The entomologists collect many of their own demonstration and display specimens in local fields and streams. To ensure a steady supply of certain species, however, they maintain a "culturing room," in which they breed insects for research and educational purposes. Although they culture mostly native species, they keep a few exotic specimens on hand as well. "Our Australian walking sticks originally came from Ohio State University's collection, and the Smithsonian Institute helped us start our lubber grasshopper culture," says Frazier. "We have to obtain special permits from the USDA to keep non-native species. Fortunately they're not hard to raise, since they multiply like–well, like insects."

Recognizing that they also could multiply their public education efforts by training schoolteachers to use insects in their classrooms, Frazier and Appel developed a three-day Bug Camp for Teachers in 1995, focusing on ways to use bugs to make learning science fun. Each year about 20 elementary and secondary schoolteachers collect and learn to identify bugs, then generate hypotheses about their specimens' features and behavior. "We emphasize ways to teach basic biology principles from an observation standpoint," says Appel. "The teachers test their hypotheses using very simple materials available in the classroom and techniques that their students also could use to learn the scientific method." Frazier also conducts a session called Six-legged Ways to Teach Science as part of the College's Ag in the Classroom teachers workshop each summer (see "Ag in the Classroom").

Volunteer staff members buzz through the fair.

First graders at State College's Matternville Elementary School have benefited from their teacher Mardi Frye's participation in the 1996 bug camp. "I used to introduce science through botany lessons, but my students are much more interested in insects," says Frye. "All kids are naturalists at that age. They love making connections and are very interested in living things. Last fall, I brought in four monarch butterfly chrysalises, and the class talked about caterpillars. During recesses that week, the kids found all kinds of caterpillars. The insects not only taught them about science, but also inspired their art, writing, and poetry." Frye has since volunteered to help with some of the Catch the Bug activities. "I'd like to be even more involved with what the entomologists are doing," she says.

Cockroach races are a highlight of each year's event.

To make their educational programs more readily available throughout the state, the entomologists have been developing a series of lesson plans and instructional materials for distribution through Penn State Cooperative Extension, and have entered into discussions with state vocational agricultural education representatives on developing regional centers for training teachers to use insects in their classrooms. "We also hope to build some high-quality portable displays to help our county extension agents offer this kind of program locally," says Frazier.

These embryonic efforts will be taking flight at an especially appropriate time, since many large land-grant universities, including Penn State, recently have been reaffirming their commitment to community education and outreach and building on the long-standing public service traditions of their agricultural colleges. "We're aware that universities often seem isolated from what goes on in most people's lives, but outreach and public education have always been a part of our College's mission, so we believe that these activities are fundamentally important," Appel says. "Increasing and enhancing science literacy in children is one small way that we can use our abilities and knowledge of insects to help solve some of the environmental problems facing the world today. We're using the insects as a vehicle, the means to a larger end."

Maryann Frazier (far right) helps teachers collect and identify insects.