People will notice and genuinely like you, making your network stronger and your connections far more reliable.In the spirit of holiday che er and giving, here are some tips on becoming a networking natural.1. Network full timeNetworking doesnt begin and end with an event, its a full time job. Strengthening connections occurs anytime you go out of your way to help someone without expecting to gain from it. Take a moment out of your day to be a listening ear for your friend, refer a qualified relative to a relevant job posting, or send a coworker an interesting article.2. Soul searchDo a little soul-searching. Understand what your value is. Think about your strengths, talents and connections. Even as a novice, early-career networker, you have confidence, ambition and generosity to offer. People will take note and will want to stay in touch with such a person.3. Ditch the agendaYou might be tempted to talk to people who can help you get a job or otherwise have some personal value to you. Suppress this urge and forget the schmoozing. People will be wary of what you want from them. Generosity is key. Make it your goal to be open, friendly and generous. Dont worry about being a little awkward. It makes the situation a little less stiff. Integrity and generosity are attractive qualities, and people will remember you.4. ListenIn the course of talking to people, really listen to what they tell you. Dont dismiss anyone as irrelevant. Though an individual may not have a flashy job, he or she could have valuable knowledge or connections. They may also have interests that align with someone else you know. If that is the case, dont hesitate to connect the two people. The best way to network is to find a way to be helpful. Connecting people who might benefit from each other (even if you just met them) is a great way to act on this rule.5. Talk about what you can doConsider preparing a few talking points prior to any networking opportunity. Try two to three sentences describing your strengths and talents or even your thoughts on an interesting (but relevant) article or report. Be mindful of how often and when yo u bring these snippets up. Keep the focus on what you can do rather than what you have done in the past. You dont want to sound boastful or conceited you want to come off as forward-thinking and energetic.6. Offer helpWhile you may be the one networking to find a job opportunity, always approach new contacts with the attitude of being ready to help. Feel free to explicitly ask what you can do for your contact. Your contact will both appreciate and remember it.7. Follow upAlways follow up after meeting new people or engaging with existing contacts. Connect with the contact on LinkedIn, send them an email or even follow them on Twitter. Let them know you enjoyed chatting and that you wish to stay in contact. Reference your conversation and offer something they would be interested in (perhaps some information -an article, report, etc.). Demonstrate how you can and want to help, even after your conversation.There you have it. Networking holiday-style. Remember to be kind, friendly and g enerous. Then shake off the jitters and enjoy yourself. Happy Holidays and happy networking

3D Printing Habitats on Mars

3D Printing Habitats on Mars 3D Printing Habitats on Mars In The Martian, when astronauts blast off from the Red Planet, they leave behind botanist, engineer Mark Watney (Matt Damon), presumed dead after an intense dust storm. With only limited supplies, Watney must somehow sustain on the hostile planet, until a rescue mission tries to reach him two years later. Now if only Watney had access to the designs submitted for the 3D Printed Habitat Challenge Competition, the task could have been less daunting.The competition, launched in May 2015 by NASA and America Makes National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, fosters the development of new technologies to additively manufacture a habitat using local indigenous materials in space and on Earth. The design competition welches the first phase that challenged participants to imagine what habitats on Mars might look like using 3D printing and in-situ resources.It was a big enough goal to make people stretch their minds to think about the constraints of Mars and how additive could be used to their advantage, says John Wilczynski, deputy director of technology development at America Makes.From an elementary school to professional design firms, participants from across the world submitted their innovative concepts and designs to build habitats on Mars for astronauts. More than 160 submissions were received and the 30 highest-scoring entries were judged at the New York Maker Faire, held on September 27. Teams were judged on many factors, including the design approach, habitability, functionality, and 3D print constructability, says Wilczynski.The winning design of the ICE HOUSE. Image Team ICE HOUSENASA awarded a total of $50,000 to the winners. The first-place award of $25,000 went to Team Space Exploration Architecture and Clouds Architecture Office. Team Gamma bagged the second place award and $15,000. Team LavaHive walked away with the third prize of $10,000. Besides the three winners, there were a few hon orary mentions and awards for Best in Class categories as well.A House of IceCreated by a team of eight designers with