€¦ · web viewriverside, ca—may 26, 2016— if a picture is worth 1,000 words, a hands-on...

Cal Poly Students Learn from Yardney

RIVERSIDE, CA—May 26, 2016— If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a hands-on demonstration is

worth 10 times that. That’s how Dr. Franklin Gaudi, lecturer for the BioResource and Ag

Engineering department and project manager for the Irrigation Training and Research Center at

Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, California, describes the impact that direct

exposure to equipment has on students’ abilities to learn new practices.

For example, Gaudi notes the following about a demonstration unit of a sand media

filtration system that was provided in late 2015 by Yardney Water Filtration Systems in

Riverside, California.

“So far, we’ve used the unit four or five times in our university classes,” he says. “We

demonstrate how the actual tanks in the field backflush and we can draw it on a board, but

there is nothing quite like seeing it happen via the glass demo unit. It ties concepts together for

the students. We’ll use it more in upcoming classes.

“The biggest advantage is that we can demonstrate how the proper flow rate can effectively

flush the debris from the sand bed, compared to an excessively high flow rate that expels the

sand from the tank, or too low of a flow rate which means poor cleaning of the sand caused by

the media not lifting properly. This is key.”

It’s not just for current students to use. It helps prospective students make decisions.

“This hands-on demo unit offers a great way to get future students to consider the

engineering path, which is why we like to show it to them,” Gaudi says. “Because it’s visual,

they understand it. Plus, they see that there are control aspects that require a user interface,

which they like.”

-more-

6666 Box Springs Blvd. | Riverside, CA 92507 | T 951.656.6716 | F 951.656.3867 | yardneyfilters.com

http://www.yardneyfilters.com/default.aspx

http://www.itrc.org/

Helps university supporters, professionals

The Yardney demo unit is shown alongside many other donated pieces of equipment each

year during the university’s open house for industry partners, current and prospective students

and parents.

Others can take the demo for a test run, as well. The ITRC team uses it during Cal Poly drip

design classes for irrigation professionals.

“This aligns with our support for continuing education,” Chris Phillips, Yardney President,

says. “We offer educational sessions each year during World Ag Expo.”

Ongoing education efforts are integral to staying abreast of the latest developments in

agriculture overall, not just filtration technology.

“It is important that we stay current with the latest technology, or even a step ahead of it,”

Gaudi says. “We rely on the agricultural industry to help provide us with new demo units to

support our efforts. Students tend to remember equipment they used in classes. This means

they go to these familiar suppliers when it comes time to buy or recommend a product or

service once they’re out of school.

“We’re fortunate to have industry partners who recognize this and support us by sharing

their latest equipment and technology. It’s a win-win for Cal Poly, our students, agriculture and

ultimately, consumers.”

# # #


itrc.1.0516 Tyler Dickinson, an agricultural sciences major, at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, watches as water is filtered by a demonstration sand media filtration unit donated by Yardney Water Filtration Systems.


itrc.3.0516 Stefan Ayres, a wine and viticulture student, at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, adjusts controller settings on a demonstration sand media filtration unit donated by Yardney Water Filtration Systems.

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Media Contact: Rick Purnell [email protected] P: 760.464.0035 C: 760.799.5578


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