Morgan Park lights up Illinois Rube Goldberg championship

ARGONNE, Ill. (April 9, 2005) — Morgan Park Academy, Chicago, today won the seventh annual Illinois State Rube Goldberg Machine Championship by building the most creative and reliable machine to remove both old batteries from a two-battery flashlight, install new batteries and turn the flashlight on in 20 or more steps.

Maine West High School of Des Plaines won second place, and Wilmington High School, Wilmington, took third.

Other teams competing were Milford High School, Milford, and Minooka Community HIgh School, Minooka.

Members of Morgan Park's championship team are Chris Brewin, Dan Cullina, Joe Gradle, Kevin Larson, Steve Marovitch, Ryan Rasmussen and faculty advisor Larry Brown.

Maine West's team comprises David Joyce, Sara Marlega, Mike Pennett, Lisa Rauschert and faculty advisor Phil Sumida.

Wilmington's team consists of Nick Cox, Barry Cunnings, Carrie Francis, Jessie Prunsky and faculty advisor Diann Heck.

This year's contest, sponsored jointly by Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Illinois, Urbana, was held at the university's Newmark Civil Engineering Building.

Morgan Park will receive the Argonne Science Award, emblematic of the Illinois High School State Championship for construction and operation of Rube Goldberg machines; $600 will be donated to the school's science program.

Maine West will receive a presentation certificate and a $400 donation to the school's science program.

Morgan Park and Maine West have also earned the right to represent Illinois in the second annual National Rube Goldberg Machine Championship April 29 at the Wisconsin Exhibition Center, State Fair Park, Wisc.

Wilmington will receive a presentation certificate and a $300 donation to the school's science program.

Milford and Minooka will each receive a $200 donation to their schools' science programs.

Past Illinois State Champions were Maine West High School, Des Plaines, in 2004; William Fremd High School, Palatine, in 2003, Plainfield High School, Plainfield, in 2002, 2001 and 2000, and Maine South High School, Park Ridge, in 1999.

For more information, please contact Donna Jones Pelkie (media@anl.gov or 630-252-5501) at Argonne or Jim Kloeppel at the University of Illinois News Service ( kloeppel@uiuc.edu or 217/244-1073).

"Rube Goldberg" is a trademark of Rube Goldberg Inc.