Rube Goldberg Machine Contest: Difference between revisions
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I added information on the first Rube Goldberg National Contest. I was the leader of the Watch-N-Ponder team and was involved in the video, commercial, and interviews. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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The Rube Goldberg Machine Contest originated at Purdue University in [[1949]] as a competition between [[Theta Tau]] and [[Triangle Fraternity|Triangle]], and it was held annually until [[1956]]. Phi Chapter revived the contest in [[1983]] as a competition open to all Purdue students. Since [[1988]], the Theta Tau ''Rube Goldberg Machine Contest'' has been a national competition held at Purdue University in March each year with participation by winning entries from local competitions sponsored by Theta Tau Chapters across the nation. The national contest has gained much coverage by the press and television media. Past winners of the contest have made appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel Live. The Machine Contest is the subject of the feature documentary [http://www.mousetraptomars.com Mousetrap to Mars]. |
The Rube Goldberg Machine Contest originated at Purdue University in [[1949]] as a competition between [[Theta Tau]] and [[Triangle Fraternity|Triangle]], and it was held annually until [[1956]]. Phi Chapter revived the contest in [[1983]] as a competition open to all Purdue students. Since [[1988]], the Theta Tau ''Rube Goldberg Machine Contest'' has been a national competition held at Purdue University in March each year with participation by winning entries from local competitions sponsored by Theta Tau Chapters across the nation. The national contest has gained much coverage by the press and television media. Past winners of the contest have made appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel Live. The Machine Contest is the subject of the feature documentary [http://www.mousetraptomars.com Mousetrap to Mars]. |
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==1988 Contest== |
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The [[1988]] national contest had the task of sharpening a pencil in more than 25 steps. The first national contest winners were from the School of Technology named Watch-N-Ponder, led by Jeff Cottingham. Their machine had as a theme a Distressed Purdue Student with a Broken Pencil about to take a test. Their machine completed the task in 37 steps which featured a large Panic Button- that started the machine, a Purdue Student, Purdue Pete dominos, Purdue Pete crushing the IU symbol, color changing water, a small truck loading dock, a plotter writing out RUBE GOLDBERG with a pencil, and finally Purdue Pete chopping down a tree which went into a Saw Mill to make a pencil for the Purdue Student. It was described by the Judges as having music, drama, and timely sound effects that made the audience cheer. The team made a video special for Newtons Apple show that year as well as a commercial for the United Way campaign. Kathleen Sullivan and Harry Smith interviewed Jeff Cottingham on Good Morning America, promoting Purdue, Theta Tau, the School of Tecnology, and the hard work by all the team members. University of Wisconsin and the University of Detroit were the two other competitors that year and finished second and third respectively. |
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==1990 Contest== |
==1990 Contest== |
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Revision as of 20:13, 17 September 2010
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The Rube Goldberg Machine Contest is a contest that seeks to be "a way of helping students transcend traditional ways of looking at problems", by using a challenge that "must be completed in as creative a way as possible"[1]. It is named in honour of Rube Goldberg's vision of whimsical machines, and is sponsored by the Theta Tau Educational Foundation with financial support from Dell Computer and other sponsors. Local contests are held at various universities throughout the United States, and local winners are eligible to compete in the national contest. The national contest is administered by Phi Chapter of Theta Tau and held at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
History
The Rube Goldberg Machine Contest originated at Purdue University in 1949 as a competition between Theta Tau and Triangle, and it was held annually until 1956. Phi Chapter revived the contest in 1983 as a competition open to all Purdue students. Since 1988, the Theta Tau Rube Goldberg Machine Contest has been a national competition held at Purdue University in March each year with participation by winning entries from local competitions sponsored by Theta Tau Chapters across the nation. The national contest has gained much coverage by the press and television media. Past winners of the contest have made appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel Live. The Machine Contest is the subject of the feature documentary Mousetrap to Mars.
1988 Contest
The 1988 national contest had the task of sharpening a pencil in more than 25 steps. The first national contest winners were from the School of Technology named Watch-N-Ponder, led by Jeff Cottingham. Their machine had as a theme a Distressed Purdue Student with a Broken Pencil about to take a test. Their machine completed the task in 37 steps which featured a large Panic Button- that started the machine, a Purdue Student, Purdue Pete dominos, Purdue Pete crushing the IU symbol, color changing water, a small truck loading dock, a plotter writing out RUBE GOLDBERG with a pencil, and finally Purdue Pete chopping down a tree which went into a Saw Mill to make a pencil for the Purdue Student. It was described by the Judges as having music, drama, and timely sound effects that made the audience cheer. The team made a video special for Newtons Apple show that year as well as a commercial for the United Way campaign. Kathleen Sullivan and Harry Smith interviewed Jeff Cottingham on Good Morning America, promoting Purdue, Theta Tau, the School of Tecnology, and the hard work by all the team members. University of Wisconsin and the University of Detroit were the two other competitors that year and finished second and third respectively.
1990 Contest
The 1990 national contest had the task of screwing and sealing the lid on a Ball canning jar in 20 or more steps. The National championship team, Team Technology, was from Purdue University and included: Matt Garbarino, Todd Henry, Phil Santos, Dave Kovaleski, Jerri Keller, and Bryan Sower. The theme for Team Technology's machine was "Having a Ball" and took a total of 42 steps to complete the required tasks.
2007 Contest
The 2007 national contest had the task of juicing an orange into a pitcher and pouring the pitcher into a cup in 20 or more steps. It was won by a team from Ferris State University, located in Big Rapids, MI. The "toy" themed machine used 345 steps.
2008 Contest
The 2008 national contest had the task of building a hamburger with a meat patty, two vegetables and two condiments in 20 or more steps.
The winner for 2008 was the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers (PSPE) Rube Goldberg Team from Purdue University. This was their third win in the past four years[2]. The team included 17 members from different fields of engineering and aviation and was led by Captain Drew Wischer and by Assistant Captains, Zach Umperovitch and Greg Bauman.
Texas A&M University took 2nd at the competition and University of Buffalo placed 3rd.
Other teams that competed included Ferris State University (2007 champions), Big Rapids, Michigan; Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan; Penn State Brandywine, Media, Pennsylvania, and the University of Texas at Austin.
2010 Contest
The task for the 2010 contest was to "dispense an appropriate amount of hand sanitizer into a hand." The winner was a team from the University of Wisconsin–Stout. Second place went to St. Olaf College and third went to Pennsylvania State University.