Franklin Pest Solutions Sponsors 2022 Bug Bowl Intern

Lafayette, Ind. (March 29, 2022) -- Franklin Pest Solutions, www.franklinpestsolutions.com, is continuing their mission to empower more women to explore careers in science by sponsoring a student intern to help with the 32nd Bug Bowl event management, https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/bugbowl/.

The Franklin sponsorship allowed Bug Bowl to hire 20-year-old Purdue sophomore Meghan Jerke for the job.

“I am so excited to be working on Bug Bowl. It brings the Purdue entomology team and the larger community of bug-loving folks together,” Meghan said.

Meghan’s love of bugs surfaced early. In middle school, she was the only one not scared to pick up the Madagascar hissing roaches a teacher brought to class. “But my favorite bug is the golden tortoise beetle because they have the goofiest faces and big feet that I find very endearing. They also have very pretty coloration and wings that are hard to look away from,” she said.

Bug Bowl is also hard to look away from. It is one of the largest insect festivals in the USA, according to Gwen Pearson, PhD with Purdue Entomology. It is part of Purdue’s Spring Fest weekend that will take place on Saturday, April 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST.

“We are committed to helping to educate the communities we serve about the wonderful, colorful,

beautiful world of bugs,” said Janelle Iaccino, aka The Bug Girl with Franklin which has offices in Lafayette, Indianapolis, New Albany, Hammond, and Michigan City, Indiana, just like Purdue University.

Research from the U.S. Census Bureau https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/01/women-making-gains-in-stem-occupations-but-still-underrepresented.html shows that currently, only 27-percent of scientists in the U.S. are women and we welcome Meghan to the world of female scientists. We are thrilled to sponsor her participation at Bug Bowl,” she added.

At Bug Bowl, Meghan will be responsible for facets of the 1,600 piece Insect Art Show. Each one of the K-12 artwork pieces submitted must be recorded, sorted, judged, hung, and then returned to the original artist. Plus, Meghan will keep track of making sure the more than 100 Bug Bowl volunteers all complete training, get schedule reminders, and have background checks.

“In addition to being immersed in the world of bugs, this Bug Bowl internship provides great experience in planning, ordering supplies, supply preparation, volunteer communications, and day of event triage. It’s a fantastic career-building experience,” Pearson said.

Also new at this year’s Bug. Bowl 2 is the first live visitor evaluation which will help make Bug Bowl even better in years to come.

“We know we are doing something right, because Bug Bowl has been successful for more than three decades,” Purdue’s Pearson said. But what specifically makes it work? And can we make things better? Our intern will work on data input from our survey through the end of the semester to help us answer those questions,” she added.

The legendary Bug Bowl draws fascinated fans of all ages who can participate in hands-on insect activities including the cricket spitting contest and an insect petting zoo. Also in attendance will be old friends from the hive -- Purdue Bug Bowl’s Betty Bee mascot and Franklin’s Zippy the Honeybee who love catching up each year. Both are committed to protecting honeybees.

About Franklin Pest Solutions, LLC

Since 1929, Franklin Pest Solutions and sister company Rose Pest Solutions have been trusted in the Midwest to keep homes and businesses free from insects, rodents, and more. Using cutting-edge technology, environmentally friendly methods, and personalized unique solutions, Franklin and Rose are dedicated to creating and maintaining healthier living environments. Owned by the Dold Family, Franklin Pest Solutions proudly serves communities in Indiana and Kentucky, and Rose Pest Solutions proudly serves all of Chicagoland, the Greater Milwaukee area, and South Central Wisconsin. For more information, see www.franklinpestsolutions.com and www.rosepestcontrol.com.