Publications

Entomologists are often seen as insect fanatics, well-versed in trivial facts about myriad “creepy crawlies.” However, as an educator, the true obsession lies in the dynamic role insects play in the classroom. Their value as instructional models relies on two biologically significant characteristics: they are ubiquitous, and they are extremely diverse.

There is a growing need for classroom materials that position students as agents of scientific discovery—designing investigations, collecting data, and drawing conclusions based on experimental evidence. Our project, MothEd, was founded to create a place-based, student-oriented, moth-themed unit that supports authentic student agency and scientific inquiry. Developed materials were assembled into a comprehensive teacher guide that introduces educators to the curriculum and supports them in implementing student-led research projects in their classrooms. Students are supported in asking testable research questions, making predictions, building low-cost do-it-yourself moth traps, collecting specimens, drawing empirically based conclusions, and sharing their findings with invested audiences. While the MothEd Teacher Guide can be implemented across the K–12 spectrum, it was specifically designed for middle school grades and is freely available for use. Teachers who have implemented the curriculum report greater student engagement, student ownership of learning, and connections that students make to authentic scientific practices.

Insects have long been integral to youth science education both in K-12 classrooms and in informal learning contexts due to their diversity, accessibility, and ecological importance. Collecting and studying insects helps students develop key scientific skills such as observation, classification, and inquiry. However, with the rise of conservation movements and ethical considerations regarding animal rights, the practice of insect collecting has come under scrutiny. This paper explores the practice of insect collecting with students in the K-12 age range, highlighting both its educational benefits and the ethical challenges it poses. We examine arguments both for and against insect collecting and propose a framework from which teachers, students, and informal educators can construct their own code of ethics. The goal is to foster ethical, inquiry-based learning while ensuring respect for nature and promoting a nuanced understanding of environmental stewardship.

Passive light traps have long been a popular method used for trapping moths and other night-flying insects. Recent changes in the availability of equipment necessitate the development of accessible and effective alternatives for insect monitoring. This study assesses the performance of a 3D-printed Pennsylvania-style black light moth trap compared to the formerly available commercial BioQuip trap and investigates the impact of funnel size on catch rates. Our 3D-printed trap was compared to the BioQuip trap over ten trap-nights in Central Michigan. Results indicate that commercial BioQuip traps consistently captured significantly more moths than the 3D-printed prototype. An additional experiment evaluating the effect of funnel diameters on trap performance revealed that larger funnels generally caught a greater number of moths. While the commercial trap outperformed the initial 3D-printed design, likely due to differences in light source and funnel size, the 3D-printed trap offers a viable, cost-effective, and reproducible alternative. This technology enhances accessibility for citizen scientists, educational programs, and smaller research labs, promoting widespread moth monitoring crucial for addressing global insect declines. Future research should focus on optimizing LED light sources and trap geometry to further close the performance gap.

Entomologists, like many other types of scientists, will often share their scientific findings with the public. This is especially true for entomologists, who engage specific audiences, such as extension programs that target farmers, for example. But those focusing on K-12 classrooms are less well studied. Here, we conducted a scoping review to search for all relevant publications, and from those determine (1) the characteristics of K-12 entomology outreach efforts and (2) opportunities for improvement based on identified characteristics. The search of five databases yielded 42 relevant publications. Analysis of those publications identified the following characteristics of K-12 outreach efforts: These publications are most often published in educational journals, they are most often reflective, and they rarely evaluate the interventions employed. We suggest that the practice of K-12 entomology outreach benefits from (i) publishing in entomology-focused journals, (ii) including non-academic authors, (iii) evaluating interventions, (iv) including student data, and (v) considering elements of diversity and inclusion.

Studying moths is an excellent way to include students in science practices by introducing them to a ubiquitous but under-appreciated animal group that can be found in their local places, including urban, suburban, agricultural, forested, and other habitats. In this paper, we share a simple, low-cost method that can allow individual students or groups to collect moth specimens and begin to ask and answer questions about moth diversity and abundance in their local community.