Bug2School: Collaborative insect ecology research in school gardens could revolutionize STEM learning in primary, secondary, and higher education

School gardens provide unique opportunities to captivate future entomologists with the drama, intrigue, and thrilling complexity of even the most common insect food webs in urban ecosystems, while integrating lessons in basic biology that are crucial for meeting state STEM education standards. Through a new “Bug2School” initiative, we curate collaborative research experiences for undergraduates in school gardens, and thereby infuse garden-based education programs with human resources and technical expertise to connect STEM curriculum with real-world issues. In summer 2022 and fall 2023, a small pilot cohort of undergraduate researchers participated in a structured, course-like research experience; they discussed background research, articulated hypotheses, applied experimental treatments, troubleshooted logistical challenges, collected, analyzed, and synthesized results together as a group. In small-scale experiments at 14 school garden sites in Georgia and the Carolinas, we discovered that biodiversity aboveground and belowground interactively shaped insect food webs in urban agroecosystems. Undergraduate researchers created humorous and engaging multi-media content to help students of all ages observe trophic interactions between garden insects, and engaged with school age students in numerous garden-based outreach activities. Finally, the Bug2School experience cultivated a sense of self-efficacy in experimental design, project management, and science communication among the undergraduate fellows, and helped their career goals take shape.