[September 02, 2011] Ag in Motion's arrival gets students at Prescott thinking Tweet Sep 02, 2011 (The Modesto Bee - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Flies and mosquitoes magnified 400 times did not faze Modesto seventh-grader Joyclen Hernandez. "It's making me think I want to be a scientist one day," she said while visiting a mobile classroom to learn about entomology Wednesday. "It's really cool." The classroom, dubbed Ag in Motion, aims to get students interested in science careers related to food production. The Modesto-based vehicle was completed in June and made its first campus visit this week, to Prescott Senior Elementary School on Rumble Road. The 20 laboratory stations give students a 45-minute opportunity to learn about one of the subject areas, which include insects, DNA, seeds and photosynthesis. There is no cost to the schools. "This is absolutely amazing, to be able to take this technology and these lessons to all these students," said Tamara Convertino, a science teacher at Prescott who helped create the lesson plan on seeds. The vehicle was created by the people behind the Ag Science Center, an interactive museum planned for the Modesto Junior College West Campus. More than $250,000 in donations has gone into the project, which involved converting a 53-foot moving van into a classroom on wheels. The organizers hope to reach all 7,000 or so seventh-graders in Stanislaus County this year, then expand to other areas, perhaps with more vehicles. The lessons are tied to state science standards. Wednesday, that meant using microscopes to look at the mouths of flies, mosquitoes, butterflies and bees and learning how they are used for feeding and other functions. "The fly's mouth is really hairy," student Alexa Lomeli said. "It's pretty cool how you can see the insect parts," classmate Harvey Hundal said. "In my life science class I'm learning about it." Ag in Motion coordinator Jenny Stolle, who teaches the sessions, said she tries to convey that some insects are pests but others are helpful to farmers. The students also drew pictures of insect mouths and watched a video about careers in the field. The vehicle will visit four other schools this month -- La Loma in Modesto, Dutcher in Turlock, Cardozo in Riverbank and Chavez in Ceres. More information about Ag in Motion is at (209) 521-2902 or www.agsciencecenter.org. ___ (c)2011 The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.) Visit The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.) at www.modbee.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]