Question 1: What is it about the wonderful world of entomology that inspires you? Was there a particular experience or encounter with an insect that brought you to where you are today?
We have been collecting insects and exploring the captivating world of entomology ever since we can remember. We have always been intrigued by the diversity and the unique attributes that define each individual species. More recently, we have been inspired by the evolutionary relationships and physical variations within and between species. Entomology is one of the most overlooked and underappreciated fields of study, making us even more dedicated to sharing our knowledge through outreach and furthering entomology as a whole through research. The virtually infinite ways that innovation can be implemented within entomological trap designs further inspires us to think in unconventional ways, combining our entomological knowledge and creative engineering.
–Connor Hsu and Cole Cramer
Cole
I would have to say that I have had multiple turning points in my entomological career, with one of the firsts being raising silkworms in kindergarten. I picked up 10-15 at the Bug Fair at the NHMLA, put them into a basic enclosure and reared them up- I actually owe a lot to my neighbor’s mulberry tree for the constant supply of food! The sound of them munching on the mulberry leaves at night in my quiet bedroom is something I will never forget. As they started searching for places to cocoon, I distinctly remember building a “toilet paper roll tower” for them. I had everyone in my family saving their empty toilet paper rolls. The tower worked perfectly and I’ll always remember those perfect white silk moths emerging from their oval cocoons. Another cool experience was with mantids when I was in second grade. I had found an ooth in our backyard in the late fall and put it into a box, placed it under my dad’s work bench and honestly forgot about it. A few months later in December, my Dad started to notice nymphs running around in the garage and called me out. I ran in, found my box, and opened it. To my complete surprise I found about 200 nymphs inside the box- it was then that I learned a warm California garage can override diapause, even in the middle of winter! And now that I think about it, this was likely the start of my interest in raising and breeding mantids- and how I started my business, Mantis Universe.
On top of this, a few years ago back in 2019, I was given the amazing opportunity by Alex and Victoria Bic to come out to Arizona and go on a collecting trip with them. I distinctly remember arriving at White Rock Campground, and being able to experience a white sheet turn brown for the first time -covered with countless species of moths and beetles. We set up multiple mercury vapor and black lights out in the middle of the Arizona desert. Once we set up the white bedsheets, it was just a waiting game for the insects to arrive, and we didn’t have to wait long. Dichotomius colonicus, Brasiella wickhami, Automeris cecrops, Eacles imperialis showed up to our light. For the first time, I felt like I was in heaven. I had never felt so alive and in that moment, I knew that this is what I was born to do.Collecting and recording specimens and their data had always been a dream of mine, and thanks to Alex and Victoria, that dream became a reality. It was truly an eye-opening experience and something I will never forget- and one that I am forever grateful to them for.
More recently a major pivotal point for me was last year when Dr. Paul Marek, an entomologist at Virginia Tech, invited me to participate in a subterranean pipe trap research project he was working on in SoCal. After spending a few days in the field with him and his team – and digging A LOT of holes! – I knew that I wanted to pursue entomology for life. This experience was really impactful to me- to be a part of a team, being in the field, doing what I love more than anything. A few months later, I was invited back to the lab at Virginia Tech, where I pinned specimens for the Entomology Collection, collected in the field, photographed specimens, and even worked with a PhD student on how to extract DNA from a new species of insect that I had collected in a subterranean pipe trap that I had implemented in San Diego. Which is likely a new species! Finding this endogean, a subterranean insect, truly made me realize the amount of entomological work that still needs to be completed, further inspiring me to continue on my path towards becoming a research entomologist. During my trip to Virginia, I was also fortunate enough to be able to explore Tawney’s cave with a Field Cave and Karst Scientist from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Natural Heritage. This really confirmed my passion for subterranean biology.
