ENGINEERING STUDENTS CHANNEL THEIR INNNER RUBE GOLDBERG FOR UNIQUE CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENT

Students in Gregory Selby's Engineering 111 class at Old Dominion University spent time recently getting back to the basics of Rube Goldberg designs.

Selby, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology, wanted his students to experiment with the deliberately over-engineered machines designed to perform very simple tasks.

"The fundamentals of engineering still apply to these machines, as ridiculous as some of them may appear. Plus it's fun to put dominoes or Matchbox cars into a design, just to see if you can do it," Selby said.

Working in teams of three or four, the students attempted to design apparatuses that include at least 10 steps to move water from one cup to another cup. It was part of a weeklong project for the class. The students put their machines to work during class on Friday, April 15.

Some of the devices were free-standing, while others used the support of tables in the classroom, or even the walls. Supplies utilized by the creative young engineering students included DVD boxes, pieces from the game Jenga, tennis and beach balls, paper towel rolls, rulers and the aforementioned dominoes and Matchbox cars.

A Rube Goldberg machine is named after the American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer and inventor Rube Goldberg (1883 - 1970). The description has since expanded to denote any form of overly confusing or complicated system, not merely machines.