Zoology Intro | A Bug's Life | ER for all Creatures Great and Small

A Bug's Life
By Carly Hayman

___What do you want from your career? The opportunity to visit remote and exciting areas of the world? Involvement in a constantly expanding field of Science where new species are continually discovered? Have you considered the study of Entomology, which is the study of insects? After spending a day with Dr Chris Reid, an expert in the field, I discovered that there is far more to the study of beetles than meets the eye.

___How does one become an entomologist? Chris spent his childhood in Ireland, where family and friends encouraged his interest in Science, particularly Zoology. By the age of 12, Chris was sorting insect collections in a museum in Belfast. By 15, he had published his first scientific paper. Before finishing high school, Chris was offered a place at university studying Zoology. Soon after commencing the degree, however, he dropped out. Chris retained his passion for Biology, and it was not long before he resumed his studies, completing a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Zoology at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. After relocating to Australia, Chris spent five years examining subfamilies of leaf beetles for his PhD. This work led him to his current position as a research scientist at the Australian Museum.

___Around 7am, Chris enters his office and takes his place among mountains of paper work, journals, and of course, beetles. I join Chris a couple of hours later in the foyer of the Australian Museum and am led through a complex maze of stairs and corridors to his office. Upon entering, my eyes are immediately drawn to the beetle specimens cluttered around two large microscopes. Intrigued, I glance at the various beetles and begin to gain a sense of the complexity inherent in the field of Entomology. Not sure what to expect, I pull up a chair by Chris's computer and delve into the typical day of an entomologist.

___The 15th of April is a fairly standard day for Chris. As the morning unfolds, he will complete administration forms, review four papers, and sort a beetle collection donated by an amateur collector. He will assist a student who has encountered major problems with his PhD. Chris's computer screen reveals a vital source of communication and information for him: emails. Chris uses email to correspond with international colleagues about research proposals and updates, as well as responding to enquires from corporations and the general public.

___During a normal working week, Chris frequents the museum's library, where he reads articles related to his own research and peruses the latest scientific publications for new developments. Chris emphasises the importance of examining fields outside one's own research. His research in Entomology is often closely related to research in other scientific disciplines, including Botany and Environmental Science. Biology is often an inexact science, and older hypotheses must be continually re-evaluated within the context of new discoveries.

___On a more extraordinary day, Chris could be almost anywhere on the planet collecting information on newly discovered species. Later this year he hopes to travel to the Solomon Islands and Fiji. When discussing life as an entomologist with Chris and a colleague over coffee at the museum’s café, some less appealing aspects of these field trips became apparent. Chris kindly recounted some of his experiences with creepy crawlies, including the time he managed to collect five leeches between his toes.

___Entomology research has both theoretical and practical components. For Chris, the former involves looking at the systematics of leaf beetles. There is far more to discovering a new species of beetle than naming it. Chris describes his theoretical work as detective work. He must probe old records and decipher other people's descriptions and diagrams before judging whether a new species has been discovered or an old species rediscovered.

___The practical facet of Chris's job is contract work for national parks and agricultural corporations. His expertise is called upon when a beetle is devastating local bushland or crops. Currently, he is involved in a project looking at the life cycle of a beetle that is decimating crops in the Solomon Islands. The project aims to discover a vulnerability in the beetle’s life cycle and curb the proliferation of the organism.

___In the near future, Chris hopes to resolve the systematics of Australian leaf beetles and write a book based on this research. He assures us this book will be a national bestseller! Despite such a hectic schedule and ambitious goals, Chris finds time to enjoy his native garden and to go bushwalking in his local area. His parting words of advice are to encourage students of Science to keep an open mind to all areas of study and most importantly to pursue a career that they are passionate about.

Zoology Intro | A Bug's Life| ER for all Creatures Great and Small