The annual Pumpkin Chuckin contest includes high school and college level teams who build pumpkin launching catapults and compete for distance and accuracy.
Budding scientists and engineers from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and area high schools will put their skills to the test during two public displays of ingenuity at the annual Pumpkin Chuckin contest Saturday, Sept. 29.The public is invited to watch the popular event during two separate competition times – 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Memorial Park in downtown Rapid City. All teams will compete in the first time slot and the top three during the 1 p.m. slot. The annual contest is sponsored by RESPEC and is part of the Great Downtown Pumpkin Festival.
SD Mines teams include representatives of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) and the university’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing Production (CAMP). Teams have designed trebuchets, or catapults, that will toss pumpkins high overhead in a competition for the most accurate and farthest flight.
The Society of Physics Students is a professional association that includes students and their advisers. Membership, through collegiate chapters, is open to anyone interested in physics. The SD Mines SPS chapter is active in several community events annually.
CAMP is a unique nationally-recognized program that brings together students, faculty and industry leaders to partner on hands-on real-world projects. Students participating in CAMP can be part of a team preparing for national competition by building alternative fuel vehicles, a concrete canoe, an unmanned aerial vehicle, or a mini Indy or Baja car, or working on projects involving robotics or hydrogen fuel cells.
For more information, visit: www.sdsmt.edu