Insect Science Education
Purdue entomology has, throughout the history of the department, maintained programs of insect-science education beyond the traditional university class offerings. This effort has evolved over the years and has exposed untold numbers of people to insect science resulting in statewide, national, and international name recognition and reputation for our scientific discipline, the Entomology Department, the College of Agriculture, and Purdue University.
In addition to providing insect-science education to the general public, these programs have provided opportunities for in-service training in outreach education for departmental undergraduate and graduate students. Today a high percentage of faculty and staff contribute to the insect-science education efforts of the department. There is a growing recognition of a national need for increased scientific literacy in the general population and the need to recruit and educate future scientists from the US population. This national need and the unquestioned value of insects as the generators of excitement among the general population provides an unparalleled insect-science educational opportunity. This national need, in conjunction with our strong history of successful insect science programs in educational outreach, uniquely places the department in a position to develop a national leadership role in this area. The faculty/staff with an interest in this area are as follows: