Math club creates pumpkin puzzle for Kenova Pumpkin House

Members of Marshall University’s Pi Mu Epsilon Math Club recently combined mathematics and Halloween creativity by designing a math puzzle for the Kenova Pumpkin House.

Students carved designs into 72 pumpkins to create the puzzle, which became part of the annual display at the Kenova Pumpkin House, a longtime West Virginia attraction known for featuring more than 3,000 hand-carved pumpkins each year. The Pumpkin House began in 1978 and serves as the centerpiece of the Ceredo-Kenova AutumnFest.

The project was supported by Department of Mathematics faculty Dr. Stephen Deterding,Dr. Clayton Brooks, and Professor Emeritus Dr. Bonita Lawrence, who joined students in preparing the display.

The collaboration gave students an opportunity to share their enthusiasm for mathematics with thousands of visitors while contributing to one of the Tri-State’s most recognizable fall traditions.