Students trade in school books for spatulas for 10th Illinois Rube Goldberg Machine Championship

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ARGONNE, Ill. (March 17, 2008) — Students from across the state will flip burgers and toss condiments during the 10th annual Illinois State Championship Rube Goldberg machine contest, co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory.

Students will compete to build a hamburger using at least 20 steps and include a pre-cooked meat patty, two vegetables and two condiments sandwiched between two bun halves; the burgers must be constructed by a machine hand-built by the students.

The contest will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 22, at the Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier.

These student leaders of innovation have prevailed in regional contests and earned the right to be among the final six:

• Cornerstone Discovery Group High School, Champaign
• Maine Township High School, Park Ridge
• Pekin High School, Pekin
• Alan B. Shepard High School, Palos Heights
• Stark County High School, Toulon
• Wilmington High School, Wilmington

The winning team will receive a crystal trophy, emblematic of the Illinois High School State Championship for construction and operation of Rube Goldberg machines and $600 will be donated to the school's science program.

The second-place team will receive a presentation certificate and a $400 donation to the school's science program, and the third place team will receive $200 donation to their schools' science program.

The first and second place teams will advance to the national championships scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, April 5, at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.

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 championship event in collaboration with the University of Illinois-Urbana, the Chicago Children's Museum, and the National Rube Goldberg Machine Contest, held annually at Purdue University. The event is licensed by Rube Goldberg, Inc.

“Rube Goldberg” is a registered trademark of Rube Goldberg, Inc., which can be reached by fax at (212) 371-3761, by e-mail 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 seeks 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 media@anl.gov) at Argonne.