As they say, [work]
Mar. 16th, 2026 04:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rebeccmeisterWhat's the difference between am entomologist and an etymologist?
I don't know, and it bugs me in a way I can't put into words.
So, Sunday was the Eastern Branch Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, which took place in a town north of here. It was close enough to campus that my research students were excited about the idea of being able to go and present their research, so they did! Here's the busy poster hall in the midst of the poster presentations:
The meeting organizers also organized a Bug Expo event to accompany the conference, and I said we could put together an ant activity table for the Bug Expo, too. That meant that I got up extra early Sunday morning to drive to campus and assemble supplies for our table. We did bring along some hissing cockroaches, too, just for solidarity.
Here's a picture of the convention center rooms where our Expo took place:
By sheer coincidence, there was another, larger Expo taking place on the main floor of the conference center, too, showcasing sports and other active lifestyle things to do in Upstate New York. Ultimately, I think the fact there were two expos happening meant that both expos got more traffic. We were definitely busy for the entire day, to the extent that I never made it to any of the conference talks at all.
Our most popular item was our offering of ant stamp temporary tattoos. I had a lot of fun amending this person's spider tattoo (although the ant wound up being fainter than intended):
The item with the black cloth over it was to add intrigue around our display of The Largest Ant in the World?? We had fun pulling out the ant to show it to people (Dinomyrmex gigas). I was also pleased with how the "What's in an Ant Colony?" display poster and stand turned out. We'll be able to reuse that for other outreach events in the future.
There were lots of other great insect- and arthropod-themed things on display, like this insect origami station where people could fold their own cicadas and butterflies:
The people with these Bessie Bugs (Bess beetles, family Passalidae) had a series of creative interactive activities to foster appreciation for the beetles (and beyond):
I appreciated the display on how to handle the beetles, "Hold it like you are picking up a piece of candy."
Our table neighbors come from a biodiversity research farm/site a bit to the south of Albany:
It was great to see them, because I'm hoping to go and pay them a visit once the weather warms up a bit. As part of their suite of biodiversity surveys, they have been surveying ant diversity across a range of sites, from a site they consider "ancient forest" (no signs of any human occupation, ever), to sites planted with a range of different types of vegetation, including pollinator-friendly mixes or more conventional agricultural plantings.
There were also people who run a business for creating insect-friendly garden landscapes, who had a great display highlighting all of the kinds of spaces that different kinds of insects like to use:
A grad student group also participated, selling a bunch of different insect-themed wares to raise funds for student support. The gray crocheted mosquitoes were hilarious. They also had beetle elytra earrings for sale, so I finally bought some. So shiny.
As to be expected, some of the outreach was in the name of biocontrol. Apparently someone got funds some time ago to have insect/arthropod mascot costumes made for an Asian longhorn beetle and for an anatomically accurate tick:
Somewhat inexplicably, there were a bunch of reptiles, snakes, and raptors at the Bug Expo, too.
We only made it over to see the raptors shortly before the Expo wrapped up. The raptor handlers said that they were participating because certain raptors (and the other reptiles, I suppose) eat insects. I suppose so.
In addition to the ant tattoos, we also folded and handed out a ton of ant zines, maybe around 85 of the 100 I photocopied. All told, a good and productive day, but also exhausting.
I don't know, and it bugs me in a way I can't put into words.
So, Sunday was the Eastern Branch Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, which took place in a town north of here. It was close enough to campus that my research students were excited about the idea of being able to go and present their research, so they did! Here's the busy poster hall in the midst of the poster presentations:
The meeting organizers also organized a Bug Expo event to accompany the conference, and I said we could put together an ant activity table for the Bug Expo, too. That meant that I got up extra early Sunday morning to drive to campus and assemble supplies for our table. We did bring along some hissing cockroaches, too, just for solidarity.
Here's a picture of the convention center rooms where our Expo took place:
By sheer coincidence, there was another, larger Expo taking place on the main floor of the conference center, too, showcasing sports and other active lifestyle things to do in Upstate New York. Ultimately, I think the fact there were two expos happening meant that both expos got more traffic. We were definitely busy for the entire day, to the extent that I never made it to any of the conference talks at all.
Our most popular item was our offering of ant stamp temporary tattoos. I had a lot of fun amending this person's spider tattoo (although the ant wound up being fainter than intended):
The item with the black cloth over it was to add intrigue around our display of The Largest Ant in the World?? We had fun pulling out the ant to show it to people (Dinomyrmex gigas). I was also pleased with how the "What's in an Ant Colony?" display poster and stand turned out. We'll be able to reuse that for other outreach events in the future.
There were lots of other great insect- and arthropod-themed things on display, like this insect origami station where people could fold their own cicadas and butterflies:
The people with these Bessie Bugs (Bess beetles, family Passalidae) had a series of creative interactive activities to foster appreciation for the beetles (and beyond):
I appreciated the display on how to handle the beetles, "Hold it like you are picking up a piece of candy."
Our table neighbors come from a biodiversity research farm/site a bit to the south of Albany:
It was great to see them, because I'm hoping to go and pay them a visit once the weather warms up a bit. As part of their suite of biodiversity surveys, they have been surveying ant diversity across a range of sites, from a site they consider "ancient forest" (no signs of any human occupation, ever), to sites planted with a range of different types of vegetation, including pollinator-friendly mixes or more conventional agricultural plantings.
There were also people who run a business for creating insect-friendly garden landscapes, who had a great display highlighting all of the kinds of spaces that different kinds of insects like to use:
A grad student group also participated, selling a bunch of different insect-themed wares to raise funds for student support. The gray crocheted mosquitoes were hilarious. They also had beetle elytra earrings for sale, so I finally bought some. So shiny.
As to be expected, some of the outreach was in the name of biocontrol. Apparently someone got funds some time ago to have insect/arthropod mascot costumes made for an Asian longhorn beetle and for an anatomically accurate tick:
Somewhat inexplicably, there were a bunch of reptiles, snakes, and raptors at the Bug Expo, too.
We only made it over to see the raptors shortly before the Expo wrapped up. The raptor handlers said that they were participating because certain raptors (and the other reptiles, I suppose) eat insects. I suppose so.
In addition to the ant tattoos, we also folded and handed out a ton of ant zines, maybe around 85 of the 100 I photocopied. All told, a good and productive day, but also exhausting.
no subject
Date: 2026-03-16 09:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-03-17 11:38 am (UTC)Great photo of you & the anatomically accurate tick. When you write a book, you must use it as your author's photo.
no subject
Date: 2026-03-17 04:47 pm (UTC)