Using a plane table to map a section of Panoche Creek, team members (left to right) James Robinson, Janet Scott, Cindy Ortegon and Amy Rocha discuss strategy with Dr. Roland Brady, professor of geology.

Student-faculty teams find solutions for industry

by Mary Lisa Russell

When a company needs to solve a problem like reducing set-up time during production or researching a new product, the Clinic Program at Fresno State can help.

Housed in the School of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, the Clinic Program looks for problem-solving projects that allow students and faculty to interact with industries or agencies.

"This is a cooperative learning program that provides students with real world experience and our clients with a student/faculty team to help solve their specific problem," said Dr. Dianne Dickerson, program director and associate dean, Division of Graduate Studies. "The company benefits by having access to university resources to help find solutions."

Dickerson cited a recent project with Wawona Foods Inc. in Clovis, where a student/faculty team was asked to reduce the total fat content of its "Fruit A'Roo" product, a baked fruit pocket.

Students majoring in food and nutritional sciences worked during the semester and solved the fat content problem for Wawona.

Today, the "Fruit A'Roo" meets the low-fat criteria and the company has successfully incorporated its product into school lunch programs across the nation.

Another team of students majoring in industrial technology was selected to help Hughes Aircraft Company investigate an alternative thermally conductive adhesive for its Microwave Division. The team successfully completed the project in one semester.

Last year a team of students majoring in industrial technology helped Grundfos Manufacturing Inc. reduce the time it takes to change dies in the press area. At the beginning of the project, the process required 62.1 hours per week. After the two-semester project was completed, the team was able to reduce the time to 16 hours per week - a 75 percent time reduction.

Dr. Denis Bacon, faculty adviser, said this semester's team of students is surveying a section of Panoche Creek to create a map that identifies locations for plants as part of a demonstration revegetation plot. Sponsored by the Panoche/Silver Creek Coordinated Resource Management Plan Group, the ultimate goal of the project is to reduce flood damage in the area.

The United States Department of Agriculture awarded the Clinic Program a grant in 1995 to initiate the academic program. Recently it received a second grant to expand the program across the university.

Dickerson explained that faculty and students from any discipline can participate. "Projects to date have included teams from a variety of fields and we are inviting and encouraging other departments and schools to get involved," she said.

Clients told Dickerson that the Clinic Program has been a cost-effective alternative in comparison to other sources. The Clinic Program charges range from a $9,000 fee for a one-semester project to $17,000 for a two-semester project. The fee covers the cost of faculty supervision, program operating costs and some project expenses.

For more information about the Clinic Program, call Dickerson at ext. 8-5687.