Riddle me this: When is a pumpkin truly a squash?
Answer: After an unsuccessful fall 11 floors to the ground during the annual Pumpkin Drop at West Virginia University.

The College of Engineering and Mineral Resources15th annual fruit fling will begin at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 25, at the EngineeringSciencesBuilding on WVU s Evansdale Campus.

Gruesome gourd hurlers drop pumpkins from the top of the 11-story building to a target on the ground, hoping the objects stay intact when they hit the ground. The event is actually an engineering challenge to design a container that will protect the pumpkin as it free falls.

“The Pumpkin Drop is a fun way to get students interested in engineering,”said Don Lyons, a mechanical and aerospace engineering professor who coordinates the event.”It has grown in popularity so much that we have had to limit participants to the first 150 pre-registered teams.”

The participant whose pumpkin lands closest to the target without going splat wins, Lyons added. There will also be an award for originality of design.

The rules are simple: Pumpkins must be at least 10 inches in diameter, weigh no more than 60 pounds (protective structure included) and be free-falling (no bungee cords). The insides of the pumpkins may not be altered, and no Styrofoam peanuts or other small, non-biodegradable fillers are allowed. Engineering faculty, staff and students judge the event.

Besides being a fun engineering event, the Pumpkin Drop is a fund-raiser for the WVU Student Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the competitions sponsor. There is a $10 entry fee, and proceeds go to the Ronald McDonald House. Last year, the event raised $920 for the facility, which provides lodging for families of hospitalized children.

The Pumpkin Drop evolved from an educational engineering project in which students designed containers to protect falling eggs. It has grown over the years into a popular autumnal event for both participants and spectators alike.

In 1998, the competition expanded to Charleston, where public school students from that area fling pumpkins from atop the Capitol Complex. The fifth annual Capital City Pumpkin Drop will be noon Thursday, Oct. 24. The Education Alliance and Bayer Corp. Science sponsor the Charleston event, and WVU engineering faculty and staff serve as judges.

For more information about the Morgantown Pumpkin Drop, call 304-293-3111, ext. 2362, or visit the Web site atwww.mae.cemr.wvu.edu/. For more information about the Capital City Pumpkin Drop, call Michele Scott with The Education Alliance at 304-342-7850.