Charlie Brown, cover your eyes. Although the Great Pumpkin is not scheduled to appear at this years Pumpkin Drop, many of his peers will be making their last showing.
The West Virginia University College of Engineering and Mineral Resourcesannual fruit fling will begin at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 29, at the Engineering Sciences Building on WVU s Evansdale campus.
The event, sponsored by the West Virginia University Student Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, recruits young and old pumpkin pitchers alike. The challenge of the contest is to design containers that will protect the pumpkins from breaking as they fall from the 11-story building toward a target on the ground.
This is a great event to raise interest in engineering as a career for the school-age children who enter,said mechanical and aerospace professor John Kuhlman, who advises the WVU ASME students.And its a lot of fun for the crowd to watch and for the ASME students and WVU Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department staff who work to put the event on.
The team whose pumpkin lands closest to the target without going splat wins. There are cash prizes for the top three winners and a fourth 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.
A team of engineering faculty, staff and students will monitor the hordes of gourds for the listed criteria, as well as judge the surviving pumpkins on how close they land to the designated target.
Besides being a fun engineering event, the contest is a fund-raiser for ASME . There is a nonrefundable $10 entry fee, and proceeds will go to the Ronald McDonald House in Morgantown, which provides lodging for families of hospitalized children.
There will be engineering displays for interested viewers, and refreshments will be for sale at the event.
Because of the growing popularity of the contest, it has become necessary to limit the number of teams that will be allowed to participate. Only the first 150 pre-registered teams will be accepted to enter.
Interested persons can register for the contest through Monday, Oct. 25, by calling (304) 293-3111 ext. 2359. Letters of confirmation are sent out to teams as registration and entry fees are received. Check-in will begin at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Engineering Sciences Building.
Participants are asked to keep the safety of fellow contestants and observers in mind when designing their pumpkin protectors. Containers with heavy, sharp or protruding metal will be disqualified, as will any other containers that are judged unsafe. These decisions by the judges will be final.
The mechanical and aerospace engineering students are challenging other student organizations, individual students, and faculty from WVU , surrounding universities, colleges and schools to join them in this great fruit festivity. And rememberpumpkins plummet rain or shine!
More on the Net:www.mae.cemr.wvu.edu