Is Entomology on the MCAT?: Encouraging Less-Than-Enthusiastic Biology Majors to Become Excited About Insects

Abstract

When I first started teaching introductory courses in biology and entomology at Concordia College, I was surprised by the disinterest many biology majors displayed toward organisms that were not human (with the possible exception of disease-causing organisms). The prevailing attitude seemed to be that if it wasn't covered on the MCAT, then it wasn't worthy of the student's time or effort to learn about it (e.g., Rivers 2006). As such, I tried to design my general entomology course with pre-med students in mind. However, even though I was trying to cater to the vast majority of biology majors interested in medicine, I still had a challenge getting students to enroll in entomology, even with a camping trip to the North Dakota Badlands. In those early years of my career, I designed the course to start with both internal and external anatomy. I then covered insect growth and development, insect senses and behavior, insect-plant interactions, predation, and other ecological aspects. The final quarter of the semester focused on applied entomology, with the majority of time covering medical aspects and forensic entomology. Students were required to make an insect collection to illustrate the diversity of insects that could be found in the northwest Minnesota region. However, this approach to entomology did not attract many students, and I cancelled class one semester due to low enrollment. After the cancellation of my class, I decided I needed …