Scrapheap Showdown Goes Green!

On October 21, 9 teams of students from Somerville High School gathered in “the cage” at Cousens Gym at Tufts University to compete in the third annual Scrapheap Showdown. All manner of interesting “junk” was in the center of the room when the students walked in and were given their challenge: to design and build a windmill. The teams had a half hour to learn about windmills and to plan before digging into the junk, building and testing. As the teams worked furiously, adult “techies” with power tools helped the creations move from design to completion.

Time was called after 2 hours, 40 minutes. Now was the time for the competition. Each of the nine machines was interesting to watch and different in design. The students' machines competed against each other, tested for their ability to generate power and do work. The challenge involved lighting a light bulb and lifting weights; and the points awarded for maximum work and maximum power were calculated by how much, how far and how fast the individual windmills could lift the weights.

The team with the highest overall score, the “The Melos” (Nelson Moreira, Theo Rich, and Jesse Stern), won ipod nanos with video donated by ESYL. Second place, “Three Stooges” (Jessica Dias, Paulo Filipe Dourado, and Monica Shah), won Red Sox tickets donated by Sam Voolich. Third place, “Brownies Bunch” (Christopher Brown, Giancarlo Cucurullo, and John Pires), won RedBones Barbeque gift cards donated by RedBones. Fourth place “Some Team” (John DelGreco, John Huang, and Derek Jackson) won gift cards donated by Mr. Crepe. This event was for both fundraising and an intellectual challenge--all funds raised go towards a Somerville Mathematics Fund scholarship for an outstanding Somerville mathematics student. Fundraisers extraordinare Kyler Evitt, and Rebecca Wood-Spagnoli won Newbury Comics gift cards donated by Bret Benesh, Malessa Glenn Haber, Christy Isakson, and Susan Weiss. All competitors and volunteers went home with Scrapheap Showdown teeshirts donated by Gerald and Debra Bickoff.

Designers of the challenge were Bret Benesh and Richard Graf. Cathy Cannan and Mary Sceppa, teachers at Somerville High School, recruited student teams. Sponsors of the event included Bent Electrical Contractors, Bonny Automotive, Central Bank, Second Wind, Winter Hill Bank, and our wonderful host, Tufts University. Various members of the Board worked on all aspects of organizing the event and worked to make it a success.

Junk was donated by people in Somerville and many businesses around the city and state. The extraordinary volunteers the day of the Showdown consisted of community members, scholarship winnners, and board members.

The Somerville Mathematics Fund, an affiliate of the national scholarship organization Dollars for Scholars, was chartered in 2000 to celebrate and encourage achievement in mathematics in the city of Somerville, Massachusetts. In early April, the fund will be seeking applications from students who reside in Somerville for college mathematics scholarships. Copies of the scholarship application form is available at www.somervillemathematicsfund.org

For more information, to volunteer or to make a tax-deductible contribution, please contact Erica Voolich (666-0666, evenings, or voolich@aol.com).
Erica Dakin Voolich, President
The Somerville Mathematics Fund, an Affiliate of Dollars for Scholars Chapter,
Winner of the 2003-2004 Golden Tassel Service Award
We celebrate and encourage mathematics achievement in Somerville MA.
http://www.somervillemathematicsfund.org Somerville Math Fund