Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California participated in their annual Halloween pumpkin-carving contest. The event, which coincided with JPL's 87th anniversary, allowed engineers to showcase their creativity and break free from their usual rules and processes. More than two dozen teams participated, using power tools, spray paint, and elaborate props to transform pumpkins into displays that paid tribute to popular culture and space exploration. The creations ranged from a Barbenheimer-themed 'atomic makeover' to a space octopus emerging from a Jupiter-colored pumpkin. The displays were judged, and the top six were awarded prizes.
In other news, NASA has revealed the winners of the Blue Skies Aeronautics Contest. The competition, sponsored by NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, aimed to engage college students in researching climate-friendly technologies and applications related to the future of aviation. The first-place prize went to the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona team for their project titled 'Aero-Quake Emergency Response Network.' Second place was awarded to Columbia University for their project, 'AVATARS: Aerial Vehicles for Avalanche Terrain Assessment and Reporting Systems.' The winning team from Cal Poly Pomona will have the opportunity to intern at any of the four NASA Aeronautics Centers across the country during the 2024-25 Academic Year. The story was reported by Aerotech News & Review and Mirage News.
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