Colton, CA – ‘Build a machine to pour a bowl of cereal’ was the national challenge for the Rube Goldberg 2018 Machine Contest. The Manufacturers’ Council of the Inland Empire presented their Community Award, “The Manufacturers’ Award for High Goldbergian Logic,” to Rialto High School Team TNGG at the county-wide competition presented on Saturday, November 4, by the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools.
The competition involved twenty-two teams with students divided into three divisions, including elementary, middle schools, and high school levels. The award was given to Rialto High School’s team TNGG. The team, led by teacher Mekal Thompson, consisted of five high school members: Luis Velasco, Christopher Verdin, Jose Salcedo, Jesus Oviedo, and Victor Mendoza.
Team TNGG’s machine followed a Star Wars theme imagining a story where no one in the galaxy had good cereal pouring skills. They designed, and built, twenty-six mechanical actions that resulted in finally pouring the cereal into a bowl. True to Rube Goldberg’s sense of humor and typical use of junk, the team used common objects including a dropping golf ball, rolling marbles, a toy car, a pipe system, a falling hammer, an electric fan, and a pendulum to accomplish the goal. The machine ran as one of the team members played the Star Wars Cantina Theme music on his saxophone.
The MCIE Manufacturers’ Award included a tour of the California Steel Industries Plant, an invitation to attend and to exhibit their Rube Machine at the Annual Manufacturers’ Summit, on February 15, 2018 at the Ontario Convention Center, and a check for $250.
Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist best known for his zany invention cartoons. He was born in San Francisco on the 4th of July, 1883 and graduated from The University of California, Berkeley with a degree in engineering. His first job at the San Francisco Chronicle led to early success, but it wasn’t until he moved to NYC and began working for Hearst Publications that he became a household name. Rube Goldberg is the only person ever to be listed in the Merriam Webster Dictionary as an adjective. It’s estimated that he did a staggering 50,000 cartoons in his lifetime.
Rube Goldberg, Inc. is dedicated to keeping laughter and invention alive through the legacy of its namesake. Annual competitions, image licensing, merchandising, and museum and entertainment opportunities continue to grow and enhance the brand. At the helm is Rube’s granddaughter, Jennifer George, whose best-selling book on her grandfather, The Art of Rube
Goldberg, is now in its fourth printing. RGI is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 dedicated to promoting STEM & STEAM education for students of all ages.
The Manufacturers’ Council of the Inland Empire (MCIE) supports and provides education on manufacturing topics to manufacturers, employees, students, and the community. The Council provides a strong, unified voice when communicating with regional, state and national entities on issues impacting the region. Programming is designed to help manufacturers find solutions for issues including: employment and training, research, regulatory compliance, import and export, and funding.
