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Uf Entomology Club Research Paper

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Dallin Ashby, a graduated UF entomology master's student, normally spits crickets with his 11-year-old son Myles Ashby when they participate in BugFest. But this year, his 8-year-old daughter, Eliza Ashby, said she was going to try too. Her older sister, Rose Ashby, was in disbelief that her sister would participate in cricket spitting. "You're really gonna spit a cricket?" said Ashby's 10-year-old daughter, Rose Ashby. "Yahhh!" Eliza said. Eliza did in fact participate in the cricket spitting. She went through several rounds to try to beat Myles, but she didn’t. Her father said there is always next year. BugFest is a free, annual event hosted by the University of Florida Entomology Club to promote entomology and nematology. The event …show more content…

Baldwin said BugFest works as a connection to other resources, too. Kids who come to the festival may be interested in Bug Camp, a summer camp for middle and high school students. Some kids who started coming to Bug Camp five years ago are starting college at UF next year, she said. The event benefits current UF students as well. Baldwin said entomology is a found major, people rarely pick it before they come to college. BugFest is a way to gain visibility for the program and explain what entomologists do and their importance. It started with its target audience being high school students and students from UF and Santa Fe College. "Entomology impacts everybody, from preserving the food that we eat, to the clothes that we wear, to human health to animal health," she said. It is important to use the opportunity of BugFest to explain that. The event used to be on a Thursday night, but so many people would come it was moved to Saturday, two years ago. It was created by Carl Garfield, a former UF professor, a year before his retirement, in either 2010 or 2011, Baldwin

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