Introduction

After completing nearly half of the required coursework for the UNL EntomologyDistance Masters Program, my love and knowledge for insects has continued to grow. I find myself looking more deeply at the backyard landscape when I attend suburban picnics. On my early morning jogs, I look forward to the times that I'm up early enough to beat the robin to the cecropia and luna moths clinging to the footpath lights. When I'm at the park with my two children, I take refereeing breaks by looking for dragonflies and damselflies skimming the overly irrigated turf. And I purposely brave the mosquitoes every summer night to enjoy the lightening bugs on my deck.

I truly appreciate that my coursework, work and life history have provided me with “inspectacles”, an imaginative pair of glasses through which I can observe the lives and biodiversity of the insect world. I want to share this vision, and seek to accomplish it through my MS project. 

The goal of my MS project is to start a blog; that targets parents, teachers and children with step by step ideas and tutorials on how to incorporate insects into their lives. 

I believe insects make tremendous teaching tools. They are numerous, accessible, diverse and interactive without batteries. I am always looking for ways to incorporate not only insects, but all kinds of natural elements into the everyday activities of my two children. I also think this is a very appropriate senior project for a land grant university, as it will embody cooperative extension and community outreach.