Student Eric Hyde preps "Shark Attack" a long slingshot-style pumpkin chunker, as judge Jonathan Hurst looks on. (photo: Makenzie Marineau)

The student chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers at Oregon State University held a “Pumpkin Chunkin” event on Friday, Nov. 12, near the OSU campus.

The event, in which engineering and non-engineering students built devices designed to throw pumpkins, took place on lower campus near 11th and Monroe Street.

Devices must meet certain specifications, and the competition allows students to display some of the techniques and skills they are learning in their engineering programs. Prizes were given for design, performance and safety, as teams compete to hit a target 50 yards away. Competitors got five consecutive shots and had to supply their own pumpkins.

For more information, visit the OSU ASME web site, at http://groups.engr.oregonstate.edu/asme/

Matt Chiasson preps his catapault during the Pumpkin Chunkin contest Nov. 12 on campus. (photo: Makenzie Marineau)