Page 15 - Armed Forces Directory - Aberdeen Proving Ground

Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD

Local student Owen Halgas, 12, from Aberdeen, Maryland, appreciated both
the outdoor activities and sophisticated laboratory work.

“I really liked catching the bugs and pinning them to posts. I thought that was
really cool,” he said. “The camp was fun. We get to go outside in nature and
get off screen and enjoy the world as it is. We got to do lab stuff, like checking
ticks for diseases.”

Professional-level learning experience

The camp’s carefully structured curriculum was designed to give students
authentic scientific experiences while maintaining high engagement through
hands-on activities. Jennifer Carder, Integrated Pest Management branch chief
and Bug Camp director, explained the program’s format.

“We set it up so the campers would get a little bit of classroom time, followed
by some activity, back to the classroom, and then another activity.”

Day one began with Entomology 101, introducing students to the field before
moving into specialized mosquito education. Campers toured DCPH-A’s
insectary and pesticide laboratory, then ventured into the field to set up various
mosquito traps and collect specimens using sweep nets.

“I’ve caught different bugs using a sweep net. I caught aquatic bugs using
dippers, including a water bug. That was fun,” said Shestiuk.

On the second day, students checked their mosquito traps and worked
with microscopes and dissecting scopes to identify their specimens using
dichotomous keys—tools that guide identification through paired choices based
on observable characteristics. After identifying insects to their proper order,
students pinned their specimens for future study.

The microscopy work particularly impressed the young scientists.

“We were able to look at insects in detail using microscopes. I liked looking at
the tiny little details on an insect. I would have never known beetles had hair
on them,” said Halgas.

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