Imagine your family is on a trip, driving late at  night, excited to reach your dream 
vacation spot  

when, all of the sudden, the GPS on your phone  gives out and you and your family are 
stuck in the

middle of nowhere with no one to help you - all  because of a short that occurred in a 
satellite

hundreds of miles above you. Then, to make  matters worse, you feel the brakes in your 
car

slowly give out and fail all because of another  preventable short in your car's braking 
system.

Although this is nearing a worst case scenario, it  unfortunately isn't as unlikely as you 
may think.

Tin whiskers are the problem and their growth can  cause shorts in electrical circuits. 
Being able

to mitigate its effects can save potential losses  in both safety and finance for those 
affected. So,

sponsored by NASA, MDA, and NAVSEA our team  got to work brainstorming and doing 
all of the

research that we could. To solve this problem,  we interviewed over 50 specialists with 
various

backgrounds from our sponsors' organizations and  other industries and we read 
numerous pieces of

literature in the process. Wanting to find the  best solution to tin whiskers we first 
looked

at how we could prevent growth altogether. But,  after much discussion, we found that 
we may not

be the best suited to crack the code to this  50 year old problem. Being our stubborn 
selves,

it wasn't the easiest change to make but we then  realized there was another possible 
solution to

work towards that may be just as effective. So  we then made a pivot. With the guidance 
of our

sponsors, we decided to predict the probability  of tin whiskers falling and bridging and 
causing

a short instead of the original formation of tin  whiskers. We were able to create a tool 
to help

predict this probability by using a monte carlo  simulation as well as degradation 
mechanisms and

combining the two to create the final P.O.F  of the problem and merge with 
consequence

levels created by the user to come up with the  final risk. This final and complete tool 
uses a

very simple user interface comprised of units with  clear instructions and labeled 
outputs. The result

of the tool is then filled into the color coded  risk matrices that show clearly if the 
system is

at risk and if and when it needs to be fixed. Thus  making a mission assurance team 
report very easy.

These easy to read matrices show the full result  of what you need to know and then 
can be properly

documented and shared with mission assurance  teams to create the best course of 
action.