Insect Education and Outreach
One of the best things that we can do as scientists is to share our passion and knowledge with adults and children of all ages. I frequently visit classrooms where I bring in a wide range of LIVING arthropods (insects and their close relatives).
Every presentation includes information on taxonomy (what is a bug vs. an insect vs. a spider?), morphology (what are the major body parts?) and ecology (what do they eat and where do they live?) that is tailored to the age and interest of the students. Most importantly, every student (from pre-schoolers to senior citizens!) has the opportunity to touch and hold the living critters.
Another critical component of our outreach is to communicate the findings and relevance of our research in ways that don’t require advanced degrees. To find out more about one of the projects in the Meuti lab, please watch this TED-style talk.
Additionally, here is a brief (literally one minute) video explaining some of our work.
We are also looking forward to work with educators to create educational resources that will meet your curricular needs! If you work with kids or would like a certified entomologist to visit your classroom, girl scout troop or any other group of people, please feel free to email Megan (meuti.1@osu.edu).