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Professors visit Indiana schools
 By Olivia Maddox
 A professor stands in front of a classroom, telling students about new ways to detect microorganisms in foods. There's nothing unusual about that. Or is there?
In addition to their college classrooms, Purdue Agriculture faculty can be found in elementary, middle school and high school classrooms around the state. Each year, about 50 faculty members participate in the Professors in the Classroom program, helping students make the connection between their studies and the real world. They discuss topics that range from how genetic research makes dollars and sense for corn, catfish, and nursery crop producers to how international grain sales can affect grocery prices in Indiana.
"We get a good response from students," says Ralph Williams, Purdue professor and Extension specialist in entomology, whose presentation on forensic entomology is an attention-grabber. "It really opens up a whole new world to them about the opportunities that can be found in science and agriculture."
During the 1999-2000 school year, the Professors in the Classroom program reached some 2,000 Indiana students.
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