The Penn-Trafford ‘Chain Reaction’ teams visited the Carnegie Science Center in December to participate in the SciYinz Chain Reaction Challenge.
Over 25 teams from across the Pittsburgh area competed, and the two Penn-Trafford teams showed creativity and quick problem-solving skills. Penn-Trafford’s Team 1 (Eli Emahizer, Ethan Goldsworthy, Jacob Lang, Logan Matrisch, and Drew Sherwin) earned Second Place Overall, and Team 2 (Marissa Fong, Rachael Gill, Michael Harris, and Amelia Haslam) won the award of Best Execution of the Theme.
The objective of the competition was to build a Rube Goldberg machine that completes an assigned task in only 10 steps. After creating a rough design sketch of their idea, the teams began building their machines from a variety of recycled materials and cardboard.
Each project was built in under 4 hours and encompassed a working contraption as well as a presentation to the Carnegie Science Center judges.
Team One executes their design
Team Two upon completion of their machine
Team One stands behind their completed machine
Penn-Trafford’s Team 1 earned the award for Best Execution of the Theme; (left to right) Jacob Lang, Logan Matrisch, Drew Sherwin, Eli Emahizer, Ethan Goldsworthy
