This page is for a previous Design Challenge (Class of 2026). Please visit this page to select a more recent version to find updated details.

Information about the First Year Engineering Design Challenge for the Class of 2026.

Date: Saturday, February 11th (Spring 2023)

Time: 1pm to 5pm

Location: Science and Engineering Complex (SEC) Atrium

Design Challenge for Spring 2023: “Chain Reaction”

“Chain Reaction” machines (sometimes known as Rube Goldberg machines) have been a classic example of demonstrating the transfer of energy, laws of motion, and several other practical applications of engineering while providing creators with a hands-on making experience. Several teams of first-year students will be responsible for a “section” of the overall machine, with a triggering of section-by-section and overall collaborative goal of a start-to-finish system.

The total time provided to all teams to finish their contraptions will be 4 hours (arrive at 1pm and finish by 5pm). No prior knowledge or work required!

See what the Class of 2025 created last time!

REGISTRATION:

First-Year Students (Class of 2026):

First-Year Students can register individually (and be added to a team during the event) or as a team (up to 5 members) at the following link:

First-Year Students Register Here!

Mentors:

Upper-class students (undergrads, graduate students) or staff can register to be mentors during the event, helping and guiding the first-year students to successful solutions. Please use the following link to register (confirmation and more information will be sent to those who sign up):

Mentors Register Here!

SCHEDULE:

Sat February 11th from 1pm to 5pm

1:00 pm – 1:15 pmWelcome, Section/Area Assignments, Group Setup
1:15 pm – 2:00 pmStart Building (and First Check-In @ 1:50pm)
2:00 pm – 3:00 pmContinue Work (and Second Check-In @ 2:50pm)
3:00 pm – 4:00 pmContinue Work (and Third Check-In/Trial @ 3:45pm)
4:00 pm – 4:30 pmFinal Work Session (Final Tweaks)
4:30 pm – 4:45 pmShowcase! (2x Runs, with Reset)
4:45 pm – 5:00 pmDisassemble and Cleanup

PREPARATION:

No preparation needed! We will supply all the the materials and mentors to help you succeed. Just come with your energy, ideas, and enthusiasm and willingness to creately collaborate to innovate a solution to the problem!

Questions? Need more information? Contact SoE First-Year Coordinator Ethan Danahy at ethan.danahy@tufts.edu.

ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT:

This Design Challenge event is organized by/with generous support from:

Tufts University School of Engineering

Nolop Makerspace

Tufts University Center for Engineering Education and Outreach

Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts

Tufts School of Engineering First-Year Program

Return to the First Year Engineering Design Challenge overview page.