2007 JPL Invention Challenge

Now in its tenth year, the JPL Invention Challenge is a friendly, yet challenging competition open to JPL employees and contractors, their family members, and students from local middle schools and high schools. Each year, a different engineering challenge is selected. The goal of the Invention Challenge is to show students that math, science and engineering can be fun.

In 2006, six JPL teams competed alongside 20 student teams representing schools from Bakersfield to Apple Valley to San Diego and various points in between. Visit the 2006 results page to see all the winners and check out some of last year's action in our slide show:
+ 2006 Results
+ 2006 Slide Show

This year's challenge is the "Play a Song Contest" . Contestants will create a device that is capable of performing two tasks. The first task is to replicate a C Major scale and the second task is to play at least the first ten notes of a recognizable song in proper pitch, tempo, and meter.

To learn more about this year's challenge, please visit:
+ 2007 Objectives and Rules (PDF)

School Registration
To register a school team, each team must mail their completed student team entry form and their signed "2006 Authorization for Photos" release forms for each person planning to attend the JPL contest:

+ 2007 School Entry Form (PDF)
+ 2007 Authorization for photos (PDF)

The entire set of forms must be filled out and submitted to Public Services no earlier than September 10, 2007 and be postmarked no later than midnight October 5, 2007. Each school is allowed no more than three teams. Completed forms must be mailed to:

Public Services Office
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Mail Stop 186-113
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109

Forms may not be faxed or emailed. All entries will be time stamped based upon the time received. Student teams will be notified to verify their acceptance into the contest by October 9, 2007. Additions or corrections to the registration forms and/or photo release forms need to be mailed to the Public Services Office with a postmark no later than Thursday, November 20, 2007. Participants or spectators that have not submitted all required forms, will not be allowed into the Laboratory. Questions regarding entry forms can be directed to Maggie Porter in Public Services at (818) 354-0112.

*Please note: Any foreign student (18 or over) or adult will need to submit a seperate form that is processed by the Public Services Office. If you plan on attending the contest at JPL, and you are a foreign national, it is important that you contact the Public Services prior to November 1, 2007, as approval may take up to three weeks.

JPL Personnel Registration
To register a JPL team for JPL employees, contractors, and immediate family members, each team must submit a completed entry form to the Public Services prior to midnight November 21, 2007:

+ 2007 JPL Employee, Contractor or Family Member Entry Form (PDF)

Completed entry forms should be directed to Public Services at FAX (818) 393-4641, or sent via email to Margaret.R.Porter@jpl.nasa.gov. All entries will be time stamped based upon the time received. Only the first 20 JPL/contractor entries will be permitted to compete. Five alternates will be accepted in case some entries withdraw prior to the competition.

JPL employee family members and friends are welcome to watch the contest, but must be cleared through the security office prior to arrival. JPL employees must fill out a visitor request form as found in the link:
http://eis/international/visitrequest.html.

Questions related to this contest should be directed to:
Paul MacNeal at (818) 354-7824 or paul.d.macneal@jpl.nasa.gov.