Scholarship Events
Event Type: Rube Goldberg machines
Contributors: Delta Alpha Chapter
Location: Rochester Institute of Technology campus
Planning required: Research on Rube Goldberg machines
Resources required:
Materials required: Brothers were asked to bring three items that they thought might be useful in constructing the crazy contraptions.
Event Summary: The decided purpose of the machines was to pop a balloon, with the challenge of adding in as many steps to the process as possible. The Brothers present then split up into four different teams, and set out to begin building. Four different machines were built, all utilizing a mishmash of objects that aided in the machine’s ability to actually pop a balloon. Some machines relied more heavily on the laws of gravity and momentum, while others relied more on pure dumb luck. The activity was a great scholarship event as Brothers further strengthened fraternal bonds by working together in teams and the task at hand inspired some outside the box thinking. Not only did Brothers flex their imaginations, they learned from each other as well. Not only was it a scholarship event, it also offered great opportunities for socialization during breaks in-between builds and the grand unveiling of the machines themselves. All in all, Brothers learned how to work better together as teams, how to preconceive several different ways of doing the same thing, and about each other at this very unique event.
This event was a 2008 Dr. Eldo L. Hendricks Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Programming award winner.
Back to the Awards and Scholarship page | Back to main Resource Guide page
