Three dimensions, six sides, infinite possibilities

If it wasn’t for junior Oliver Miller, MU Cubed wouldn’t exist. Not only is Miller the president and founder of the organization, he’s also the president of the university’s League of Geeks.

Miami University’s Cubing Association provides an outlet for any student with a love for solving Rubik’s cubes, or anyone wanting to learn without having to peel the stickers off.

Miller started the organization two years ago when he was a first-year. Arriving on campus, he noticed there wasn’t a club that catered to people interested in solving Rubik’s cubes and similar types of puzzles. After going through the process of finding an advisor and drafting a constitution, MU Cubed came to life.

Today, a consistent group of about 10 to 15 people attend the weekly Thursday meetings. Most of the attending students are either completely new to “cubing,” or mostly new to the hobby, looking to become more experienced.

Miller welcomes the new members with open arms.

“We’re more about teaching than coming in and trying to race somebody and show that you’re better than them,” Miller said.

A typical meeting usually lasts two hours. MU Cubed provides members with all of the puzzles it has in their collection, which ranges from 125 to 150 puzzles. These include intricate versions of Rubik’s cubes, such as puzzles called “kilominx” and “pyraminx.” Similar to Rubik’s cubes, the goal of the puzzles is to get the object back to its original shape.

The majority of the meeting time is spent trying to solve various puzzles, with certain members teaching techniques and tricks to successfully solve them. Some participate in races with one another to see who can solve a certain puzzle the fastest.

Occasionally, members spend time peeling the stickers off the cubes. In a process called “sticker modification,” new stickers are placed on a certain cube in order to change the overall makeup of the puzzle.

In an effort to devote more time to the creative process behind solving cubes, the organization purchased a 3D printer to produce unique puzzles. While these aren’t made at the meetings, members are given the opportunity to try their hand at solving them.

Juniors Corey Eisenberger and Katie Lueckel come to every weekly meeting to try their hand at mastering the cubes.

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Both members have been a part of the organization since their first year and hold officer positions within MU Cubed. Eisenberger serves as the treasurer and Lueckel as secretary.

Miller recruited them to join their first year and even taught Eisenberger how to solve a Rubik’s cube.

“I didn’t know if [the organization] was gonna work at first, honestly,” Eisenberger said, “To start out, it was just our friend group.”

However, once the club became official and began to receive funding, momentum picked up. At this year’s SEAL Awards, the organization won “Outstanding New Student Organization.”

Although the majority of the original members still remain on the executive board today, MU Cubed is branching out, even selecting a first-year as their new vice president.

The executive board will most likely hold their positions through the end of the year, but they’re currently trying to find other members to take their place. Eisenberger and Lueckel say they’ll continue to come to the meetings until they graduate.

“I couldn’t imagine not going to cubing club,” Lueckel said.

cioffism@miamioh.edu