New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences will open its doors to the public for its annual ACES Open House.
The free, fun, family friendly event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 1, at several of the college’s buildings, labs and auxiliary units on the NMSU Las Cruces campus.
“ACES Open House will provide residents of Las Cruces and the surrounding areas with the opportunity to visit our facilities, look at the advancements, learn about the research and activities that are being conducted to benefit New Mexicans,” College of ACES Dean Rolando A. Flores Galarza said.
Visitors should start at the welcome tent outside Gerald Thomas Hall, 940 College Drive, where they can pick-up a complimentary reusable shopping bag and an exploration map. The self-guided map includes a list of all the areas that can be visited along with a spot to collect stamps for the places visited.
When visitors are done exploring the college, they can return to the welcome tent to collect a small promotional item for every ten stamps collected (while supplies last).
The college offers diverse programs in teaching, research and Extension/service.
There will be wine tasting and an opportunity to vote for the “People’s Choice” award winner in the third annual Edible Book Festival. Visitors will have an opportunity to experience the benefits of learning through games, interactive activities and videos at the Learning Games Lab, or they can create a work of textile art with a faculty member from the Fashion Merchandising and Design program.
For animal lovers, the equine program will provide visitors with a chance to interact with horses, while sheep and goats will also be on display. There will be displays featuring common birds, mammals and fishes of New Mexico. Demonstrations of wildlife traps, ultrasound equipment, forestry and fishery equipment will also be provided.
Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the ACES Arthropod Museum, home of the largest collection of insects and other arthropods in the state. The museum features exotic insect displays and live walking sticks, hissing cockroaches, tarantulas and more. Another display will feature urban insects and provide information about how they affect our health, quality of life and cause significant economic loss.
The New Mexico 4-H program will showcase its “Shooting Sports” trailer. Visitors can learn firearm safety while practicing shooting an air pellet rifle in a controlled environment. Visitors will also be able to test their knowledge about vegetable seeds through an interactive circuit board. If they identify seeds correctly, they can win a plant to take home. Collegiate 4-H will also be offering a friendly corn-hole competition.
Health-related activities include a giant inflatable colon (weather permitting), which visitors can walk through to learn more about colon cancer. A demonstration on proper handwashing, as well as information about a variety of free health and wellness programs will be provided.
There will be a fruits and vegetables toss and a nutrition wheel of fortune game. Visitors can use a veggie meter to measure their fruit and vegetable consumption, as well as learn how to build a healthy plate of food. The SIM hospital room, used to train future registered dietitians using virtual patients, will also be open for demonstrations.
For plant lovers, there will be multiple displays, including information about composting, soil health and a demonstration of DIY leaf cuttings. The Plant Diagnostic Clinic will also be open to help you identify what is affecting your plants.
The internationally recognized Chile Pepper Institute, which is normally only open weekdays, will be open for business. Free, light refreshments will be provided in Gerald Thomas Hall, Skeen Hall and the Tejada Building.
The college is home to the NMSU Cooperative Extension Service, which consists of 34 Extension offices organized in three districts that reach every county of New Mexico. The district offices will be represented at the event and all 12 agricultural science centers, which are located around the state, will be present to showcase their research activities.
The event will wrap-up around noon in the Gerald Thomas Hall Auditorium with an awards ceremony for students who participate in the research poster competition. Students who place in the undergraduate and graduate categories will receive a cash award.
“We are looking forward to having you come and explore what ACES has to offer. Please take this opportunity to provide us with your ideas, feedback and have fun,” Flores Galarza said.
For more information about the ACES Open House, call 575-646-2877 or visit https://aces.nmsu.edu/about/open-house.html.