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Smashing pumpkins for science! UTSA engineering students host Monster Mash Pumpkin Smash

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  Published in Science and Technology on Saturday, November 1st 2025 at 18:10 GMT by news4sanantonio

UTSA Engineering Students Smash Pumpkins and Physics Questions at Monster Mash

When most people think of pumpkin‑carving, they picture a lantern glowing on a porch. At the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), a group of engineering students turned a fall tradition into a science experiment, hosting a Monster Mash “pumpkin smash” that combined creativity, teamwork, and hands‑on physics. The event, featured in a recent UTSA News newsletter, highlighted the students’ ingenuity in designing a custom pumpkin‑crushing machine and provided a deeper look at how engineering principles can be applied to everyday challenges.

From Classroom to Workshop: The Birth of a Pumpkin‑Smashing Machine

The idea began in the first week of the fall semester when a cohort of mechanical and electrical engineering students met to brainstorm a unique project for their Capstone Design course. “We wanted something that was visually striking but also let us showcase our skills in structural analysis, sensor integration, and automation,” said senior mechanical engineering major Maya Lopez, one of the project leaders.

Using computer‑aided design (CAD) software, the team sketched a compact, four‑arm rig that would lift and smash pumpkins. The device incorporated a hydraulic actuator powered by a simple pump system, an angular‑velocity sensor to measure the impact, and a camera to capture the crushing moment. “The goal was to collect data on the force required to break a pumpkin’s shell and to compare different pumpkin varieties,” Lopez explained. To make the project relevant, the students sourced pumpkins from a local farmer’s market, ensuring a mix of sizes and textures for robust testing.

The hardware was assembled in the university’s Engineering Lab, where the team printed several parts on a 3D printer and machined aluminum brackets for added durability. They programmed the microcontroller using Arduino, allowing the machine to operate automatically and record sensor data to a connected laptop. “We spent weeks debugging the code to synchronize the pump, the sensor readings, and the camera,” said sophomore electrical engineering student Ethan Chang. “It’s a great exercise in real‑time control.”

The Monster Mash: A Community‑Facing Science Fair

The pumpkin smash event was scheduled for October 15, during UTSA’s annual “Monster Mash” festival that celebrates the fall season with music, food, and contests. The engineering students set up their rig in the campus parking lot, where they invited students, faculty, and local families to watch the machines in action.

Over the course of the afternoon, the rig smashed 47 pumpkins, each labeled by weight and variety. Students collected impact force data and displayed the results on a wall chart, illustrating how the force varied with pumpkin size and shell thickness. A live demonstration of the crushing process, recorded on video, was streamed to the UTSA news page for students who could not attend.

“Seeing the data in real time was amazing,” said senior civil engineering major Lisa Nguyen, who helped set up the sensor array. “It’s one thing to talk about forces in a lecture, and another to actually measure them in a fun, engaging environment.”

The event also featured a “best pumpkin smash” competition, where participants could design their own simple mechanisms to crush a pumpkin. The winning entry, a student’s homemade lever system, won a scholarship to the Texas Engineering Fair.

Educational Impact and Future Directions

Beyond the immediate spectacle, the project served several educational objectives. According to the Capstone Design course instructor, Dr. Mark Ramirez, the project required students to apply knowledge of stress analysis, fluid dynamics, and control systems—all core competencies in engineering education. “They had to justify their material choices, calculate the load distribution on the arms, and program a closed‑loop control system,” Ramirez noted. The project also fostered collaboration across disciplines, with mechanical, electrical, and software engineers working side‑by‑side.

The data collected during the pumpkin smash has now found a new home in the UTSA Department of Engineering’s research database. Students plan to use the findings to develop a predictive model for the crushing force of organic materials, which could have applications in agriculture and packaging industries. “We’re excited to see how this data could help farmers choose the right harvesting equipment,” Lopez said.

In addition to the academic outcomes, the event boosted UTSA’s engagement with the local community. By hosting the smash at a popular festival, the engineering department attracted new prospective students who were intrigued by the intersection of fun and science. “It was a great way to show people that engineering isn’t just about equations—it’s about creating real solutions that people enjoy,” Chang reflected.

A Look at the Wider Community

The Monster Mash event, beyond UTSA’s campus, is a staple in the city’s fall celebrations. The festival’s website, MonsterMashSANAntonio.com, provides a calendar of events and highlights community involvement. UTSA’s own news page—news4sanantonio.com—covers the festival each year, offering live updates and photo galleries. In this instance, the engineering students’ pumpkin smash earned front‑page coverage, drawing attention to the university’s innovative programs.

Conclusion

The UTSA engineering students’ pumpkin smash was more than a novelty; it was a testament to the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and creative problem‑solving. By turning a simple autumn activity into a rigorous scientific experiment, the team demonstrated how engineering principles can be applied to everyday challenges, engaging both the campus and the wider San Antonio community. As the university continues to host events that blend education with entertainment, the Monster Mash pumpkin smash will remain a standout example of ingenuity and teamwork in the 21st‑century engineering landscape.