Area colleges host second national wacky machine contest for teens
| Published: 04/12/2005 |
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- Wisconsin contest held the same day
It's an assignment tailor-made for teenagers: make a simple task as complicated as possible. In this case, the kids will produce a machine to perform a roundabout result. This year's challenge is to remove both old batteries from a two-battery flashlight, install new batteries and turn on the flashlight in 20 steps or more.
High school teams from across the country will gather Friday, April 29 at Wisconsin State Fair Park to compete in the Second National Rube Goldberg Machine-Building Contest ContestTM© for teens. The event is named after the Pulitzer-winning cartoonist and engineer who became famous for his cartoons of overly complicated machines designed to accomplish something simple.
The event will be held on the same day as the Eighth Annual Wisconsin Rube Goldberg Contest for high school students, where more than 40 teams will compete in a morning contest.
Both contests are hosted by the Milwaukee Colleges of Engineering and Technology Partnership consists of the colleges of engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), Milwaukee School of Engineering, Marquette University, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Waukesha County Technical College and Discovery World Museum. A $10,000 grant from the Helen Bader Foundation helps support the competitions.
In past Wisconsin contests, the challenge has been equally mundane - like casting a ballot, putting toothpaste on a toothbrush or peeling an apple - but the results are anything but. Students carry out their mission by using a plethora of junk, from mousetraps and showerheads to bowling balls and even Barbie dolls. Duct tape has been used so liberally that a separate award is given to the team that unwinds the most. Teams get extra points for producing a machine that operates without electricity.
Judges drawn from area businesses, industries, and associations will narrow the field to five finalists in the state competition. The first place team wins $750 and the second-place winners are awarded $500. In the national contest, the first-place award is $1,000 and $500 for second place.
WHAT: Rube Goldberg Contests for students
WHERE: State Fair Park Expo Center
WHEN: Friday, April 29, 2005
Schedule of Events Wisconsin, Multi-State, and National Competitions
6:45 a.m. Breakfast for contestants
7:30 a.m. Check-in at the State Fair Park Exhibition Center (Wisconsin and Multi-State)
7:45 a.m. Welcome
8:00 a.m. Contest begins
10:30 a.m. Awards Ceremony
Noon Lunch
Schedule of Events National Competition
1:00 p.m. Check-in for National Competition
1:30 p.m. Contest begins
4:00 p.m. Awards Ceremony
5:00 p.m. Departure
CONTEST WEB SITE: www.uwm.edu/ceas/rube
OPERATIONS CONTACT: Ester Johnson at UW-Milwaukee, (414) 229-3882, ebj@uwm.edu