PEOPLE'S UNIVERSITY LIVESTREAM: Bugs & People - Brood X: Cicada-Mania, Part 1

May 27, 2021
6:30pm - 8:00pm

What do cicadas and people have in common? Both are re-emerging and re-uniting this summer.

Inspired by the return of Brood X or the Great Eastern Brood of periodical cicadas, the People's University at the Ohio County Public Library is offering an 8-class summer series on entomology (insect biology) called "PU Livestream: Bugs & People." The series will feature some of the best entomologists and experts from all over North America to teach attendees about the six major insect orders, as well as the history of human and insect interaction, a subject known as cultural entomology. Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions still affecting in-person library gatherings, the series will remain an online live stream (see below for details of how to view), which facilitates the nationwide, prestigious faculty.

CLASS 1: Brood X — Cicada-Mania, Part 1

Abstract: An introduction to insects in general and where cicadas fit in the Class Insecta aspects of insect biology, using cicadas, a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs), as the example. This will set the stage as an introduction for our series.

Instructor Bio: Dr. Gene Kritsky is dean of Behavioral and Natural Sciences and a biology professor at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, OH. He received his Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Illinois. Editor of American Entomologist, he has authored or edited 10 books and over 250 papers on subjects as diverse as entomology, Egyptology, dinosaur biology, and insect mythology. He is the author of The Tears of Re: Beekeeping in Ancient Egypt, and The Periodical Cicadas: The Brood X Edition, 2021.

This program will be available to watch live on Facebook Live, on YouTube, and on the OCPL website's People's University People & Bugs Livestream page.  Log into your Facebook or YouTube account during the program to leave questions for our presenters in the comments box. They will answer them during the live broadcast. 

Help track BroodX with Dr. Kritsky's Cicada Safari App!

Join Cicada Safari to help map the 2021 emergence of the periodical cicada Brood X.  Simply download the free app from the Apple App Store or Google Play, then go on a safari to find periodical cicadas.  Photograph and submit the periodical cicadas to Cicada Safari, and after the photos are verified, they will be posted to the live map. Cicada Safari was created by Dr. Gene Kritsky working with the Center for IT Engagement at  Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati.

A small colony of Brood X cicadas has been reported in the Wheeling area as far back as 1919. Help us locate an emergence this year and help put Wheeling on the 2021 map. 

Learn more on the Cicada Safari website at cicadasafari.org.

FEATURED BOOK:
The Periodical Cicadas: The Brood X Edition,  Dr. Gene Kritsky (Ohio Biological Survey: February 26, 2021)
[Reserve a copy from the Library  | order copy on Amazon]

Every seventeen years, millions of cicadas rise from the soil of the eastern United States to fly, mate, and fill the air with their noisy song. Periodical Cicadas: The Brood X Edition provides a less costly examination of how the study of Brood X cicadas shaped our understanding of these “bugs of history.” First documented in Philadelphia in 1715, Brood X was and is the largest of the 17-year cicada broods, occurring in 15 states that include several major cities. Periodical Cicadas: The Brood X Edition discusses the natural history, evolution, behavior, and distribution of periodical cicadas and provides an overview of the eighteen emergences that have occurred since the brood was first reported. It offers a perfect starting point to learn about these insects and to enjoy them as one of the wonders of our natural world.

Participants in this summer's People's U will have the opportunity to learn about insects while becoming eligible to win various insect-related prizes through interaction with the instructors. 

Classes for People’s University LIVESTREAM—"Bugs & People," will meet on Thursday evenings at 6:30 pm, May 27 through July 15, with an in-person field trip to be scheduled the week after our last class. All programs are free and open to the public. Patrons may attend as many classes as they wish. There are no tests or other requirements. For more info about the People’s University LIVESTREAM, email [email protected], visit the OCPL's website, or call 304-232-0244.

➤ View a full schedule of classes and instructors for People's U: Bugs and People
➤ View our full calendar of events to see our upcoming programs

See full Instructor Bios and Class Abstracts, visit: www.facebook.com/peoplesuniversityOCPL. Click on “Events.” Also, check back for information on a field trip to be scheduled the week after our last class.

- People's University Online-
Thursdays from 6:30 pm to 8 pm on YouTube Live and Facebook Live

Subscribe to the People's University Youtube channel or like us on the People's University Facebook page or to receive notifications of our upcoming People's U broadcasts. To receive emails about our upcoming programs, visit our News page, click the "Subscribe" button to sign-up for our news blasts or download our free OCPL Connect app from your smartphone's app store. All classes will be recorded and available to view after broadcast on the People's University People & Bugs page on the Library's website. 

ABOUT THE OCPL'S PEOPLE'S UNIVERSITY SERIES:

In 1951, the Ohio County Public Library's librarian, Virginia Ebeling, referenced British historian Thomas Carlyle, who said, “the public library is a People’s University,” when she initiated a new adult education program with that name. Miss Ebeling charged the library with the responsibility of reaching “as many people in the community as possible.” In keeping with that tradition of public libraries as sanctuaries of free learning for all people, the Ohio County Public Library revived the series in 2010.

The People’s University features courses (taught by experts in each subject) that enable patrons to pursue their goal of lifelong learning in classic subjects such as history, music appreciation, philosophy, and literature. Patrons may attend as many classes as they wish. There are no tests of other requirements and all programs are free and open to the public. For more information about PU Livestream, Bugs & People, EMAIL US,  visit ohiocountylibrary.org or call the library at 304-232-0244.