consultation by space-related experts comprising scientists, astrophysicists, geologists, and 3D printing engineers, the winning design of the ICE HOUSE extends NASAs follow the water approach to construction. Given the predicted abundance of water in certain areas on Mars, their approach takes full advantage of waters properties as an indigenous material and persistently low temperatures in Mars northern latitudes to create a multi-layered pressurized radiation shell of ice that encloses a lander habitat and gardens within.The Inflatable The second-place winning team Gammas design uses a semi-autonomous multi-robot regolith (Martian soil) additive manufacturing system to create a protective shield around a modular inflatable habitat. The proposal primarily explores system and design redundancy through distributed functionality from the initial descent and navigatio n of the three inflatable modules to find a suitable drehort with the flexible and interchangeable internal habitat design through to the multi-robot microwave regolith melting.A modular habitat design incorporating recycled spacecraft components. Image Team LavaHiveLava CastingA modular Martian habitat design created by team LavaHive that won the third place incorporates recycled spacecraft components as a key element of the habitat concept. The back shell of the entry, descent, and landing system that will deliver the construction rovers is the primary habitat roof, with an inflatable module underneath as the primary living habitat. Using the readily available Martian regolith, two rovers use a combination of sintering and lava-casting to build connecting corridors and sub-habitats around the main inflatable section.Hybrid ApproachSubmitted by a team of multidisciplinary group of experts in architecture, digital fabrication, computation, material science, additive manufacturing, r obotics, mechanical and aerospace engineering, the Hybrid Composites design was a runner-up entry. It proposes a hybrid approach that integrates multiple robotically controlled fabrication techniques using fibers and polymers. The habitat is a combination of a 3D printed composite lattice that is extruded through robotic arms, serving as structure, and an inner layer of robotically formed composite shells as enclosures.3D model in X-ray view of Seed Habitat. Image CTLGroupMarsAncient DesignCTLGroupMars submission to the 3D-printed habitat challenge, the Seed Habitat, won the Best Use of Space award. Their design was inspired by ancient Roman concrete designs that did not include reinforcing steel. The feedstock for Martian concrete is gypsum sand available on the Martian surface. Thermal dehydratation converts the gypsum to plaster and water, two of the three ingredients necessary for concrete. A concrete 3D printer tunes the proportion of those materials, along with Martian sand an d/or stone, to produce mix designs.Donut HomeThe Best Technical Proposal award went to team A.R.C.Hs submission that uses the design and construction methodology of basalt fiber clay matrix structures for in-situ habitat construction on Mars. The basalt fiber reinforced clay is produced from soils and rocks found on most terrestrial bodies including the Earth, the Moon, and Mars. The technique updates the proven technology of Cobb construction replacing straw with basalt fibers, using additive manufacturing to produce efficient, complete, and habitable structures.Wilczynski believes there is an immediate humanitarian application of this challenge to solve the need for safe and sustainable housing on earth. In many cases where we have seen devastation, the locally available raw materials can be used additively to create shelters. The teams are understanding there is an opportunity here on Earth than Mars for immediate applications. Meanwhile, he adds, America Makes is actively workin g with NASA to put together a plan for the next phase of this challenge.Learn more about the issues and challenges associated with 3D printing at AM3D. For Further DiscussionIt was a big enough goal to make people stretch their minds to think about the constraints of Mars and how additive could be used to their advantage.John Wilczynski, America Makes

Just What Is the Myers-Briggs Assessment Good For

Just What Is the Myers-Briggs Assessment Good For Just What Is the Myers-Briggs Assessment Good For Well, maybe notlage you in particular. Rather, CPP the exclusive publisher of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is unhappy with recruiters and HR departments who use the MBTI as a selection tool. According to Sherrie Haynie, a consultant for CPP who teaches MBTI certification programs, thats not what the test is meant for at all.The MBTI is lumped into what we consider a battery of assessments or tests or tools, and it actually is a standalone tool that is unlike fruchtwein other assessments that would be used by hiring managers for selection and recruitment, Haynie says. The design of the MBTI is strictly for development. Its strictly for employee development, onboarding, manager development, leadership development, and team development.The MBTI does not evaluate candidates. It does not predict performance or cultural fit or any of the other criteria by which employers hire c andidates.There are a lot of great tools out there for selection and recruitment, and their