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FUN Newsletter
Bug Brains, Con nued...
ve, inquiry-based outreach ac vi es.
Each year the University of Arizona hosts an Annual Insect Fes val, where members of the
university’s research community and other enthusiasts bring their passion for insects and
Our “Bug Brains”
other interes ng arthropods to the public at large (h p://www.arizonainsec es val.com).
booth… acquaints the
This free and open event annually draws thousands of visitors, young and old alike, to the
university for a one-day fair organized into thema c booths that highlight different aspublic with the
pects of the importance of insects to our daily lives. Since the fes val’s incep on, the Department of Neuroscience has hosted a “Bug Brains” booth with several displays and ac v- significance of insects
i es (described below) geared at acquain ng the public with the significance of insects in
in neuroscience and
neuroscience and biomedical research. The booth is planned and organized by a collaborave team of postdoctoral researchers and graduate and undergraduate student volunresearch.
teers. This event is a great opportunity for undergraduate neuroscience students to volunteer and share their excitement about science with a diverse and energe c audience
(Pearce & Srivatsan, 2011). The majority of fes val a endees are children, and as such our booth is designed to engage
the audience with hands-on, int