Kennesaw State Engineering Students Fling Pumpkins

MARIETTA, GA — This year's seventh annual Pumpkin Launch is sure to cause some oo's and ahh's with huge pumpkins flying through the air. The target is the size of a paper plate which, at 100 feet, is quite a feat of engineering. Luckily, the participants are engineering students.

Kennesaw State University's Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology is hosting the Pumpkin Launch, which is comprised of 29 teams of eight first-year mechanical engineering students.

The pumpkin launchers will be built by students under strict rules, according to a press release from Kennesaw State University. Launchers will be "purely mechanical," and can't use any chemical propellants or electrical power. This means that catapults, trebuchets, ballistas and slingshots will populate the field quite a bit.

The event consists of three contests, all involving eight- to 11-pound pumpkins: longest distance launch, most accurate launch and best-decorated pumpkin. For the accuracy contest, students are building their launchers to hit a one-foot diameter target from 98 feet away.

To check out the event, go to the field in between Howell and Norton Halls at Kennesaw State's Marietta Campus at 1100 South Marietta Pkwy. Safety checks begin at 1 p.m. and the first heat begins at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26.

For directions, go to http://www.kennesaw.edu/maps/docs/marietta_printable_campus_map.pdf.

Article image public domain via Pixabay