For most of us who teach entomology, our students are not entomology majors and thus do not enter our classes with an innate appreciation for studying insects. This presentation will outline a few of the tactics I have used to engage my students and that transferred well into the times of COVID with online learning. I also work to create an interest in entomology for middle school girls as part of a STEM camp that I’ve created with two colleagues, DU SciTech. DU SciTech is run entirely by women and is a free camp for low-income girls that provides high-quality, hands-on STEM experiences to girls from under-represented backgrounds who may not have the resources to support or participate in organized STEM-related activities. The major goal of all of these efforts is to increase the understanding and appreciation of insects by students of all ages.
