March 21, 2006

Athletes to join bugs and animals at this year's Spring Fest

2005 Spring Fest
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Spring Fest will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 8 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 9 at various locations across campus.

"Purdue Athletics' involvement adds a new dimension this year," said Danica Kirkpatrick, Spring Fest event coordinator. "Because all of the Spring Fest events tend to be academically based, we thought bringing sports into the mix would show that Purdue views athletics as an important part of education.

"This is a great opportunity for kids to try on a football uniform and practice their tennis skills at a free workshop."

Kirkpatrick said about 43,000 people attended last year's Spring Fest, and about the same number are expected again this year.

"Weather is a big player," she said. "But rain or shine, the events will go on. That's what the tents are there for."

Among the weekend's highlights is Saturday's (April 8) School of Veterinary Medicine open house, which will give animal lovers a chance to see traditional zoo animals as well as more exotic breeds. And the Bug Bowl will take place both Saturday and Sunday as a part of the Department of Entomology's events.

Free parking will be available at the Marstellar Street and Wood Street garages. South University Street and Harrison Street (from Marstellar Street to South University Street) will be closed for the weekend. Parking is available on South Russell Drive in the lot behind Lilly Hall and in the gravel lots near Printing Services. Parking also is available in lots on Sheetz Street behind Freehafer Hall.

More Spring Fest information, including a map of the sites, is available online or by calling (888) EXT-INFO.

Activities listed below will take place both Saturday and Sunday, unless otherwise noted:

Department of Entomology

Location: In front of and across from Agricultural Administration Building, inside Smith Hall, on Purdue Memorial Mall

• 16th annual Bug Bowl..

• Cricket-spitting contest..

• Cockroach racing..

• Insect crafts and face painting..

• Dishes to taste made with insects..

• Insect petting zoo..

• Cake-decorating contest featuring insect shapes and motifs.

College of Agriculture

Location: In front of Agricultural Administration Building

• Displays from the College of Agriculture, Purdue Cooperative Extension Service, 4-H, Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow, Agricultural Council, Pre-Professional Women in Agriculture, and the Department of Youth Development and Agricultural Education.

• Displays about the science of flight and aerospace..

• Pet a rabbit or baby chick..

• Learn about nature and seeds..

• Learn about careers in agriculture..

• Ask Purdue students about campus life and opportunities in the College of Agriculture.
• Spring Fest T-shirts, ice cream and lemon shake-ups will be available for sale.

Purdue student chapter of the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET)

Location: In front of Pfendler Hall of Agriculture

• Students from the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and other areas will create a backyard patio design called "Planet Earth.".

• Many varieties of plants will be on display.

• Barbeque, hot dogs, hamburgers, chips and sodas for sale.

Department of Animal Sciences

Location: In front of Smith Hall

• Boiler Barnyard.

• Live animals.

• Sheep shearing demonstrations.

• Dairy cow milking.

• Educational displays for consumer products.

• Coloring contest.

• Animal trivia games with prizes.

• Informational handouts.

• Animal Sciences Club apparel, hamburgers, hot dogs, soft drinks, milk and ice cream will be for sale.

Departments of Agronomy and Botany and Plant Pathology

Location: In front of Lilly Hall of Life Sciences

• Free face painting and balloons.

• Learn how to grow a pineapple at home.

• Learn about GMO-engineered plants, perennial weeds, what it takes to grow a plant, and plants and the environment.

• Spores Galore display.

• Explore the relationships among seeds, plants and products.

• Paint with soil.

• Shell, grind and take home corn.

• Demonstrations in the antique equipment area.

Department of Biological Sciences

Location: Lilly Hall foyer

• Tidal pool with sea urchins, starfish and sand dollars.

• Observe chicken and sea urchin embryos.

• Explore the behavior of mantis shrimp and weakly electric fish.

• Electrocardiogram demonstration.

Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
(Saturday activities only)

Location: On Agricultural Mall

• "Whose Track Is That?" demonstration.

• Seedling tree sales.

• "Name That Tree" wood and leaf identification demonstration.

• Router sign sales.

• See a working sawmill.

• "What Lives in the Wabash?" demonstration.

• "Scat — What's That?" demonstration.

• Tree grafting.

• "Make It and Take It."

• Wood products from Indiana's forests.

• "Identify That Bird Call."

Department of Agricultural Economics
(Saturday activities only)

Location: On Agricultural Mall behind Whistler Hall of Agricultural Research

• Play games such as Matching Marketing, where players can match farm products to their end consumer products; the import/export game, which tests players' knowledge of where goods come from; the Wheel of Marketing; and KidsEcon Bingo or the Buzzer Game to test participants' knowledge of financial matters.

• Prizes and candy will be available.

Department of Biochemistry
(Saturday activities only)

Location: On Agricultural Mall behind Whistler Hall of Agricultural Research

• Watch an experiment in action and learn what made it work with the help of the Purdue Biochemistry Club.

Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (Saturday activities only)

Location: On Agricultural Mall in front of Hanson Life Sciences Research Building

• Display of classic tractors as well as new equipment.

• Chance to win a children's playhouse built during the weekend.

• Participate in a pedal-powered tractor obstacle course.

• Free farm safety coloring after obstacle course; color with soybean crayons.

• Popcorn and balloons will be available.

Boiler Brick Bowl
(Saturday activities only)

Location: On Agricultural Mall in front of the Food Science Building

• Purdue landscape architecture and design students compete against teams from other universities on brick projects.

Department of Food Science
(Saturday activities only)

Location: On Agricultural Mall in front of Food Science Building

At the Food Science Fun Fair:

• Create a personalized can bank using a canning press.

