It's green, it works, and it has a name that most adults, let alone 13-year-olds, can't pronounce.
"I made a trebuchet, which is like a catapult because I was using a counterweight on one end with a sling on the other end to throw something," said 13-year-old Owen Alvine.
Owen and his brother, Ross, made this trebuchet last year for the Pavilion's Design Challenge. They won three of the four prizes.
"We just found different parts in our garage. The only thing we had to go out and buy was cement because we don't have cement laying around," said 11-year-old Ross.
"The process of engineering and design is not just getting in the shop and building it," said Drew Goedde, the Pavilion's Science Program Coordinator. "It's planning each step."
This year's challenge is the Battle of the Buoyant Boats.
"Put three, two liter bottles of soda in a boat and whoever can withstand the most weight wins," explained Owen.
Goedde has some advice for the adults helping the student competitors with the project.
"The best advice is just let the students go because they're going to come up with something really amazing and out of the box."
Owen and Ross already have some ideas up their sleeves. They won't reveal their secrets until the competition on Saturday, April 12th. They will, however, tell you what they want the outcome to be.
"To win."
The Design Challenge is free to enter. The deadline for registration is March 2nd. For more information go to the Washington Pavilion's website.
