JPL Annual Invention Challenge - 2005

The contest was held at JPL on December 2, 2005 under rainy skies. This year, the contest objective was to "Create a device that utilizes at least three different sequential and dependent actions from three different energy categories that will ultimately light an officially supplied wooden stick match exactly twenty (20) seconds after starting the device. The winner of the contest will be the person whose device accumulates the highest point total as outlined in the rules that follow."

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

• Academy for Academic Excellence/Knights
• Alhambra High School
• Arcadia High School/AV#2
• Arcadia High School/AV#3
• Artesia High School/Artesia 1
• Artesia High School/Artesia 2
• Artesia High School/Artesia 3
• Chaminade Middle School/Chaminade Eagles 1
• Chaminade Middle School/Chaminade Eagles 2
• Chaminade Middle School/Chaminade Eagles 3
• Costa Mesa High School/Pull My Finger
• Costa Mesa High School/The Plumbers
• Crescenta Valley High School/Constructive Chaos
• Culver City High School/Centaurs
• Dana Middle School/Deadly Match Society
• Frazier Mountain High School/Falcons
• Gabrielino High School/Aaron/Joseph/Andrew
• Granite Hills High School/Birds
• Granite Hills High School/Dihedron
• Jordan High School/The Destroyers
• La Canada High School/Disciples of Babylon
• Ollivier Middle School/The Splits
• Polytechnic School/The Oddballs
• Valley High School Inferno's

If you would like to borrow a copy of the DVD for this year's Invention Challenge event, please contact Paul MacNeal as mentioned above.

As organizer of this year's event, I would like to personally thank all of the volunteers who helped to make this event such a great experience. Despite rainy conditions, the contest was run smoothly and finished nearly on time. More than 250 students, teachers, and parents joined over 200 JPL employees to watch the contest. There were two large flat screen monitors that were showing a live feed of the contest under tents provided by Kim Lievense. I wish to thank Steve Bridges for providing the real time editing to show the contest. Thanks also go to Martin Perez for preparing and organizing the results page for the Invention Challenge. A special thanks goes to Randii Wessen for entertaining the crowd for nearly 2 hours and letting the students describe their own inventions.

Plans are underway for the 2006 contest. The rules for the 2006 contest will be available in mid_August 2006. To be added to the Official Invention Challenge mailing list, please send an e-mail to paul.d.macneal@jpl.nasa.gov.

Volunteer (Position)
Paul MacNeal (Organizer)
Carlos Brinoccoli (Set - up helper)
Chris Landry (Starter)
Christine Johnson (Recording Secretary)
Coco Mariano (Check-in)
Daryl Victor (Set - up helper)
Dave Taylor (Judge)
David Tseng (Assistant to field judge)
Dominick Miller (Photographer)
Erik L. Thiesmeyer (Photographer)
Fabien Nicaise (Field Judge 2)
Glenn Beardsley (Judge)
Ian Crossfield (Recording Secretary)
Jason Palmer (Safety Engineer)
Jean Cheng (Check-in)
Jess Soler (Photographer)
John Handy (Judge)
Julian Yee (Assistant to field judge)
Karen Bermeo-Beas (Check-in)
Kathy Kipfstuhl (Assistant to organizer)
Kirk Breitenbach (Timer)
Laura Needels (Timer)
Lisa Priester (Set - up helper)
Mark Kennedy (Official Videographer)
Michael Swanson (Safety Engineer)
Randii Wessen (Announcer)
Rich Alvidrez (Field Judge 1)
Rita Torres (Assistant to organizer)
Ryan C Woolley (Timer)

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