On Friday, March 14, Augustana’s Biology Department and two artists from Plant Bot Genetics collaborated to make a mural highlighting beetle biodiversity in the Quad Cities. The mural is located on Hanson Hall of Science’s third floor and sponsored by Auburn University and Augustana College.

The display showcased beetles from the work of Assistant Professor of Biology Tierney Brosius, who has been researching beetles for the last ten years. 

Last summer, Brosius conducted fieldwork on local beetles. Global concerns of insect decline drove her work, as they are indicators of forest health. 

“As a scientist, I think we don’t necessarily always do a good job of talking about why our research is important to the public in a way that maybe they can understand or is accessible,” Brosius said.

Brosius said she and her team used a variety of traps to collect the insects. She was assisted by seniors Charley Williams and Dakota Serra in recording the different beetles, such as Carrion and Grapevine Beetles. 

“You don’t think you would find stag beetles, because when you’re thinking local, you’re not really expecting to see something so cool,” Serra said.

The mural was made possible by a $20K grant from Auburn University. Additionally, Brosius said a two thousand dollar grant from Augustana helped Williams and Serra attend the Entomological Society of America conference last year with their research in Phoenix, Arizona. 

There, Williams won second place for her research poster. Brosius said they are also working towards digitizing the collection of the beetle types, so that the data is accessible for the whole country. 

Co-founders of Plant Bot Genetics, Auburn University Art Professor Wendy DesChene and Georgia Southern University Art Professor Jeff Schmuki, also collaborated on this project, snapshotting photos of each beetle. They were later used for the mural, DesChene and Schmuki said. 

The artwork features beetles in a mandala, meant to resemble flowers, to show beetles’ roles in pollination, he said. The mural was hung at the event with wheat paste, allowing them to be removed in the future.

“You walk out in the hall there, and you see people using their hands to put up these murals,” Schmuki said. “In doing so, they’re taking ownership, and it means more.” 

The goal of the mural, he said, is to encourage students to engage in the artwork and raise awareness about the importance of beetles. 

Sophomore Mya Diabria attended the mural’s reveal and said students are often disconnected from the natural world, mainly spending time inside academic buildings rather than exploring the campus’ surroundings.

“By having a piece of nature inside the school, it really can remind us about this bigger component and features of the world that maybe we forget about,” Diabria said.

Plant Bot Genetics started 15 years ago, DesChene said, in response to Genetically Modified Organisms, but the co-founders have since brought their research to focus on insects and other organisms. 

“We always work with scientists,” DesChene said. “It’s really important we collaborate with people who actually do know about data and do know about what’s happening in the world.”

This past summer, Plant Bot Genetics hosted a trailer in the campus quad, sharing the research with the local community and educating attendees on common area beetles. The pop-up was also at the Figge Art Museum.

At each location, Williams said there was a survey available for anyone who attended. The event received lots of positive feedback, he said.

“I think it’s cool for people to kind of learn and see visually what’s just surrounding them and what’s close to just their backyard,” Williams said.