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Pumpkin Launch 2025

Engineering students celebrate 15 years with skill and spirit

By Kennesaw State University

October 24^th, 2025

As the autumn breeze settled across Kennesaw State University’s Marietta Soccer Field, second-year mechanical engineering students gathered to celebrate a milestone in campus tradition: the 15th annual Pumpkin Launch

What began as a modest student activity at the former Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU) has grown into one of the most anticipated fall events at Kennesaw State. The Pumpkin Launch is now a signature experience for students in the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology(SPCEET), offering them the chance to turn classroom concepts into creative, real-world applications.

The challenge remains the same 15 years later; students work to design and build a gravity-powered device capable of launching a 10-pound pumpkin as far as possible. It serves as the culmination of a semester-long project in which students design their launchers, complete safety briefings, and test their devices under faculty guidance.

This year, more than 130 students participated in the cherished tradition with Newton’s Nightmare etching its name into Pumpkin Launch history, earning first place overall with a launch of 342 feet. In addition to winning the distance award, the team also won the design efficiency award and creativity award. With this accomplishment, it is the first team in Pumpkin Launch history to sweep the award category.

Newton’s Nightmare team captain Oscar Garcia said the win was the result of weeks of design refinements and teamwork.

“I’m so happy, and this means so much to me,” Garcia said. “It just shows that all the work we put in really paid off. We were able to apply the things were learned in class to our trebuchet, and I’m very proud of the result. This has been a fun experience, because I love doing hands-on things. This is the reason I chose mechanical engineering as my major.”

Throughout the day, teams demonstrated their trebuchets, catapults, and other gravity-powered contraptions in front of classmates, faculty, and staff. Laughter, cheers, and friendly rivalries rounded out the atmosphere as each launch showcased a mix of precise engineering and creative problem-solving.

“Fifteen years of Pumpkin Launch is a testament to how powerful hands-on learning can be,” SPCEET Dean Lawrence Whitman said. “This event embodies what engineering education is all about applying knowledge, working as a team, and solving challenges together. It’s become part of our culture here.”

SPCEET Assistant Dean of Operations Cameron Coates said the event’s educational value extends far beyond the field, offering students an early opportunity to connect classroom lessons to practical engineering.

“Pumpkin Launch is more than a fun tradition; it's an opportunity for SPCEET students to apply what they are learning in a hands-on way,” Coates said. “They take fundamental physics and design concepts from the classroom and use them to solve open-ended problems without the usual lab constraints. That experience builds creativity, teamwork, leadership, and resilience, all of which are essential skills for their future careers.”

First Place Overall, Distance Award, Design Efficiency Award, and Creativity Award

Newton’s Nightmare: Robert Whittle Jr., Yesenia Belman, Brenton Dabney, Kyle Argo, John Cailing, Noah Allmon, Paola Rodriguez, Evan Grazzini, Beatrice Lehner, and Oscar Garcia

Second Place Overall

Fling Theory: CJ Brittan, Evan Brewer, Minassie Gebremeskel, Yusuf Mert Altin, TJ Hicks, Jaxon Nesbitt, Elijah Rioux, Jordan Herrington, Daniel Robles, and Brennan Anderson

Third Place Overall

The Pumpkings: Jack Deen, Andrew Jordan, Anthony LaVigna, Judah Harper, Hamaad Khan, Amar Patterson, Spencer Cline, Juan Pu, Jeremiah Gutierrez, and Sean Cauffiel

Sponsors for this year's Pumpkin Launch were:

Applied Technical Services

GeoSurvey

Henssler Financial

Southwire Spark

CROFT

Haag, a Salas O’Brien Company

Footnotes

Story by Raynard Churchwell | Videos by Matthew O’Neil and Philip Wirsig | Photos by Matt Yung and Darnell Wilburn | Page design by Raynard Churchwell

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FootNotes

Story by Raynard Churchwell | Videos by Matthew O’Neil and Philip Wirsig | Photos by Matt Yung and Darnell Wilburn | Page design by Raynard Churchwell