Middle School Educators

Dr. Andrea Lucky

Dr. Andrea Lucky

The School of Ants: a Citizen Science Project.

Citizen science is a way for you and your students to participate in ongoing scientific studies by collecting data for professional research teams. This year, we are enlisting middle-schoolers from across the state to help the School of Ants Project.

Started at NC State University, School of Ants is an international citizen science project designed to map the locations of native and introduced species of ants in urban areas. Dr. Andrea Lucky, an NC State University entomologist, directs the project.

This project involves the collection of ants from paved and green spaces around the world and then sending them to Dr. Andrea Lucky’s lab in the Department of Biology at North Carolina State University.

Getting Started

  1. Review the information on the School of Ants Web site.
  2. Complete the application on the site to receive your collection kits. (Or, if kits are not currently available, follow the online instructions to make your own ant collecting kits.) Be sure to indicate that you heard about the program through the North Carolina Science Festival!
  3. Collect the specimens in a manner that best suits your class structure. (Collecting tip: Ants are more active during warmer months.)
  4. Follow the simple instructions provided.
  5. Mail the kits back to Dr. Lucky. Please note: you are responsible for postage.
  6. Bonus: There’s a special vial included to send in other bugs that you catch. See if you can stump the entomologists at NC State.
  7. Dr. Lucky’s team will identify the ants in your samples and add them to their map tracking ant diversity.
  8. In April 2012, you will be able to log onto the School of Ants website to see our results from across the state.
  9. A few schools might even have members of Dr. Lucky’s team visit them during the Festival!

With the assistance of the North Carolina Science Festival and the Museum of Natural Sciences, the School of Ants project will also be providing participating schools with ideas for supplemental activities about ants.

To apply, please visit the School of Ants site at http://www.schoolofants.org/participate.html.

Please contact us with any questions.