Small scientists, BIG impact: How students are powering insect discovery and ecosystem awareness

By Dr Andy Howe and Dr Erinn Fagan-Jeffries

If you’re a teacher looking for meaningful ways to connect students with real science, biodiversity, and ecosystems - look no further than your own schoolyard. Insects are everywhere, and it turns out, they can teach us a lot - not just about ecosystems, but about the process of science itself.

In our citizen science project Insect Investigators, students from 50 regional and remote Australian schools joined forces with entomologists and educators to document local insect biodiversity using Malaise traps and DNA barcoding. Along the way, they learned about taxonomy, conservation, ecosystems and - perhaps most importantly - their own role in caring for nature.

What’s an ecosystem without insects?

Insects form the backbone of nearly every terrestrial ecosystem on Earth. They pollinate, recycle nutrients, control pests, and provide food for countless other species. Yet global studies continue to sound the alarm: insect populations are in trouble. Australia faces the same trend - and we don’t even know the full extent. Only about one-third of Australian insects have been formally described.

That means two-thirds are “dark taxa” - unknown to science - making it extremely difficult to manage ecosystems, conserve biodiversity, or even monitor environmental change. Without knowing what’s there or what it is called, how can we protect it or communicate about it?

Students discovering new species

That’s where students come in.

As part of Insect Investigators, students deployed Malaise traps (picture a tent which specializes in catching flying insects) on school grounds to collect local insect species. Specimens were DNA barcoded and some were sent to taxonomists to be described and named. Many schools helped name new species, including numerous parasitoid wasps that emerged from caterpillars of invasive pests like the Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) and a previously undescribed pseudoscorpion from Western Australia. Presently, over 17 species have been described – kids naming insects in action!

Many of the tiny wasps schools helped to describe are part of Australia’s natural ecosystem defence system. They help regulate pest populations, and discovering where they occur can directly support sustainable pest management strategies.

“I didn’t think wasps could be good.”

One of the most powerful impacts was how school participation in Insect Investigators had the potential to change students’ attitudes. Surveys showed that after participating, students were more likely to value insects and more willing to engage in environmental behaviours - like spending time in nature or encouraging others to protect wildlife.

Teachers, too, reported that they were more inclined to include insect and conservation topics in their lessons - a positive feedback loop between student enthusiasm and educator confidence.

Citizen science as curriculum

Teachers received flexible, curriculum-aligned lesson plans and kits that included sweep nets, ID guides, and videos (all available on the Insect Investigators homepage). But it was the hands-on nature of the project that brought the science to life. Whether it was collecting bugs, following the sorting of trap contents, or seeing their data on the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD), students engaged in authentic scientific practices – one teacher said “…the skills and mindsets taught throughout (the project) promoted the fact that we can all undertake citizen science.”

Even more inspiring were the ways teachers integrated the project across subjects: insects in English creative writing, data in Maths, life cycles in Science, and even wasp-inspired artworks.

Biodiversity meets biotechnology

The project also gave students a glimpse into biotechnology through DNA barcoding — a technique that compares short genetic sequences to identify species. This tool helps fill critical gaps in our knowledge of ecosystems by linking insect specimens to global reference databases. Some student-collected specimens even contributed to tracking species which were introduced to Australia, including a hitch-hiking fly and biological control agents released in Queensland.

Ecosystem awareness from the ground up

From a science education point of view, projects like Insect Investigators show that ecosystems don’t have to be remote rainforests or coral reefs. They can be as close as the nearest flower bed. By working together, scientists, teachers, and students are helping to build a national picture of insect biodiversity, while fostering ecological awareness and scientific literacy.

In a time of growing environmental uncertainty, empowering young people to notice, name, and care for the small creatures in their own backyards could be one of our most powerful strategies for long-term conservation.