MODESTO-

It’s been 15 months since the mobile laboratory “Ag In Motion” started touring the valley, supplementing middle school sciences classes. Over 20,000 students have sat in AIG’s stools and learned.

This week the lab is on Modesto’s Ustach Middle School campus. The first class on Wednesday is a seventh grade science class taught by Erica Amezcua; the students are learning about light. “No matter what part of the year you decide to have (AIG) come to your campus they have a ton of different labs,” Amezcua explained, “We can use what we’re doing in this class right now.”

In the age of budget cuts, AIG is a great resource. “Do labs that we probably wouldn’t be able to do in class because of materials and tools needed,” said Amezcua.

The National Ag Science Center Started AIG as a way to strengthen science class and introduce students to careers in agriculture.

Even though the mobile lab comes to a school campus and sets up just a few feet away from the classrooms; it becomes like a mini-field trip for the students, which engages them in learning.

“(The students have) been talking about it all week,” said Amezcua.

Abhi Shek was excited when he learned the class would participate, “It’s pretty fun coming out here. I imagined we’d get to do a lot hands on experiments instead of reading.”

When students are having fun they learn.

“I’m understanding the pigments better and how they reflect and refract off of objects,” said classmate Jonathan Altman.

AIG is provided at no cost to the schools, and is funded through donations. Next month AIG is expanding to Fresno.