Interview with Trevor Scheck

During a recent association meeting, Trevor Scheck, mechanical engineer here at GK Machine, gave a presentation to members of the ASME, SME and SAE. We interviewed Trevor to find out more about his presentation:

How did you get involved with ASME? I have been a member of ASME for several years, and first became involved after being given an award for a project I worked on while in college. I joined the Oregon Section of ASME soon after graduating. Trevor also serves as the Secretary of the Oregon Section of ASME.

What are the benefits of your involvement with ASME? I enjoy being active in ASME because it affords me the opportunity to meet different people working on interesting projects, learn about new technologies, and better understand various industries around the area.

What was your presentation about? The history of agricultural mechanization and how it has shaped the modern world, showing differences between agriculture on the west coast and the rest of the country and the many reasons for moving to more mechanization in agriculture.

What are the main reasons for mechanization? There are many reasons; labor shortages, improvements in quality, reducing overall costs, improvements in overall safety and ergonomics as well as changing climate and crop management.

Where is the future headed in agricultural technology? I used several examples such as; UAV and satellite data used to make decisions on crop management, precision agriculture, autonomous tractors that augment the farm labor and robots that scout fields and assist in planting and cultivation.

Anything surprise you about the presentation? I was pleasantly surprised by how many questions the audience asked and how much discussion was generated. Most people don't know all the economics, logistics, science, and engineering behind the food we eat—and I think it was eye opening for them to see what role mechanical engineering has played.

How did the audience respond to your presentation? It was rewarding to see how interested people were in the machines we build (at GK Machine) proving to me that I'm not alone in thinking what we do is fascinating. Afterwards I had a number of people come up to me and talk about wanting to work with us on various types of equipment—so it is clear to me there are others interested in advancing agriculture through engineering, and GK will continue to be a strategic partner on this front.

Any other outcomes you'd like to tell us? Bob Harder, the dean of the engineering department at George Fox invited GK Engineers to attend their Engineering Expo. Bob explained he really enjoyed the talk I gave and wanted us to mingle with the students and tour the facility. I'm helping judge the student presentations during the event.

Any other comments you'd like to share? It was so nice to have other GK employees there in the audience for support and to help answer attendee questions and provide additional information. I found it rewarding to represent GK Machine and to help others understand the type of work we do every day.