December 1, 2022
While planning AGC’s semester events, an idea emerged ? let’s build a catapult and launch pumpkins! We decided that we are the construction club, after all, so why not?? So, with the expertise and experience from Alec (our new E-Board member) combined with some internet research, we set out purchasing materials and designing our device.
Let’s rewind for a sec though. Catapults first appear in human history around 400 BCE, where they are used as weapons, shooting arrows, darts, and stones at the enemy. Catapults continue to be used in warfare, and they become a common weapon in the medieval period to siege castles and fortified walled cities. Among the various types of catapult, the trebuchet becomes one of the most powerful catapults employed in the Middle Ages. This device uses a counterweight to provide the force necessary to launch objects.
Fast forward to now, and we’re using this ancient technology to launch pumpkins at an educational institution. Cool, right?! Follow along with these photos to watch us build it:
What fun! We would like to extend our gratitude and a special thanks to the Maker Space and its staff; they were incredibly helpful and overall awesome people ????
After a few more additions, it was Halloween and we headed over to the Agricultural Learning Center and Student Farm on campus. Here are a few more photos!
OK, the moment you’e been waiting for… wanna see those pumpkins fly?? Check out the video we put together:
Overall, chucking pumpkins was an incredibly fun experience from start to finish, especially using the Maker Space, constructing the trebuchet with each other, and successfully launching pumpkins in the company of our friends, classmates, and professors. Thank you to the Agriculutral Learning Center for providing the space to launch our pumpkins, and those to all those who were involved in this project!!!