The Penn State poultry science department, one of seven such departments in the nation, has a long, distinguished history. The first poultry science courses were offered in 1895. In 1994, Penn State invested $6 million dollars to create the Poultry Education and Research Center, replacing the old research farm built in the 1930s. The center consists of six separate buildings occupying about 50,000 square feet, and includes classrooms, hatcheries, laboratories, a surgical suite, student housing, and buildings for meat birds, egg layers, turkeys, breeders and processing. Research Publication's assistant director Melissa Beattie-Moss recently spent an afternoon at the university's "poultry central" to see first-hand why, for some, the humble bird is as much a symbol of Penn State pride as the Nittany Lion.