Physics Phun Phact!
What's A Pumkin' Chunkin' Terp?

The Pumkin' Chunkin' Terps are a group of students -- from a variety of majors, including our own physicists -- that are planning to build a full size trebuchet machine to launch pumpkins across a field in Delaware. Huh? That's right. Every year, Millsboro, Del. hosts the annual World Championship Punkin Chunkin Competition and next fall 25 University of Maryland students want to enter.

The group, which is a bona fide University of Maryland student club, has already constructed a model apparatus (please see photo), but would like to complete one four times this size for the competition in Delaware. The current record is 660 feet, but these Terps think that, with the size of what they are proposing, they can catapult their pumpkin 4,000 feet.

Of course, to do this, they'll need your help. You can join the club and volunteer your time, no matter what your area of expertise. In addition to the science and engineering skills that the group used to develop the idea and the design, these Terps need help with everything from construction to marketing to fundraising to moral support.

If you would like to donate to the project or would you like to get involved in another way, please c lick here for more information or email Eric Horbey, the club's president.

Good luck Terps!