UA News

Carl "Bug Man" Olson shares the importance of the insect species found in Arizona and will help people to identify and live with insects around their homes.

Flandrau: The University of Arizona Science Center will host another Science Café event on Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. at the Cushing Street Bar & Restaurant located at 198 W. Cushing St, in downtown Tucson. 

The Flandrau Science Café is a casual forum for people to meet and discuss a particular science topic with a UA scientist in the relaxed atmosphere of a local restaurant.

Topics of discussion vary each month, but each session promises to be current and relevant.

Carl "Bug Man" Olson is associate curator of the UA entomology department's research insect collection, assistant in extension and lecturer at the department of entomology at the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

He will deliver a short talk entitled, "What's Bugging You? Identifying and Living With Insects."

Olson will speak on the importance of the insect species found in Arizona and help members of the audience learn how to identify and live with insects around the home. In addition, Olson will provide a closer look at the UA's research insect collection.

Olson is responsible for the UA insect research collection – a job he has done for 34 years. He is passionate about bugs and commits time to teach community groups the values of insect life.

He has authored two books on Southwest insects, co-authored many extension bulletins and actively works to demystify bug lore in the public school systems.

He serves on the boards of the Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute, the UA Faculty-Staff Choir and the Southern Arizona Women's Chorus.

Science Café topics through the end of the year include:

Nov. 10 – Aquaponics

Dec. 8 – Optics

Shipherd Reed will moderate the discussion. Following the program, which will end at 7:30 p.m., audience members will have the opportunity to submit discussion topic ideas for subsequent Science Café events.

Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Cushing Street Bar & Restaurant is located on the corner of Cushing Street and Meyer Avenue in downtown Tucson, across the street from the Convention Center.

Complimentary, lighted, on-site parking is available on the east side of the restaurant.