• Play Mystery Drink Challenge and use your five senses to determine the flavor.

• Watch cotton candy being made.

Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture

Location: Horticulture Building

• 93rd Annual Horticulture Show. The theme of "Bloomin' Boilers" features a display garden filled with trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, patios, retaining walls, water features and pergolas.

• Plant sale.

• Children's booths.

• Food will be for sale.

School of Veterinary Medicine
(Saturday activities only)

Location: Lynn Hall of Veterinary Medicine, behind Food Science Building

• 43rd Annual School of Veterinary Medicine Open House with the theme of "Where the Wild Things Are."

• Live animal spay/neuter demonstration.

• Indianapolis Zoo Zoomobile.

• Equine treadmill demonstration.

• Lafayette Dog Park display.

• Petting zoo and exotic animal exhibit.

• Various class displays.

• Tour of the facility.

• Hurricane Katrina effort.

• Admissions information sessions for veterinary medicine and technology programs.

• Food and merchandise will be for sale.

Purdue Press

Location: Purdue Memorial Mall

• Flyswatter baseball.

• Free color poster of Tom Turpin's new book, "Flies in the Face of Fashion, Mites Make Right, and Other Bugdacious Tales."

• Enter to win a copy of the book.

• Music CD will be for sale.

College of Science

Location: Purdue Memorial Mall

• Dinosaur dig.

• Sit in an earthquake chair.

• See how a Vadegraff generator works.

• Physics motorized couch will give rides.

• Perform a density experiment.

• Physics stage show in Fowler Hall.

• Find out what happens when a pickle is electrocuted.

• Learn how astronomical telescopes work.

• Learn about weather stations.

Purdue Athletics

Location: Purdue Memorial Mall

• Practice your quarterbacking or tennis skills.

• Meet with Purdue athletes.

• Enter to win football tickets.

• Try on an official football uniform.

• Children can pick up coloring pages of Purdue Pete.

• Discover which Purdue athletes are from your hometown.

• Free tennis clinic at Varsity Tennis Courts (Saturday only, after Purdue tennis).

College of Consumer and Family Sciences

Location: Purdue Memorial Mall

• Play "Wheel of Fortune" with CFS Ambassadors.

• Story time for infants and toddlers.

• Make and take home a buggy craft.

• Jump in the CFS Student Council Moonwalk.

• Have a "milk mustache" photo taken.

• Dine at the HTM Fountainside Café.

• Play a game and earn money you can spend on creepy-crawly prizes.

College of Technology
(Saturday activities only)

Location: Purdue Memorial Mall

• Theme: "Impacting Indiana at 10 Locations Around the State."

• Beanbag toss.

• Electrical and computer engineering technology tests your reaction time.

• Analyze your brain with the Organizational Leadership and Supervision color display.

• Test your skills with an interactive computer graphics display.

• Learn about aviation technology.

Krannert School of Management
(Saturday activities only)

Location: Purdue Memorial Mall

• Meet with Krannert School of Management students.

• Learn about the latest happenings at Krannert.

• Visit the putting green for a chance to win Krannert gifts.

College of Liberal Arts
(Saturday activities only)

Location: Purdue Memorial Mall

• Discover different cultures and experiences through games and crafts with students from DRIVEN, a student diversity awareness organization.

• Face painting by students in Purdue Theatre.

• The Liberal Arts Student Council will be raising scholarship funds by selling copies of "Purdue Pete Finds His Hammer," a new book by Liberal Arts alumna Angie Klink. Klink will sign the book from noon to 2 p.m.

College of Education
(Saturday activities only)

Location: Purdue Memorial Mall

• Build and launch your own mini-rocket.

• Make gigantic bubbles.

• Experience challenging optical illusions.

College of Engineering
(Saturday activities only)

Location: Purdue Memorial Mall

ENvision, organized by the Purdue Engineering Student council, features:

• A showcase by engineering student organizations.

• Interactive displays and a tour of the labs.

• Hands-on engineering activities.

• Free snacks, balloons and snow cones.

Purdue Galleries
(Saturday activities only)

Location: Stewart Center Gallery, Robert L. Ringel Gallery in Purdue Memorial Union

• Hands-on bookmark printing, based on "Bookmarks I, II, III" for all ages in Stewart Center Gallery.

• "Sixty Square Inches" exhibition of small-scale printmaking featured in the Robert L. Ringel Gallery, Purdue Memorial Union.

Spring Fest Showcase
(Saturday activities only)

Location: Stewart Center's Fowler Hall

• 11 a.m. — Fun with Physics 2006, an hour of demonstrations will show basic physics principles.

• 12:30 p.m. — Einstein vs. The Bug, the battle of Einstein vs. The Bug will teach about the facts and fun of entomology and physics.

• 2 p.m. — Insect Magic Show, including what lights fireflies, the caterpillar's life cycle and how termites are attracted to scents.

• 3 p.m. — Entomology Quiz Bowl, fifth-graders from area schools square off for a quiz bowl competition to test their knowledge of insect biology and ecology.

Purdue Alumni Association
(Saturday activities only)

Location: Dick and Sandy Dauch Alumni Center

• Visit the Dick and Sandy Dauch Alumni Center.

• Early-arriving alumni and alumni clubs can get parking, as well as doughnuts and juice.

• Get your picture taken with the life-size Boilermaker Express.

• Learn about the services and programs the association offers alumni and friends.

Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu

Source: Danica Kirkpatrick, (765) 494-9113, dkirkpat@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2006/springfest-adv06.jpg

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