UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Poultry Science Club was recognized as the 2003 National Club of the Year by the United States Poultry and Egg Association (USPEA). The club also received the award for the "Best Scrapbook" for the fourth consecutive year.

The awards were presented at the USPEA Poultry Science Club meeting held recently during the International Poultry Exposition in Atlanta, Ga. Penn State's club was selected based on an application and a club activities review. The club previously has won several USPEA national awards.

The club processes and sells fresh and smoked turkeys at holidays to finance the members' annual trip to the International Poultry Exposition, the world's largest poultry trade show. It also donated turkeys to a local food bank, the United Way, a regional Boy Scouts council and two local churches for the holiday season. The club raised money for the Penn State Dance Marathon, a cancer research and support charity that is the largest student-run fund-raiser in the nation.

Other accomplishments include volunteer activities in support of the Pennsylvania Poultry Council, participation in the Lancaster County Poultry Day, sponsoring an annual awards banquet and competitions with other student organizations. The club's goal is to provide students with opportunities for industry involvement that broaden their educational experiences, as well as to bolster the spirit of the poultry science department students and faculty in a relaxed social format, according to club president Heather Gates.

"I think this accomplishment speaks a great deal about the professionalism of the club," says the Tipton, Pa., resident. "I am hoping that these awards will help the club recruit new members, both current students and incoming freshmen. Also, our advisors and poultry science department faculty do an excellent job of promoting the club, and we could not have accomplished what we did without their help."

For more information on the club, contact senior extension associate and club advisor Phillip Clauer by phone at 814-863-8960 or by e-mail at pclauer@psu.edu, or visit the club's Web site at http://poultry.cas.psu.edu/psciclub.htm.

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EDITORS: Contact Phillip Clauer by phone at 814-863-8960 or by e-mail at pclauer@psu.edu.

Contact:

Gary Abdullah gxa2@psu.edu 814-863-2708 814-863-9877 fax #130