Chris Swann

Entomology youth adventure program

Young students from across the country gathered in Aggieland to immerse themselves in the world of entomology.

Entomology youth adventure program

Young students from across the country gathered in Aggieland to immerse themselves in the world of entomology.

In the dog days of the Texas summer, middle and high school students from across the country flocked to College Station for the annual Entomology Youth Adventure Program (YAP).

During this week-long camp, students explored how insects live in their environments, how they imact human society and well as career paths within entomology through hands-on experiments, expeditions and activities.

The students started the week in The Gardens at Texas A&M University to learn the basic practices with capturing insects for obvservation and collection.

Led by Entomology Graduate Assistant Shelby Kilpatrick, the camp was used as a component of her dissertation and teaching research. She currently working on her doctorate degree.

Throughout the week, students visited different research labs and field sites across campus, highlighted by the TAMU Insect Collection—one of the largest in the nation.

With a lesson led by Assistant Curator Mario Cupello, students toured the collection containing more than 3 million specimens within 45,000 identified species. The students spent hours pulling out drawers, studying specimens and asking questions to both Cupello and the student workers.

Throughout the week, students visited different research labs and field sites across campus, highlighted by the TAMU Insect Collection—one of the largest in the nation.

In the middle of the week, students were treated to a night expedition at the Texas A&M Ecology & Natural Resources Teaching Pavilion to learn how insects interact with different lights such as blacklights, ultraviolet, and LEDs as a method of trapping and collection.

Donning headlamps, students explored a section of the 945-acre field station at dusk, waiting for enough light to fade so insects would begin flocking to the light traps set up beforehand. In the meantime, students continued combing through high bushes, logs and rocks for more insects to add to their personal collection.

Students ended the week with a better understanding of insect diversity, biology, behavior and ecology. They also went home with their own collection of insects captured throughout the week.

Photos by Chris Swann/Texas A&M AgriLife

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