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When I first applied to Michigan State, it was for a position of Aquatic Forest Recreational
Entomologist, which was kind of a hodgepodge, so when I took this job I could really go
into any direction that I wanted to and they let me here. And it allowed me to diversify
and go into any field I wanted and they supported it. Aquatic Entomology is really important
for the environment, insects in streams are kind of like the- I look at them as the canaries
in coal mines. You can look at the absence of certain insects, the presence of other
insects, and it tells you a lot about what's wrong with this stream and why it's not functioning
the way it should. Forensic Entomology, I got into it a long time ago, it's come to
the forefront of forensic science, especially with CSI because Grisham is actually a Forensic
Entomologist or pretends to be. Michigan State University has a great Forensic Science department
as well as groups of individuals who are specialized in fields of forensic science. And we all
work together, even the state crime lab here, so Michigan State offers such a neat area,
a neat environment to work on cases, so we get calls all the time. I think the best part
of my job at MSU is training graduate students and I think I get more enjoyment out of seeing
them be successful, out of training them, maybe giving them a little piece of life to
hang on to to say, you know, 'I taught you something. Take this with you.' They're our
legacy.