Contrapt Wisconsin STEM competition set for April 26 at Waukesha County Technical College

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PEWAUKEE, Wis. (Monday, April 15, 2024) – Rolling dice is a straightforward, simple task: a shake of the hand and a simple toss. But to do so in eight or more steps – and create a machine to complete the task – involves engineering, strategy, creativity, teamwork, planning and other skills. Enter, STEM Forward’s Contrapt Wisconsin contraption competition.

Waukesha County Technical College is looking forward to welcoming Contrapt Wisconsin for middle school students to campus on Friday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the College’s Anthony J. Natalizio Center. (A second event will be held at Milwaukee School of Engineering’s Kern Center on May 10).

Contrapt Wisconsin is STEM Forward’s engaging middle school “contraption” competition where students build a machine to accomplish a simple task (this year’s challenge – to roll dice) in a whimsical, complicated and complex way. It gives students the chance to work on skills involving engineering, simple machines, trial and error, project planning, physics, teamwork and creativity.  It also encourages them to consider pursuing careers in STEM-related fields.

“WCTC is excited to again partner with STEM Forward and host the Contrapt Wisconsin event on campus,” said Tim Alft, Ph.D., WCTC associate dean of Automation, Architecture and Apprenticeships. “By providing students with hands-on experiences like the machine competition at an early age strengthens their interest in STEM and gives them a better understanding of the wide range of careers available in those fields.”

Members of WCTC’s faculty will be among the professional engineer volunteer judges who will provide valuable feedback to students, and WCTC staff will lead campus tours to give participants a glimpse of the many STEM programs available at the College.

More than 100 students on 32 teams will be participating in the April 26 event at WCTC, on teams from the following schools:

•  Eisenhower Middle School – New Berlin
•  Waukesha STEM Academy – Saratoga Campus
•  Christian Education Leadership Academy – Pewaukee
•  Pilgrim Park Middle School – Elm Grove
•  St. Mary’s Visitation Parish School – Elm Grove
• St. Dennis School – Madison
• Kiel Middle School – Kiel
• Whitman Middle School – Wauwatosa
• Coulee Christian School – West Salem

Teams are required to give a verbal presentation of their contraption and run their machines multiple times for the judges. Awards will be given to the top five teams, and in addition, special awards will be presented for categories such as Most Innovative Step, Best Construction, Most Unique Machine and more.

“We are excited to be back at WCTC with a record number of schools competing in this year's Contrapt competition,” said Rich Merkel, executive director of STEM Forward. “It's always fantastic to see middle schoolers become excited about engineering and future STEM careers through participation in this program.”

To learn more about the machine competition, visit www.stemforward.org. To learn more about the many STEM-related careers at WCTC, visit www.wctc.edu/programs.