Annual Spring Fest to feature new interactive activities and science exploration across campus

Story by Jillian Ellison

Photos by Tom Campbell

April 4, 2023

The annual Purdue College of Agriculture’s Spring Fest will return on April 15, offering several new interactive activities for all ages.

From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Spring Fest will take place throughout the College of Agriculture grounds and buildings, the College of Veterinary Medicine and on the Memorial Mall, free and open to the public with dozens of educational opportunities for all ages.

“This event is always a great way to hear about what is happening within our college and departments across the university. It really allows for students enrolled at Purdue to share their passions with the community as well,” said Amy Winger, event coordinator. “There is something for everybody, and you’ll likely find a new interest while you’re here, too.”

Several new activities will be featured, including maggot painting, where participants will allow the insects to do some of the creativity for them, and a virtual approach to cryogenic lab equipment, where participants will be able to try their hand at operating state-of-the-art cryogenics equipment in the virtual world.

Entomology professor emeritus Tom Turpin will return to campus to host a “Cockroach Colosseum,” located in the tent in front of Smith Hall. Participants will be given a number, and Turpin will release a cockroach in the center of the course table. The numbered entrance the cockroach scuttles into will be the winning number.

One attendee known by many seasoned Spring Fest goers will be Ethyl, the fistulated cow, offering those interested in the opportunity to reach inside a window opening on the cow’s side to learn about a cow’s digestive system.

Free parking for Spring Fest is available in the Marsteller Street and Discovery Park parking lots and the Wood Street Parking Garage. The Harrison Street Garage also is available as a paid parking option.

For a full schedule, list of activities and additional information visit ag.purdue.edu/springfest

Featured Stories

Leo Koenigsfeld - Graduate Ag Research Spotlight

Leo Koenigsfeld grew up in a small town in central Missouri with the unlikely name of...

Seedlings growing in a slash-and-burn agricultural field in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa. Credit: © FAO / Giulio Napolitano

Mobilizing AI to monitor forest growth and carbon sequestration

More than 1.6 million square miles of forests have disappeared since 1990, according to the Food...

Jiaxin Long - Postdoctoral Scholar Feature

Many of us remember our high school lessons in genetics – drawing Punnett squares,...

Chuyan Chen served as a panelist last year at NASA’s Deep Space Food Symposium. (Credit: Photo courtesy of Ohio State University

Food science alumna preps fare for low-Earth orbit and beyond

Shortly after Neil Armstrong died on Aug. 25, 2012, Chuyan Chen noticed a lone white flower next...

Inventing a lower-sugar cookie that’s still a treat

Every job has its perks. For Lisa Mauer, “cookie baking trials” is one of hers. ...

Halee Fisher infant of the White House in her cap and gown.

Purdue alumna Halee Fisher grows a career at the USDA

Purdue University alumna Halee Fisher, who earned degrees in Agricultural Economics and Political...