Week 8 perpetuated long nights of work on the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) presentation as the CHAMPS readied for the Verifone site visit. On Thursday morning, the CHAMPS rose around 5 a.m. on a journey to Clearwater, FL. Special thanks to Michael for driving the team there and back safely. Upon arrival, the CHAMPS finally met Brian and Darryl in person, alongside several other Verifone engineers. The two liaisons took the team and Ronnie on a tour of the office and allowed everyone to interact with a Commander model to better understand the device that collects project data. As 10 a.m. approached, the team began to setup for their presentation in the Gator Room. Despite the initial nerves, the CHAMPS delivered an excellent presentation to Brian and Darryl as well as several other Verifone engineers and data scientists including Miguel Abdo. The presentation lasted nearly two hours with enthusiastic questions and brainstorming from everyone involved.

This productive session allowed both the IPPD members as well as the Verifone liaisons to collaboratively find solutions for the problems encountered thus far and clarify the project deliverables. After the PDR presentation, Brian and Darryl invited the CHAMPS for a lovely lunch. Later that afternoon, the team returned to the Verifone offices to meet more engineers and and interact with the Commander management system. Brian and Darryl further explained how Verifone hardware is utilized across a variety of industries. The CHAMPS are now able to better understand the functionality of the Commander, what data is available, and how the team can improve the system. Plus, everyone got some Verifone swag. Another special thanks to Brian, Darryl, and Miguel for being welcoming and supportive. The CHAMPS are excited to continue working on the Commander project.