MARIETTA, Ga. | Oct 17, 2018

Annual competition will feature nearly 220 mechanical engineering students

Kennesaw State University students will test their engineering prowess on Thursday, Oct. 25 during the eighth annual Pumpkin Launch, as they use handmade human and gravity-powered devices to propel 10-pound pumpkins nearly 100 feet to hit a paper-plate size target.

WHO:

About 28 teams, each composed of about eight first-year mechanical engineering students from Kennesaw State’s Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology.

WHAT: 

Contestants must adhere to strict rules in designing and building their launchers, which may include catapults, trebuchets, ballistas and slingshots. The launchers are to be “purely mechanical” and may not use any chemical propellants or electrical power in the competition.

Students compete to see who can toss a pumpkin through the air the farthest with their engineering apparatus, as well as who can launch a pumpkin the closest to a 30-centimeter (12-inch) target 30 meters (98 feet) away. Pumpkins must weigh between 8 and 11 pounds and may be carved and decorated. Awards will be given for accuracy, distance and best pumpkin decoration. The event is free and open to the public.

WHEN:

Thursday, Oct. 25, 2:30 p.m.

First heat begins at 3 p.m.

WHERE:

Marietta Multipurpose Fields at Koger Drive

Kennesaw State University, Marietta Campus, 1100 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta, Ga. 30060

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

Public parking is available in the parking deck adjacent to Stingers.

Media will park in Lot P40 on Koger Drive.

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 45,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.