Kyle Lowe / The Collegian
With saw dust flying and band saws humming, agriculture mechanics students can be found in the agriculture mechanics laboratory creating a variety of wood shop projects suitable for common household use.
Some students have the opportunity to take wood shop as an elective class in their high school career, but at Fresno State, students can enroll in the introduction to agricultural mechanics class that teaches the identification of common tools and projects using wood and metal products ”” similar to a high school wood shop environment.
Students in this class are introduced to a variety of practices in the mechanics field, and they put them to use by creating several different projects once they become familiar with the different tools.
In the introduction class, students engage in interactive laboratories where they learn to use machines that cut wood and metal, alter the shapes or sizes of material, build objects with materials and eventually create a finished product that is often something they can use for practical purposes.
Each student is responsible for the creation of their own project, which leaves each student to actively utilize the tools and machines available in the lab. The class is a hands-on learning experience that teaches the basics of mechanics.
The introduction class is offered through the plant science department and is a requirement for students majoring in agriculture education.
Agriculture education major Jesse Silva is specializing in agriculture mechanics, and she finds this class to be valuable for her career development.
“This class is a good introduction to agriculture mechanics for students who are preparing to teach agriculture classes in high school,” Silva said. “It is good preparation in the event that they would need to teach it.”
The students learn not only how to create projects such as wooden toolboxes and dog food scoops, but also learn how to work with plumbing and electrical systems.
Professor Alex Alexandrou has been teaching agriculture mechanics at Fresno State for five years. He, too, sees the true value for agriculture education majors to engage in this introduction class for the hands-on experience.
“If an agriculture education student begins teaching and is placed with an agriculture mechanics class at a high school, they need to be oriented with the subject,” Alexandrou said. “Agriculture education students will need to teach vocational classes.”
Agricultural communications major Lauren Jenkins has found the class to be very useful because of the practical applications that are taught.
“This class teaches you the basics of agriculture mechanics, but we learn things like plumbing and electrical work, which is very beneficial in real life,” Jenkins said.
If a student enjoys the woodworking projects of the introductory class and is intrigued by the opportunity to engage in projects with more electrical projects, there are several classes offered through mechanized agriculture that provide education in the electrical field as well.
There is a class designed specifically for electricity and electronics, but also electro-hydraulics, power systems technology and several classes focused on machinery and engines.