37th Annual ASME Pumpkin Drop

The annual Pumpkin Drop competition invites K-12 students to put their STEM skills to the test by designing a creative enclosure or apparatus capable of surviving an 11-story plunge. Co-sponsored by the WVU Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering and the university's student chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), this festive fall outreach event challenges teams to drop their custom-built protection devices from the roof of the Engineering Sciences Building. What originally started in 1988 as a small student project within WVU ASME has grown into a major regional tradition introducing hundreds of young minds to engineering principles like terminal velocity, momentum, and impact resistance.

The high-stakes competition awards prizes to the top entries whose pumpkins successfully withstand the impact and land closest to the designated target. Special recognition is also given to teams that showcase the most innovative and effective engineering designs. Beyond the competitive thrills, all event registration proceeds directly benefit the Ronald McDonald House Morgantown.