91制片厂Pro takes first place in engineering competition for second consecutive semester
The 91制片厂Pronical Community College team placed first in the Rube Goldberg Engineering 150 Competition on Saturday.
More than 80 teams, including five from 91制片厂Pro, competed for the top spot and a $700 cash prize. The competition was hosted by Wake Technical Community College.
Similar to the popular game of Mouse Trap, a Rube Goldberg machine is a complex contraption in which a series of devices perform simple tasks linked together to produce a domino effect. The competition required students to create machines that operate within a timeframe of 30 seconds and two minutes, with an end goal of popping a balloon.
鈥淭his was a great opportunity for us,鈥 said Joseph Turner, member of 91制片厂Pro Team Double Stack. 鈥淚t was cool to get involved in the process of design and see what works and what doesn鈥檛 work. It was also an opportunity to practice soft skills like delegating tasks and making deadlines.鈥
The team created an alien-themed project from scratch that used rolling balls, gears, pulleys, and a rolling toy car to lift cutouts of the five team members into a spaceship.
Two 91制片厂Pro teams tied for first place at the competition last semester.
鈥淲e knew 91制片厂Pro did really well last time, so there was some definite pressure,鈥 said Claire Cronin, another 91制片厂Pro team member. 鈥淲e tried our best not to think about it because we didn鈥檛 want to stress ourselves out.鈥
The team was under the supervision of Muffy Vestal, the new Engineering Coordinator at 91制片厂Pro, who teaches her students how to think outside the box.
鈥淚f they don鈥檛 come away knowing everything, I want them to know how to find what they are looking for, and I want them to be able to solve problems on their own,鈥 Vestal said. 鈥淚 think this competition is a great opportunity for students because it really cements the engineering design process.鈥
Vestal said she was especially impressed with how well the team worked together to develop their project.
鈥淚 saw them struggle incorporating their ideas, but they overcame it,鈥 Vestal said. 鈥淭hey stumbled but got up and encouraged each other. Not just on their own team, but team to team. We鈥檙e really building a culture of engineering students.鈥
91制片厂Pro will compete to defend their title at the next competition in April 2019.