Smithsonian Mobile Exhibition at IPPE Explores Human-Animal Bond
US - From the eggs on our breakfast table to puppies chasing balls in the yard, the connections we have with animals are complex and vast. This relationship is explored in a mobile exhibition from the Smithsonian, “Animal Connections: Our Journey Together” in a collaboration with Zoetis.
21 January 2014
3 minute read
“Animal Connections,” a custom-built exhibition housed on an 18-wheel truck that expands into 1,000 square feet of space, will be at the upcoming 2014 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Attendees can tour the exhibit from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on 28 January, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on 29 January, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on 30 January.
Created in 2013 by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) to mark the 150th anniversary of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), “Animal Connections” is made possible through the generous support of founding sponsor Zoetis, Inc. and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation.
“The exhibition is an introduction to the world of veterinary medicine and explores the shared responsibility for animals’ health and well-being that we all have,” said Christine Jenkins, Chief Veterinary Medical Officer-US Zoetis, a company that discovers, develops and manufactures veterinary vaccines and medicines. “As part of our commitment to veterinarians and the animals they care for, we are proud to join with the Smithsonian and the AVMA in supporting ‘Animal Connections’ as a means to inspire young people to pursue careers in veterinary medicine and its allied professions.”
“The affection that people everywhere have for animals sparked our enthusiasm for an exhibit about veterinary medicine that would inspire lively conversations about the human–animal bond,” said Anna R. Cohn, director of SITES.
The exhibit uses a combination of interactive learning stations, films and touch screen videos, and three-dimensional settings to explore topics about animals on the farm, in the home, in the wild, at the zoo and in the veterinary clinic.
Visitors are offered a variety of ways to learn through informative displays, dynamic videos and interactive experiences. A display in the farm section highlights variety of tools stocked in mobile clinics that large-animal veterinarians use —from dental speculums to cow magnets—to ensure they are prepared for any procedure. A virtual clinic at the center of the exhibition provides visitors the opportunity to play the veterinarian. Through touch screens, they can examine and diagnose what ails their virtual patients—a dog, a piglet and a cheetah.
Visitors to “Animal Connections” can continue the learning experience online at animalconnections.com.
