USU's Agricultural Systems Technology and Education (ASTE) Department
The instructor and students involved in Sept. 24's tragic vehicle accident were members of the College of Agriculture. The instructor and most of the students were associated with the Agricultural Systems Technology and Education (ASTE) Department's Agricultural Machinery Technology Programs.
At the time of the accident, the instructor and students were returning from a university field trip near Tremonton, Utah.
Agricultural Systems Technology and Education (ASTE) Department
The mission of the ASTE Department is to apply the Land Grant University philosophy to teaching, research, extension, and service with an interdisciplinary systems science approach for the resolution of agricultural issues through the advancement of technology transfer, scientific inquiry, and agricultural mechanization.
The department offers a number of programs in applied research and skill training supported by theory, which have built-in exit points to meet student needs.
ASTE department head is Professor Bruce Miller, 435-797-2232, bruce.miller@usu.edu.
Degree programs offered by the ASTE Department include:
Agricultural Education
- Bachelor of Science (BS)
Agricultural Machinery Technology
- One-year Technology Certificate
- Associate of Applied Science (AAS)
Agricultural Systems Technology
- Bachelor of Science (BS)
- Mechanization Option
- Business Option
- Master of Science (MS)
- Agricultural Mechanization Specialization
- International Agricultural Extension Specialization
- Agricultural Extension Education Specialization
- Family and Consumer Sciences Education and Extension Specialization
- Secondary and Postsecondary Agricultural Education Specialization
Family and Consumer Sciences Education
- Bachelor of Science (BS)
- Master of Science (MS)
International Extension Education Programs for Graduate Students
ASTE Instructor Evan Parel Parker, who died in the accident, joined USU in 1990. He served as an instructor and academic advisor for the Agricultural Machinery Technology Program and as advisor to the Agricultural Technology Club.
He was a member of a number of honorary and professional societies including Phi Kappa Phi, American Society of Agricultural Engineers, Far West Equipment Dealer Association, Association of College Teachers of Agricultural Mechanization, National Association of College Teachers of Agriculture and Association of National Post-Secondary Agriculture Students.
He is survived by his wife, Tammy, and six children, all of Hooper, Utah.
The Agricultural Machinery Technology Program is the only one of its kind in the western United States. The program has secured a program endorsement from the Implement Dealers' Association, which represents dealers and manufacturers throughout the United States.