Poultry education team: a novel approach to public education and student recruitment

Changing public perception of the production of poultry meat and eggs is a challenge faced by all poultry scientists. The lack of public knowledge can be an obstacle to poultry integrator plans for expansion and for university recruitment of undergraduate Poultry Science majors. While many programs have been utilized for disseminating information to a wide range of people, an innovative approach for providing public education has been developed by the undergraduate students in the Department of Poultry Science at Mississippi State University. The students formed the Poultry Education Team to provide educational programs for K-12 schools, community colleges, university events, and supermarkets. Poultry Education Team members receive formal training from faculty and industry personnel prior to providing educational programs.