Events
Innovative Engineering Competition Returns to Wake Tech
Competition Features Complex Ways to Pop a Balloon
RALEIGH, N.C. (April 22, 2023) – Saturday marked the return of a popular end-of-semester engineering event at Wake Tech. Rube Goldberg is a competition that challenges students to design and build a machine that can perform the simple task of popping a balloon in a not-so-simple way. The event, which usually takes place at the end of each Fall and Spring semester, was paused during the pandemic.
Saturday's competition featured 24 teams of students in the Associate in Engineering program who spent weeks designing intricate contraptions. The creations had to be developed with at least five distinct steps and had to rely on the principles of physics – gravity, force, mechanics, magnetism, sound waves, light or electricity. They also had to incorporate safety features, keep within certain dimensions and meet budget requirements. Students documented the design process and wrote up reports as part of the assignment.
More than 100 students participated.
The projects were judged by local professionals, industry partners and Wake Tech engineering alumni. Top honors went to teams called Rubes Workshop, The Giga Chads and The Ruby Goldenbergs, who placed first, second and third, respectively, and took home cash prizes.
The Rube Goldberg Competition is the final project for students in Engineering 150. It allows them to apply STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) concepts to real-world projects and develop team-building skills in a fun and creative way. Students pursuing the Associate in Engineering degree are planning to transfer to four-year institutions for further study.
The annual event is named for Rube Goldberg, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and engineer whose work depicts elaborate contraptions of levers, pulleys, wheels and gears completing simple, everyday tasks.
