An important goal of the workshop was for the visiting students to gain an deeper sense of the hosting site's research, research goals, and available tools to further that research. The tutorial showed an example of a complex mechanical part designed in a parametric manner.
Complex design can be very different from designing simple models.
Mechanical design must allow precise input at some stage of the design. Parametric design allows easy exploration of a model's design. The participants felt that the tutorial worked out well, and gave them a greater appreciation of the type of work Utah does. Hearing about their research and seeing how their lab is organized was a valuable lesson in itself. I believe that all the sites have its strong points, and by having students from other sites see and learn it on location, STC as a whole can improve greatly.