The Optimist
  • Home
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Policies
    • Staff Contacts
    • Jobs
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos
  • Features
  • Print Edition
    • The Pessimist
    • Special Projects
  • Police Log
  • Classifieds
You are here: Home / News / Engineering students build greenhouse for local rehab center
Engineering students designed and built a greenhouse for the West Texas Rehab Center. (Photo courtesy of Eric Hamilton)

Engineering students build greenhouse for local rehab center

May 4, 2017 by B. J. Maxwell Jr.

Four engineering students built a greenhouse for the West Texas Rehab Center as part of a class project.

The team worked to  relocate the center’s tower garden which is part of the pediatric food program, said Eric Hamilton, the project leader and a junior from Harker Heights. The team had a budget of $1000, but they saved money so the project only cost $638. The group spent more than 200 hours designing and building the 8-by-8 foot greenhouse. 

“We’re doing something with our department, rather than just taking classes and learning the books,” Hamilton said. “We’re actually taking that and applying it to real world situations and tackling a problem that they have.”

The group included Tad Kile, a junior from Richardson, Jamie Wright, a junior from Odessa, and Clay Abel, a junior from Austin. All four students were in the engineering Junior Clinic with  Dr. Tim Kennedy, executive co-director and assistant professor of engineering and physics.

Eric Hamilton hands the keys to the greenhouse to Amy Gibbs, a Pediatric Occupational Therapist for the West Texas Rehabilitation Center. (Photo courtesy of Eric Hamilton)

“One of his bigger goals with this class is not only to create a project to help teach the juniors how to go through the engineering design process,” Kile said, “but to also help give back, which is why all the projects that the class built were donations.”

Amy Gibbs, a Pediatric Occupational Therapist for the West Texas Rehabilitation Center, asked the group to relocate the garden to protect it from weather and regulate the temperature, Hamilton said. The food program allows children and teens to learn how to grow cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries and other plants.

Filed Under: News, Showcase

Other News:

  • Provost adopts new policy for emeriti faculty

  • Demolition begins on Sherrod residential apartments

  • ACU Gives exceeds goal, raises over $919,000

About B. J. Maxwell Jr.

You are here: Home / News / Engineering students build greenhouse for local rehab center

Other News:

  • Provost adopts new policy for emeriti faculty

  • Demolition begins on Sherrod residential apartments

  • ACU Gives exceeds goal, raises over $919,000

Follow us online

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Optimist on Twitter

Retweet on Twitter The Optimist Retweeted
optimistsports Optimist Sports @optimistsports ·
26 Jun

The United Athletic Conference is officially taking the place of the Western Athletic Conference in the 2026-2027 athletic year. The UAC is a joint football effort between the WAC and the ASUN but will now extend to all sports. #acuoptimist #acuathletics #wac #uac

Reply on Twitter 1938240320854008109 Retweet on Twitter 1938240320854008109 2 Like on Twitter 1938240320854008109 7 Twitter 1938240320854008109
Retweet on Twitter The Optimist Retweeted
ashleyh1607 Ashley Henderson @ashleyh1607 ·
3 Jun

My second year at ACU was full of opportunities that grew me as an individual and a journalist.

In my first year as editor in chief of @acuoptimist, we published six print issues, filmed a 3-hour live election show, and revamped our newscast, all while producing news weekly.

Reply on Twitter 1929734328445178254 Retweet on Twitter 1929734328445178254 1 Like on Twitter 1929734328445178254 1 Twitter 1929734328445178254

Optimist on Facebook

The Optimist

1 years ago

The Optimist

Video

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

The Optimist

2 years ago

The Optimist
"Ending my college education early was always the plan for me, but the things that I have been able to see, experience and examine about ACU’s community were not. I have found immense growth in ACU over the past three and a half years, but ACU still has a long road to climb if it wants to keep catering to students as the world changes around them." To read more of this article visit acuoptimist.com or click the link in our bio. #acu #abilenechristianuniversity #privatechristianuniversity #collegestudentopinion #acuopinion ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Videos

Optimist Newscast Feb. 28, 2024

Our top stories today include a recap of The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, the ... [Read More…]

  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 21, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 14, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Jan. 24, 2024

Latest Photos

  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Policies
    • Advertising Policy
    • Letters to the Editor and Reader Comments
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Features
  • Advertise
    • Paid Advertisement
  • Police Log

© 2025 ACU Optimist · All Rights Reserved