UC San Diego Keeps the Watermelon Drop Rolling

Slideshow Description

Twenty-five pounds of fresh watermelon rocketed through the air in honor of UC San Diego's oldest tradition, the Watermelon Drop.

The annual Watermelon Drop signifies the end of the academic year. Held on the last Friday of the spring quarter, a watermelon is dropped from the seventh floor of Urey Hall in an attempt to break a splatter record of 167 feet, four inches. A pageant is held each year to nominate a Revelle College student as Watermelon Royalty, who then drops the melon. Watermelon and cake are then distributed to community members gathered in Revelle Plaza.

This year's watermelon, dropped by Watermelon Royalty Arlene Nagtalon, shattered into a 75.5-foot splat.

This beloved campus tradition began as a class project in a physics class. Students were asked to determine the velocity on impact of a watermelon dropped from seven stories. Today, the Watermelon Drop serves as the perfect way to usher in summer.