It’s the end of the summer, and I have been looking through some photographs from this past field season.  Included in the photographs are a lot of images of “entomologists at work” and this prompted me to start a Tumblr blog called “The Entomologist“.  The inspiration for this comes directly from “What a scientist looks like” – a truly wonderful project devoted to rethinking stereotypes about scientists.

Is this a typical Entomologist, Butterfly net in hand? (Photograph by C. Ernst)

What are the stereotypes of Entomologists “at work” ? I would guess that most people probably think Entomologists are either waving around butterfly nets in a rainforest clearing, or perhaps looking at fly larvae under a snazzy microscope to determine time of death (i.e., Forensic entomology as depicted on CSI).

What do entomologists really do?  What does it look like when they are at work?  This project is devoted to answering these questions, through submissions to the site.  Please contribute by going here, and clicking on the Submit tab.  Please provide a photograph of yourself as an Entomologist at work, be it in the laboratory, in a research collection, doing field work, rearing larvae, weighing specimens, checking traps, inspecting a home for pests, counting aphids on plants, etc.  Or, take a picture of a colleague or friend of yours who spends time with insects and catch them in action.

I encourage ALL entomologists to submit a photo – whether you are an amateur, professional, young or old.

Show me your passion for the discipline, and I hope the site will fill with depictions of the breadth and depth of entomology and its practitioners.  Perhaps this can also inspire more people to become Entomologists.