Media Hub

Rube Goldberg Creation Zips Up Honors

Earlier this year, six juniors and seniors, under the direction of Upper School science teachers Jen Singer and Lee Shang, accepted the challenge of creating a Rube Goldberg machine that could zip a zipper using at least 20 energy transfer steps. The group of determined students spent hundreds of hours on this extracurricular effort, and on April 5 their "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-themed" machine was put to the test at the Rube Goldberg High School National Competition in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They won third place out of 17 entries and received the “Peer Favorite” award and the “Best Design” award, which was presented by Marquette University School of Engineering. A highlight of the competition was meeting Rube Goldberg’s granddaughter, Jennifer George. Team members included: Elliot B. ’15, Jack C. ‘15, Charlie E. ‘15, Jake G. ’14, Sophia R. ‘15, and Emily W. ’14.