Brushing Up On Success at the 13th Annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest
The 13th annual, regional Rube Goldberg Machine Contest hosted by Genesis: Pathways to Success and the Batesville Community School Corporation was held on Saturday, February 24, 2024, at Batesville High School in Batesville, Indiana. A total of 8 teams from Division I (Middle School) and Division II (High School) competed in this competition.
The contest showcased an array of ingenious contraptions that left contest officials and spectators alike amazed and inspired. Each machine designed to “Put Toothpaste on a Toothbrush” wove entertaining narratives and delightful surprises into intricate chain-reaction machines. From the dentist office scene in “Finding Nemo” to a spooky Halloween setting, the contest left the audience captivated with creativity and ingenuity. Division I teams participating in the contest were Batesville Middle School (Batesville, IN), Jac-Cen-Del Elementary School (Osgood, IN), Our Lady of Lourdes (Cincinnati, OH), and St. Louis Catholic School (Batesville, IN). Division II teams were Anderson High School (Anderson, IN), Batesville High School (Batesville, IN), Oldenburg Academy (Oldenburg, IN), and the Ripley County Engineering Academy (Osgood, IN).
Various awards were presented this year including first, second, and third place for both Division I and II. The Best Dressed Award was presented to a team that best aligned their attire to the theme of their Rube Goldberg Machine. The Creativity Award recognized a team that used their imagination to develop an original and innovative theme and series of steps for their machine. Finally, the Most Rube Goldbergian Award was presented to a team with a machine that demonstrated and upheld characteristics and attributes that were most closely related to Rube Goldberg. This special award was judged by Rebekah Wyman, Communications Specialist of the Rube Goldberg Institute.
Awards for the 2024 Rube Goldberg Machine Contest were distributed as follows:
1st Place Division I - Batesville Middle School
2nd Place Division I - St. Louis Catholic School
3rd Place Division I - Our Lady of Lourdes
1st Place Division II - Ripley County Engineering Academy
2nd Place Division II - Batesville High School
3rd Place Division II - Oldenburg Academy
Most Rube Goldbergian - The Ripley County Engineering Academy
Best Dressed - Anderson High School
Creativity Award - Anderson High School
The first and second-place recipients from each Division are qualified to compete in the National Rube Goldberg Machine Contest on April 6, 2024, at the Purdue Armory in West Lafayette, IN. The National Competition gathers the best machines from around the world to compete, starting with Apprenticeship Teams and ending with Collegiate Teams. The Team at Genesis: Pathways to Success would like to wish Batesville High School, Batesville Middle School, Ripley County Engineering Academy, and St. Louis Catholic School the best of luck.
The National Rube Goldberg Machine Contest will be live-streamed for anyone unable to attend the event in person. Additional information, including the live stream link, can be found at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wnuTHx-WGNv_EAezRErGROGy6YFhy8eF/view.
“Our regional Rube Goldberg Machine Contest continues to grow with each passing year, and the brilliant students who construct the intricate machines continue to impress me with their ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking. These students take a pile of junk and renovate it into a chain-reaction machine to complete a simple task, which teaches them a variety of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematic) concepts,” stated Clarice Patterson, Executive Director of Genesis: Pathways to Success. Patterson further noted, “The success of our regional competition wouldn’t be possible without the support of our passionate volunteers, who serve as Judges, Referees, or Timekeepers, and our sponsors.”
Sponsors for the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest include Batesville Tool & Die as a Contraption Sponsor, in addition to the Franklin County Community Foundation, Friendship State Bank, Great Plains Communications, Ripley County Community Foundation, The Napoleon State Bank, and The Stitch in Time as Chain-Reaction Sponsors.
If you are interested in learning more about the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest or would like to volunteer for next year’s competition, please contact Clarice Patterson by emailing at cpatterson@genesisp2s.org, calling 812-933-1098, or stopping by the office at 13 E. George Street, Suite B, Batesville, IN, 47006.
