JPL Annual Invention Challenge - 2004

Welcome to the 2004 JPL Invention Challenge Results Gallery. Clicking on the entry numbers will provide notes from each contestant about what they invented, how they made it, and lessons learned from their invention. The title for this year's contest is the Bowling Ball Drop Contest. The objective of this year's contest was to create a device that moves an officially supplied 10-pound [4.5 kg] bowling ball from a 1.5-meter tall platform into a spring-loaded pan. The bowling ball must not crack, or in any other way, damage a raw egg that lies only 2 centimeters underneath the pan. The winner would be the contestant whose device accomplishes this task in the fastest time.

We gratefully acknowledge the efforts put forth by the student teams.

• Academy for Academic Excellence
• Alhambra High School
• Arcadia High School
• Artesia High School
• Belmont High School
• California Academy of Math and Science
• Costa Mesa High School
• Culver City High School
• Crescenta Valley High School
• Gabrielino High School
• La Canada High School
• Los Altos High School
• Manual Arts High School
• Polytechnic School
• Saddleback High School
• South Gate High School

If you would like to borrow a copy of the video of this year's Invention Challenge event, please phone Paul MacNeal at (818) 354-7824 or e-mail a request to paul.d.macneal@jpl.nasa.gov. Videotapes of earlier challenges are also available.

As organizer of this year's event, I would like to personally thank all of the volunteers who helped to make the event such a wonderful experience. We entertained more than 400 onlookers under a beautiful sky. A special thanks goes out to Randii Wessen for entertaining the crowd for nearly 1-1/2 hours. Plans for next year's event are already underway. The rules for the 2005 contest will be available at the end of August 2005.

Volunteer (Position)
Paul MacNeal (Organizer)
Alfonso Feria (Assitant to organizer)
Chris Landry (Referee)
Charlotte Breese (Assistant to referee)
Nancy Vandermey (Assistant to referee)
Randii Wessen (Announcer)
Coco Mariano (Check-in)
Carol Wong (Check-in)
Ken Hurst (Check-in)
Curt A Henry (Timer)
Kirk Breitenbach (Timer)
Laura M. McCullough (Timer)
Ian Crossfield (Recording Secretary)
Laura Needels (Recording Secretary)
Louise Hamlin (Area Monitor)
Fabien Nicaise (Area Monitor)
Greg Pomrehn (Set - up helper)
Richard Alvidrez (Set - up helper)
Shoumini Jeyarajah (Set - up helper)
Homer Hummel (Clean-up)
Charlotte Collins (Videographer)
Keith S. Novak (Videographer)
Dominick Miller (Photographer)
Kristan Ellis (Photographer)
Carol Lachata (Official Photographer)
Dave Taylor (Judge)
Glenn Beardsley (Judge)

4800 Oak Grove Drive
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Mail Stop 126-347
Located in Building 126-336
Pasadena, CA 91109

Paul MacNeal
paul.d.macneal@jpl.nasa.gov
Phone: (818) 354-7824