What is Odyssey of the Mind (OM)? Curious, five guys went to the lecture theatre with nothing but a vague idea.

Somebody -- who used to coach Singapore teams for OM, an international competition -- came over. Still as blur as before, the first-year mechatronics students - Wilson Lim, Goh Ing Jya, Sudhanshu Biyani, Kirby Lim and Max Song -- filled in some forms; this act led to bigger things.

For they managed to get a silver award in the international competition! Said Kirby, "It was just pure luck. We were from the same class, and we went ahead for the audition." Three Temasek Polytechnic teams took part in the Singapore finals, with "Wilson and gang" taking the final challenge to go to the US.

Wilson chipped in, "At first we thought, 'Wow, we can make it to the US!' But after some time, it is no longer about the US. The US is just a bonus."

The "Odyssey of the Mind" competition is held annually worldwide. Students have to solve various problems, from building mechanical devices such as spring-driven vehicles to participating in mind-mapping games. In the process, they have to make decisions and create solutions. There are six problems to solve in all, with Division 4 dedicated to tertiary institutions.

Odyssey of the Mind World Finals were held at the University of Colorado at Boulder from 21-26 May 2002. Singapore sent out 11 teams which took part in the different divisions. Altogether there were 700 teams from 18 countries. To the TP participants, they were quite prepared because "we have a module in Year 1 Semester One about inculcating creativity," said Ing Jya.

	The tests The students had to take up several tests which conformed to the theme of "It's a snap!" First, they had to design and build a structure, made up of balsa wood and glue, that weighs no more than 15g and supports as much weight as possible. The structure comprised five parts that the team had to assemble in eight minutes. These parts must be able to interlock on their own when the structure is lifted from any piece of wood. The structure that the team came up with weighed 14.7 grams and the total weight held was 190lbs. These statistics -- 40 (out of 50) points made the design one of the best in the competition. Said Ing Jya of the process, "We have to use architectural concepts we were taught at school." In addition, the students have to prepare a skit that conforms to the theme too. Sudhanshu dressed up as an angel who was responsible for hanging sense organs on Kirby, who played someone who has to show what it was like without any of the senses. Wilson was narrator for the skit.
Ing Jya and Max assembling the structure in front of the judges
Judges examining the assembled structure

The skit was one of the highest points of the team's presentation. In fact, much time was spent at night before the competition just to touch up their props and to rehearse. For the competition, they utilised around SGD 178 or USD 99 for props, costumes and balsa materials, for example, glue and wood, in all.

Said Wilson, "It was a sweet victory, because we didn't have good props to impress in the first place. We have restrictions as the materials we needed had to be shipped to the US. Even the rod we were using for our skit needed to be cut into two." But Roland Yeo, the lecturer who accompanied the students on the trip, was full of praise for the props the students came up with, "The props were outstanding and the acting was impactful, impressing the judges and audience, It ended on a high note in a standing ovation. For that I was very proud of the students."

A scene from the skit: the angel (Sudhanshu) talking to the sense organ (Kirby)

There were also a series of tests that check out for spontaneity of the participants. These required speed, wit and accuracy. For instance, the team had to solve a hands-on problem within seven minutes on the spot. Creativity, teamwork and speed were the judging criteria. This year, the problem was a sound and signal communication problem where the team was divided in two groups and one team was to communicate with another using non-verbal cues. They had to accomplish a numeric task by placing a number of eggs on several trays which were colour coded. In another instance, they had to generate news headlines that are likely to appear 100 years from now.

The pressure was on
So what went through their minds during the competition, especially when so many great minds around the world convene at the same time?

Sudhanshu admitted feeling overwhelmed, "It was the first time that anyone of us has taken part in an international competition. Tertiary level to boot."

Kirby chipped in, "It sorta builds up our confidence."

However, the team members were unanimous in their analysis of the pressure. Ing Jya summed it up, "It was pressure from the expectation to win."

And this can be seen from the pride with which the Director of Engineering exuded when she emphasized the win during 2002 orientation of new students in July.

In addition to the pressure to win, the pressure of the actual competition extended way back to even before the competition. They had to come up with a membership sign - they called it membership number - which would introduce the team as they strutted their stuff to the judges.

Explained Wilson, "The first sketch came from Ing Jya, I then re-designed it three times. And Sudhanshu and I spent three weeks doing it."

Added Sudhanshu, "It was really the membership number that really gives us the marks."

The team members were very practical -- there is so much they can do in a foreign land, as the locals outstripped them in terms of props and aplomb. The strategy of focusing on their sign worked. While other teams were concentrating on other details, the sign which the TP team made gave the vital first impression.

But the team excelled beyond the first impression to clinch second place in the international competition. That is what really matters…