WAHPETON, N.D. — (November 20, 2012) — North Dakota State College of Science and RDO Integrated Controls, RDO Equipment Co.’s positioning division, announced a new partnership agreement today that will provide land surveying and civil engineering technology students the opportunity to learn on state-of-the-art industry equipment valued at $225,000.

RDO Integrated Controls will provide the College with the latest field equipment to be used for the academic year free of cost. RDO Integrated Controls will also provide free faculty training, support and setup. The equipment will be returned each May and replaced each August by RDO Integrated Controls with updated equipment to be used for the next academic year.

“This partnership has been created as a recognition of the importance of industry partnering with institutions of higher education to assist in preparing the next generation to succeed in the workforce,” stated Adam Gilbertson, General Manager of RDO Integrated Controls Northern Region. “We have worked with NDSCS for many years in our John Deere business and we are excited to begin this new partnership with the land surveying and civil engineering programs at the college.”

“NDSCS is privileged to announce this innovative partnership with RDO Integrated Controls,” said Dr. John Richman, NDSCS president. “As an industry leader, RDO Equipment Co. understands the value of educating the state’s future workforce with the latest equipment.”

Current equipment on loan includes the following:

Two Topcon Imaging Stations: Worth $47,400 per unit, these impressive robotic total stations have 3D scanning capabilities. The robotic portion of the station allows one student to run the instrument and the pole robotically to collect topographic features or to stake out features such as buildings, roads, sidewalks, utilities, etc. The imaging portion of the station allows students to collect data on things such as a stockpile of gravel to determine volume.
Three Topcon GPS Base/Rover Systems: Estimated at $23,900 per unit, these global position systems use satellites to give a position on the earth’s surface.
Eight Tesla Controllers with Magnet Software: Worth $7,190 per unit, these hand-held touchscreen computers control both the imaging stations and the GPS units.

Miscellaneous Equipment: Also included in the one-year equipment loan were five Topcon tripods, five range poles, eight Tesla mounting brackets and updated office software to process data.

“This exciting new arrangement with RDO Integrated Controls will give our students important hands-on experience with the latest land surveying and civil engineering technology out there today,” said Jeff Jelinek, Associate Professor of Land Surveying and Civil Engineering Technology. “Some students don’t see this caliber of equipment until after they become employed. NDSCS students will be one step ahead of the game—getting to experience and work with this type of equipment on a daily basis will really give them an advantage in their field.”

The Land Surveying and Civil Engineering Technology program at NDSCS is designed to prepare students for work as engineering and surveying technicians in construction-related industries, allowing graduates to work in a broad range of jobs such as surveying, drafting and material testing. Upon graduation, students can be employed with state, county and city engineering offices as well as private agencies such as consulting engineers, land surveyors and construction contractors. In 2011, there were more than eight jobs reported for each Land Surveying and Civil Engineering Technology graduate. For more information visit ndscs.edu/academics/civil.

NDSCS is a two-year, comprehensive college with a residential campus located in Wahpeton, N.D., and a commuter location, referred to as NDSCS-Fargo, located in north Fargo, N.D.†NDSCS offers degrees, certificates and diplomas in over 80 academic options in traditional career and technical studies as well as liberal arts.†The College also offers a variety of distance education and online courses.† Approximately 99 percent of graduates are employed or pursuing additional education.

Unlike most two-year colleges, NDSCS in Wahpeton boasts a university atmosphere with over 20 affiliated student clubs and organizations, music groups, theater productions, intercollegiate athletics, intramural athletics and numerous social activities.†

For more information, visit ndscs.edu.†Follow NDSCS on Facebook at facebook.com/ndscs and Twitter at twitter.com/ndscswildcats