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For the fifth year in a row, University of North Georgia (Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û) has received a $7,000 grant from the U.S. Poultry Foundation.

The money supports education and recruitment for students interested in poultry science and general agriculture programs, said Linda Purvis, lecturer of biology at Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û.

"The funds can be for educational expenses," she said. "We use it for field trips, guest speakers and classroom materials."

Field trip destinations include a poultry processing plant in Gainesville, Georgia, the Georgia Poultry Diagnostic Laboratory and an international poultry expo in Atlanta, said Purvis, who has been at Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û since 2009. She said they help students meet poultry professionals face-to-face.

"So much of college is book knowledge," Purvis said. "Field trips help connect the classroom to the real world."

The grant also funds two outreach programs: Agriculture Career Day and Poultry 101.

Career day brings different poultry industry employers to campus for one-on-one time with students. The annual spring event is set for March 8 this year in the Student Center on Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û's Gainesville Campus.

Poultry 101 invites students from fifth grade through 12^th grade from all across Georgia to the Gainesville campus for a one-day workshop focusing on poultry and highlighting careers in that industry.