Class gives real-life experience
January 31, 2005
Senior agricultural engineering students are taking steps to advance in their field before they graduate, gaining lifelong skills in their senior design class.
“We refer to it as a capstone class,” said Jay Harmon, associate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering. “It ties all things together.”
Eleven projects are being designed and constructed in the senior design class. Several aspects of agricultural engineering are covered, and students are assigned to projects fitting their interests and career goals. Teamwork, developing realistic engineering designs and preparing for a career in the industry are all key components of the projects.
“Overall, it is the best class for what engineers do,” said Matt Anderson, senior in agricultural engineering.
Anderson is part of the Polaris Ranger project group. His team goal is to work with Polaris to develop an accessory for the Polaris Ranger, so owners of the utility vehicle have more options. The accessory would enable them to add attachments to the vehicle, such as a tiller.
Anderson said he has benefited from the project through gaining leadership responsibilities, teamwork skills and communication skills.
“All those skills are very important to the industry, and that’s what employers are looking for,” Anderson said. “We develop industry contacts.”
Students are gaining different skills that apply to their career interests.
“This is exactly what I want to go into when I graduate,” said Nick McGrew, senior in agricultural engineering.
McGrew’s senior design group is developing a product to break down sweet sorghum into ethanol. Sweet sorghum is a crop that breaks down more easily than corn to produce ethanol.
“You have a product a farmer already has, and you’re turning it into something useful,” McGrew said. “They’re going to make more money in the end.”
McGrew said his group has worked as a team to research the topic and collect actual samples of the product components.
“We’re all interested in the bio-renewable technologies,” McGrew said. “It’s been really fascinating.”
Jason Olmstead, senior in agricultural engineering, is working with Iowa State on the Elwood Wetlands Project.
“The thing I liked most about it is being able to take the knowledge and skills I learned at Iowa State and actually being able to apply them to a project that is here on campus,” Olmstead said.
Olmstead said the goal of the project is to learn more about wetland design and how it can be used to renovate storm water and water runoff.
“They are starting to design wetlands as a way to use the water and get some conservation practice out of it,” he said.
The wetland is located on the corner of Elwood Drive and Sixth Street. Olmstead’s group is responsible for designing two different proposals to control the amount of runoff.
“The team I’ve got is really good and they’re really excited about the project, which makes it that much better,” Olmstead said.
He said his group has strengthened its communication skills as a result of working together on this project.
“It’s been a good learning experience,” Olmstead said.
Todd Kruse, senior in agricultural engineering, said his project has been time-consuming but valuable.
Kruse’s project is to add features to an already-built autonomous vehicle. The robotic project will aid farmers in collecting more efficient, accurate data.
“Organization and teamwork were big in our group,” Kruse said.
He said group members gained experience in project planning and corresponding with professionals in the industry.
Harmon said students in the senior design class are treated like professional engineers in a company.
“I enjoy it because I see students blossom,” Harmon said. “I’m hoping that I give them experiences — a leg up for their first job.”