• Invention Challenge Brings Student Engineers to NASA JPL Student teams competed in the 2025 Invention Challenge at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Dec. • The event pits middle and high school teams against each other as they try to get handmade devices to accomplish a task. • The 2025 Invention Challenge at JPL called on teams to build devices capable of moving about 2 gallons (8 liters) of water from a holding reservoir into a bucket about 16 feet (5 meters) away within 60 seconds. • Teams at JPL’s 2025 Invention Challenge built their devices with plywood, PVC pipe, duct tape, and even soda cans. • Now in its 26th year, the event brings teams of middle and high school students to the lab to compete with home-built contraptions. • Teenagers wielding power tools and plywood demonstrated their engineering prowess at the annual Invention Challenge at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on Friday.
Article Summaries:
- NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory hosted its annual Invention Challenge on Friday, drawing 18 middle‑ and high‑school teams from Los Angeles and Orange counties to compete in the “Bucket Brigade Contest.” Teams built handmade devices to move 2 gallons of water 16 feet in 60 seconds, meeting a strict rule set. Arcadia High School’s Team Still Water won first place with a 6.45‑second run, followed by Mission Viejo High’s Team Senior Citizens (6.71 s) and Santa Monica High’s Samo Seals (9.18 s). Four out‑of‑state teams also competed; retired JPL engineer Alan DeVault’s Team “Trial and Error Engineering” repeated its first‑place finish. Judges highlighted artistic, unusual, and creative entries, while JPL staff volunteers and Fire Chief Dave Dollarhide served as judges.
Sources: