Scholarships that target students interested in engineering provide an excellent way to help pay for the rising costs of higher education. Since engineering scholarships are plentiful and come from a variety of sources, such as corporations, non-profits, foundations, institutions, and governmental bodies, future engineers have a host of opportunities available to them.

Below is a list of the engineering scholarships we’ve found, as well as collections that other websites have compiled. (NOTE: Links go directly to scholarship pages.) Unless otherwise noted, the scholarships are related directly to engineering. You can use the navigational links below to jump to individual sections.

ASEE | Collections | Companies | Government | Non-Profits | Universities

Administered by the American Society for Engineering Education

• NASA AERONAUTICS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM – Undergrad and graduate awards, internships, support.
• NAVAL RESEARCH ENTERPRISE INTERN PROGRAM – Intern research program with Office of Naval Research.
  
• SMART SCHOLARSHIP – Undergrad and graduate, $25,000 – $41,000, internships, support, and more.

Collections and Lists

• EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY-FLORIDA – A short list of sources for finding scholarships.
• FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION – A collection of scholarships and grants, as well as search websites.
• FIRST ROBOTICS – Large list of scholarships associated with participation in the FIRST Robotics Competition.
• NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS – Scholarship repository: corporations, organizations, regional, pre-college, alumni, etc.
• SCHOLARSHIPS.COM – Good list of names and descriptions of engineering scholarships; does not provide application information unless you register and pay.
• UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI – Database of science and engineering scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN – List of national and internal scholarships.

Companies and Corporations

• AES ENGINEERING – $500 scholarship, high school seniors and higher.
• BMW – Renewable $1,500 scholarship.
• CATERPILLAR – “Engineers for Tomorrow” scholarship program.
• GENERAL MOTORS – Scholarships, for minority groups especially.
• INTEL – Science Talent Search competition, $7,5000 – $100,000 college money for winners.
• NORTHROP GRUMMAN – Engineering scholars program, $2,500 per yer for four years.
• RAYTHEON – Scholarships.
• XEROX – Minority group scholarships, undergrads, $1,000 – $10,000.
• YANMAR AMERICA CORPORATION – Renewable $1,000 scholarship; partnership with SAE.

Government

• CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Scholarships and awards.
• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE – List of scholarships, including SMART.
• ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Civil engineering scholarship, $7,000.
• INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Scholarship, $3,125 per semester.
• KENTUCKY TRANSPORTATION CABINET – Civil engineering scholarship, $4,400 – $4,800.
• NASA – Aeronautics Scholarship Program: undergrad and graduate awards, internships, support.
• NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY – Stokes Educational Scholarship Program:  computer science, electrical or computer engineering.
• OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH – Internship for research, with ASEE administering.
  
• UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE – Scholarships and internships.
• VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Scholarship program, $3,500 per semester.

Non-Profit Organizations and Societies

• AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY – Scholarships for chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical engineering.
• AMERICAN INDIAN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SOCIETY – Range of scholarships, $1,000 – $5,000 per year for undergrads; $2,000 – $10,000 for graduates.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AGRICULTURAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERS – Awards, scholarships, student info.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS – Scholarships and fellowships.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEATING, REFRIGERATION, AND AIR-CONDITIONING ENGINEERS – Scholarships, grants, and aid.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS – Large list of scholarships, some internationally available.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NAVAL ENGINEERS – Scholarships, undergrads and grads.
• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS – Large amount of scholarships and awards for undergrads and graduates.
• THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY – Awards, grants, and fellowships.
• GREAT MINDS IN STEM – HENAAC Scholars Program. Goal of more than $200,000 in scholarship funds available. NEW!
• ILLUMINATING ENGINEERING SOCIETY – Scholarships and grants.
• INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS – Scholarships and fellowships. See also: IEEE Computer Society $2,000 scholarship.
• INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERS – Large amount of scholarships and fellowships.
• KOREAN-AMERICAN SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS ASSOCIATION – Scholarships, undergrads and grads.
• MATERIALS RESEARCH SOCIETY – Scholarships, fellowships, and internships.
• THE MINERALS, METALS, AND MATERIALS SOCIETY – Range of scholarships, $2,000 – $5,000.
• NATIONAL ACTION COUNCIL FOR MINORITIES IN ENGINEERING – Pre-engineering scholarships, related fields, $1,500.
• NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR AMATEUR RADIO – Range of scholarships, $500 – $5,000.
• NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS – Scholarships; must be paid, active member.
• THE OPTICAL SOCIETY – Fellowships, grants, and two scholarships.
• SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS – Scholarships, high school seniors to Ph.D. See also: Siegel Service Technology scholarships for Montana residents.
• SOCIETY OF MANUFACTURING ENGINEERS – Scholarships for high school students, undergrads, and graduates.
• SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS – Scholarships and fellowships.
• SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS – Range of scholarships, $1,000 – $10,o00.
• SPIE – Scholarships: optical engineering, available internationally.
• TAU BETA PI – Engineering honor society Maryland scholarships.

