2008 Woodie Awards
Engineering class launches pumpkins
Natalie Johnson, Opinions Editor
Issue date: 11/14/06
Last Updated: 12/26/07
What do physics and pumpkins have in common? Just ask associate professor of physics Richard Stevens' engineering-orientation class. For the past three years, Stevens has asked his engineering-orientation class to build a mechanism with one goal: to launch a pumpkin farther than anyone else. This year's launch took place last Saturday.
Students were asked to employ basic physics and engineering principals to build their machines and were not allowed to use compressed gases, gunpowder, chemical reactions, or electrical power in their designs.
"The most common launching mechanism is the trebuchet, which uses counterweights to launch the pumpkin," said Stevens.
Past students have also created giant slingshots to launch the pumpkins and several groups have made catapults out of the large springs found in garage door openers. This year, the 20 students who entered the contest all chose to build trebuchets.
"I know in the past there have been some really crazy designs with springs and such," said freshman engineering student Dan Belet, "but I guess the majority of students have realized the benefits of a trebuchet."
Belet and his group of four spent about 10 hours researching, designing and building a 17-foot standard trebuchet, which he describes as "basically a medieval catapult."
Stevens' students must complete the assignment to pass the class.
"Normally the class is pass or fail but the group that shoots their pumpkin the furthest receives an A," said freshman Dane Knudson, who is also in Belet's group. "[It] helps with the grade-point average."
Stevens hopes that through this project, his students will learn what it is like to work with a team and develop a design using limited resources.
"These students are mostly frosh, and this project is intended to help them decide for themselves whether or not they want to become engineers," he said.
The day of the launch was chilly and coincided with the final football game against UPS. However, the flying pumpkins still caught the attention of KREM news, which ran a short piece on the pumpkin launching later that night.
Both Belet and Knudson had a very positive experience with the project.
"I have always liked to use my creativity and my hands while working on projects," said Knudson. "So this was the perfect project to go out and apply those skills."
Knduson and Belet's group, which included freshmen Dan Lewis and Craig Harris, had the farthest launch on Saturday of 182 feet to win the competition. Unfortunately, one of the other groups' trebuchets broke after their practice launch.
However, Belet said he would have wanted to participate in the contest even if he wasn't in the class and he didn't care about winning anything.
"It's about making the coolest trebuchet and obliterating pumpkins in the Back 40.? It doesn't get much cooler than that," he said. "I've also realized that this engineering stuff is pretty sweet."
Students were asked to employ basic physics and engineering principals to build their machines and were not allowed to use compressed gases, gunpowder, chemical reactions, or electrical power in their designs.
"The most common launching mechanism is the trebuchet, which uses counterweights to launch the pumpkin," said Stevens.
Past students have also created giant slingshots to launch the pumpkins and several groups have made catapults out of the large springs found in garage door openers. This year, the 20 students who entered the contest all chose to build trebuchets.
"I know in the past there have been some really crazy designs with springs and such," said freshman engineering student Dan Belet, "but I guess the majority of students have realized the benefits of a trebuchet."
Belet and his group of four spent about 10 hours researching, designing and building a 17-foot standard trebuchet, which he describes as "basically a medieval catapult."
Stevens' students must complete the assignment to pass the class.
"Normally the class is pass or fail but the group that shoots their pumpkin the furthest receives an A," said freshman Dane Knudson, who is also in Belet's group. "[It] helps with the grade-point average."
Stevens hopes that through this project, his students will learn what it is like to work with a team and develop a design using limited resources.
"These students are mostly frosh, and this project is intended to help them decide for themselves whether or not they want to become engineers," he said.
The day of the launch was chilly and coincided with the final football game against UPS. However, the flying pumpkins still caught the attention of KREM news, which ran a short piece on the pumpkin launching later that night.
Both Belet and Knudson had a very positive experience with the project.
"I have always liked to use my creativity and my hands while working on projects," said Knudson. "So this was the perfect project to go out and apply those skills."
Knduson and Belet's group, which included freshmen Dan Lewis and Craig Harris, had the farthest launch on Saturday of 182 feet to win the competition. Unfortunately, one of the other groups' trebuchets broke after their practice launch.
However, Belet said he would have wanted to participate in the contest even if he wasn't in the class and he didn't care about winning anything.
"It's about making the coolest trebuchet and obliterating pumpkins in the Back 40.? It doesn't get much cooler than that," he said. "I've also realized that this engineering stuff is pretty sweet."
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