Bug Camp
Dates & Times:
Week 7 Instructor: Melissa & Derek Sikes
Grades 3 - 7: July 15 - 19 (Week 7), 9 AM - 12 PM (waitlist only!)
Week 8 Instructor: Taylor Kane
Grades 3 - 7: July 22 - 26 (Week 8), 1 PM - 4 PM (waitlist only!)
Location: UA Museum of the North 148, UAF Campus
Cost: $240
Description: Learn about Alaska’s insects and their relatives - from our beautiful butterflies and dragonflies to our less-loved mosquitoes and spiders. Through field, forest, and pond, under rocks, in flowers, and everywhere else, we’ll collect (catch and release some, keep others to build a collection of preserved specimens campers can take home) and study these fascinating many-legged tiny animals.
Instructors: Melissa & Derek Sikes
A little about Melissa: I am the Natural Resource Education Specialist at the Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District and have been there since 2010. I went to Unity College in Maine and got my BS in Outdoor Recreation in 1990. I enjoy sharing my passion for the incredible natural world we are a part of here in Alaska.
A little about Derek: I am the Curator of Insects at the University of Alaska Museum and a Professor of Entomology in the Department of Biology and Wildlife. I have been fascinated by insects since 1988 when I took my first entomology course and I love sharing cool information about insects with students of all ages.
Instructor: Taylor Kane
A little about Taylor: I am a PhD student at UAF studying Alaskan Insects. I grew up in Fairbanks and love exploring the outdoors with my dogs as much as possible!
Assistant: Jessica Rykken
A little about Jessica: Jess Rykken is the Insect Collection Manager at the University of Alaska Museum. She has led insect surveys and studies in national parks and other wild places in Alaska for the past 12 years, and is very enthusiastic about sharing what she's learned with people of all ages. While working for Denali National Park Jess devoted a lot of time to leading insect programs with K-12 kids from all over Alaska, as well as adults.