What, So What, Now What?

Last Sunday, the University of Michigan's summer fellows got together to built bikes for patients at Mott Children's Hospital. I assumed that the event would be fully community service oriented. However, the goal of the day was not only to volunteer but also to meet and socialize with other fellows. I found the event to be rewarding on both fronts.
The challenge that gave my team the most problems was the very last one, which involved using a parachute to fire a rubber chicken into a hula hoop. Our original approach to the problem consistently failed. After unsuccessful several tries, we decided to observe other teams and integrate promising-looking techniques into our own strategy. Eventually, these new ideas did improve the accuracy of our shots. Nonetheless, we never actually got the chicken through the hoop.
I think that this idea vaguely represents one that an individual researcher can greatly benefit from the external scientific community's discoveries. Looking outside of a personal bubble can spark fresh ideas, be it by observing peers in the lab or by reading a relevant research article.