NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Image above: Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Credit: Odyssey of the Mind

Jim: I just like having new challenges. If there's a challenge worth meeting I'll try to meet it.

Interviewer: Now tell me about your solution to your problem... Tell me about Strategy Sphere.

Jim: We had to create two different launching devices. One we went with the catapult design. The other we did a crossbow design, and just launched them from two different distances.

Interviewer: Were you successful?

Jim: Kind of yes and kind of no.

Interviewer: How did teamwork play a part in this?

Jim: You learn everyone's strong points and their weak points at the same time. You figure out what people are better at than maybe you are, or what you're capable of doing. Everyone brings their own gift to the team.

Interviewer: Besides science what other subjects helped solve the problem?

Jim: Math was mainly for me, like with measurements of building these things.

Interviewer: What career might you be interested in?

Jim: I'm not sure... I was looking into things that have to do with aviation, space and travel -- things like that. In fact, NASA is a place I've actually been looking forward to, attempting to reach for as a goal.

Interviewer: Tell me about some of your hobbies besides Odyssey of the Mind?

Jim: I do just about anything to kill time. I'll find something that doesn't work and I'll work on it until I can figure out how to get it to work again. I fix things. I carve in my spare time. I build little odds-and-end things.

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