A lot has happened since our first newsletter! The global COVID-19 pandemic certainly had an impact on our work. In the early months of the pandemic we had to shut down the Cornell University Insect Collection (CUIC) as did much of Cornell and almost everywhere else around the world. During this time we kept a careful eye on our collections to insure there were no threats to the collection from things like water leaks, drastic changes in temperature, or loss of specimens from pests. In fact our CUIC team took turns doing things like wiping down all the high-touch services and vacuuming the massive collection rooms to keep pests at bay. 
Also, during this last year the Cornell University Insect Collection turned 150 years old! We are proud of our long history of important scientific impact. Although we hoped to have a celebration the pandemic has limited our ability to bring together large numbers of alumni and supporters of the CUIC. But, you can help us celebrate in two ways!
First, we will be opening a public museum exhibit at the Museum of the Earth in spring of 2022! We are thrilled to partner with them to bring you “Six-Legged Science: Unlocking the Secrets of the Insect World”. This exhibit will not only celebrate our favorite animals and why they are so important but will also share with visitors the importance of the CUIC’s 7 million specimens and the work we do. We will have hundreds of insects on display from the CUIC and lots of fun interactive ways to learn about our work. We hope to see you there!
Second, you can support the work we are doing by giving to CUIC. Support to this fund helps support student fieldwork, curatorial and digitization projects by students and staff, and help us care for and expand our collection. If you have other ideas for ways you would like to support CUIC I would also be happy to discuss options on how to make your gift have the biggest impact.
As many of you know CUIC is an amazing place and I invite you all to visit anytime. We have been fortunate to receive several new insect collection accessions and were also able to create some informative and fun videos about the CUIC. Check them out here and here. If you want to know more about the work we are doing be sure to follow our social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. I thank you all for your inspiration and continued support!
Thank you,
Dr. Corrie Moreau
Martha N. and John C. Moser Professor of Arthropod Biosystematics and Biodiversity
Director & Head Curator of the Cornell University Insect Collection
