Creepy-crawlies. Critters. Whatever they’re called, insects often get a bad name from the public. But many graduate entomology students are going out into the community to dispel fears and misgivings about nature’s six-legged creatures.

Jessica Houle, entomology graduate student and co-coordinator for entomology outreach programs, said the outreach programs service many different groups.

“We get requests from the community for us to come out a do an education program on insects. We mostly go into public schools, but we also go to different towns around here that have festivals going on about nature,” Houle said. “We do a mix of programs, but a lot of the focus is preschool through third grade.”

According to Stephanie Gorski, entomology graduate student and co-coordinator for entomology outreach programs, 41 of these programs have been requested since February for a wide variety of age groups as well, from one-year-olds at the Easter Seals—a non-profit health agency—to retirees in nursing homes.

Gorski said since the University no longer has its own insectory @font-face { font-family: “Times”;}@font-face { font-family: “Cambria”;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }p { margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }

Creepy-crawlies. Critters. Whatever they’re called, insects often get a bad name from the public. But many graduate entomology students are going out into the community to dispel fears and misgivings about nature’s six-legged creatures.

Jessica Houle, entomology graduate student and co-coordinator for entomology outreach programs, said the outreach programs service many different groups.

“We get requests from the community for us to come out a do an education program on insects. We mostly go into public schools, but we also go to different towns around here that have festivals going on about nature,” Houle said. “We do a mix of programs, but a lot of the focus is preschool through third grade.”

According to Stephanie Gorski, entomology graduate student and co-coordinator for entomology outreach programs, 41 of these programs have been requested since February for a wide variety of age groups as well, from one-year-olds at the Easter Seals to retirees in nursing homes.

Gorski said since the University no longer has its own insectary breeding lab—a result of past budget cuts—they partner with Durham’s Museum of Natural Sciences, which provides the group with plenty of insects temporarily.

While Houle said she believes research is a very important part of being a scientist, she said she participates in these outreach programs because this knowledge needs to be shared—especially since people come into contact with insects every day.

“As a scientist, I personally think if you do research and you never get it out there to the general public you’ve wasted your time. It needs to be shared, and starting with a young age is a great idea,” Houle said. “For me, a lot of the media—what you see about science—can be scary, so I enjoy bringing the real science to the public. The thing about entomology, specifically, is that everyone encounters insects. You can’t escape it, so it really helps people when they can learn something about them.”

Houle also said it is a helpful way to continue work in entomology while not being under the grind of research.

“It’s also a nice break from what we do. It’s fun to see the reactions,” Houle said. “A lot of people are scared of bugs, but then many come out and say ‘that was pretty cool.'”

According to Gorski, every graduate student participating in these outreach programs is also working on their independent research simultaneously.

Gorski said taking these insects out to the public and educating younger groups about the truth in entomology helps students get over their fear and disgust of bugs.

“I also believe that sometimes kids decide to be afraid to touch insects because they see their teachers are afraid,” Gorski said. “I’m no psychologist, but I think it would really help if the teachers were braver…okay, a lot of them already are.” 

Despite this, Gorski said she’s found a lot of students have a significant knowledge of insect basics, and attributes it to their interactions with various insects.

“Sometimes I’m surprised how much kids already know about insects. But there’s a big difference between what they are told in school and reality,” Gorski said. “I guess the answer is actually physically interacting with stuff instead of just talking about it.”

—a result of past budget cuts—they partner with Durham’s Museum of Natural Sciences, which provides the group with plenty of insects temporarily.

While Houle said she believes research is a very important part of being a scientist, she said she participates in these outreach programs because this knowledge needs to be shared—especially since people come into contact with insects every day.

“As a scientist, I personally think if you do research and you never get it out there to the general public you’ve wasted your time. It needs to be shared, and starting with a young age is a great idea,” Houle said. “For me a lot of the media—what you see about science—can be scary, so I enjoy bringing the real science to the public. The thing about entomology, specifically, is that everyone encounters insects. You can’t escape it, so it really helps people when they can learn something about them.”

Houle also said it is a helpful way to continue work in entomology while not being under the grind of research.

“It’s also a nice break from what we do. It’s fun to see the reactions,” Houle said. “A lot of people are scared of bugs, but then many come out and say ‘that was pretty cool.'”

According to Gorski, every graduate student participating in these outreach programs is also working on their independent research simultaneously.

Gorski said taking these insects out to the public and educating younger groups about the truth in entomology helps students get over their fear and disgust of bugs.

“I also believe that sometimes kids decide to be afraid to touch insects because they see their teachers are afraid,” Gorski said. “I’m no psychologist, but I think it would really help if the teachers were braver…okay, a lot of them already are.” 

Despite this, Gorski said she’s found a lot of students have a significant knowledge of insect basics, and attributes it to their interactions with various insects.

“Sometimes I’m surprised how much kids already know about insects. But there’s a big difference between what they are told in school and reality,” Gorski said. “I guess the answer is actually physically interacting with stuff instead of just talking about it.”