Get geared up for Halloween with the Second Annual Jack-O-Launcher Competition on Oct. 24. Sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, this event invites students, faculty and staff to form a team to build a pumpkin launcher that is functional and attractive.
The launcher must hurl the pumpkin the farthest distance possible, while maintaining the accuracy to hit a stationary target.
Last year, 18 teams competed in front of over 300 onlookers – including the “Democrat and Chronicle.” Shots ranged from 25 to 211 feet.
Junior Jason Thompson, vice-chair of ASME enjoyed last year’s launch. “All the different designs, ranging from catapults to slingshots, launching pumpkins forward and backward certainly made for an interesting spectacle,” he said.
“This year we hope to have even more teams competing, and now that there is both an accuracy and distance competition, the designs should be even more creative,” Thompson added.
The event will start at 2 p.m. on the Wilson Quadrangle. For information, rules and registration forms, go to the Mechanical Engineering Office in Hopeman 235. To see their Web site, visit http://www.me.rochester.edu:8080/users/asme/.
