UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Visitors at Penn State's Ag Progress Days, Aug. 14-16 at Rock Springs, may be surprised to learn about the role that agronomy and related sciences have played in their day-to-day lives.

Special displays in the College of Agricultural Sciences Exhibits Building will mark the 100-year anniversary of the college's Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. The building's theme, "A Century of Solutions...From the Ground Up," will showcase the department's illustrious history of providing agricultural innovations to benefit Pennsylvania's farms and citizens. And while department head David Sylvia knows it's hard for many people to get excited over "dirt," the intent is to increase awareness of this vital resource.

"We'd like to see people come away saying, 'Wow -- we didn't know crops and soils did that!'" Sylvia says. "There are a lot of aspects of crop and soil sciences that people don't associate with us, and many issues facing us in the future -- global warming, alternative energy sources -- will be impacted by the things they see here.

"People are very concerned about air and water quality, and you can only have good water if you have good soil," he adds. "Once pollution is in the water, for instance, it's hard to get rid of, so land or more specifically soil affects many aspects of our health."

The College Exhibits Building will feature graphical displays demonstrating the latest advances in acid mine drainage and other soil issues, sustainable lawn care, and new and emerging crops for alternative energy production. Also highlighted will be the department's turfgrass science program, which administers undergraduate and certificate programs that are among the best in the world.

Special displays will spotlight: --Water and Soils, including nutrient management, acid mine drainage remediation and current advances in environmental engineering. -- Turfgrass, focusing on characteristics and comparison of natural and synthetic turf for safer, longer-lasting and lower-maintenance athletic fields. This exhibit will also feature Penn State's turfgrass teaching and breeding programs and their impact on golf courses. Turf-testing equipment developed at the university will be on display. -- Crops, revealing the role of crop and soil sciences in providing abundant food and feed, a cleaner environment and biofuels. --Geographic Information Systems, demonstrating their use to support food production through such geospatial-technology-based services as SoilMap, AgMap and other applications.

In addition, daily presentations in the College Exhibits Building Theatre will include Nutrient Management: Food-Farms-Water Quality (11 a.m. Tues. and 2 p.m. Wed.); State Animal Response Team (noon Tues. and 10 a.m. Thurs.); Helpful Tips on Home Lawn Care (1 p.m. Tues. and 4 p.m. Wed.); Agronomy Jeopardy (2 p.m. Tues., 1 p.m. Wed. and 11 a.m. Thurs.) and House Ag & House Education Committees Town Meeting (10 a.m. Wed.).

Sponsored by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College on Route 45. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 14; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 15; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 16. Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit the Ag Progress Days Web site at http://apd.cas.psu.edu.

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EDITORS: Contact David Sylvia at 814-865-2025 or by e-mail at dms39@psu.edu.

Gary Abdullah Writer-Editor 814-237-1023 gxa2@psu.edu