Connor
One of my most memorable experiences that shaped my entomological journey and life overall was making a lego figurine out of cheese cruds produced from milk and vinegar. Everyone in my second grade art class smashed these curds into molds and let them dry. After taking them out of the molds, we painted them to resemble our chosen dream job. My chosen job was an entomologist because I was so obsessed with finding bugs in my backyard and reading about them at the library. We made an acrostic poem using all of the letters of the career we selected, and I was so proud to have spelled entomologist correctly and thought of amazing words for my poem. I wrote: Excellent at studying bugs, Never any other animal, Terrific scientists, Oh I want to be an entomologist, My mother does not like bugs, Only I like bugs in my family, Loving every bug in history, Observing bugs is cool, Good at identifying bugs, It is hard work, Soon I will study bugs, Tries to figure out.
I was the only kid in my grade invited to present my project at the school board meeting and a local bookstore event the following month, and I felt an overwhelming sense of pride. That recognition made my interest feel significant rather than unusual, and it gave me the confidence to continue pursuing something so specific. From that moment on, I felt comfortable sharing my fascination with others about insects instead of seeing it as a weird interest. It encouraged me to keep learning, observing, and wondering curiously about everything related to insects. That early recognition helped shape my identity as someone who values the complexity of insects and the importance of studying them, and it remains one of the most influential experiences that set me on the path I continue to follow today.
As I grew older, that early confidence continued to shape the way I approached entomology. What began as a childhood fascination gradually developed into a more serious commitment to learning proper techniques, improving my skills, and seeking opportunities to deepen my understanding of the field. I began looking for experiences that would challenge me academically allowing my interest to grow even more.
Attending UC Davis’s Bio Boot camp was the most pivotal event of my entomological career, influencing and inspiring me to become more professional in my pinning practices, labeling practices, collecting, and so much more. After meeting Cole for the first time at Bio Boot camp, I immediately knew we would become best friends and continue our entomological journey together, learning together about anything from scientific names of insects to collecting strategies. Having a best friend who shared the same passion and who was just as motivated allowed us to inspire each other to progress and eventually start Lorquin Society Scholars. I can’t imagine that I would be where I am if it wasn’t for the experience I gained from Bio Boot Camp. After the first camp, I attended twice more and gained more insight on how to become a more professional entomologist. Since then, I have been lucky enough to have assisted in the research of Antarctic microbes at the National University of Taiwan with Dr. Matan Shelomi. Currently, I am collecting data for Dr. Shelomi for a research project that he is working on, which I wouldn’t have been able to do if it weren’t for the knowledge that I gained from all three Bio Boot Camp experiences.
Question 2: There are many ways to appreciate insects; they are adored by many for their appearance and cultural significance, but often people may not have a deeper understanding and appreciation for what they do for ecosystems and life on a greater scale. Why do you think this might be?
From what we have observed, it has been apparent that our society has adored insects primarily for their radiant and breathtaking patterns and colors. However, insects are often overlooked for their bigger purpose. Small organisms are assumed to have small impact. The public often only appreciates the beautiful qualities, but lacks the further curiosity and education to explore and understand the sheer complexity of insects: how they play a crucial role in our ecosystem, how they are a key group that keep everything in balance, and why we need to spend more time understanding them. Recognizing the importance of educating youth and our community about entomology led to the creation of Lorquin Society Scholars, a youth entomology group we founded to connect and educate like-minded students who share a passion for the field.
Question 3: The creation of the Lorquin Society Scholars established a space for you to connect and explore with other likeminded young scientists and has allowed you to become a steward for your club members and their curiosity. Does this responsibility inspire you to keep working towards larger goals? Are there any big upcoming projects you are excited about?
The Lorquin Society Scholars was founded in 2023 and we have since reached thousands of families and kids, inspiring them to explore the natural world, pay attention to even the smallest of insects and get curious about what roles insects play in our ecosystem.
We’ve hosted nature hikes in our local parks/trails, blacklighting nights at our local nature centers, and entomological educational booths at local community outreach events. We talk about our events on our Lorquin Society Scholars Instagram page.
