| RELATED INFO | * Indiana State Fair |
July 31, 2007
Purdue peps up State Fair with president, parade, exhibits on Aug. 15
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue Day at the Indiana State Fair on Aug. 15 will feature the university's new president, France A. Córdova, along with a pep rally, a parade, the Boilermaker Special, exhibits and demonstrations."Purdue has always played an integral role at the fair, not only with exhibits that capture its land-grant mission rooted in agriculture, but also from its other signature areas, from sciences and engineering to veterinary medicine," said Jay Akridge, Purdue's new interim vice provost for engagement. "My office and Purdue Extension have a central mission of improving the quality of life for Indiana residents through a wide range of programs that reach all 92 counties. Several of our exciting new educational and economic development programs will be featured at the State Fair."
The Indiana State Fair runs from Aug. 8-19.
On Aug. 15, Córdova will tour Purdue tents and exhibits and later join in a 4:30 p.m. Purdue pep rally on the Purdue Live Stage in front of the Home and Family Arts Building. She then will board the Boilermaker Special for the 6:30 p.m. parade. She will conclude the day at the Boilermaker Barbecue Dinner for members of the Purdue Alumni Association, John Purdue Club and the President's Council.
Among Purdue exhibits will be "Discovery Park DNA," which explains the purpose of the park's centers, located on the south side of the West Lafayette campus. Those centers are Birck Nanotechnology Center, Bindley Bioscience Center, Discovery Learning Center, e-Enterprise Center, Center for Advanced Manufacturing, Cyber Center, Energy Center, Center for the Environment, Oncological Sciences Center, Institute for Advanced Pharmaceutical Technology, Homeland Security Institute and the Burton Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship. Information on the Technical Assistance Program for businesses and how to access the services of the offices of engagement in Indianapolis, West Lafayette and Fort Wayne to boost economic development and K-12 education will be available.
In the Our Land Pavilion on the southwest side of the fairgrounds next to the grandstand, Purdue will have a live public demonstration of a laparoscopic spay surgery on a dog. Purdue veterinarians Lynetta Freeman and Amy Fauber will perform the surgery. Freeman is an expert on minimally invasive animal surgery.
Purdue Extension also will have exhibits in the pavilion including the Genomics eXplorer, Waste Into Watts and ID Theft Prevention in 3-D.
The Genomics eXplorer exhibit invites visitors to explore the importance of plants and plant cells. Along the way, the exhibit links genomics to important developments in human health, agriculture and the environment.
The Waste Into Watts exhibit will take a closer look at how Purdue Agriculture researchers are turning trash into electricity with the "tactical biorefinery." The display describes how it works and Purdue Agriculture's role in developing biofuels.
ID Theft Prevention in 3-D explains how anyone can avoid thieves, detect suspicious activity and defend themselves against ID theft. One in six Indiana residents will be the victim of identity theft, research has found.
There also will be Purdue Master Gardner and Indiana Wine Grape Council exhibits in the Ball State Ag/Hort Building.
Other activities on Purdue Day include:
* Educational programs on the Purdue Live Stage from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
* Women in Agriculture awards presentation in the Our Land Pavilion at 9:30 a.m.
* Farmer's Day Parade on the infield track at 10 a.m. with Purdue Extension corn specialist Bob Nielsen as the grand marshal.
* Live food demonstrations in the 4-H Centennial Hall kitchen at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
* Cockroach racing at Roach Hill Downs in the Our Land Pavilion at 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Purdue tents will be located between the Gate 1A entrance and the gazebo in front of the Our Land Pavilion. The tents will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 15. The College of Engineering tent will have robots, cars constructed by engineering students and interactive displays. The School of Veterinary Medicine will have an X-ray viewer and a display called One Medicine. Intercollegiate Athletics will have a football uniform to try on and pictures with Purdue Pete. The College of Agriculture will have a 1/4 scale tractor team. Another exhibit sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts will feature motorcycle safety. It represents the work of Marifran Mattson, an associate professor of communication who studies health campaigns. She was injured in a motorcycle accident in 2004.
The pavilion is located at the west end of Biofuels Main Street next to the Midway Arch.
Purdue Day runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Expo halls on the fairgrounds will remain open until 9 p.m. and the fairgrounds will be open until 11 p.m. Advance state fair tickets are $7 and are available at Wal-Mart stores, CVS pharmacies, Indiana Farm Bureau offices and the Indiana State Fair box office. Discount tickets will be available through Aug. 8.
Purdue's Nicole Renee Harris, a junior in the College of Liberal Arts from Wells County, will serve as state fair queen. She received an academic honors diploma from Norwell High School and has participated on mission trips to South Africa, Romania, Vietnam and India. She enrolled at Purdue for this fall semester after transferring from Bethel College.
The complete schedule for Purdue Day can be found on the Purdue State Fair Web site at https://www.purdue.edu/events/state_fair/index.shtml and the Purdue Extension site at https://www.ces.purdue.edu/statefair/.
Writer: Dave Kitchell, (765) 496-9711, dkitchell@purdue.edu
Sources: Jay Akridge, (765) 494-4327, akridge@purdue.edu
Geni Greiner, director of special events, (765) 496-6911, ggreiner@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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