Purdue launching electronic fieldtrip for middle schools WEST LAFAYETTE, IN (wbaa) - Purdue is hosting a fieldtrip for Indiana 6th graders, but the students won't be coming to campus and won't even leave their school.

The field trip is an electronic one, or "zipTrip," where students watch Purdue scientists over the internet or on their local public television station. Since it's done in real time from the university's broadcast studio, students can email questions and get answers during the program.

Purdue Professor Paul Robinson is one of the principal investigators for the grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He says the goal is to get middle school students interested in science and engineering.

Lisa Hilliard teaches anatomy at the Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine and is participating in the show. She demonstrates how muscles work using string attached to a skeleton.

zipTrips is a five year partnership between Purdue's Vet School, College of Agriculture, and its Discovery Learning Research Center. Programs for 7th and 8th grades are currently under development.
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