Witches weren’t the only thing flying through the air this Halloween Season at The 12th Annual Pumpkin Launch on Oct. 27 at the Neusoft Technologies Field in Marietta.
More than 250 first-year mechanical engineering students in Kennesaw State University’s Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology participated in this academic assignment and competition.
The first-place team, coining the name “Sloppy Log,” launched their pumpkin a whopping distance of 393. Second place, “Houston We Have A Pumpkin,” reached a distance of 215 feet. The “Orange Ops” came in third place at 185 feet, according to a KSU news release.
The students learned the mechanics of projectile motion in class and then were tasked with designing and constructing catapults that would launch 10-pound pumpkins across an open field. They were judged on accuracy and distance.
“It was a pretty straightforward process. We had a good idea in mind,” first-year engineering student Mihailo Blagojevic said. “We just wanted to go big or go home. So we had a simple design, just max out everything and just go with the biggest weights.”
The mechanical engineering students were divided into teams and tested their catapults in preliminary competitions. The top 12 teams advanced to the Pumpkin Launch event.
Anticipation and excitement were in the air as students, faculty, competitors, and the local community walked to the field to watch the pumpkins take flight. Concessions were available and engineering student organizations had stations set up to showcase what they do. Onlookers stood on the perimeter of the field as close to the gate as they could to see how far the pumpkins were going to go.
“The Pumpkin Launch is an event I have been meaning to attend for a couple of years now, but now that I have it was pretty nice,” Anindita Deb, a junior in computer engineering said. “ I enjoyed the launch and I also enjoyed looking around at the different tents.” Deb was also at the launch to host a station displaying the Society of Women Engineers organization.
The engineering students that participated in this competition were full of energy and were ready to showcase their hard work. Safely donning hard hats and orange vests, they launched their pumpkins, anxiously awaiting to see if their pumpkin would go the farthest across the field.
“In class, you don’t really talk to people but whereas here bonded the group together, so it was great, you know, hanging out with the bros and building this together,” said Blagojevic.
