CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Individuals and teams from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who have made a visible impact on society were recently recognized with the 2025 Campus Awards for Excellence in Public Engagement. Faculty, staff members, students and community members who engage the public to address critical civic and community issues at the local, state, national and global levels were honored at an awards ceremony last month.
The Entomology Graduate Student Association team — whose members include Annaliese Wargin, Jared Martin, Morgan Brown, Erinn Dady and Ellie Meys— is the recipient of the Student Team Award for Excellence in Public Engagement. This registered student organization led by graduate students from the department of entomology strives to promote a positive message to the public about the scientific and cultural importance of insects.
With a four-decade history of outreach efforts, the EGSA maintains a steady presence at events in the university community, the region and the state with its insect “petting zoo.” In the past 12 months, the EGSA has hosted activities in such varied places as schools, farmers markets, libraries, Allerton Park, churches, Riggs Brewery and several of the venues around campus. Each appearance is tailored to the research and outreach goals of the hosting venue. Classrooms often provide the most lasting educational impact, with EGSA members bringing insects that meet the curricula for state teaching standards and then leaving those insects behind as “class pets” for students to continue learning weeks after an event.
One of the most beloved outreach events produced by the EGSA is the annual Insect Fear Film Festival, which celebrated its 43rd year this past February. The graduate students organized activities including arts and crafts, face painting, insect-wrangling at the petting zoo, crowd control, media interviews and collaborated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology to display CT-scans and electron microscope images of insects. The event typically brings up to 1,000 people to Foellinger Auditorium every year in what is now a hallmark of the university events calendar.