Hempfield students take 2nd in Carnegie Science Center competition

Hempfield students might not have traveled down a long and lonesome highway, but they did take inspiration from musician Bob Seger’s song “Turn the Page” to help them clinch second place at the Carnegie Science Center’s STEM competition this month.

The Chain Reaction Contraption Contest brought together 215 students from 28 high schools in the Pittsburgh region to build a machine that accomplishes a simple task within 20 or more steps. The contraptions, which could not use electricity from a plug to power the steps, often relied on mechanical power.

This year’s theme was “Turn the Page,” meaning teams had to create a contraption that turned something over.

“The way the group decided to do it was to build a jukebox, so originally their plan was to get a record and flip the record and then play it and then one side would have the Bob Seger’s version of ‘Turn the Page’ and the other side would have the Metallica version of ‘Turn the Page,’ ” said adviser Tom Harden, a chemistry teacher at Hempfield Area High School.

For months, a team of nine students worked to create the contraption that had a 45 record fall onto a lever platform. The platform rotated, causing the album to flip onto a record player. In the final step, the record player, made from a flower pot, began to spin. In all, the project took a combined total of 300 hours to complete.

The team presented the contraption at the Carnegie Science Center on Dec. 10. Prior to the competition they were required to submit preliminary design drawings, progress photos and videos and reports that document their contraption’s evolution. Judging of the projects were based on functionality, complexity and creativity in achieving the task.

This year, Hempfield placed behind Cambria Heights High School in Cambria County. The school’s project was titled “The Office,” which completed a series of steps using paper clip ramps, a mouse trap, dominoes and common office supplies to turn a notebook page.

In addition to taking second place, Hempfield also received the award for best presentation.

Hempfield traditionally has placed well at the Chain Reaction Contraption Contest. The last two years the team took first place.

In 2019, students presented “Ab’rube’cadabra,” a contraption that performed a card trick. In 2020, when the event was virtual because of the covid-19 pandemic, students presented the “Rubesonian of Inventions,” a museum-based contraption that payed homage the the previous 19 contest tasks in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the competition.

“They did really well, they put a lot of time in,” Harden said.