Lincoln Pius X Catholic High School

STEM Princesses win Rube Goldberg contest

A Rube Goldberg competition was held at Pius X on Mar. 22. Students who were a part of Physics and Calculus for Engineering (PACE) were split off into groups of 3 to 5 and were asked to create a machine that can turn the page of a book in 20 steps or more.

The machines were judged on complexity of the machine, creative theme, use of unconventional materials, use of innovative non-electrically powered steps and inside the time constraint. The groups were also judged on multiple runs of the machine.

“The goal is to have as little human as possible and to complete the task at hand,” senior Stephanie Heimbrecht said.

Many of these groups began sketching and building as early as January to start on these machines.

“At first it was a lot of sketching and planning and then we finally got the materials to put it together,” senior Sarah Lang said.

But this project isn’t just for fun, it shows that you can apply the knowledge you learn in the classroom. This is helpful because many people participating in this competition have plans to use these skills in the future.

“It’s nice to know your strengths and weaknesses before going off to college to do something similar if you decide to pursue a career in STEM,” Lang said.

Joining an AP physics class is a great way to learn more about how things work and is a way to start getting into STEM.

“I really enjoy this class, and it was a lot of fun making this machine with my friends,” Heimbrecht said.

At the end of the competition a winner was chosen. The winning group name was STEM Princesses and group members included Stephanie Heimbrecht, Sarah Lang, Amy Nguyen and Madison Westbrook.

“We don’t only want to turn the page, but we want to encourage girls that being an engineer and a princess is not mutually exclusive,” Heimbrecht said.

From the 'X-change' Student Newspaper

By: Roxie Prunty

Staff Writer

Photographer: Roxie Prunty

Pius X

Next Events

Club Calendar

[showday]

Next Day Off

Today's Menu

[tribe_events view="list" cat="menu" limit="1" tribe-bar="false" events_per_page="1"]

Or search for it on our website

Skip to content