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Students in Pittsburg State's School of Construction will get their hands dirty this week during the annual Construction Rodeo on the north side of the Kansas Technology Center. From 9 a.m.to 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, students in assistant professor Seth O'Brien's methods courses will have the opportunity to operate various pieces of construction-related heavy equipment, including simulators, a skid-steer and power trowel. The activity gives students a hands-on lesson in equipment that many of them will use as professionals. "We are fortunate at Pittsburg State to have access to so much real-world, real-life equipment that these students will encounter when they go into the workforce," O'Brien said. "It's important for them to have experience with this equipment while they're at PSU so they know what to expect after they graduate." O'Brien said the activity is essential to the students' education, as lectures in the classroom can only teach so much. "I could talk all day about how to use a skid-steer, but you don't really understand it until you get your hands on it," he said. "This activity helps complete the educational process, because now they can put to use the lessons they've learned in class." www.pittstate.edu