Explorit Science Center Weekly Column
This page contains the material submitted to the local paper - The Davis Enterprise - for Explorit Science Center's news column published in
that paper on Fridays.
Article for: The Davis Enterprise
Date: January 2, 2004
Author: Leslie Madsen
PAINT WITH MAGGOTS AT EXPLORIT ON SATURDAY
Bring together maggots and art, and you get . .well, Maggot Art. And also something of extraordinary beauty.
Forensic entomologist Rebecca Bullard has developed a process by which people can paint with maggots instead of brushes. Tomorrow, visitors can learn more about maggots and use them to create stunning paintings at Explorit Science Center.
Bullard was first drawn to the possibilities of creating art with maggots while she was a student in the entomology department at the University of Hawaii. Bullard and a fellow student, Audra Jessup, observed that maggots leave a trail of fluid behind them when they leave the flesh on which they were feeding.
Bullard and Jessup dipped the maggots in nontoxic paint and watched as the insects created beautiful streaks across the paper. Inspired to share her discovery with others, Bullard, who is now a Ph.D. student in the UC Davis Entomology Department, created a curriculum for elementary school children. In addition to elementary classrooms, Bullard has shared her enthusiasm for the insects with college students and at UC Davis's Picnic Day.
"I think that maggots are some of the most interesting organisms on the planet," Bullard said. "They exploit a variety of different environments, most of which we perceive as disgusting-carrion, feces, rotting vegetation."
Maggots represent the second, or larval, stage of a fly's lifecycle. A maggot emerges from an egg as a larva, then becomes a pupa-a stage similar to a butterfly's cocoon or chrysalis-before emerging as an adult fly.
To create Maggot Art, Bullard uses flies from the families Calliphoridae, the blow flies, and Sarcophagidae, the flesh flies. Bullard assures her audiences that the maggots are not harmed in the process of painting, and there is not any danger to participants because they handle maggots with tweezers.
As a forensic entomologist, Bullard understands that maggots are good for more than just art.
"Maggots can be collected from homicide victims or living individuals who have been subjected to serious neglect or abuse," she explained. "Most often, the developmental stage of the maggots is used to determine how long the victim has been dead or abused."
Maggots, Bullard said, can also tell scientists about the drugs or chemicals in a person's body at the time of death. They also can indicate whether a victim's body was transported after death - the species of maggot found on the body may be local to only a small area, and thus can let investigators know where the person died.
While adults tend to associate maggots with death and dying, most children have not yet developed negative views of the insects.
"Kids love Maggot Art," Bullard said. "I have yet to give a demonstration in which a child hated it or refused to participate. The children who squeal when I bring out the maggots and say they hate bugs are usually the ones who are trying to take maggots home as pets when we are finished."
Occasionally parents let their own fears about maggots block their children's understanding about life processes. It's important, Bullard said, that parents avoid instilling their children with aversions to all insects.
"By allowing children to handle insects in an enjoyable and non-threatening activity," Bullard said, "I am teaching them to appreciate an organism that very few people like or understand while giving them a great lesson on animal development and behavior."
Tomorrow's Maggot Art presentation takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. at Explorit Science Center. Participation is free to Explorit members or with paid admission to the current exhibition, "Get a Clue! Solving Mysteries with Science."
For more information on Maggot Art, visit www.maggotart.com.
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Explorit Science Center is at 3141 5th Street in East Davis. The current exhibition is "Get a Clue! Solving Mysteries with Science," which continues through Mar. 7. Public hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.explorit.org or call Explorit at (530) 756-0191.
Date: January 2, 2004
Author: Leslie Madsen
PAINT WITH MAGGOTS AT EXPLORIT ON SATURDAY
Bring together maggots and art, and you get . .well, Maggot Art. And also something of extraordinary beauty.
Forensic entomologist Rebecca Bullard has developed a process by which people can paint with maggots instead of brushes. Tomorrow, visitors can learn more about maggots and use them to create stunning paintings at Explorit Science Center.
Bullard was first drawn to the possibilities of creating art with maggots while she was a student in the entomology department at the University of Hawaii. Bullard and a fellow student, Audra Jessup, observed that maggots leave a trail of fluid behind them when they leave the flesh on which they were feeding.
Bullard and Jessup dipped the maggots in nontoxic paint and watched as the insects created beautiful streaks across the paper. Inspired to share her discovery with others, Bullard, who is now a Ph.D. student in the UC Davis Entomology Department, created a curriculum for elementary school children. In addition to elementary classrooms, Bullard has shared her enthusiasm for the insects with college students and at UC Davis's Picnic Day.
"I think that maggots are some of the most interesting organisms on the planet," Bullard said. "They exploit a variety of different environments, most of which we perceive as disgusting-carrion, feces, rotting vegetation."
Maggots represent the second, or larval, stage of a fly's lifecycle. A maggot emerges from an egg as a larva, then becomes a pupa-a stage similar to a butterfly's cocoon or chrysalis-before emerging as an adult fly.
To create Maggot Art, Bullard uses flies from the families Calliphoridae, the blow flies, and Sarcophagidae, the flesh flies. Bullard assures her audiences that the maggots are not harmed in the process of painting, and there is not any danger to participants because they handle maggots with tweezers.
As a forensic entomologist, Bullard understands that maggots are good for more than just art.
"Maggots can be collected from homicide victims or living individuals who have been subjected to serious neglect or abuse," she explained. "Most often, the developmental stage of the maggots is used to determine how long the victim has been dead or abused."
Maggots, Bullard said, can also tell scientists about the drugs or chemicals in a person's body at the time of death. They also can indicate whether a victim's body was transported after death - the species of maggot found on the body may be local to only a small area, and thus can let investigators know where the person died.
While adults tend to associate maggots with death and dying, most children have not yet developed negative views of the insects.
"Kids love Maggot Art," Bullard said. "I have yet to give a demonstration in which a child hated it or refused to participate. The children who squeal when I bring out the maggots and say they hate bugs are usually the ones who are trying to take maggots home as pets when we are finished."
Occasionally parents let their own fears about maggots block their children's understanding about life processes. It's important, Bullard said, that parents avoid instilling their children with aversions to all insects.
"By allowing children to handle insects in an enjoyable and non-threatening activity," Bullard said, "I am teaching them to appreciate an organism that very few people like or understand while giving them a great lesson on animal development and behavior."
Tomorrow's Maggot Art presentation takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. at Explorit Science Center. Participation is free to Explorit members or with paid admission to the current exhibition, "Get a Clue! Solving Mysteries with Science."
For more information on Maggot Art, visit www.maggotart.com.
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Explorit Science Center is at 3141 5th Street in East Davis. The current exhibition is "Get a Clue! Solving Mysteries with Science," which continues through Mar. 7. Public hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.explorit.org or call Explorit at (530) 756-0191.