The University of British Columbia Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Early on, I discovered my insatiable curiosity the world of entomology. My passion grew, but it took time to mature into a career. I spent my twenties working as a nightclub bartender but I could feel the absence and pull of the natural world and sought an outlet to satisfy it. In 2010, I launched an entomology-focused blog (buggirl.tumblr.com) to share my love of entomology with others. To my surprise, it received worldwide attention from over 170,000 subscribers, allowed me to crowdfund my Masters research, and ultimately led me to reach my current position as a PhD student of Zoology. My academic career remains influenced and integrated with outreach; I’ve founded an educational Facebook group (Spider/Bug Questions with Thebuggirl) that hosts 14,000 members. My online efforts go beyond education, we have built a community together, one that keeps me in touch with my inner-naturalist and serves as a constant reminder why I chose to become a biologist. The ability to excite so many people about entomology drives me to be a better scientist. I am proud to be a part of the ‘Bugbook’ community where we change the public’s perception on a group of organisms that most people fear. Social media is a powerful, novel tool that we can use to promote entomology, and now more than ever the general public is excited to be an active participant.
