Party Pipeline Adventure and a Chocolate Fountain

Shared by: UT Austin Women in STEM

Recommended Grade: 6^th, 7^th, 8^th

Challenge: Create a party pipeline that delivers a party snack (marble, marshmallow, ball, cheerio, anything, etc.) to the party people (or animals) who are at least 6 feet away. Use paper, toilet paper rolls, tubing, boxes or anything else to create your pipeline. The pipeline must not have more than a 10-inch change in elevation and must incorporate at least 3 changes in direction.

Recommended Materials: paper, toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, tubing, boxes, tape, marbles or anything that can roll or simulate the party snack

STEM Connections: Engineers have to figure out how to get transport food safely from one place to another. Pipelines and pipes and tubing can help move liquids such as milk into jugs or water into bottles for transporting to stores and restaurants

Engineers work in teams to calculate how big or long the pipes need to be, look at the science to figure out what materials will work best, consider the safety of transporting the materials, and more.

Check out this chocolate fountain moving liquid chocolate around:

Our 2020 high school summer campers worked on the same Party Pipeline Challenge. Check out some of their designs and fun failures in the video below: