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Beetlemania is coming to Corvallis Science Pub May 14

Contact: Nick Houtman, nick.houtman@oregonstate.edu, 541-737-0783

Source: Chris Marshall, marshach@onid.orst.edu, 541-737-4349

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Beetles have talent. They fly, tunnel, crawl and communicate with each other through chemical clues. Chris Marshall, curator of the Oregon State University Arthropod Collection, will bring the fascinating world of beetles -- their history, behavior and ecology -- to the Corvallis Science Pub on May 14.

Marshall will show examples of unusual beetles from around the world and discuss ways in which the Oregon State Arthropod Collection is helping scientists and the general public learn about the amazing beetle fauna here in the Pacific Northwest.

As a youth in New England, he started as many amateur bug collectors do, netting butterflies around his neighborhood. But he also found joy in stalking the creepers in creek beds and rotting logs. As a young scientist at Reed College, Harvard and then Cornell, he dug for treasure in insect collections and joined an expedition to Costa Rica. In 2006, he participated in a National Geographic-funded expedition to the remote rainforests of the Guyana Shield.

Today, Marshall manages a collection of more than 3 million insects, the world's largest repository of bugs native to the Pacific Northwest. It focuses on meeting the needs of researchers but is open to the public by appointment.

Corvallis Science Pub will begin at 6 p.m. on May 14 at the Old World Deli, 341 Second St. in Corvallis. It is free and open to the public.

Sponsors of Science Pub include Terra magazine at OSU, the Downtown Corvallis Association and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.