Tarleton Entomological Society returns

BY CAROLINE CRAIN

News Editor

Most students walk past the campus green without giving a second thought to the tiny creatures crawling across the grass or buzzing in the air. Creepy, crawly or just plain fascinating, bugs are often overlooked, misunderstood or even feared. Yet, for the Tarleton Entomological Society, they represent an entire universe waiting to be studied, appreciated and admired.

Grace Millsap is a founder of the organization and a master's student in the wildlife and natural resources department, studying the impacts of microplastics on aquatic invertebrates. 

“Our whole goal is to spread the love and spread knowledge of bugs and their relatives,” Millsap said.

After the original club went dormant years ago, the Tarleton Entomological Society renewed this semester and is back on campus for a second chance.

Another founder, Lavender Blackston, is a master’s student in the wildlife and natural resources department with a focus on entomology.

“I studied abroad in Africa twice,” Blackston said. “The second time I went, I did my research on bugs there, and that's when I was like, ‘I should bring this back to Tarleton.’”

The chapter’s beginnings lay in the hands of several undergrad and graduate students, starting behind the scenes about a year ago. Even in the first week of being an active organization on campus, the group has grown significantly from what started out as a team of friends competing in entomology trivia competitions.

 “We have a big team,” Millsap said. “We have a lot of ideas. And we are going to be throwing a lot of stuff at the wall in the next couple of semesters.”

To kick off the semester, the group held a black-lighting event Thursday, August 28, at the Ditch Water Discovery Center. In entomology, black-lighting refers to the use of ultraviolet light sources to attract insects for observation, collection or population studies.

Matthew Sato is an animal and natural resource sciences doctoral student studying grass pollen nutrition and is another founder of the Entomological Society. He said the event’s turnout exceeded expectations.

“With a more formal and legitimized group like this, we can lend a lot of credibility to the idea of loving these creatures and, as it's clear from tonight, a lot of people do,” Sato said. “And so by giving a space for that, I hope to shine light on insects and animals which desperately need our help and get almost no recognition.”

One persistent challenge in entomology is the stigma against bugs.

“We're all a community. We're part of nature just as much as they are,” Blackston said.

Many members credit Blackston with doing the heavy lifting to get the society off the ground.

“I feel like sharing information, helping other people understand what's around them and what's in their backyard, is extremely important,” Blackston said. 

As such, a large focus of the organization is on education.

“Really, we're just out here trying to not only get bug enthusiasts together, but also maybe create more people who at least tolerate bugs more, [where] they understand their roles in the environment,” Millsap said. “They don't necessarily have to like them, but we do want to teach people the importance of them, especially considering bugs across the board are in decline right now. So the more people who know, even the smallest amount of things we can do to help, that means the world to us. We love our bugs.”

Other than black-lighting events, the Entomological Society has plans for events including pinning, mothing, quiz bowls, bio-blitzes and guided pollinator walks.

“While I love the idea of educating Tarleton students, I also think that some of the greatest power in this club lies in the ability to connect the college with the community,” Sato said.

That connection, members said, comes through outreach – by welcoming the Stephenville community to join in and learn alongside students. By opening events to the public, the society hopes to bridge campus and community while fostering curiosity about the natural world.

Sato also hopes the society can contribute to a bigger picture project: organizing Tarleton’s insect collections into an online database.

“We have decades worth of collections and specimens, all of which are unorganized and unsorted,” Sato said. “It would be really cool to put together an online museum of everything we’ve collected to make this a research hub for entomologists worldwide. If you want to know what’s in Central Texas, we could make our collection into a space where you can check and say, ‘Does Tarleton have this bug?’”

In addition to research, the group wants to build professional development opportunities for students interested in entomology. Currently, only two students at Tarleton are majoring in entomology, but society members believe the club can help open doors for more students to explore the field.

“The ability to provide community outreach opportunities, student educational opportunities, student professional development opportunities and honestly, just a lot of fun – all of those events are working towards those four goals,” Sato said.

Fun, members added, is just as central to the mission as the rest.

Naomi Zahn, another founder, is a wildlife sustainability and ecosystem science major with a focus in wildlife management. Zahn’s passion for insects was matched by the enthusiasm of those who came out to the black-lighting event.

“This is our first event, and we’re really excited with everybody coming out, hanging out and checking out bugs,” Zahn said. “I’m a senior this year, so for me this is awesome because I get to see all the freshmen who are coming in and get to see that what I find really, really exciting, they find really, really exciting. It’s nice to finally get to talk to people about bugs a little bit more.”

Beyond the event itself, Zahn emphasized that insects aren’t something to fear.

“Bugs are not scary, I promise,” Zahn said. “It is a really, really great opportunity to come and learn a little bit more about the small ones that run the world and enjoy just having some fun.”

The Entomological Society welcomes all who are interested, no matter their knowledge level.

“Our goal here is to bring people into entomology, not consolidate people who already know entomology,” Sato said. “We have a lot of very talented people here, yes, but the goal here is to provide entry-level events – things that anyone could hypothetically walk off the street and enjoy.”

The Entomological Society will hold its first meeting at 6 p.m. on Sept. 4 in OA Grant 104. 

“Bugs are easy; they're everywhere, they're in your backyard,” Sato said. “If you want to know what's crawling on the ground underneath your feet, you should come join our events, and I promise you'll walk away knowing a little bit more about the world around you.”