Learn while Having Fun: Rube Goldberg

Hey girls! Anyone want to guess where I am for the summer? As a matter of fact, I’m working right here in State College! This past March, one of my professors asked if I was interested in doing a Research Experience for Undergraduates this summer with him. Basically, it’s an opportunity for undergraduate students to get a taste of graduate school before actually graduating. My professor is doing work with seismic isolation bearings, basically what you put under buildings to reduce building movement during earthquakes. After the earthquake in Japan recently, I think this was an extremely relevant research topic. So, what I’m doing for him is collecting data from all the past isolation bearings. Then next summer, he and his graduate students are going to test them at Buffalo University. In a way, I’m getting a graduate level course slowly over the summer without having exams on any of the information.

In many different ways, there are opportunities for you to learn while having fun outside of classes. One way I chose to learn this past year was to participate in the Rube Goldberg competition. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s like the game Mouse Trap. One thing triggers another thing which triggers  another and another until you have a set of over twenty steps that achieve a goal! My friend likes to say, “You make a simple thing complicated.” Check  out Penn State’s website for it!

Last year, I was part of the Society of Women Engineers’ team and our goal was to water a plant. Plus each team gets to choose a “theme” for the machine and ours last year was Toy Story. Although we only got third place at the Penn State competition, we had the time of our lives working together and trying to make a mouse trap trigger a gun which would hit a bucket of sand or find the perfect balance for Buzz Lightyear to hit an eight ball which would release a bunch of marbles. We had our setbacks but the outcome was worth it. Having all those little kids run up to you and ask how everything worked – that’s what it’s all about, inspiring the engineers of tomorrow.

Have a great summer and I’ll see you at WEPO!!


Melanie Perna is a senior majoring in Civil Engineering. She was previously a WEPOteer in
2008 and is now a mentor for WEPO 2011. This summer, she is doing research at the University
Park campus at Penn State. During the school year, she is involved with the Society of Women
Engineers and Campus Girl Scouts. If you want a tour from an engineering student this summer
or have any questions, feel free to e-mail her: map5319@psu.edu