Universities and Colleges

The absence of a school on this list does not mean that it has no engineering scholarships. Some schools offer scholarships to students only after they have applied. Contact institutions or engineering departments directly to learn if aid is available and what policies are in place.

TIP: For links to lists that contain different types of scholarships, try using your internet browser’s Find function (ctrl+F in Firefox) and searching for the word “engineering.”

• ALFRED UNIVERSITY – Various scholarships.
• AUBURN UNIVERSITY – Scholarships divided by engineering type (use left-side list of types to navigate).
• BAYLOR UNIVERSITY – Sizable list of scholarships.
• BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships and awards.
• BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY – Large list of mixed field endowed scholarships with many for engineering.
• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY-FULLERTON – Academic Catalyst for Excellence Scholarship: up to $2,000 per semester for seven semesters, other benefits.
• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY-LONG BEACH – In-house and affiliated scholarships.
• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY-SACRAMENTO – Table of scholarships.
• CALVIN COLLEGE – Mixed list of scholarships.
• CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY – Blog of scholarships.
• CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK – STEM scholarships; (scroll down to appropriate section).
• CLARKSON UNIVERSITY – Engineering scholarships, including for participation in Project Lead the Way, and awards.
• CLEMSON UNIVERSITY – Science and engineering scholarships; (click “Restricted” circle).
• CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY – Mixed scholarships, includes engineering.
• DARTMOUTH UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, awards, grants, and programs.
• DREXEL UNIVERSITY – Mix of specific scholarships, providers, and scholarship search engines.
• EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY-FLORIDA – General information on internal scholarships offered, list requires sign-in.
• FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY – College of Engineering scholarships (hit search without entering any fields to see all scholarships). See also: College of Engineering Sciences, Technology, and Agriculture scholarships.
• FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY – Two scholarships in list: Hicks Scholarship Endowment and Milton and Gladys Meisner Scholarship Fund.
• FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY – Scholarship listing (click departmental links for each list).
• GANNON UNIVERSITY – Engineering-based scholarship range: $500 – $3,000.
• GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY – Scholarship search engine, use keyword: engineering.
• GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY – General information about GWU scholarships, includes engineering.
• GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Internal and external scholarship information.
• GROVE CITY COLLEGE – Engineering scholarship, $2,500 (scroll down).
• HARVEY MUDD COLLEGE – President’s Scholars Program features engineering component.
• ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Mixed list, contains engineering.
• INDIANA UNIVERSITY-PURDUE UNIVERSITY-INDIANAPOLIS – Major-specific scholarships for Indiana residents (scroll down to School of Engineering and Technology). See also: Non-Indiana Residents scholarships.
• IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, grants, and loans.
• JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY – Engineering scholarships under separate section and mixed in.
• KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information.
• LAMAR UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, $15,000 per year.
• LeTOURNEAU UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, computer science and electrical engineering.
• LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information.
• LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information, organized by departments.
• MARSHALL UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, internal and external.
• MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, Engineering Dean’s Top Scholar Award.
• McNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, engineering.
• MIAMI UNIVERSITY OF OHIO – Scholarship, paper science and engineering.
• MILWAUKEE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING – Scholarship list, mixed internal and external.
• MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship list.
• MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information.
• NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Two engineering scholarships in mixed list.
• NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information.
• NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship list and information.
• NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information and contacts.
• NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY – List of scholarships by department.
• NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships and outside resources.
• OHIO UNIVERSITY – Large mixed list, contains engineering.
• OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• OREGON INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Mixed list of scholarships, includes engineering.
• OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information, multiple levels.
• PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY – Search-able database, select “Maseeh College of Engineering and
  Computer Science.”
• POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE OF NEW YORK UNIVERSITY – Scholarship and grant information.
• PURDUE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and awards. See also: Purdue Civil Engineering.
• RICE UNIVERSITY – Engineering scholarship (in mixed list), renewable $6,500 – full tuition.
• ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Scholarship in mixed table list (scroll), $6,000 per year.
• SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, .doc format.
• SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY – List of scholarships by engineering major and information.
• SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY – Dean’s Scholarship contains engineering.
• SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, engineering.
• STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK – Environmental, paper science and engineering scholarship.
• STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Mixed scholarships, including engineering.
• STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, Women in Engineering (scroll down).
• SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY – Mixed scholarships, (use right-side list).
• TEMPLE UNIVERSITY - Science and engineering fair-related scholarships (scroll down).
• TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY – Scholarships information (use links to go to individual lists).
• TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships.
• TRINITY UNIVERSITY – Several engineering scholarships in mixed list.
• UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SANTA BARBARA – Scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI – Scholarship search engine (select engineering college).
• UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO-BOULDER – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY – Dean’s Scholarship includes engineering, $14,5000 per year.
• UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE – Toyota Scholarship (scroll), minimum $14,000 per year.
• UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I – Search engine, large list of scholarships (keyword: engineering).
• UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON – Information on automatic engineering scholarships, interns program.
• UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO – Large list of scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-CHICAGO – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF IOWA – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY – Scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE – Scholarships, information, and contacts.
• UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE – Scholarship information (scroll).
• UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND – Scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS-AMHERST – Scholarships, must be enrolled in engineering college.
• UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA – College of Science and Engineering scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN – Scholarships, information, and external list.
• UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE – Large list of scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA – Scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS – Dean’s Scholarship.
• UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA – Scholarships and information.
• UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND – Scholarship and contact information.
• UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS – Scholarships, endowments, and funds.
• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA – Scholarships, undergrads and above only.
• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA – Scholarships, separated by department.
• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA – Scholarships for currently enrolled students.
• UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE-CHATTANOOGA – Scholarship search (keyword: engineering).
• UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC – MESA Scholarship, $2,500 – $4,200.
• UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO – Large list of scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF UTAH – Range of scholarships.
• UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON – Scholarship information.
• UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON – Scholarships and information.
• UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships.
• VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC AND STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY-ST. LOUIS – Scholarships and fellowships, including full tuition.
• WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information.
• WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, general and by department.
• WESTERN NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE – Scholarships in mixed list.
• WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.
• WIDENER UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information and free laptops program.
• WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.

Know one that you don’t see here? See a broken link or error? Email us.

IMAGE: flickr – stevendepolo | CC 2.0

Like our new magazine cover? Snatch up the 44″ x 25″ poster

What do the blockbuster movie Avatar, high-performance sports gear, the Angry Birds phone app, and pollution-eating bacteria have in common? They are among a host of fascinating innovations developed by engineers and featured in the newest edition of the American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Engineering, Go For It magazine.

The publication is now available in our online store. You can find a free preview of the magazine here.

