The Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois has several opportunities for the public to learn more about insects, and for our researchers to get involved! To learn more, please select from any of our initiatives and programs below. 

• Insect Fear Film Festival - Join the Entomology Graduate Students Association (EGSA) and the UIUC Department of Entomology for our annual film festival!
  Held every spring, this festival is an opportunity to see movies focused on insects, interact with the insects in our petting zoo, and dispel some fears of these incredible, fascinating creatures!
• Pollinatarium - The University of Illinois Pollinatarium is the first free-standing science center in the nation devoted to flowering plants and their pollinators. Why do plants and pollinators merit such special attention? The ecological interaction between pollinators and plants is vitally important because most terrestrial life on Earth depends in one way or another on pollination for survival. Over 75% of all flowering plant species depend on animal pollinators in order to reproduce, so pollination is a key process that sustains all kinds of communities around the world. Because so much depends on pollination, the UI Pollinatarium is dedicated to increasing awareness and appreciation of pollination as a remarkable ecological partnership and an essential ecosystem service.
• Beespotter - BeeSpotter is a partnership between citizen-scientists and the professional science community designed to educate the public about pollinators by engaging them in a data collection effort of importance to the nation. It is a web-based portal at the University of Illinois for learning about honey bees and bumble bees and for contributing data to a nationwide effort to collect baseline information on population status of these insects.
• I-Pollinate - I-Pollinate is a community science research initiative operated through the University of Illinois. Through the power of hundreds of community members across the state, we seek answers to important questions about pollinators and their precipitous decline. Join I-Pollinate and contribute to science from your own backyard. Together with University of Illinois researchers, your observations can make a difference for pollinators. 
• Insect Illustrations - These original drawings were used some 50 to 60 years ago as teaching aids for entomology at the University of Illinois.
• Insect Questions - Do you have a question regarding insects? You can email our Grad Student Outreach Coordinators at entowork@life.illinois.edu with your questions, and we'll try to get you some answers.