“Outlandish machines” designed by area fifth graders will be on display as Lincoln Land Community College hosts the 14th annual Springfield Area Fifth Grade Rube Goldberg Competition on Saturday, Feb. 29. The event will take place from 9:30 a.m. to approximately 2 p.m. in LLCC’s Student Union on the lower level of Menard Hall. There is no admission fee and the public is invited to attend the competition.

A Rube Goldberg device, such as the board game “Mousetrap,” is an “outlandish machine” designed to complete a certain task through a number of complex steps. Area fifth graders are currently developing their own unique Rube Goldberg devices for this year’s competition.They receive assistance from engineer volunteers who visit classrooms and provide instruction on machines and engineering in general, along with suggestions for their “secret” Rube Goldberg.

The purpose of this event is to introduce children to the idea of pursuing a career in engineering or closely related field.  It is the only Rube Goldberg program in the nation specifically aimed at elementary age school children. This year, 11 teams are participating from Dubois Elementary, Fairview Elementary, Graham Elementary, Our Savior Lutheran, Rochester Intermediate, Springfield Christian, and Trinity Lutheran – Springfield. This year’s competition involves building a Rube Goldberg that through at least 10 different steps, must stack a minimum of three items representing the components of a possible hamburger sandwich.