The kid-friendly magazine is part of ASEE’s campaign to inspire more K-12 students, particularly young women and underrepresented minorities, to pursue engineering careers. Illustrating how engineers make a difference in the world, the new edition includes:

• Stories featuring robots that imitate animals, Hollywood special effects, clean energy innovations, and technological advances giving athletes a winning edge.
• Engaging profiles on an array of engineering careers and disciplines.
• Fresh, cutting-edge examples of engineering innovations that are transforming fields from aerospace and medical care to architecture and materials science.
• Interviews with eight students currently participating in the Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship sponsored by the Department of Defense and administered by ASEE

In addition to producing a print magazine, eGFI blogs weekly for students and teachers, and can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

The Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program is an opportunity for students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines to receive a full scholarship and be gainfully employed upon degree completion.

Participants in the SMART Scholarship for Service Program receive:

• Full tuition and education related fees
• Cash award paid at a rate of $25,000 – $41,000
• Paid summer internships
• Health Insurance reimbursement allowance up to $1,200 per calendar year
• Book allowance of $1,000 per academic year
• Mentoring
• Employment placement after graduation with the Department of Defense

The SMART Scholarship for Service Program is open only to citizens of the United States, and students must be at least 18 years of age to be eligible. For more eligibility information click here.

Applications for 2011 open on August 15 and will close December 1 2011.

Website: http://smart.asee.org/

Image: RDECOM/Flickr

On August 5, 2010, the San José copper-gold mine near Copiapó, Chile collapsed, leaving 33 men trapped more than 2,000 feet below ground.

Sixty-nine days later (a record period of time for surviving underground), all 33 of the miners were rescued.

The miners spent 17 days underground before making contact with the outside world. But once they did, engineers had to race to devise an escape shaft that could reach so deep underground – and safely, without harming the men trapped below. In the meantime, teams of rescue specialists worked to make sure the miners stayed healthy and fed.

U.S. engineers from NASA and the Chilean Navy formed an international effort to design the rescue capsule – a bullet-shaped steel vessel 21 inches in diameter that raised the miners one by one up an escape shaft barely wider than an average man’s shoulders.

Rescue workers test the capsule before putting it to use

The capsule had an oxygen supply, a video link, a reinforced roof to protect against rock falls, and an escape hatch with a safety device to lower the miner back down if the capsule became stuck. The capsule even had sunglasses for the miners to wear so that they would not be blinded by their first exposure to sunlight in ten weeks.

Initially, engineers in Chile estimated that it would take four months to drill an escape shaft so deep underground. However, by widening an existing tunnel, engineers were able to reach the miners in only two months. Once the operation commenced, it took between 30 minutes and an hour to bring up each miner, and all were greeted with loud applause and the smiles of their ecstatic family members.

Luis Urzua (left), the last miner out of the rescue hole, sings the national anthem with Chilean President Sebastian Piñera (right).

Chilean President Sebastian Piñera has dismissed top officials of Chile’s mining regulatory agency and has vowed to increase safety standards and protect his country’s work force.

In the days following the accident at the San José mine, 18 mines were shut down and another 300 may be ordered to close. The San José mine is currently closed and may remain so for an extended period of time.

Image: HUGO INFANTE/GOVERNMENT OF CHILE

The Jwaneng diamond mine in Botswana is the richest diamond mine in the world, producing roughly 14 million carats of gems a year.

When deepening excavations revealed a harder geological ore body at the Jwaneng mine, more powerful crushers were requested to reduce large rocks into smaller ones and differentiate the diamonds from other raw materials such as rock ore.

Instead of proposing larger models or crushers, which would have been a conventional solution, IMS Engineering modified the existing crusher’s design and technology to create the high-performance Kawasaki Cybas cone crusher.

The new crusher has a throughput capacity of 600 tons per hour, which means it is capable of cutting through the nine million tons of ore and 37 million tons of rock waste produced at Jwaneng each year.

The upgraded crusher is especially convenient because it fits perfectly on the existing foundation and exerts 50 percent more power than the previous model.

