Keeping them from turning into scrambled eggs, though, will be the challenge at the second annual Iron Egg Launch competition beginning at 10 a.m. April 29 on the athletic field across from Ball Memorial Hospital near the intersection of University and Tillotson avenues.

The event, hosted by Ball State University and the Purdue University College of Technology-Anderson/Muncie, is expected to draw 18 teams of high school students. Each team will construct a launcher and a container to protect the egg from cracking.

The eggs must survive not one, but three, flights, directed toward a bull's-eye 25 meters from the launch pad. Entries will be judged for accuracy, scientific calculations, cost of materials and how well the egg survives.

"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," said Dave Riegle, event coordinator. 

During the event, Purdue students will be demonstrating a trebuchet, a scaled-down version of a medieval catapult. They'll also demonstrate the trebuchet via a computer simulator.

The event will also promote Ball State's Manufacturing Engineering Technology and Construction Management programs and the Purdue College of Technology-Anderson/Muncie.