Date: June 9, 2017 | 9:00am – 2:30pm
Location: Borough of Manhattan Community College Gymnasium | 199 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007

At the 2017 Student Design Charrette, teams designed, built, and tested the Rube Goldberg, a new roller coaster ride at Luna Park in Coney Island. During the event, fifth to eighth grade students were placed in small, mixed-age design teams, mentored by engineers and architects from some of the city’s leading firms. Each team used math and science concepts to design their roller coasters, which had to both attract riders and please investors. After passing a safety test, each roller coaster was judged on three criteria: speed (quickest time from start to finish), relative velocity (time/distance), and creativity (capturing the spirit of a Rube Goldberg Machine).

Photos from the 2017 Charrette:

Challenges from previous years include:

• Water Towers & Resistance: Constructing Spaghetti Water Towers to Withstand Earthquakes
• A Study in Span: Constructing a Bridge Using Spaghetti
• Withstand the Wind: Constructing a Tower of Cards to Withstand Lateral Force
• Spaghetti Structures: Designing a Structure Using Fragile Materials
• Modular Urban Skyline Structures: Designing a Skyscraper from Shipping Containers
• Green City: Designing an Eco-Friendly Community
• People-Friendly Public Spaces: Redesigning Times Square