Pekin H.S. wins 10th annual Illinois State Championship Rube Goldberg machine
contest
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ARGONNE, Ill. (March 22, 2008) — A team from Pekin High School, Pekin, Ill.,
today won the 10th annual Illinois State Championship Rube Goldberg Machine,
co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory,
at the Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier.
Argonne's educational programs are funded by the U.S. Department
of Energy's Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Students as
part of its mission to inspire and encourage the next generation of scientists,
engineers and other technology professionals. |
Pekin defeated five other teams by building a complex machine that took at
least 20 steps to assemble a hamburger consisting of no less than one precooked
meat patty, two vegetables and two condiments, sandwiched between two bun halves.
Second place in today's competition was won by Alan B. Shepard High School, Palos Heights, and third place by Cornerstone Discovery Group, Champaign. First and second place teams will advance to the national championships at
2 p.m. Saturday, April 5, at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.
The winning team received a crystal trophy, emblematic of the Illinois High
School State Championship for construction and operation of Rube Goldberg machines
and $600 was donated to the school's science program.
The second-place team received a presentation certificate and a $400 donation
to the school's science program, and the third place team received $300 donation
to their schools' science program. The remaining three teams received $200
each for their schools' science programs:
- Maine Township High School, Park Ridge
- Stark County High School, Toulon
- Wilmington High School, Wilmington
Rube Goldberg machine contests are inspired by Reuben Lucius Goldberg, whose
cartoons combined simple household items into complex devices to perform trivial
tasks. The machines combine the principles of physics and engineering, using
common objects such as marbles, mousetraps, stuffed animals and anything else
on hand.
Argonne sponsors the event in collaboration with the University of Illinois-Urbana,
the Chicago Children's Museum, and the National Rube Goldberg Machine Contest.
The event is licensed by Rube Goldberg, Inc.
“Rube Goldberg” is a registered trademark of Rube Goldberg, Inc., which can
be reached at license@rubegoldberg.com or information@rubegoldberg.com,
or on the World Wide Web at www.rgmc.com.
Chicago Children's Museum's mission is to create a community where play and
learning connect. For more information about Chicago Children's Museum, call
(312) 527-1000 or visit www.chichildrensmuseum.org.
Argonne National Laboratory brings the world's brightest scientists and engineers
together to find exciting and creative new solutions to pressing national problems
in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne
conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every
scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from
hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies
to help them solve their specific problems, advance America 's scientific leadership
and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60
nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago
Argonne, LLC for the U.S.
Department of Energy's Office
of Science.
For more information, please contact Brock Cooper (630/252-5565
or bcooper@anl.gov) at Argonne.
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