About 90 high school students will launch eggs Saturday to test how well they can throw an egg more than 25 meters without breaking it.
The Iron Egg Launch Competition, which takes place at 10 a.m. Saturday at the athletic field across from Ball Memorial Hospital, will provide the high school students an opportunity to apply their school work to a real project, Dave Riegle, event coordinator, said.
"It's a way that hopefully students will have some fun applying the things they are learning in classes." he said.
Each team will design a launcher as well as a container to protect the egg from cracking when it is launched over 25 meters at a target.
Judges will determine the winner based on accuracy, calculations and how well the egg survives the flight, Riegle said.
"Not only will the students learn how to take their ideas and bring them to life, but they'll also learn communication and teamwork as they create their launchers and containers, report on them and test them in a competitive setting," he said.
The program is to promote the Purdue University College of Technology-Anderson/Muncie and Ball State's Manufacturing Engineering Technology and Construction Management.
Pendleton Heights High School won last year's competition, taking home the traveling trophy.
This year, Pendleton Heights is sending two teams as well as a team of observing students who are trying to prepare for next year's competition, Marty Klipsch, technology education teacher at Pendleton, said.
The Pendleton Heights teams started preparing for the competition after their Spring Break near the end of March, he said.
The students' favorite part of the project was following the eight pages of rules for building and testing the egg launchers, he said.
The teams each got a sponsor to pay the $100 for the creation of their egg launch system.
Along with the actual egg launching test, each team must submit written reports that include the cost, project scope, intent, calculations, test data and graphs, Riegle said.
"It brings not just our department but the science department and math department together," Klipsch said. "It gets kids fired up and interested in learning. They have to put their minds to work."
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