About Insect Collection

The Virtual Insect Collection Lab allows learners in formal or informal settings to practice pinning, pointing, and spreading insects to preserve them for scientific study. Designed to be accessible to a wide variety of audiences, it is navigable using screen readers, keyboard mapping or click-through. As a freely available, online resource for science teachers, it is particularly valuable for online classes or hybrid learning.

The Virtual Insect Collection Lab was created by the Learning Games Lab at New Mexico State University (NMSU) in collaboration with the NMSU Arthropod Collection. Researchers conducted a pilot study to evaluate its impact on interest and engagement with insect science and found that youth enjoyed the experience, felt comfortable pinning insects in the virtual lab, felt that using a virtual lab helped increase their confidence in learning science, and got curious to learn more about insects.

The Virtual Insect Collection Lab has won Gold awards from the Association for Communication Excellence in Natural, Life, and Human Sciences (for interactive/web media and for graphic design).

For more information, contact:

C. Scott Bundy, PhD

Professor of Entomology
& Director of the NMSU Arthropod Collection
New Mexico State University
cbundy@nmsu.edu
575-646-3171

Barbara Chamberlin, PhD

Professor, Department Head
Department of Innovative Media, Research & Extension
New Mexico State University
bchamber@nmsu.edu
575-646-2848

For more information, visit:

New Mexico State University