Check out the video to see a cone crusher in action:

Image: Swamibu/Flickr

Diamond from mining

By now you’ve heard of wind and solar as potential sources of clean energy, but how about looking beneath the surface? Earth’s fiery core reaches temperatures of up to 9,000° F, and much of that heat could be harnessed for fuel. According to a 2007 geothermal study conducted by the Energy Department, the New York Times reports, geothermal power may “produce as much as 60,000 times the nation’s annual energy usage.” It could also prove a more environmentally friendly solution than other energy sources.

Geothermal plants work by using networks of pipes and wells to pump scorching hot steam and water to the surface, which then powers electricity-generating turbines. Here’s an animation that explains how geothermal plants produce energy:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Currently, power derived from the earth’s core accounts for only .5% of U.S. energy production. To increase that usage significantly, the biggest challenge for current and future engineers is to find safe and efficient ways to draw heat from deeper beneath the earth’s crust. And that could be tough. Because earthquakes originate well below the surface, seismologists are concerned that such a move could trigger a massive quake. If this danger could be circumvented, however, future geothermal developments would be significantly less land-intrusive than both solar-thermal plants and wind farms.

A geothermal power plant in Iceland

Today, the city of Paris, France heats over 170,000 buildings with Earth power, while Northern California is home to the world’s largest geothermal energy plant - The Geysers. An ambitious new project aims to use The Geysers to produce enough power to fuel over 15,000 homes in the next few years.

Learn more about renewable energy.

More great news for all you future engineers: chances are good that you’ll soon be bringing in the benjamins. According to a recent survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, graduates of engineering programs have higher starting salaries than those of any other discipline, Business Week reports.

Here are their stats for the top 10 best-paid majors:

Petroleum Engineering: $86,220
Chemical Engineering: $65,142
Mining & Mineral Engineering: $64,552
Computer Science: $61,205
Computer Engineering: $60,879
Electrical/Electronics & Communications Engineering: $59,074
Mechanical Engineering: $58,392
Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering: $57,734
Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering: $57,231
Information Sciences & Systems: $54,038

Seems like these days the best way to beat the recession might be to become an engineer.

If you haven’t heard already, this week (Feb. 14th-20th) is National Engineers Week. We at eGFI couldn’t be more excited, and hope that you’ll join the festivities. Many schools and universities across the nation have special events planned. If you’re near DC, you can visit us at Discover Engineering Family Day (Sat. Feb. 20 at the National Building Museum), where engineering daredevil Nate Ball will be demonstrating his ATLAS Ascender. Swing by the eGFI table and enter to win a free iPod Touch!

In honor of E-Week, we bring you some fun videos of Rube Goldberg Mechanisms: complex, whimsical machines that have inspired engineers for over a century. Rube Lucius Goldberg (1883-1970) was a cartoonist, inventor, and engineer who became famous for his drawings of comically complex inventions that perform simple tasks. Goldberg graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Mining, and briefly worked as a water and sewage engineer in San Francisco before becoming a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist. His most popular comic character was Professor Lucifer Gorgonzola Butts, an inventor with a penchant for creating silly machines (you can find some examples here).

Here are some of our favorite Rube Goldberg mechanisms from Youtube (there are plenty more to be found):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Every year Purdue University holds a Rube Goldberg Machine Contest, with this year’s challenge being to build a machine that pumps hand sanitizer using a process of at least 20 steps. This video shows some entries from the 2009 competition:

Click here to view the embedded video.

So why make a Rube Goldberg machine? Aside from being zany fun, Goldberg mechanisms are great for teaching yourself physics principles and gaining some hands-on engineering experience. Try making one for your next science fair and be prepared to awe your classmates.

Image: stevendepolo/Flickr

Discover Engineering Family Day

If you liked the previous blowing-things-up-with-dynamite video we posted, you have to see this one. A team of detonation experts prepares the flashy destruction of a Las Vegas casino, the result of which is truly spectacular.