The New York State Agricultural Society wanted a new exhibit for its agricultural museum at the New York State Fair and Cornell University student Jennifer Edwards turned it into something everybody kneads.

For Edwards, a junior in communication, "From Our New York Lands: 200 Years of Bread in New York State," is a museum exhibit come true. She researched, wrote and helped design the exhibit on the history of bread in New York state as part of her communication degree program. The exhibit will be on display now through the end of the fair in Syracuse on Sept. 1.

"I wasn't sure what I was going to do," said Edwards. "It was more the process for me and what I learned from it."

The project started several months ago when Robert Bitz, owner of Plainville Turkey Farms and Cornell trustee emeritus, contacted Daryl Lund, dean of Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, about the agricultural society's request. Lund then called Bruce V. Lewenstein, associate professor of communication, for help in finding a student willing to take on the project. Lewenstein posed the challenge to his undergraduate "Communication in the Life Sciences" class, and Edwards took on the project. After months of considering possible topics to highlight, Edwards, together with her professor, Bitz, the New York Agricultural Society, and Millie Bankert, director of the museum, agreed on an interactive exhibit on the history of bread.

Anyway you slice it, Edwards appreciated the hard work. "While it was more research than I thought, it was an extremely good learning experience," she said.

The exhibit is housed in the Daniel Parrish Witter Museum on the state fairgrounds and was underwritten by Rochester-based Wegman's. The grocery chain's communications staff built it using Edwards' text, pictures, and ideas. And their bakery staff designed and produced a display of contemporary bread types.

All day long at the exhibit, volunteer bakers knead and make loaves of bread, while fairgoers wander through the building, catch the aroma and get fresh slices of bread to eat.

The exhibit includes grains, scythes, grinding stones, photos and text describing how grain is grown and then becomes bread. It also explores the changes from hand-ground flour of the 18th Century all the way through the large commercial hearths in today's bakeries. Kids also can grind their own grain.

Edwards said researching and writing the exhibit was a learning experience "One thing that surprised me was the industrial side to making bread," said the junior from Fairfield, Ill. "When writing this exhibit, I was really surprised by the enormous amounts of materials that go into making commercial bread -- and how large an exporter we are."

Lewenstein, Edwards' professor, said the project was an opportunity for her to channel classroom knowledge into experience.

"We encourage students to use projects like this for precisely that reason. I can help students explore the big ideas -- it's when you actually try to put them into practice that the learning sinks in," he said.

Lewenstein's course teaches students about writing and designing communication projects for different audiences.

"Jen had to learn how to make a specific topic -- in this case, bread -- accessible and interesting to everyone," he said. "She had to communicate to everyone, from experienced farmers to suburban kids who have no idea where their bread comes from."