purpose is to actually identify characteristics that we can judge, characteristics that would be a good fit or not a good fit for a particular job, Haynie explains. Those kinds of tools evaluate particular skills or knowledge or abilities, but the MBTI was not designed to judge or evaluate skills or knowledge or abilities. It was designed to help people in a non-judgmental way identify what their blind spots are and what their strengths are, based on their innate personality characteristics.Still, a plethora of myths or folk tales, as the CPP calls them surround the MBTI. Many employers look to the assessment as a way of screening candidates, rather than developing them. This is why CPP has decided to create a series of infographics dispelling the common misconceptions people hold about the MBTI, one of which is available at the end of this post.Its difficult to account for all the reasons why the common perception of the MBTI is so far off from the assessments actual uses and purpose, but Haynie believes we can partially chalk it up to the ways in which many of us first learn about the MBTI. Its often introduced in MBA programs or Ph.D. programs, where participants or students receive a brief overview from someone who does not have direct experience utilizing the tool, Haynie explains.Because the MBTI is such a specific tool, designed for a specific purpose, CPP requires that all purchasers of the assessment go through rigorous certification processes. This helps CPP ensure the continued relevance and integrity of the MBTI itself, and it also deters misuse of the assessment. Still, Haynie says, CPP has seen a number of employers improperly use the MBTI as a selection tool.Unfortunately, what happens is someone who is not certified gets their hands on the test through an unethical avenue, and they may use the tool for screening, Haynie says.Used as a selection tool, t he MBTI can be harmful to individuals.Theyre being judged by a tool that wasnt designed for that purpose, Haynie says. This can lead to misguided hiring decisions qualified, deserving candidates may lose out on positions in which they would exceed expectations, and companies may end up hiring the wrong kind of talent.Employers should also note that using the MBTI as a selection tool can have dire legal consequences for them. If a tool is designed for selection, it should meet a certain standard that is held up in a court of law, Haynie says. Whereas with the MBTI, we are very clear, that because its not a selection tool, you could be held liable as an employer if you use the tool in such a way.Proper Use of the MBTIAs Haynie says, the MBTI is a development tool, not a selection tool. Interested employers should use the MBTI to identify employee strengths and blind spots, so that they might help these employees further leverage their strengths and compensate for their blind spots.Thi s tool helps an individual identify what some of their inborn characteristics are, Haynie says. It provides a unique opportunity to not judge, but rather acknowledge that, similar to cultural diversity, we also have personality diversity, and it gives us a common language to talk about our differences.When employers use the MBTI to identify employee strengths and weaknesses, they can use this knowledge to better help employees grow as workers. Haynie suggests using the MBTI when onboarding a new hire, so as to gain a better view of how the company can leverage the hires natural talents. Haynie also notes that the MBTI is useful for building more efficient teams and developing potential leaders. We can learn to be a better team and be more effective together, if we can leverage each others strengths and help each other to overcome and compensate for our blind spots, she says.It is also important to note that the MBTI does not measure how much of a certain characteristic a person has. That is, the assessment does not evaluate how personable or creative or logical a candidate is. The Myers-Briggs looks more at innate wiring and a preference for certain characteristics, like extroversion or introversion, she says. Employers need other tools to measure and compare how much of the behavior people show.While the MBTI identifies the preferences people have for certain characteristics or behaviors, it does not predict how people will act at work. Thats important and really critical for people to understand, because an employee might have a preference for introversion, for example, but at work, they have to stand up in front of large groups of people, and they have to learn to spend lots of time with colleagues and coworkers, Haynie says. If they understand this about themselves, it helps them to see that while they can absolutely perform and be very successful, its going to require more of their energy.The takeaway is that a candidate who tends toward introversion, for example, is not necessarily a candidate who cannot perform an extroverted role with aplomb. The MBTI does not tell us what people can or cant do it only tells us what people innately prefer to do.The MBTI in no way defines everything that there is to know about a person, Haynie says. Theres not one tool out there that is like a magic wand. You have to have a battery of tools, where each tool serves a different purpose, and the MBTI was designed just for the development purposes.