Coaster teams pull out the stops

POTSDAM — Sometimes it takes a few twists and turns to make math and science fun.

That was the principle behind the tabletop roller coaster competition held Wednesday afternoon at Clarkson University, which pitted eight high school teams against each other in pursuit of a trophy.

Students' contraptions used a variety of materials to lift and loop marbles through a speedy roller coaster ride. Teams were scored on their theme, how long their ride took and how many twists it had.

"When they showed up, I was just blown away by what I saw. Some really took their theme and exploited it. I was surprised at the different resources students used. There was a garden hose, one with a wire loop and a bobsled funnel and lots of tubing. Each one is unique," said Katie R. Fowler, an associate professor of mathematics, who judged the competition.

The roller coaster contest was sponsored by the Impetus program, which is led by Clarkson and St. Lawrence-Lewis Board of Cooperative Educational Services. The program is designed to encourage students' interest in math, science, engineering and technology.

"They learn about math and physics — G-forces, centrifugal forces — while having fun. This program is a very good example of Clarkson's educational outreach activity," said Peter R. Turner, dean of the school of arts and sciences.

Emily A. Rust's team coaster was dubbed "The Wild Volcano Boom!" for the exploding crater emerging from the center of a series of curled plastic tubes. That was surrounded by palm trees and painted-on lava.

"We went through a lot of processes to try to find the right materials, so there wasn't too much friction. We did some math, and a lot of 'guess and check,'" the ninth-grader from Heuvelton Central School said. "I'm studying volcanoes in Earth Science, so we went from there and added jungles and stuff. It took us three and a half hours to decorate."

Ms. Rust's team had some competition from another group from Heuvelton. Its brightly colored device featured a gingerbread house with peppermints and chocolate wafers, and a fluffy cotton candy "mountain" dotted with lollipops.

"We just really like the game Candy Land," said eighth-grader Danielle B. Moyer. "We wanted to make it as fun as possible, with as many loops and curls as we could have. The decorating came last."

Canton High School's design took first place. The "Jungle Fever Adventure" coaster took the marble up and around a big model tree, which was surrounded by a forest full of plastic creatures.

The little lizards, lions and monkeys also attracted Ms. Fowler's 3-year-old daughter, Cassidy R., who tagged along for the competition and had a lot of fun playing with the device.

"The ultimate motivation is to show that math and science work together and have relevance in the real world," Ms. Fowler said.

Second prize went to Harrisville Central School's "Lightning Noodle" coaster. Colton-Pierrepont Central School took third place with a garden-hose design called "The Viper."