Students rush to classes in the new Applied Science and Technology Building, while workers rush to finish the $3.5-million complex. The grand opening of the building is slated for the last week of April.
Located behind the Ray Ellison Center and next to the Ozuna Learning Resources Center, the brightly colored two-story building provides labs and classrooms related to Electro-Mechanical Technology, Engineering, Engineering Technology, Computer Information Technologies, and Manufacturing.
Vibrant colors cover the walls and floors in the AT Building, enhancing a learning environment that will provide better training to current and future workers of San Antonio.
It is anticipated that employers in the surrounding area will send their staff to the AT Building to receive extra training as well as degrees in the fields they are currently employed in.
The near completion of the AT Building gives Palo Alto College the opportunity to greatly improve the curriculum dealing with the Electro-Mechanical Technology degree program, which combines electrical and mechanical devices for automated systems that are being used today in manufacturing and product testing.
Frank Quijano, lead instructor in the Electro-Mechanical program, said, “This building has a major part in enhancing the Electro-Mechanical program. Before this, I had no equipment, no labs and no space.”
The new technology that is included in the labs allows the students to get hands-on experience with things such as electronics and hydraulics, which relate directly to on-the-job situations.
“We try to provide the students with a little bit of theory and a lot of hands-on practice,” Quijano added.
The new technology within the labs allows the students to do things like build their own engine and test it to see how well it works. They can also get a better understanding of how hydraulics work and what its exact purpose is. None of these things were possible prior to the AT Building being built.
“I think it will be great once they are finished and tweak the bugs they have so far, “ said Barbara Nutter, a sophomore at Palo Alto College majoring in Liberal Arts.
Small things such as room numbers and basic supplies have not been added to some classrooms in the building, and landscaping has yet to be completed around the building.
“The best [thing] is you do not feel real crowded in classroom. As for the worst, it still needs items and isn’t very clean most days. My math class still does not have a pencil sharpener, which I feel is an important item,” said Nutter.
Most seem to be satisfied with the outcome of the building. Sizes of the rooms as well as details like lighting and types of desks and chairs are all items that students appreciate.
“In the classroom I go to, it has comfortable, high-backed computer chairs and desks where two can be seated, “ said Julian Hernandez, a sophomore Computer Science major. “The classrooms seem really well equipped for their intended purposes. I’m excited to have more of my classes in this building in the future.”
Just recently, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration awarded Palo Alto a $1.5 million educational investment in response to the South Side’s need for more highly trained workers, which will help to even further enrich the education and training provided in the AT building. This grant will help to make the Electro-Mechanical degree program stronger and provide a positive learning environment for students as well as those already employed in related fields.
“I look at where we were at before, and it was a struggle. [Now we have] the labs, lecture halls and everything we need to deliver content to students in a good atmosphere,” said Quijano, who may be reached at (210) 921-5512.