Trimble and The Ohio State University have announced the opening of two state-of-the-art Trimble Technology Labs for the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University.
Both of the multidisciplinary labs will enhance the university’s hands-on learning, teaching, research and outreach activities in food and agricultural engineering, as well as construction management.
The two new Trimble Technology Labs provide students with access to leading agriculture and construction technologies used today by professionals in the industry.
With added hands-on learning opportunities, these labs will ultimately help a greater number of students prepare for their future careers. In the inaugural year, more than 1,000 students will have access to the labs for courses dedicated to the next generation of agriculture and construction careers.
“In recent years, farming and construction industries have faced crucial labor shortages and skilled labor gaps,” said Jim Chambers, vice president, agriculture, Trimble. “With the added technology in these labs, we’re looking to not only attract the next generation of agriculture and construction professionals, but we hope to attract a whole new subset of students looking for technology careers that may not have realized a career in agriculture or construction could be for them.”
Based on Ohio State’s campus in Columbus and Ohio State ATI at the CFAES Wooster campus in Ohio, these labs are the first Trimble Technology Labs to include Trimble agriculture solutions.
The centrepiece of the labs are customized training workstations that simulate the use of Trimble agriculture hardware and software in the classroom, including machine guidance and control, assisted steering, field leveling and water management systems. The workstations enable students to interact with technology in the classroom before they begin working with equipment in the field.
“The new Trimble Technology Labs help The Ohio State University lead the way when it comes to innovative agriculture education, research and outreach programs,” said Cathann A. Kress, Ohio State vice president for agricultural administration and dean of CFAES. “Not only does Trimble help the university in the classroom, but having such a well-respected agriculture partner engaged with the college opens a lot of doors within the industry for our students and community.”
In addition to students, the Trimble Technology Labs will benefit the greater farming community in Ohio and beyond. Ohio State University Extension, CFAES’ statewide outreach arm, will help support training programs to re-equip farmers and agricultural professionals with technologies that can improve productivity, increase efficiencies and drive sustainable farming practices.
The labs will not only be used for workforce development opportunities but also for faculty research purposes, local youth agriculture groups such as Ohio 4-H youth development, FFA and local field days. The labs will also offer opportunities for worker training outside of the usual university, for-credit courses by offering targeted workshops for certifications, appealing to current farm workers, local dealers or businesses in the industry.
The agriculture workstations include a combination of hardware and software to prepare students in agricultural sciences and engineering to use equipment in the field, including workflows such as guidance, autosteer, water management and application technologies. The workstations are designed to replicate what happens in the field.
Alongside the agriculture solutions, the labs include a broad range of Trimble’s industry-leading geospatial and construction solutions such as the Trimble XR10 HoloLens hardhat, robotic total stations, 3D scanners and GNSS systems.
Advanced software solutions include eCognition geospatial analysis software, RealWorks scanning software, TerraFlex Advanced GIS data collection, Trimble Access field software, Trimble Business Center Infrastructure Construction edition, Tekla Structures, Tekla Structural Design Suite, Trimble Connect collaboration software, Estimation MEP, FieldLink Office, Quadri, SysQue and the company’s popular and intuitive 3D modelling software, SketchUp.
