The\u00a0Pumpkin Drop\u00a0is more than a fall favorite \u2014 it is a living example of what hands-on\u00a0STEAM education\u00a0can achieve. Students experience the\u00a0engineering design process\u00a0firsthand, learning how to problem-solve, collaborate, and iterate on their ideas while having a great time.<\/p>\n
The event invites students in grades\u00a03\u201312\u00a0to design and build protective devices capable of keeping a pumpkin intact during a dramatic\u00a010-story drop\u00a0from one of the\u00a0Huntington Fire Department\u2019s\u00a0tower ladders. Each team spends weeks planning, testing, and refining their design, applying real-world\u00a0science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM)\u00a0concepts to solve a creative challenge.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0June Harless Center\u00a0launched the inaugural\u00a0Pumpkin Drop Engineering Design Challenge\u00a0in 2022 as part of the\u00a0Marshall University Advanced Manufacturing Center\u2019s WV Makes Festival. Since then, it has become a highly anticipated annual event, inviting students from across the region to put their creativity, teamwork, and engineering skills to the test.<\/p>\n
With the continued support of the\u00a0Huntington Fire Department, pumpkins take flight each fall from a tower ladder while students cheer on their designs and celebrate the thrill of learning in action. The day is always a\u00a0smashing success, blending fall fun with authentic STEAM learning and showcasing the power of creativity, problem-solving, and innovation.<\/p>\n
As we look ahead, plans are already underway for the\u00a05th Anniversary Pumpkin Drop, which promises to be the biggest and best yet. Until then, stay tuned for details about another favorite hands-on challenge, the\u00a05th Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta, coming to\u00a0Marshall University\u00a0this summer.<\/p>\n
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The\u00a0Pumpkin Drop\u00a0is more than a fall favorite \u2014 it is a living example of what hands-on\u00a0STEAM education\u00a0can achieve. Students experience the\u00a0engineering design process\u00a0firsthand, learning how to problem-solve, collaborate, and iterate on their ideas while having a great time. The event invites students in grades\u00a03\u201312\u00a0to design and build protective devices capable of keeping a pumpkin intact<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":965,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-full-width.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-20","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/juneharlesscentersteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/juneharlesscentersteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/juneharlesscentersteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/juneharlesscentersteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/965"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/juneharlesscentersteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/juneharlesscentersteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":513,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/juneharlesscentersteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20\/revisions\/513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/juneharlesscentersteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}