Pumpkin Launch - October 31, 2009

The Pumpkin Launch event was put on by the Cal State Fullerton College of Engineering and Computer Science, along with the Discovery Center in Santa Ana and the Future Scientists and Engineers of America. The competition was open to anyone able to build a trebuchet (a medieval catapult) for the event. The teams launched 15-pound pumpkins onto the targets on the field, different targets allotted different points and the team with the most points after three shots won the competition.

About 3,000 individuals – mostly students ranging from kindergarten to college age – participated this year. This was the second time ECS hosted such an event.

One of the teams used a cannon that utilized pressurized air, and accidentally hit CSUF's Titan Scoreboard some 120 yards away. As a result, media coverage of the event increased this year to include references from MSNBC, articles from the Daily Titan, OC Register, KTLA, United Press International and three videos (found here, here, and here) found on YouTube.