July 22, 2008
Exhibit to strengthen the bones and enlighten the mind
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The 2008 Indiana State Fair kicks off Aug. 6 with the Pioneer Our Land Pavilion showcasing many different exhibits sponsored by Purdue University Cooperative Extension.Purdue's exhibits will contain detailed information about healthy living and agriculture.
“We want visitors to the pavilion to have a good time and walk away from the exhibits knowing what Purdue Extension can do for them,” said Danica Kirkpatrick, events and educational activities coordinator.
Exhibits on display include Climate Change: Footsteps for the Future; Concerning Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs): Modern Livestock Farming; The Science of Fresh - A look at Phil Nelson’s World Food Prize aseptic food processing research; Wood from Indiana Trees; Indiana MarketMaker: Linking Agricultural Markets; The Bone Zone Carnival of Healthy Choices; and medical advancements in animal medicine that can lead to breakthroughs in human medicine from Purdue’s School of Veterinary Medicine.
At one of the main attractions, The Bone Zone, visitors will be able to learn more about calcium and its effect on human bones by playing carnival games.
“This exhibit is set up to help teach kids about leading-edge information on calcium and how important it is to a person’s bones and body,” said Myron Freedman, exhibit center coordinator.
“Children are more receptive and retain information better when it is presented with humor and a little pizzazz, Freedman said. “By participating in the Bone Zone Carnival of Healthy Choices, kids and adults will learn facts critical to lifelong good health. For instance, youth ranging in age from 9 to 20, need to store up lots of calcium their bodies will need later in life.”
Visitors also can learn more information on which food items provide the most calcium and how much calcium the various foods contain. The games also will teach exercises people can do to help calcium make bones stronger.
The Indiana MarketMaker exhibit will show guests a Web site that was created to help inform people about products that can be bought from Indiana's local producers.
“Indiana MarketMaker is an important exhibit because it links producers to consumers who are interested in buying locally produced food,” Kirkpatrick said.
Another exhibit is Concerning CAFOs: Modern Livestock Farming.
“The idea of the exhibit is to answer questions about concentrated animal feeding operations and let visitors know what Purdue researchers are doing to deal with issues involving CAFOs,” Kirkpatrick said. A model of a livestock farm will be set up for kids to look at and help them understand how work is done on a farm.Writer: Ashley Bechman, (765) 494-8402, aabechma@purdue.edu
Sources: Myron Freedman, (765) 496-7843, mfreedma@purue.edu
Danica Kirkpatrick, (765) 494-9113, dkirkpat@purdue.edu
Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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