Mentor: Steve Sullivan, Ph.D.

Ecosystem engineers have been a concept in middle school science and documented scientific research since it was originally termed in a paper by Jones et al. from 1994. The basic premise is that some species in an environment have an outsized impact on their environment due to their behavioral patterns. This project created a display that highlighted an incredible natural system built on the backs of termites as the "ecosystem engineers" to teach and engage students and visitors with a critical concept, dynamic specimens, and applicable methodologies that enable similar projects for many different people. I built a model termite mound, designed, prepared, and installed multiple real specimens, and developed informative display signage and interactive activities that enable visitors to learn and interact. Amazingly, this museum display is possible with limited resources and knowledge in a way that could hopefully engage more people to drive their own learning with similar projects.

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