An in-house collection of insects is an invaluable teaching resource. Collections may be the first encounter a student has with an insect. With captive insects, students are able to study morphology and taxonomy in detail and to learn about biodiversity, ecology, biology and more.
In this course designed for classroom teachers, the major arthropod classes, general insect morphology, and classification and biology of major insect orders will be surveyed. The bulk of the class will focus on the curation of insect collections and will include practice with pinning, point-mounting, spreading, labeling, and storing insect specimens.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand the importance of insects in relation to humans.
- Identify common Maryland insects to order.
- Know how to catch insects using nets, pitfall traps, and light traps.
- Learn how to prepare, preserve, and organize insect specimens.
All teachers will leave with a beginner insect collection along with the materials and knowledge to continue building out the collection. Follow-up Zooms will be scheduled in the spring to check in on progress and classroom use.
IMPORTANT ENROLLMENT INFORMATION: To maximize outcomes, two teachers from the same school must attend the training as a team. Single teachers will not be accepted. This opportunity is open to classroom teachers only.
INSTRUCTOR: Newly minted PhD in entomology from Texas A&M, Emily Russavage is currently a postdoc at the University of Maryland department of entomology.
This opportunity was made possible through a grant from the Entomological Society of America’s Chrysalis Fund.
