College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Entomology

On May 16 & 17, 2024 The Excellence in Insect Science Symposium (EIS) took place at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing, MI.

Day One featured speakers, MSU's Rufus Isaacs, CDC's Ben Beard, and The Bug Chicks' Kristie Reddick and Jessica Honaker, set the stage for each of the three pillars: Climate Resilience, One Heath and STEM Education. A poster session allowed graduate students and post docs to present their research ideas to the symposium participants. The afternoon panel discussions built off the morning's foundation, with next level, in-depth analysis and broad thinking for the audience to digest.

The evening reception took the idea of Insects and Food to a whole new level. The Kellogg Center chefs, in collaboration with the MSU Dairy Store and Brooklyn Bug's Joseph Yoon, created a menu incorporating a variety of insects into dishes such as pizza, 7-Layer Dip, cannolis and a Build-Your-Own Ramen bar.

Day Two was all about conversation and idea generation. Participants got to offer their thoughts on what they heard the day before and how they might utilize that information to spark new research and foster new collaborations.

In addition to tackling grand challenges, EIS also offered some fun extra curricular activities. A group traveled to Grand Rapids to view an exhibit at the Meijer Gardens by visual artist and EIS panelist Jennifer Angus entitled "Flying Jewels and Other Lofty Insects". The department sponsored a bug-themed movie night featuring "James and the Giant Peach" at the Kellogg Center. The MSU Bug House and the OSU Bug Mobile presented a joint outreach event, which featured hands-on interactions with insects and "Cricket Crunch" ice cream made by the MSU Dairy Store. To wrap up the week, EIS panelist and Brooklyn Bugs Chef Joseph Yoon gave a public lecture at the MSU Museum "Food Fight" space.