Competitions

Chain Reaction Contraption Contest

The Chain Reaction Contraption Contest (CRCC) is a spirited competition for students in grades 9-12 and is one of the exciting National Engineers Week events. The CRCC fosters an interest in engineering by challenging students to create a machine that will accomplish a specific task using a series of steps. The CRCC is sponsored by Westinghouse Electric Company, and presented in cooperation with the Carnegie Science Center and the Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania.

Under the guidance of an engineer mentor (optional) and a teacher sponsor, teams will:

Submit a preliminary design drawing.
Submit a series of progress photos that show the machine's evolution.
Build a machine that accomplishes the assigned task.
Demonstrate their machine and make a verbal presentation.

Each year, the contest task is announced in August.

The Chain Reaction Contraption Contest is held in December at Carnegie Science Center. It is on this day that the students will demonstrate their machine and make the verbal presentation.

The CRCC Official Handbook contains background information on the contest. It also contains information on the challenge, rules, important dates and forms. The handbook is available for download on the Forms page.

For more information, to register a team, or to volunteer to serve as a judge or engineering mentor, contact Lisa Kosick, Carnegie Science Center, 412‑237‑1534, or Chris Savinda, Westinghouse, 412‑374-2785.