Black & Veatch sponsored event at Museum at Prairiefire promotes STEM education
Teams of students from eight area schools and the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization will compete on March 4 in the Division 1 Regional Rube Goldberg Machine Contest® at the Museum at Prairiefire in Overland Park. Sponsored by Black & Veatch, middle school age students will build a Rube Goldberg Machine™. It’s a crazy contraption which accomplishes a simple task in the most complicated and funniest way possible. This year’s task is: Apply a Band-Aid®. The contest is free and open to the public.
This is the second year in a row that Black & Veatch has sponsored the competition. The company is the exclusive engineering partner for the 2017 Rube Goldberg Machine Contest (RGMC).
“This contest is an entertaining way for students to apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills. This hands-on learning opportunity is very applicable for students interested in careers in STEM-related areas including vital infrastructure projects and smart cities development.”
Lori Kelleher, Chief Human Resources Officer for Black & Veatch
Kansas City area teams are competing in the Division 1 competition for students ages 11-14. They are from Indian Woods Middle School, Harmony Middle School and Oxford Middle School in Overland Park, Kansas; Big Brothers Big Sisters, New Mark Middle School and Center School District in Kansas City, Missouri; Trail Ridge Middle School in Gardner, Kansas; Mill Creek Middle School in Lenexa, Kansas; and Merriam Park Elementary in Merriam, Kansas.
Team sizes range from four to 10 students. The competition begins at 9 a.m. in the Museum at Prairiefire, 5801 W. 135th Street. The winner of the Black & Veatch regional competition is eligible to compete, with all other regional winners, in the Live Finals for the RGMC Division 1 Championship title on March 25 in Columbus, Ohio.
Editor’s Notes:
- The Indian Woods Wolves team won the 2016 Kansas City area championship
Media Contact Information:
GEORGE MINTER | +1 913-458-8001 P | +1 913-972-8811 M
MinterGA@bv.com | 24-HOUR MEDIA HOTLINE | +1 866-496-9149
CARSON CURRY | +1 913-333-3519 P | +1 913-967-9154 | carson@museumatpf.org
About Black & Veatch
Black & Veatch is an employee-owned, global leader in building critical human infrastructure in Energy, Water, Telecommunications and Government Services. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people in over 100 countries through consulting, engineering, construction, operations and program management. Our revenues in 2018 were US$3.5 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and in social media.