Our favorite so far has been the blacklighting night. This was an event where over 60 families + kids attended on a warm late summer evening and it was a blast. All the kids that came were crazy for insects and we loved showing them what came into the light. Most had never seen a MV/blacklight set up so it really opened up their eyes to see that they too could actually catch their own insects – even in their own backyards. The energy of the event was amazing – an entire group of kids just going nuts for insects. We set up a 400 watt MV bulb on a tripod, a huge white sheet, a few blacklights and let the bugs come in. Not long into the event, we had all kinds of species flying around us and the kids were loving it. We provided colorful mini-nets and UV eye protection – many of the kids brought their own containers and went home with some new friends. The event was from 6:30-9:30pm, but we think everyone could have stayed even longer. The nature center director later told us this blacklighting night was their most popular first time event they’ve ever had, and they had to actually extend the maximum attendance cap twice due to overwhelming response and sign ups!
We even recently started offering Girl Scout Badge events! The last one we did was for a local Brownie troop of 9 girls. We organized a presentation and an insect themed craft for them too. We were really impressed by how enthusiastic the girls were about entomology and also what great questions they had for us. The event was such a success that we have had multiple inquiries now from other troops!
Yes, all of our events inspire us to take things further and in bigger ways. After every event, we reflect on how we could have improved – what worked and what didn’t. We are always exploring new ways to engage youth by asking questions during our events, developing new educational specimen displays, and refining our approach to outreach as a whole. We always strive to have a bigger impact than the last event, as we hope to convey to the public that entomology is much more than “pincher bugs and rolly-pollys”. Our hope is to continue attending more community outreach events in 2026, making more families aware of our events, and even expanding outside of Los Angeles. In fact, we have a current member that will likely be opening up an Orange County chapter! We would love to see Lorquin Society Scholars in multiple chapters across the West Coast!
We are also always looking for support within the entomological community.
A major milestone for our organization in 2025 was presenting at the Entomological Collections Network (ECN) meeting in Portland. We shared a 15 minute presentation on the Lorquin Society Scholars outreach work with an audience of professors, museum curators, and researchers. We had slides on all the different types of community outreach events we’ve done and received an overwhelming response and support from the audience. It was our first time presenting at an entomological conference and was a really big moment for us. We learned a great deal about effective public engagement and entomological education through the many talks, as well as through the opportunity to network with other ECN members at the mixer event that evening.
Big, upcoming projects for 2026 are more blacklighting nights this summer, developing a Brownie/Girl Scouts Entomology Badge curriculum and pathway, and speaking at ECN 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. We are also hoping to speak about Lorquin Society Scholars at ESA in 2026.
Question 4: As you grow older, graduate and move on to higher education, will the Lorquin Society Scholars continue at its current level with new leadership, or do you see the club graduating and moving with you?
Through our outreach events, we have met and become acquainted with many other middle and high schoolers who share our same passion for entomology. Our goal is to educate the younger generation of the importance of entomology and through feedback we have received, we think it is best to continue the practice of “kids teaching kids”. That is one of the biggest pieces of feedback we’ve received.
Through Lorquin, entomology has become more accessible and approachable to kids because they are learning from people closer to their age. As we move on to higher education, we believe it is appropriate to recruit and train budding young entomologists as new leaders to continue the Lorquin Scholars mission at the middle and high school level. This allows us to leave a lasting legacy while continuing to engage and inspire future generations of young entomologists and build a strong, connected community.
If there’s a buggy story in particular that you’d like to see us share, let us know by emailing support@bicbugs.com
What Kind of Bug Are You? – Quiz
If there’s a buggy story in particular that you’d like to see us share, let us...
Entomologist Spotlight – Charles Henry Turner (1867-1923)
Charles Henry Turner, born February 3rd 1876, was an American entomologist that published foundational studies for...
Entomologist Spotlight – Bug Hoaxes
April Fools’ Day is thought to have started during the 16th century in France, when they...