Fall 2002 Engineering Design Project

THE FALL 2002 WATER BALLOON LAUNCHER COMPETITION

Students in the fall 2002 Foundations of Engineering class designed, built, and tested water balloon launchers. The launchers were tested for both distance and accuracy. Propulsion was constrained to be elastic. No explosives or compressed gas was allowed. The target for the accuracy test was, by unanimous vote of the students, the instructor. Pictures of the competition appear below.

	TEAM "A". CLOCKWISE FROM THE LEFT: KAYLA MURRAY, RAJESH PATEL, ERIC ENDSLEY, AND CHANNING WARD.

TEAM "B". FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: JONATHON EUBANKS, CLARENCE EDWARDS, MICHAEL "THE INTIMIDATOR" HOOVER, AND JAMES SMITH. THEIR LAUNCHER WAS CHRISTENED THE "OSAMA STYLIST".

	TEAM B ASSEMBLES ITS LAUNCHER, WHILE MICHAEL HOOVER, NOT IN THE PICTURE, GRAPHICALLY DESCRIBES TO THE INSTRUCTOR WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO HIM DURING THE ACCURACY TEST.

RAJESH PATEL DOES ALL THE WORK WHILE THE OTHER TEAM A MEMBERS LOOK PRETTY FOR THE CAMERA.

	TEAM B LOADS UP IN HOPES OF DRENCHING THE INSTRUCTOR.

A HAPPY TEAM A LOADS THEIR LAUNCHER, CONFIDENT THAT THE INSTRUCTOR IS DEAD MEAT.

	THE INSTRUCTOR, OUTFITTED WITH THE LATEST COMBAT DEFENSIVE GEAR, BRACES FOR A DIRECT HIT.

THE TEAMS PROUDLY DISPLAY THEIR RIBBONS. TEAM A WON FIRST PLACE AND A BLUE RIBBON. TEAM B WON SECOND (AKA "LAST") PLACE. HOWEVER, THE COMPETITION WAS FIERCE AND THE FINAL RESULTS CLOSE.