THE MIT MUSEUM'S 11th Anniversary
Friday After Thanksgiving (FAT) Chain Reaction

Friday, November 28, 2008, 1 – 4 PM
Rockwell Cage Gymnasium
120 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA

Whether it's the reaction induced between one creative contraption and another equally crafty contrivance, or the joyful reactions sparked on the faces of the spectators, the MIT Museum's Friday After Thanksgiving (F.A.T.) Chain Reaction is a one-of-a-kind, got-to-be-seen-to-be-believed engineering feat.

Artist/inventor Arthur Ganson masterminds the choreography of this Rube Goldberg-machine, assisted by MIT student teams and participants who range from Girl Scout troops to artists and engineers. Spectators talk to the teams, engage in spontaneous contraption making (materials supplied on site ) and fill the seats waiting for the magic moment when all the machines are linked up setting off a chain reaction with a surprise ending.

A great family event – "kids" of all ages enjoy watching, playing and making things at F.A.T. Last year over 1,500 people attended this unique event - come on time to be assured of a place to watch. Your admission also gets you into the MIT Museum and the new museum store. Have fun!

Admission

$10 for adults
$5 for children (under 18), students and seniors
Free with MIT ID or children 5 and under.
Spectator fee includes a free same-day admission to the MIT Museum, which will be open until 6:00pm.

Guidelines for Teams

Admission:

• Teams:
  $10 per team of 4 participants.
  Additional team members, $5 each.
  Teams must register by November 17.
• Spectators:
  $10 for adults
  $5 for children (under 18), students and seniors
  Free with MIT ID.
  Spectator fee includes an additional one-time free entry to the MIT Museum, valid any time during the next 30 days.

Guidelines:

• Your link in the chain reaction should be no wider that 2', no taller than 4', and no longer than 6', should use no chemicals (baking soda and vinegar OK), no plug-in electricity (batteries and low-power DC OK), or use more than a cup of water.
• Your link must BEGIN and END by a string pull. Be sure that it takes no more force than the hanging weight of a golf ball moving 1" to start your link and ends by pulling a string AT LEAST 1" with enough force to lift a golf ball.
• Your link must be repeatable.
• Test your chain reaction before bringing it to the event.
• Make your event last AT LEAST 30 seconds and end in LESS THAN three minutes. Give your audience time to enjoy your event, be it funny, playful, clever, whimsical, or elegant.

Inspiration:

Your chain reaction could be as simple as books falling against one another or as complicated as a Rube Goldberg invention. Look at the Game MOUSETRAP.

Questions?

E-mail: museuminfo@mit.edu
or visit Arthur Ganson's F.A.T. Advice page.

Register!

• Registration Form in printable PDF format is available HERE for download.
• Please send payment with your printed registration no later than November 21, 2008.
• Register by phone! Call 617-253-5927 to register with payment by credit card.

The Day of the Event

Bring your chain reaction to Rockwell Cage Gymnasium (120 Vassar Street) at noon and we'll connect your device to others to make one grand chain reaction. MIT engineers and Arthur Ganson will be on hand to help. Participants will set up their links between 12–1 PM, then introduce their teams to the audience, demonstrate their links & tinker from 1–3 PM. We will set off our grand chain reaction at 3:30 PM.

Amenities

Free parking is available in the West Garage on Vassar Street across from Rockwell Cage Gymnasium, on the streets, or in the Windsor Lot on Windsor Street behind the MIT Museum. LaVerde's Market and the MIT Coop, located in the adjacent Stratton Student Center on Massachusetts Avenue, will be open. All facilities are wheelchair accessible.

And?

Don't forget to visit MIT Museum; the visit is free with the special F.A.T. admission. Check out Arthur Ganson's popular Gestural Engineering exhibition. The Museum will be open until 6:00 p.m. that day.

Videos

F.A.T. Chain Reaction 2007
F.A.T. Chain Reaction 2006

 

The Council for the Arts at MIT provides principal funding for F.A.T.