SAN ANTONIO — Leftover Halloween pumpkins were put to good use in the University of Texas at San Antonio’s (UTSA) annual Monster Mash Pumpkin Smash.
The festive and educational competition involves engineering students competing to see who can launch the furthest pumpkin.
It’s a slow wind up, for a quick release.
“It's an event that I'm really hyped for every single year. At times I would say it might be the highlight of the year, “ said Aaron Garza, UTSA senior in mechanical engineering.
The students work the entire semester to build a trebuchet (a type of catapult), testing it to see how far they can launch a pumpkin.
UTSA Klesse College of Engineering Dean Dr. Eric Bray says the competition helps students use what they learn in class for real world situations.
“The skills they're kind of developing around managing the project, working with others on teams and really addressing an open ended problem is something that really helps them certainly build bonds with one another, but also engage in projects that are more similar to what they'll do in the professional world,” Bray said.
The winners in this competition get to bring home a check for $1,000 that they get to spend within their student organization.